Fancore


Interview: Poison The Well guitarist Ryan Primack
November 23, 2009, 5:36 pm
Filed under: Interviews | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Modern hardcore pioneers Poison The Well have had quite a year. The Florida five-piece have been tearing round the world in support of their masterpiece “The Tropic Rot”, the most progressive release of the band’s career. We caught up with lead guitarist and band leader Ryan Primack to talk tours, the future and where this is all going.

You’ve been on a tour of the UK with Rise Against and Thursday, what sort of reception have you been getting so far?

A: The shows that we’ve played with Thursday and just us have been really good, it’s been our normal crowd really. Some of the shows with Rise Against have been really funny, some of the crowds have been super receptive and then some of them have looked at us like we have seventeen hands growing out of our face! It’s been great!

Have you been checking out the sets of the other bands?

A: Yeah every day. Us and Thursday are poor so we didn’t bring anyone to help out onstage. As soon as I’m done playing I’m out onstage making sure everything goes off good for Thursday so I see them every single day. I’ve caught quite a bit of the Rise Against sets, it’s pretty epic. We’re noticing in Spain it turned into an Iron Maiden concert almost cause people were humming along to their guitar riffs just like they do on “Fear of the Dark” (for Maiden).

You’re touring the new album “The Tropic Rot” at the moment, how do you feel the album turned out?

A: I’m pretty happy with it. I’m as happy with it as I am with any record, which means that when it comes out I already hate it (laughs). But that’s how I usually work, everything for me is a work in progress. Everything I do, in hindsight, five minutes later I think is shit. It’s normal for me though.

Have you figured out the next step in terms of where PTW are going on another record?

A: Polka party (laughs). We’re probably going to try and keep reinventing what we do. Sometimes it’s tough when a bunch of guys with zero common sense try to produce something, but you do what you can.

Was the recording process a smooth one?

A: Yeah, this time it went really smoothly. I don’t know if that is good or bad. Maybe it’s better if you have to fight it out.

Has the new line-up helped with this?

A: We all got on really, really well. I only had to kick them six or seven times. In the face.

Do you feel you sound tighter live with the new guys?

A: Now we do. It was a little shaky at first but now it’s definitely come together.

This is possibly your most progressive-leaning album to date, was this a conscious decision or something that developed over the making of the album?

A: It’s pretty much something that naturally happened, we just put together songs, did what we do and hoped for the best and it came out at least mediocre. I’m just one of those people that is incredibly self-defacing about what they do. 

How have the new songs been received live so far?

A: Good, the one’s that we’ve been choosing to play have been going down pretty well. I think maybe next year we’ll start breaking out the more obscure ones and see what happens. We’ll try and gently break it to people.

Often with bands that have a progressive sound you see them performing their whole albums live, is that something you’d ever do?

A: I would totally love to do that, but we’d have to have a bunch of extra people besides the five of us. I wouldn’t want to just do it on (backing) tracks like some bands do. To me that steals away from the point of seeing as band live now. We’ve been trying to get Andrew from Thursday in to do keyboards but he really doesn’t want to do it.

Why not?

A: He really doesn’t like me (laughs). There just hasn’t been time to figure it all out. He’s my favourite dude ever, in the world. More so than Jesus.

Who plays keyboard on “The Tropic Rot?”

A: I do but I didn’t want to put it down there because on (previous album) Versions it looks like I have a laundry list after my name. I felt self-serving and a little embarrassed to be tooting my own horn so this time I just put that I played guitar. I don’t want to be the kind of musician who’s like “check me out!”

Do you plan any UK headline dates in support of the album?

A: Hopefully, we did like, a couple earlier in the year but it was really brief. We don’t have anything for next year as of yet. We kind of went real heavy for this year, people kind of need a little time off. We’re all growing older as people. Sometimes you just want to be at home for a little bit.

PTW are cited as a huge influence on a lot of hardcore and metalcore bands. Oli Sykes from Bring Me The Horizon recently mentioned you in Kerrang, and we spoke to UK band Your Demise last issue and they also cite you as a big influence. Would you say you notice a lot of bands that are cast in the same mould as PTW, and how do you feel about influencing so many acts?

A: I’m immensely flattered. I’m one of those people who never quite hears it though. I’ve been told by people “That band like totally rips you off man!” and I don’t really hear it at all. They just sound like a band doing heavy music you know? None of us reinvented the wheel, or invented a better shaped wheel. I think that the fact of the matter is there were a lot of people in America who had a similar idea at a similar time and some of us got lucky. There’s a lot to be said for the fact of people saying it had an immense influence. It almost seems to me that it a direct musical influence as much as the idea that you can do whatever the fuck you want. Make no apologies about it, just do whatever the fuck you want. Make sure what you’re doing is honest. Maybe that part of the influence I can see because I think that throughout our career the one thing that has remained constant is the big middle finger in the face of those saying “Well if you just do the same thing you’ll be more successful.” That’s why we’re all poor and happy.

