Download adds another batch to the bill

In Flames

DOWNLOAD Festival have added a new batch of band's to the bill for this year's event.

In Flames, Thunder, Andrew WK and L7 are among the names to be playing the Donington Park even in June.

Also added to the bill are Testament, Ace Frehley, We Are Harlot, Black Star Riders, King 810, The Ghost Inside, All That Remains, Hellyeah, Defeater, Fearless Vampire Killers, Gnarwolves, Evil Scarecrow, Hands Like Houses, Chelsea Grin, Creeper, Tremonti, Stray From The Path, Blood Youth and Bombus.

The three-day festival will be headlined by Slipknot, Muse and KISS.

Tickets are on sale now and for more information visit downloadfestival.co.uk

Saint and The Queens Q&A

Your name: 

I'm Ivo Vieytes.

Where are you from? 

Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Name of band: 

Saint And The Queens

Who else is in your band? 

It's actually a pop solo act, so it's just me.

How would you describe yourself?  
A broken heart that sings to ease the pain, and at the same time, tries to take the listener on a journey with background music. 

Who are your main influences musically?  
Right now my main influences are Lana Del Rey, Marina And The Diamonds and some old school Charli XCX. But I'm already working on some lyrics for my second album and the influences are actually different, and that is what I plan to do, always change the style from album to album without leaving the essence of Saint And The Queens. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?  
I want to be heard. Not famous, I just want to know that people listened or are listening to me. And if they can relate to my songs, then that makes it so much better. You know, my songs are all about experiences and feelings, and I'm sure we've all experienced them sometime in our lives, and to know that someone actually relates to any of them, that would make me happy.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?  
Well, I've just started (kind of), and I'm actually gladly surprised by the amount of support I have received from different people, not just my friends and family, but from completely strangers, and I'm really thankful for that.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?  
Hmm... I don't know if I want to forget any moment, or at least not musically. I've had different stage names before being Saint And The Queens, and though I look at the past and don't like some of them, I think that without them I wouldn't be here right now. I remember that when I first started, my songs were actually horrible and had no sense at all. But looking at my progress right now, it's kind of impressive. I don't really want to forget that. The past shapes us, but it doesn't define us.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?  
I think right now, that song would be Paradise. It's maybe the most important song in my album and it's exactly what I wanted to say and how I wanted it to sound. Paradise is Saint And The Queens. 

Where can we listen to it? 

https://saintandthequeens.bandcamp.com/track/paradise

Where can we find out more about your music? 

Well you can follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saintandthequeens

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivovieytes

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZxhpax6Bot0iPhHot7P1Bg

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/saintandthequeens

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?  
The official video for "Die, Darling", the first single of my album, is out now and my debut album "Is This Paradise?" will be out on January 23rd. I'm pretty excited for it, so I hope you all like it!

Feasibility Study Q&A

Band name:

Feasibility Study.

Where are you from?

Hull, UK.

Who is in your band?

Graham Fialkiewicz and Rob Barlow.

How would you describe yourselves?

We would describe ourselves as working to bring back industrial electronic music with a modern edge.

Who are your main influences musically?

Cabaret, Voltaire, Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristle, Chrome, Bowie, Eno.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

We hope to get released, maybe for film or TV, and start gigging. Maybe get signed.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Having our tracks played on radio.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Being let down by an online radio station.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Vanguard represents our music as we think it's different and original.

Where can we listen to it?

You can hear us on Soundcloud.

Where can we find out more about your music?

Find out more on our Twitter page @feasibilityband

First video from The Bad Years

LA band The Bad Years have released their first video for debut single Common Mistake.

Sami Akbari - who is 50 per cent of the duo along with Aaron Mort - got in touch to tell RealSoundsOK about the thoughts and feelings behind the promo.

He said: "For us it's about being hopelessly in love but going through a period of frustration and doubt. You crave change but you're just not feeling satisfied with the time it's taking to get there. Feelings of anxiousness, fear and love combining - the eternal relationship struggle."

