Author: Joseph Jordan

Newcastle Based Dream Pop Artist Mac Benson on songwriting, the future and new EP

1st Nov 2019 — Leave a comment

Friday sees Dream Pop rising star Mac Benson release his second EP ‘Coming of Age’.

Photo by Shona Radcliffe – @shonaradcliffe

The five track EP stretches across a variety of different influences combining to make a poppier sounding record than anything previously seen by the solo artist.

Earlier this week, I sat down with Mac to ask him about the new EP as well as how it came about.

The EP has been two years in the making for Mac Benson after the release of 2018’s ‘Love and All it’s Colour’.

The record covers the themes of love, friendship, loss and growth over the last few years of Benson’s teenhood.

‘Looking back on the last year retrospectively it kind of does feel like a transitional period of my life, and as if the period of time these songs are about are their own little era.’

Musically the EP is also inspired by a particular period with Benson pointing to various pop records released late last year.

Whilst influenced by pop, the EP takes the form of a mixed bag highlighted by the wide array of influences from within the genre.

‘I took a lot of inspiration from pop musicians who I like and grew up on: Lorde, Frank Ocean, The 1975, Taylor Swift, Bleachers. Quite a mixed bag really.’

However, ‘Coming of Age’ sees a change of direction from the singer songwriter, as heard in lead single ‘Divine’.

The single described as the darkest on the record is a perfect starting place for those wishing to preview the vibe of the EP.

However, whilst the track is a darker song, Benson makes clear that there is light on the record as well as a more electronic feel than previous releases.

‘I feel like all the others are a bit lighter in comparison (Divine), at least in terms of the production. Everything’s very electronic on this one though, definitely a departure from the last EP.’

Benson has also experimented with new ways of writing for the record, particularly building a greater understanding of the structure of pop songs which has helped him hone in on his own specific style.

‘To begin with I don’t think I was really that good as a pop writer and I didn’t really have the confidence to try and write to that kind of structure, but while making the EP I feel like it’s just grown into my natural way of doing things.’

Photo by Shona Radcliffe – @shonaradcliffe

A highlight of the singer songwriters work are his lyrics which often go into deep and personal places however according to Benson lyrics come easy due to their honesty.

‘I don’t know how else to do it, I’ve tried writing fictitiously but it just never works for me. I’m a huge overthinker, definitely more dramatic than I’d like to admit and am never short of stuff from my life to draw from.’

‘A lot of the time I’ll actually realize how I’m feeling through writing. Like I’ll just write things subconsciously, sometimes I’ll finish a whole song and be like ‘oh I guess that was what was up’, it can be really cathartic sometimes.’

It is this approach to songwriting which makes Mac’s music incredibly relatable, endearing and most of all amazing.

Mac Benson’s new EP ‘Coming of Age’ is out now on Bandcamp.

Follow Mac on Instagram here: macbenson_

All photos were taken by Shona Radcliffe make sure to follow her on her Instagram for more amazing photography: shonaradcliffe

North East Music Weekend Preview – 25th – 27th October

24th Oct 2019 — Leave a comment

It’s Halloween weekend so what better time to get out of the house and sample what’s happening around the region.

Image credit – Joseph Jordan

With it being Halloween, the North East is a awash with club nights over Friday and Saturday night. RISE at Greys club, a popular alternative club night, is offering up an IT themed night on Saturday night running into the early hours of Sunday morning.

With four rooms open with music spanning from classic rock to metal, it should be a decent night as RISE often offers up on Halloween.

If that isn’t for you then World Headquarters is offering up an 80’s themed Halloween extravaganza with hits from the decade as well as soundtracks from various eighties movies.

O2 ACADEMY- Where the Wedding Present will play Saturday – image credit Joseph Jordan

However, if nights out are not for you then there are various artists playing across the region over the weekend.

Perhaps the most exciting of which is the visit of Dublin indie upstarts, Inhaler who play The Cluny on Sunday.

The band, who performed at This is Tomorrow in 2018, are quickly becoming one of indie’s biggest rising stars with a flurry of strong singles with their latest ‘Ice Cream Sundae’ dropping last month.

Punk band The Dunts also perform on Sunday night at Think Tank Underground with tickets from £8 as well as 80’s indie icons The Wedding Present who play the Academy on Saturday with tickets priced at £22.50.