We consciously know we’ve made decisions that have negatively affected our popularity but at least we made the decisions on our own. I would rather fail while being honest than succeed while selling somebody a farce.

What sort of negative feedback have you got in the past?

A: It’s not heavy enough, you don’t sound like a hardcore band anymore or this is pussy shit, which is usually an American one. Completely with no real reason. Mostly stuff like “There’s no mosh parts so I’m bored” I can completely live with that.

Do you feel that you’re damned if you evolve and damned if you don’t?

A: You’re screwed no matter what so you might as well at least do what’s honestly in your heart and soul. I’d rather fail and be honest like I said than sell a farce and be rich. Besides then I’d be miserable “Oh my life’s a joke!” That’s why they’re miserable, nobody’s out to get them they just realise their life’s a joke.

Who are your biggest influences at the moment, and have they changed over time?

A: All my things that were my influences when I started writing music with the band are all still there. It’s still an amalgamation of late 90s hardcore, 80s hardcore, punk rock from all generations, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, early metal.

Now I just have more, all that stuff is still there but there’s also soundtrack music, obscure country artists, instrumental music. I still think the root of the matter is when I want to get excited about life I still listen to Bad Brains. I’m still a hardcore kid. When I’m in a great mood I put on Leeway: Born To Expire. I just don’t mosh in my room any more…not that I ever did, that would be so uncool! Hey we were all fourteen once!

At Fancore we are all about championing the cause of up and coming bands as well as more high-profile acts such as yourselves. Are there any unknown bands you would recommend to our readers?

I always take a chance to plug one of my friend’s bands cause I think they’re fucking awesome, a band called Furious Dudes from Miami. Just a really cool, sloppy punk rock band. I guess lately I’ve been listening to this American band called The Carrier a lot. We played in Adelaide with this band called Chorus, who were really good.



30 Seconds To Mars Announce UK Arena Tour

30 Seconds To Mars are kicking 2010 off with a bang after unveiling a February Arena tour across the UK.

The tour will coincide with the band’s latest album, This Is War which can be yours from 7th December, catch Jared Leto and the boys at:

FEBRUARY
19 – NOTTINGHAM Trent FM Arena
20 – MANCHESTER Evening News Arena
21 – CARDIFF International Arena
23 – LONDON Wembley Arena
27 – GLASGOW SECC

Tickets will cost £22.50 for London and £20 for all regional dates, tickets are currently on sale.



Muse Add Second Wembley Date

Prog-kings  Muse have added a second date at Wembley Stadium on their upcoming trek across the UK.

The addition comes after the first Wembley date sold out in an astounding 10 minutes. For those of you who still don’t have tickets the 2010 shows are as follows:

SEPTEMBER
04 – MANCHESTER Lancashire County Cricket Ground
10 – LONDON Wembley Stadium
11 – LONDON Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)

Muse’s latest opus, The Resistance is currently out and the first single, Uprising can be watched below:



Lemmy and Dave Lombardo cover Stand By Me

FlipPackshot

Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister and iconic Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo have teamed up to cover Ben E King’s soul classic Stand By Me. The two metal legends perform a remarkably faithful take on the heartfelt song, which can be heard HERE.

The track is part of the soundtrack for skater Geoff Rowley’s new film “Extremely Sorry”, the third in the “Sorry” skate video trilogy.

The groundbreaking soundtrack is being produced by noted UK producer Baron, and features collaborations with Warren G, Snoop Dogg, Jim Lindberg, Early Man and Black Mountain. Fancore will be reviewing the album soon, so stay tuned.



Album Review: Bowling For Soup- Sorry For Partyin’

Bowling For Soup- Sorry For Partyin’

****

With seven albums already under their belt, many questioned whether Bowling For Soup would serve us anything we hadn’t heard before. Whilst it’s obvious from first listen that Sorry For Partyin’ doesn’t mark a new direction for the band, it’s certainly anything but recycled material from their fourteen year career. What it does manage to do is consolidate exactly what fans adore about Bowling For Soup into a neat one-hour package, showing glimpses of maturity for a band that prides itself on being immature.

Not doing much to relinquish the lazy tag of “That Joke Band”, there are plenty of laugh-a-minute tracks, explaining just why Bowling For Soup are synonymous with having a good time. Opener ‘A Really Cool Dance Song’ acts as a scathing parody on the current music scene, resulting in an effort better than the majority of the bands they’re mocking. Catchy enough to be embraced by the drunken masses and for anyone else who doesn’t get the joke. Up next is ‘No Hablos Ingles’, a hilarious slice of sing-along sunshine pop punk, showcasing exactly how good a ‘novelty song’ can be. Typical BFS ground is lovingly trodden, with odes being sung to Beer and Penis alike, with ‘Hooray For Beer’ and joyously mirthful single ‘My Wena’ both satisfying the three-year gap from the band’s last effort.