The video was directed by Jacob Arden McClure, who admits to be intrigued by the dynamics of a two-person band where the two members also happen to be in a relationship.

He said: "I wanted the video to be void of any space or backdrop, just Sami and Aaron in blackness forced to observe each other within the confines of their relationship. 

"The whole video is representative of their internal thoughts. They stare each other down, allowing the audience only small glimpses of their emotions. Tension is visualized literally, conveyed in scenes as they pull a rope back and forth. 

"All these elements - the flowers, rope and bones - come together to represent larger ideas of love, hate, death and rebirth. The piece is a testament to the inherently human experience of being in a relationship and creating with another."

You can watch the video below and for more on the band visit badyears.com

Self-titled album from The Grape And The Grain

ROOTS rock n roll outfit The Grape And The Grain released their self-titled album at the end of last year.

The New York band was started by 3 guitarist Daniel Grimsland as a solo project in 2012, releasing a short album and recruiting pals to help him continue - blooming into the present band.

He told RealSoundsOK: "We are all writers and multi-instrumentalists. Having grown up together, we have a pretty good understanding of where each of us is trying to go musically and all that makes for a very easy, open and inviting writing process."

The self-produced album was recorded at Applehead Studio and was mixed by Chris Bittner and Michael Birnbaum, whose work includes Coheed and Cambria, Bad Brains, Weerd Science and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes.

Grimsland added: "I think this year is about getting on the road and getting our record out there. We love to play live and we want to do that as much as we can. We have also begun writing new material, so we may even get back in the studio in 2015."

The Grape And The Grain can be purchased from iTunes and Bandcamp and you can also have a listen below.

For more on the band visit facebook.com/thegrapeandthegrain

An Actual Factual track from The Active Set

Picture by Tami Bahat

ACTIVE Set have released their single Actual Factual.

The song is taken from the LA band's EP Lights, which is due out very soon.

It was produced by Jason LaRocca and mastered by Grammy winner Erick Labson.

For more on the band visit theactiveset.com or check out the Q&A the band did with RealSoundsOK at the end of last year here.

And you can listen to Actual Factual at soundcloud.com/theactiveset/actual-factual

Debut single from The Bandicoots

INDIE rockers The Bandicoots have released debut single Just After Dark - the first to be taken from their upcoming EP.

The band, from Hamilton, Ontario, filmed and edited the video for the track themselves.

They told RealSoundsOK: "The video revolves around shadows, using a set that was created from cardboard, lamps and a bedsheet.

"It also features cigarettes, brassieres, guns, cats and eventually our faces - everything you'd find at a cheap strip club."

You can watch the video below.

The EP was produced by Michael Keire (The Dirty Nil, Wildlife) and mastered by Brian Lucey (The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys).

The band comprises Nicolai Kozel (lead guitar), Andrew Parkinson (drums), Lorant Polya (bass) and Justin Ross (vox/rhythm guitar). For more information visit facebook.com/TheBandicootsMusic

Kepler Gold shares his Marijuana

KEPLER Gold has released the single Marijuana (Remix).

The track is the first from the Paris-born, UK-based hip hop artist following a brief hiatus after the release of the self-produced, experimental album PlayRoom.

Kepler promises Marijuana will be the first of many tracks to come in the next few months.

You can listen to Marijuana below and for more on the artist visit keplergold.com

The Spare Me's Q&A

Your name:

Peter Fraser (vox, guitar, piano)

Where are you from?

Toronto, Canada

Name of band: 

The Spare Me's

Who else is in your band? 

Erik Tokar (of Champion Lover, Toronto) - backup vox, drums.

How would you describe yourselves?

A musical film noir. A living death trip. A mutual hostage situation.

Who are your main influences musically?

Basically we are what True Detective the band would sound like.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

We want to make music that you listen to instead of contemplating your own mortality. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

We played our first show at the legendary Horseshoe Bar in Toronto and we destroyed. 