Finally, Friday will see presale for This is Tomorrow 2020 go on sale with headliners such as Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Foals topping the bill in 2019 it will be interesting to see what the third annual festival will bring.

Inquiries for interviews available at: humbugnortheast@gmail.com.

EP and Riverside 2 date announced for South Tyneside based Pop Punk act

22nd Oct 2019 — Leave a comment

Local Pop Punk band Riversyde have announced that they will be performing at the Riverside 2 in Newcastle on the 30th of November. This news follows on from the announcement of their debut EP ‘Open Your Mind’ which was announced last month.

The band will be performing as part of a mini-festival at the venue consisting of six other local artists, in what will be the bands biggest gig to date. Tickets will be available from the band for £7 in what will be a Saturday to remember for the South Tyneside based group as they attempt to make an impression in Newcastle.

RIVERSYDE – In action, catch them at the Riverside 2 in November credit – Riversyde

This will top off an exciting autumn for the band, in which their debut EP ‘Open Your Mind’, will also be released. The group, who are putting finishing touches to the EP, have described it as being the soundtrack of growing up around the North East, encapsulating teenage life.

The EP, which will be released within the next month, has been described by lead singer Shaun Wright as being “all over the spectrum” of the pop-punk genre. With influences ranging from older pop-punk bands all the way to modern day acts blending the two together to create the four-track record.

Although the band will pay homage to the genre, the group are hoping to create something which is unique sounding whilst still feeling like a pop -punk group.

Ultimately they want to stay true to themselves, according to drummer Dan Thompson, whilst seeking to stamp their own sound upon the genre.

RIVERSYDE – New EP will be released soon credit – Riversyde

The EP was recorded around the North East from less conventional places such as singer Shaun’s dad’s tattoo shop opposite a Subway, in which the vocals were completed.

To more traditional recording studios such as the CustomSpace in South Shields, where the drums for the record were completed.

With the group investing huge amounts of time and effort into creating a record, despite the huge financial cost of creating quality music.

The South Tyneside act hope that the hard work which they have put into the EP will translate into more opportunities to play gigs, with the band wishing to move out of the pub scene and into more traditional larger venues.

Riversyde are hoping that this will attract the attention of record labels, with the recent signing of local band Groundculture, a band which the group greatly admire inspiring them to believe, as the band were recently signed to Hopeless Records who boast world famous acts as Sum 41 and Neck Deep.

Whilst not yet completed, fans can hear a snippet of what to expect on ‘Open Your Mind’ on the band’s Facebook with more exciting plans for the band including a new single being planned in the new year. That combined with more gigs, including a possible gig with fellow pop punk band, Hometruths, makes the band one to watch in the new year.

Make sure to follow Riversyde here to make sure you don’t miss out:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverSyde-877985712400233/

Instagram: @riversydeband

Twitter: @riversydeband_

Music Reviews – Sam Fender – Hypersonic Missiles

16th Oct 2019 — 2 Comments

Polydor Records

Release Date: 13th September 2019

I know I’m over a month late to the party but it would be hard not to talk about this album with Sam Fender mania sweeping the North East.

The Limited Edition Picture Disk ft. bed

It’s been quite the month for Sam Fender, a number one album followed up by announcing huge gigs at the Utilita Arena here in Newcastle. There has even been talk of potential gigs at St. James’ Park it’s fair to say that Sam Fender is now amongst the biggest alternative artists in the country.

But is all the hype deserved: the short answer is definitely yes. The album starts with the title track, an arena ready song made to be performed live with smart socially relevant lyrics which perfectly combine. Despite this, one drawback is the ‘oh’ lines which feel forced in there to create a festival singalong which isn’t really needed when the song is so dramatic already.

‘The Borders’ and ‘White Privilege’ are both excellent painting Fender as modern day Geordie Springsteen, the catchy riff in ‘The Borders’ shows off the singer songwriter’s talent, immediately distancing himself from the array of acoustic guitar wielding artists, which are all over the radio like a plague of flesh eating locusts feasting on the corpse of originality.

‘White Privilege’ is lyrically the best on the album performed for the majority in one continual verse flowing like a rap or poem, confronting difficult social issues in an incredibly self aware way making this a great song for finding a unique spin on commentary.