It comes as no surprise that a band extolled for their witticisms and harbingers of bromance, hijinks and having fun are deft-handed at writing a comical three-minute ditty. The surprise comes from the ease in which the band navigates the deeper subject matter and the fact that there are clever and knowing lyrics hidden behind the jovial exterior. The soulful pseudo-ballad ‘Me With No You’ might just be the best song this band have ever written, emitting just enough emotion to smack you into the chest without treading into the dangerous slush-schmaltz territory that so many bands fall into. Beneath the expected song fare are some unexpected surprises, the Sugar Ray-esque ‘I Gotchoo’ is an eulogy to 90’s pop-rock, sunnier than a trip to the Equator and laced with a Motley Crue-inspired metal breakdown; it is perhaps the most bizarre song of the year and an undeniably guilty-pleasure. Equally as unexpected is the politically-charged ‘America (Wake Up Amy)’, showing that you don’t have to create an American Idiot-sized epic to give a subtle middle finger to the current state of affairs.

The only blotch on an otherwise flawless slate is that someone felt the need to shove two perfectly good and album-worthy songs into the dark depths of the bonus track list. Surely if Bowling For Soup can transcend what it means to be a light-hearted pop punk band, then they can manage a 17-track album without fear of reprimand? Despite the minor gripe, Sorry For Partyin’ showcases just how much depth, creativity and passion a so-called novelty band can have, so much so that if you still pin any band that dares to have a sense of humour as a joke then it will firmly be on you.



Steel Panther Announce UK 2010 Dates
October 26, 2009, 3:11 pm
Filed under: Music, Music News, Rock and/or Roll, Steel Panther, Tour, Tour News | Tags: , , , , ,

steel-panther

LA’s finest sleaze shock-rocking troupe, Steel Panther have announced two headlining shows to make sure your 2010 starts with a bang.

If you missed Rock’s new guilty pleasure on their current headlining tour you can catch them at the following:

March 2010:
18th- Newcastle Academy
19th- London Brixton Academy

Tickets go on sale later this week (leathers and metal headbands not included).



Bring Me The Horizon Announce Aftershow Parties

BMTH

Bring Me The Horizon have announced details of a number of exclusive club nights, available for fans attending their upcoming UK tour.

The aftershow parties are only available at three dates of the October tour, with A Day To Remember and August Burns Red; but are sure to be worth sticking around for if you are a ticket-holder. Details for the nights are below:

OCTOBER
22nd – GLASGOW Cathouse
Over 18s only. Free entry with gig ticket. Drinks from £1. Doors 11pm – £2/£1. With DJ sets by BMTH and RobotSonics.

23 – MANCHESTER Satans Hollow
Over 18s only. Featuring Oli Sykes on decks playing tracks from Suicide Season- Cut Up. Doors 10pm- 3am.

24 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy
Over 18’s only. O2 Academy Birmingham and Subculture are hosting the official Aftershow Party straight after the gig, with an exclusive DJ Set from the band in Academy 3 + DJ set from RobotSonics. As a ticket holder, you’ll be able to stay for free, simply stay in the venue after the show.



Slayer to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

 Slayer

Thrash gods Slayer will be shredding shit up on Wednesday 4 November’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! The band will be promoting the upcoming release of “World Painted Blood”, is out  the day before on American Recordings.



Maylene and the Sons of Disaster get in the ring with WWE

maylene pic1

Southern metallers Maylene and the Sons of Disaster are venturing between the ropes with a string of collaborations with World Wrestling Entertainment. The band’s single “Step Up (I’m On It)” has been chosen as the theme song for the WWE’s Bragging Right’s pay-per-view. The track will also appear on the Smackdown vs Raw 2010 video game.

As if this isn’t enough chair-swinging, guitar-toting tomfoolery, Maylene have also been commissioned to write a song for the Unified World Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho and the Big Show. Expect to hear the tune “Crank The Walls Down” on Raw and Smackdown soon.



Creed Comeback Is On With New Album, Video and Single

US melodic-rockers Creed are back. After months of speculation, Scott Stapp’s purveyors of soaring choruses will return with new album “Full Circle” on November 2nd. Accompanied by storming new single “Overcome”, the band’s first studio effort since 2001’s “Weathered” looks set to restore them to their radio rock throne.

Check the “Overcome” video out above.



Henry Rollins announces UK spoken word tour

rollinsspoken

 

Former Black Flag singer and Rollins Band leader Henry Rollins has announced an extensive UK spoken word tour early next year. The burly vocalist rarely minces his words so these dates will be a treat.