We just released our first three-song "Nothing Happening Here" EP

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

The practice before the show where I split my head open on an EXIT sign at the practice space and bled like you don't want to see yourself bleeding.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Nothing Happening Here

Where can we listen to it? 

https://soundcloud.com/the-spare-mes/nothing-happening-here

Where can we find out more about your music? 
https://soundcloud.com/the-spare-mes
https://www.facebook.com/TheSpareMes

https://twitter.com/thesparemes

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

Erik Tokar is the drummer in the popular Toronto band Champion Lover.

Peter Fraser doesn't have a criminal record.

Katalina Kicks Q&A

Name: 
Katalina Kicks.

Where are you from?
London, UK.

How would you describe yourselves?
Jase: Quite handsome, but a little rough around the edges. Oh the band!! Raw, energetic, passionate and exciting.
Ian: Yeah we’re definitely all those four.
Nadia: We are fun, funny, and the boys in particular are dirty!
Ian: Dirty? And Nadia is the puritanical saint of all things clean........

Who are your main influences musically?
Jase: Punk rock bands like The Stooges, The Hives, Nirvana, The Clash and loving the new band on the scene Royal Blood.
Harry: The Beatles, The Stooges, Stone Roses and The Sonics.
Nadia: Alice in Chains, Tears for Fears, Silverchair, and at the moment mainly Mazzy Star, and Brazilian rock artist Pitty.
Ian: I’m very much into Nirvana, The Hives, The Misfits, The Stones, The Smashing Pumpkins, QOTSA and The Kinks. Also love a bit of T Rex.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Harry: The music getting heard!
Ian: Yeah definitely – it’s great to play as much as we can and then write and record like crazy.
Jase: World domination!!! Mmuuuuhhhhhaaaa joking aside we're all focused on recording our new album and playing the new tracks live it's going to be a very exciting 2015. Our hopes are to connect with a bigger and worldwide audience.
Nadia: I hope people out there will identify themselves with our music and the message behind it.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Harry: All the recording we’ve done.
Ian: I loved touring in the States and Canada and also in the UK – we had some great times. Also playing the London venue Koko was immense – massive crowd that went nuts! Recording our second album was also a huge achievement, as we went through so many band member changes, so it was a real labour of love - and good closure at the same time.
Nadia: Getting picked to join Katalina Kicks has been the highlight of my career and my life so far, because I always wanted to play music - and playing a gig two weeks later!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Harry: I’ve already forgotten it!
Jase: Nappy gate - enough said!!
Ian: All the hassle around band member changes a couple of years ago.
Nadia: I don’t want to forget any moment in particular, they are probably the ones that define you and makes you stronger - but of course you don’t want to go to these memories too often.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Nadia: I Want the World and Forever Young are great songs that define us, but I’m gonna pick Fixed Up because I LOVE IT! It makes me get up on my feet and start dancing and head banging in my room!
Harry: I Want the World. It’s heavy in places, melodic and trippy in parts.
Ian: I’m really into playing a crazy punk track called Fixed Up from our second album - it's just raw and energetic. But I also love National Hero too, which has the same quality.
Jase: Currently I would say Forever Young due to its power and grace. It’s a track that always pumps the band and the crowd - it has its highs and gets faster at the end and really pushes the energy levels at gigs.

Where can we listen to it?
Jase: www.katalinakicks.com has all the links to our music and so does our Soundcloud here www.soundcloud.com/katalinakicks
Also check out the video to Forever Young here: http://youtu.be/qvbu0-ygWJo


Where can we find out more about your music?
Jase: We have our music all over the Internet: iTunes, sound cloud, spotify.
www.katalinakicks.com
www.soundcloud.com/katalinakicks
www.facebook.com/katalinakicks
www.twitter.com/katalinakicks
www.youtube.com/katalinakicks
Nadia: We are gonna upload a video soon where Ian talks about each song and lyrics from Dirt!!! Exciting!!! Keep an eye on our social media for that too!!!!