The excellent social commentary continues on ‘Dead Boys’, which confronts male suicide in a heartfelt way whilst ‘You’re Not the Only One’ changes up the sound of the album adding in a drum machine creating the vibe of a sped up version of Iggy Pop’s ‘Nightclubbing’. Overall, this gives the song a welcome change to the rest of the album with it’s pulsating beat which sounds very different to the rest of the album of which, there is little variation from the core indie sound.

‘Play God’s looping guitars are effective in reflecting the dystopian narrative of the song lyrics and proving another excellent single showing off Fender’s talent of writing pop songs with an indie twist. This continues in ‘That Sound’ with a thunderous chorus and pounding guitar riffs forcing home the heaviest song on the album in triumphant fashion.

‘Saturday’ continues the anthemic nature of the album with yet another effective future singalong. This flows into ‘Will We Talk’, which is a far more bittersweet song with a beautiful underlying melancholy to the tune despite keeping an energetic outer shell of guitars and violins.

‘Two People’ is the most similar to an Ed Sheeran type song expected from most male singer songwriters having the vibe of ‘The A Team’ with an electric twist whilst delivering another amazing set of lyrics. The album takes a downwards turn on ‘Call Me Lover’, a very poppy song, that is not necessarily a bad thing but amongst this album stands out as cliche and repetitive.

However, the next song, ‘Leave Fast’ is the best song that Fender has released to date. It is hard to describe just how perfect this song is, the riff is beautiful and brims with emotion, which combines well with the perfect lyrics revolving around the monotonous struggle of living in a small town and the inability to separate yourself from it. The song is easily the best on the album.

‘Use – Live’ is a change up from the rest of the album if a little baffling described as being there to prove that he can perform well live which gives the impression of the album being more of a CV to the audience than an album of songs. Despite this, the song is a nice switch up from the formula of the album with the guitars ditched in favour of a piano and Fender providing a strong vocal performance to finish off the album.

Overall, I really like this album, it’s a really strong starting point highlighting Fender as an extremely good lyricist combining social commentary in an effective unpatronizing way. However, I do feel as though the lyrics are stronger than the music which is backing it up.

Whilst the music is good I feel like it is a little tame in some areas considering the content of the lyrics. This is mainly nitpicking however and overall this is a really solid debut backing up the hype of the North Shields artist.

Gig Reviews – slowthai @ Newcastle University Students’ Union

14th Oct 2019 — Leave a comment

Sunday night saw slowthai bring his ‘Bet Ya A £5er Tour’ to the North East in a show which lived up to the hype of the rising star.

JUMPING – slowthai enters the crowd at the NUSU – @joejordan2000

For five pounds, this maybe the best value gig, I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing with the energy in the room reaching the levels seen upon the stage. With a full laser show combining well with a searing performance by the Mercury Prize nominated artist.

The rapper, who came fourth in the BBC Sound of 2019, reflected in his debut LP release ‘Nothing Great About Britain’ on the fractured and broken social landscape of Brexit Britain, whilst providing a hopeful twist for the future. This is well translated into the show with huge mirrors greeting fans at the door with the message ‘Something Great About Britain‘ emphasizes the message of love shown by the rapper.

The politically charged atmosphere continued throughout the gig with various ‘F*CK BORIS’ chants demonstrating his ability to tap into youth culture and unite people in a time of such turbulence. A particularly touching moment came when the rapper pointed to his mirrored stage and proclaimed that ‘these mirrors are what’s great about Britain’. In doing so uniting the crowd behind him.

The crowd interaction is what made the gig feel so dangerous in all the right ways, to see a crowd united behind a message of love and against hate is all the more powerful in the current climate.

It is perhaps apt, that a show with such a strong message of unity, showed the bond between the artist and crowd which was demonstrated throughout the show with the rapper regularly joining the masses as well as inviting guests onto the stage.

IN ACTION – slowthai – @joejordan2000

Whilst certainly not a large venue, this turned the gig into an intimate and personal experience even from the very back you felt part of it. One moment, which particularly captured this was a touching and emotional rendition of ‘Northampton’s Child’ performed for only the third time live.

The song, a beautiful tribute to slowthai’s mother perfectly encapsulates all that is great about this artist combining social commentary with raw and personal lyrics which puts him amongst the UK finest’s artists. This, amongst other songs from his debut album and prior EPs, created a very special atmosphere not generated by many artists.

If you get the chance to see him make sure you take it, you won’t find the levels of energy and passion even if you went to a different gig every day for a year it was simply fantastic make sure to check him out.

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