Catch the wisdom at:

Dublin Vicar Street January 12
Glasgow Academy January 13
Leicester De Montfort Hall January 14
London Royal Festival Hall January 15
Manchester Lowry January 16
Leamington Spa Assembly January 17
Norwich UEA January 18
Bournemouth Opera House January 19
Liverpool Academy January 20
Newcastle Academy January 21
Leeds Academy January 22



Converge unleash new video

Vicious hardcore icons Converge are back with a brutal new song, and a video to match. ”Axe To Fall” is off the group’s new album of the same name and shows the outfit to be as vital and as furious as ever.

Check the video out, and go pick the album up now! It was out today, you have no excuses.



Weezer man to write with Katy Perry

riverscuomo

Weezer front-god Rivers Cuomo will enter the studio to work on new material with kooky cutie Katy Perry next week. Cuomo revealed the news in an interview with US site Buzznet, during a word-association game in which Perry’s name came up.

The alt-rock singer told the site “We’re writing together next week. Can’t wait!”

Both artists have a taste for the quirkier end of their chosen genres, Fancore reckons the resulting material could be interesting to say the least.

Mr J



Sonisphere 2010 Dates Announced
October 15, 2009, 1:51 pm
Filed under: Iron Maiden, Metal, Music, Music News, Rock and/or Roll, Sonisphere Festival, Tour, Tour News

Sonisphere bosses have given UK metallers the news we were waiting for: the newbie travelling-festival will be hitting the UK for it’s second year next Summer. The Soni team released the following:

“It’s official! Sonisphere 2010 will take place on July 31 and August 01.
Thank you again everyone for coming to the first Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth Park in August 2009. We are really excited to announce that the first steps are being made to map out our 2010 tour across Europe and with that we are pleased to confirm our UK dates. This time the party hits Knebworth on Saturday July 31 and Sunday August 01.”

All that is left to be seen is who is going to headline the two-day event. After a blistering weekend with Linkin Park and Metallica, rumours are flying that Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Muse and even Aerosmith will take to the stages this year- whatever happens we’ll see you at the front!



Fall Out Boy Release New Songs In Greatest Hits

Fall Out Boy are planning to release a Greatest Hits bundle, which will include the band’s first new material since 2008’s Folie A Deux. 

The first of the new tracks, Alpha Dog is taken from the band’s Welcome To The New Administration mixtape which was the precursor to their fifth studio album and surprisingly left-off the final track list. If you didn’t catch the previously released snippet you can catch the full song on the video above.

Sure to fuel the rumours that the band are about to call it quits for good, bassist and sometimes-main man Pete Wentz told MTV News that he doesn’t want fans to think he is cashing in. “To me, calling it a greatest hits [means] if you’re not an avid Fall Out Boy fan, it’s an easy way to get all the songs, to take a dip in the water,” he laughed. “But if you are a Fall Out Boy fan, you can just go buy those two [new] songs off iTunes, or you can buy the package, because you will find some stuff in there that you’ll think is cool.”

The album, entitled Believers Never Die will also include DVD commentaries and a bunch of other goodies for all you FOB die-hards and can be yours from November 17th.



Album Reviews: KISS-Sonic Boom

sonicboomcover

by Mr J

Anyone with a pair of ears, and a passion for rock will have heard KISS’ company line on Sonic Boom. For what seems like centuries, self-styled bass-demon Gene Simmons and velvet-voiced love-marksman Paul Stanley have extolled the “meat and potatoes” style of the upcoming album, boasting about it’s natural place in the pantheon of past glories Love Gun and Rock And Roll Over. Well paint me white and call me a Catman because the aging pyrotechnic-enthusiasts have pulled it off.

 

The newly-refurbished KISS juggernaut rolls into view with Modern Day Delilah. The stomping opener removes any doubt that the band would be forgoing modern bells and whistles, with not a hint of a vocoder disrupting Stanley’s trademark wail. Classic Paul bleeds effortlessly into classic Gene, with Russian Roulette featuring a godzilla-scaled chorus and bombastic if somewhat childish lyrics.

 

It is in this impressive vein that the album continues.  Not everything meets the high watermark, Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect) is a serviceable but forgettable mid-pacer for example, but for a band whose form fluctuated so violently during their patchy 1980s run, this release is laudably consistent.

 

Never Enough is the finest song this band have written since the Revenge album seventeen years ago, a flawless ode to not being held down. The ideal soundtrack to those days spent clicking your pen and wanting to smack your boss and/or lecturer. I’m an Animal sees Simmons milk his Demon character for all it’s considerable worth with a metal-plated cut that sits comfortably in the God of Thunder/Unholy lexicon.

 

In the grandest KISS tradition, it isn’t just the Demon and the Starchild who step up to the microphone. On All for the Glory, drummer and current Catman Eric Singer turns in a driving rocker, his throaty croon adds an earthier shade to the band’s sound. Meanwhile lead guitarist and studio album debutant Tommy Thayer quietens the whispers accusing him of being simply a hired gun (or axe as the case may be) with an impressive effort. Evoking the 80s glam metal scene of which his own Black ‘N’ Blue were a part, When Lightning Strikes is a creditable piece.

 

There is only one way to end a KISS album, and that is with an Optimus Prime-sized anthem, in this case Say Yeah. Say yeah? If KISS are your bag you’ll be screaming it. If they aren’t, this album isn’t going to change your mind. If you’re the latter, take solace that it won’t be long before Gene Simmons endorses some earplugs.



Who wants their Fancore back?

‘Ello stranger! No we aren’t dead, yes we still like music and okay, fine we’ll keep writing about it for your pleasure. Where have we been? Well myself and Harley nodded off in a drunken stupor after Sonisphere and have woke up to find the site hasn’t been updated.

So screw it, we’re back and over the coming weeks and months we will be bringing hot shit such as a review of the new KISS album: Sonic Boom, an on-the-scene report from Enter Shikari levelling the Birmingham Academy and in November, a full 3-day rundown of the Hellfire Festival. We’ll also be the first and only place you need to be for the best rock, metal and punk news. Wanna read about AC/DC without skimming through the Kings of Leon articles? Then step through the doors my friends.

Fancore is back, and the revolution won’t be televised, but it will be blogged about.

All the best

Mr J.



KISS Unveil New Kostumes

Kiss Kostumes

The Hottest Band In The World, KISS, have posted the first promo shot of the band’s newly designed costumes.

The new costumes mark the band’s latest era, coinciding with the eagerly anticipated new album, Sonic Boom which unless you’ve been living underground for the past year, you will be well aware is the first release of new material in over a decade and can be yours from October 5th.

KISS will be rocking their updated threads on the current World Alive/35 tour which is making its way across the USA all the way into late December. For dates and to listen to the first single, ‘Modern Day Delilah’, head onto  KissOnline.com

Thoughts on the new costumes? We have to say that the small tweaks are a pleasant surprise, with Tommy Thayer’s lightning pants being particularly snazzy.



Slayer announce UK shows
September 14, 2009, 8:52 pm
Filed under: Metal, Music, Music News, Tour, Tour News | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Californian thrash metallers Slayer have announced an Autumn tour of the UK in support of album, “World Painted Blood”. Prepare to have your face torn off at the following dates:

NOVEMBER
18 – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
19 – BIRMINGHAM Academy
20 – MANCHESTER Academy
22 – GLASGOW Barrowland
23 – LEEDS Academy
25 – LONDON The HMV Forum
26 – LONDON The HMV Forum



My Chemical Romance Debut Three New Songs At Roxy Show

After announcing two surprise shows at The Roxy theatre in LA this week, NJ megastars My Chemical Romance delighted fans the world over by debuting three new songs from the bands currently untitled fourth album.

You can catch your first look at ‘Death Before Disco’ above and songs ‘The Drugs’ and ‘Kiss The Ring’ below.

 

The band are currently working with producer of the moment Brendan O’Brien on the much-coveted follow-up to 2006’s The Black Parade, with no clear indication of how much is completed and when you’ll be able to get your hands on it. Regardless of the date, if the new songs are anything to go by, the new album will be the heaviest and loudest to date. We’ll keep you posted.



Steel Panther Announce Plans To Rock The UK

steel panther

Lock up your daughters, your mother, grandmother, brothers and sisters. Don your leathers and for god’s sake do not leave the house without half a bottle of hairspray and an appropriately metal-style headband. Steel Panther have announced a mini UK tour for this September, leaving no member of your immediate family safe from their fist-pumping brand of hard-faced glam rock.

You can catch America’s latest love affair before they are strictly confined to playing stadiums, at the following dates:

SEPTEMBER
13 – BIRMINGHAM Academy 2
14 – MANCHESTER Club Academy
15 – GLASGOW G2
16 – LONDON Camden Electric Ballroom



Billy Talent Plan UK October Tour

BILLY TALENT II

Canadian post-hardcore favourites Billy Talent have announced they will be trekking across the UK later in the year in support their newly released and already warmly recieved latest album, Billy Talent III.

You can catch quartet this October and November at the following shows:

OCTOBER
19 – LEEDS Academy
20 – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
21 – SHEFFIELD Academy
23 – GLASGOW Barrowland
25 – DUBLIN Olympia
26 – MANCHESTER Academy
27 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy
29 – SOUTHAMPTON Guildhall
30 – NORWICH UEA
NOVEMBER

01 – LONDON Brixton AcademyTickets go on sale for all venues on the 24th July. And as usual, if you’re a lucky o2 customer, you can get tickets for all o2 shows 48 hours before the rest of the world.



The Offspring Post New Video “Shit Is Fucked Up”/”Stuff Is Messed Up”

Orange County Punk icons The Offspring have unveiled the new video for upcoming single “Shit Is Fucked Up” (Censored to the slightly less poetic “Stuff Is Messed Up“), which you can view above.

The single is the band’s third to be taken from eighth studio album ‘Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace’ and also provides the title for the band’s upcoming World tour, which makes a quick stop in the UK this August for London and Manchester shows. Be sure to get your tickets to truly marvel in Dexter Holland and co’s legendary brand of punk rock.



Ryan Ross: “Panic! At The Disco Split Was Amicable”

panic

After news spread last week of Ryan Ross and Jon Walker’s decision to leave Panic! At The Disco (full story reported HERE), fans have been left reeling and wanting a better of explanation of why the split had to happen.

Founder of the band, Ryan Ross has spoken to MTV to explain exactly what the “creative differences” were between himself and frontman Brendon Urie that forced hisdeparture:

“It’s been a little while, a few months since we started thinking that this might be the best thing to do.” Ross told MTV.com. ”Jon and I had been writing a bunch of stuff on the road, and it just got to a point when we were off tour…that it became pretty apparent that we all weren’t wanting to go in the same direction. There was a period where we weren’t really talking to each other all that much, and Jon and I were just living at my house and continuing to write. And we kind of realized we needed to get over not speaking and figure out what was actually going on. So we all sat down and pretty much came to the conclusion that the best thing for everyone was to do what we did.”

Many fans had speculated that Ryan and Jon were reluctant to return to the band’s signature sound, especially after the remaining members of Panic! posted a new demo last week (found HERE) that sounded distinctly similar to debut A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. According to Ross, both parties had two very drastic directions that they wanted the band to go in:

Brendon has always been a fan of pop music, but that’s such a broad term, because I guess I would say I would be too, but in a different way. Jon and I are still very much influenced by the Beatles and Beach Boys stuff and the Kinks and stuff like that. And so that’s the stuff we were writing at my house … that’s the stuff we’re going to make now. I haven’t heard any of Brendon and [drummer] Spencer [Smith]’s stuff, to be honest.”

Despite his lack of knowledge of his former bandmate’s affairs, he assures fans that the split has not ruined the foursome’s friendship: “There was really no argument, which is really the best way that could’ve worked out. … I think really everybody will be happy doing what we’re doing. Me and Jon are really excited about what we’re working on, and those guys are happy too. I guess it got to the point where there might have been too many cooks in the kitchen.”

The same, however can perhaps not be said for Ross’s former mentor, Decaydance Records top-dog/Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz: “I haven’t spoken to him in a while, since this happened. I guess I’ve been meaning to call him back. He called me, but I’ve missed a lot of phone calls this week,” Ross said. “We’re not sure [whether Ross' and Walker's new band will be on Wentz's Decaydance Records]. I’ll have to talk to him, but obviously from what’s happening online, I think he’s … he’s written a lot about them. I don’t know if they’re working together on their stuff. I’m not really sure, but it’s been awhile since we’ve spoken. It’s strange. It’s kind of weird.”



Gallows For Intimate UK Shows
July 14, 2009, 8:14 pm
Filed under: Gallows, Music, Music News, Punk, Tour News | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

gallows

Herts Hardcore quintet, Gallows have announced a full run of November and December UK shows in support of aptly-titled new album, Grey Britain.

You can check out one of the fastest-rising punk bands of the moment at the following shows, (as long as you’re prepared to get your face ripped off by the charming Frank Carter):

NOVEMBER
26 – NORTHAMPTON Roadmender
27 – COVENTRY Kasbah
28 – LIVERPOOL Academy 2
29 – ABERDEEN Moshulu
30 – DUNDEE Fat Sams

DECEMBER
02 – MIDDLESBOROUGH Empire
03 – YORK Duchess
04 – STOKE Sugarmill
05 – DERBY Rockhouse
07 – NEWPORT TJs
08 – EXETER Lemon Grove
09 – FALMOUTH Pavillions
10 – BOURNEMOUTH Old Fire Station
12 – KINGSTON The Peel
13 – COLCHESTER Arts Centre
14 – CAMBRIDGE Junction

Tickets go on general sale from July 17th but if you’re a Gallows-diehard and signed up to their mailing list (if not sign up HERE) you can get tickets from July 15th.



Trivium Announce 2010 UK Tour

trivium

Trivium have announced that they will be scouring the UK next March for Into The Mouth Of Hell We Tour, ensured to give your 2010 a bit of a kick up the arse.

Catch the Floridian Metallers at the following dates:

MARCH
05th – CARDIFF University
06th – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
07th – STOKE Victoria Hall
08th – LEEDS Met Uni
10th – NEWCASTLE O2 Academy
11th – INVERNESS Ironworks
12th – GLASGOW Barrowlands
13th – MANCHESTER Academy
14th – NORWICH UEA
16th – PORTSMOUTH Pyramid Centre
17th – LONDON Koko
18th – LONDON Koko
20th – OXFORD O2 Academy
22nd – FOLKESTONE Leas Cliff Hall
23rd – WOLVERHAMPTON Wulfrun Hall
24th – BRISTOL O2 Academy

Tickets are now on sale and available from SeeTickets.com.



The New ‘Panic! At The Disco’ Post Demo

Panic duo

The remaining members of Panic! At The Disco (yes, the exclamation point seems to be making a return) have posted a short clip of their new material on their Official Website.

The post comes only days after songwriter and guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker announced that they would be quitting the band, leaving singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith to go it alone.

Despite the split, Panic! are still adamant that business will continue as usual, with the band still on track to tour with Blink 182 this summer. The demo looks to be in key with what Fall Out Boy/Decaydance Records mainman Pete Wentz described as “a natural progression from (debut album) ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’.

And after a turmultuous week which threatened the end, here at FANCORE we’re happy to hear the first snippets of the new Panic duo and excited about what their future brings. Head on over to PanicAtTheDisco.com to hear the preview aswell as a short message from Spencer.



The All-American Rejects For UK mini-tour

tysonfitter
The All-American Rejects will be returning to the UK this Autumn, playing a trifecta of dates. The US pop-punk stars will be giving you hell at:

October
14 London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
15 Manchester Academy
17 Nottingham Rock City

Tickets go on sale 10th July at 9am. For ticket availability, check here.



Machine Head Pull Out Of Sonisphere Due To Limp Bizkit

machine head

If you’ve been following the fate of the UK leg of Sonisphere Festival, you’ll know that they haven’t had the best luck with bands recently. Adding to the ranks of Thin Lizzy, Fear Factory and Frank Turner, metallers Machine Head are the latest to split from the festival…unbelievably the only reason being citing is Limp Bizkit’s recent addition to the bill.

Machine Head broke the news to fans via their official website, stating: 

“In a turn of events that has left us absolutely baffled, the promoter of the U.K. Sonisphere festival recently placed, unbeknownst to us, Limp Bizkit in our third slot on the festival. Seeing as the running order was a significant part of the negotiation and agreement between us and the promoter, and the fact that we had been advertised in that slot since the festival’s announcement, you can imagine our surprise when we were ‘told’ that we would now be playing in the fourth slot, under Limp Bizkit, and bizarrely, it was actually expected that we would quietly move down the bill without issue. We will not.”

MH also noted that they had turned down an appearance at Download Festival to honour their commitment to Sonisphere, (as well as making it clear that Download had them playing above Limp Bizkit). We’re sure everyone is pretty disappointed as ultimately the only people missing out are the fans. We’ll leave our opinions out of this but needless to say we’re sure everyone would have preferred for both bands to play and let their music prove who should be playing over who…

Sonisphere have also posted a statement, detailing their best efforts to keep Machine Head happy and on the bill:

“We have spent close to two weeks talking to Machine Head to try and keep them on the festival including offering them higher billing on the Saturn Stage, so that they would be performing immediately after Limp Bizkit and before NIN.

They would also get a longer time slot and were offered an increase in fee. Unfortunately the band did not find this agreeable. We have strived to make Sonisphere a great festival in our debut year with one of the strongest line ups out there. Our main priority is to give the fans a great weekend full of awesome bands and it was only recently that Limp Bizkit became available. In the process Machine Head have been upset, and despite our best efforts, they have made the decision to cancel their appearance.”

Machine Head are still set to play the Spanish leg of Sonisphere Festival, where they have been now moved to the main stage. Where you looking forward to seeing them play? We hope Bizkit’s set more than makes up for the absence and if Download’s performance is anything to go by, they will be one of the best on the bill.



The Used Announce UK Tour

used

Utah’s very own The Used have announced a host of UK dates this Autumn, in support of the band’s new album, Artwork which is released September 1st.

You can catch Bert McCraken and co at the dates below, aswell as at Sonisphere Festival on August 1st where The Used will play Saturday’s mainstage with Linkin Park, Heaven and Hell and Taking Back Sunday.

September
15th Cardiff Solus
16th Newcastle University
19th Leeds Metropolitan University
21st Manchester Academy 2
22nd Birmingham O2 Academy 2
23rd London Electric Ballroom

Tickets go on sale 8th July at 9am and as usual if you are fortunate enough to be an o2 customer, you can snag your tickets a few days earlier by visiting the O2 BlueRoom where tickets are already on sale.



UPDATE: Ryan & Jon Quit Panic At The Disco

panic

In a shock announcement, founding member, guitarist and songwriter Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker have revealed that they will be leaving Panic At The Disco indefinitely. 

Reported by Decaydance and posted on FriendsorEnemies.com, the post can be read in full below:

“To Whom This May Concern:

Ryan Ross and Jon Walker will be leaving Panic at the Disco to embark on a musical excursion of their own. Though the four of us have made music together in the past, we’ve creatively evolved in different directions which has compromised what each of us want to personally achieve. Over the years, we have remained close and honest with each other, which helped us to realize that our goals were different and that parting ways is truly what is best for each of us. We are all excited for the future, you should be too.

-Ryan & Jon

Stay posted to the Panic site for updates on Ryan and Jon’s new project, as well as a message from Brendon and Spencer who will continue on as Panic At The Disco. All touring and album plans for Panic will continue as previously announced.

 UPDATE: The aforementioned message from remaining members Brendon and Spencer has been posted on the official Panic At The Disco website an can be read below:

“We just wanted to let you know, that the news of Ryan and Jon leaving the band is unfortunately true. It’s been an amazing journey being in a band with them, but sometimes individual tastes take friends in different directions and you can’t ignore it. They are some of the most talented guys we know, and we’re sure that whatever they do next will be great. That said, Panic At The Disco is alive and very very well. We are working on new songs that we are excited for you to hear. Our dates with Blink and Fall Out Boy start in a little less than a month, and we wouldn’t miss those for the world. We know everybody has a lot of questions at this point with everything being so out of the blue, most of those should be answered in the coming weeks. We appreciate every one of you, and hope you continue with us on this incredible ride.

Pay attention we have a surprise in store for you.

-Brendon and Spencer

PS we were cleaning out the practice space and you’ll never guess what we found!”

This is bound to completely surprise and sadden fans, especially since it was only last month that Ryan Ross was speaking about Panic recording the band’s third album and their future plans. Things seem more bleak due to the fact that Ryan Ross was the main songwriter and founder of the band, leaving the fourpiece now two members down. The news that they will still make the Fall Out Boy gives us hope, aswell as the fact that from various Tweets of Pete Wentz’ official Twitter account, Wentz has confirmed there are 4 Panic demos which sound like a “natural progression from A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out”. Sounds good to us! Thoughts?



Limp Bizkit to play Sonisphere!

 limp

Nu-metal icons Limp Bizkit have signed on to play the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, UK. They will play on the Sunday, 2nd August, alongside Metallica, Nine Inch Nails and Avenged Sevenfold. After a barnstorming set at this year’s Download Festival, believe us when we tell you that you won’t want to miss the opportunity to see the “redneck fuckers from Jacksonville” in the flesh. See you down the front!



John Sykes leaves Thin Lizzy and the band cancel Sonisphere appearance

 John-Sykes

Frontman John Sykes has parted ways with classic Rockers Thin Lizzy. The band’s management confirmed the split to Blabbermouth. This leaves long-serving guitarist Scott Gorham as the only member to have featured in the band during Lizzy’s original tenure fronted by Phil Lynott, as Sykes played guitar on the band’s final studio album and two live albums during their “classic” era.

Gorham has made a statement on the matter:

It’s been a very tough time of late for myself and the band, firstly with drummer Tommy Aldridge’s injury and now the subsequent decision for John and the rest of the group to go their separate ways. I can only apologize to everyone who has supported us over the years, but we will be back up to full speed soon.”

Gorham intends to outline the group’s future plans soon. Thin Lizzy have postponed all future live dates, and will be unable to play the Sonisphere Festival in the UK in August.



Ace Frehley announces “Anomaly” release date

anomaly

ex-KISS guitarist/Rock legend Ace Frehley has nailed down a release date for his long-awaited new album entitled “AnomalySpace Ace’s new record will be released on September 15th. Frehley recently explained the direction the album would be taking to Billboard saying :

“Basically, I’m trying to get back into the mindset I was in when I did my first solo record [1978's 'Ace Frehley']. That record seemed to have all the elements everybody liked — a real cool instrumental, a hit single, some real heavy rockers, a nice variety of different genres of music”

As devoted KISS army soldiers, we here at Fancore can’t wait to hear what Ace can come up with on the new record. And with his former band’s new opus also set to drop in September, it will be a fine month for us black and white paint-wearers indeed.

 



Blink 182 Team up With Doritos For Virtual Show

blink182

As previously reported HERE, pop-punk megastars Blink 182 posted cryptic photos back in April showing the trio performing in front of a green screen.

Yesterday bassist Mark Hoppus revealed that the band were actually recording a free virtual show with Outkast’s Big Boi that will be available online on 6th July. After the words “free” “blink” and “concert” were used in the same sentence, unsurprisingly the first 500 advance tickets sold out within the first hour, possibly being sped along by Hoppus posting this update on his official Twitter: ‘remember that green screen stuff a little bit ago? blink-182. onstage. free. check it out HERE.”

According to the ticketmaster website, tickets can still become available by buying a packet of the special Doritos on the day of the show. Details are still currently a little hazy, but due to the website stating that a webcam is required it seems that the green screen will be filled with the happy faces of the ‘audience’. Unfortunately we believe this is currently just available to those in the US, more as we get it.

What do you think on this particular piece of marketing genius? We bet the people at Doritos are sitting on a pile of cash rubbing their bellies and chowing down on solid gold doritos, or at least we hope they are…