All Time Low @ Southampton Guildhall, 02/02/12

Three courses of pure pop punk goodness are due to be served up at Southampton Guildhall this evening. Fans have been salivating at the doors of the venue since 10am, wrapped in duvets to protect themselves from sub-zero temperatures. As they pile inside, the hysteria mounts, with high pitched screams rippling through the building every time a roadie appears on stage.

Tonight’s starter comes in the form Poughkeepsie quintet  We Are The In Crowd. Their old school Fall Out Boy-esque sound , although lacking in much originality, perfectly whets the appetite of the eager crowd. It would be easy to compare leading lady Tay Jardine to a certain Paramore frontwoman, but truth is, the similarities are uncanny, with the two sharing an almost identical vocal style and image. However, something is missing. Tay lacks the stage presence and certain je ne sais quoi of Williams. At times she is almost inaudible as she squeaks into the microphone.

The Maine are unfortunately tonight’s main course. They  serve up a bland and over-cooked performance, choosing to mainly play their newer middle-of-the- road material. They drag on for a dull 45 minutes and, at times, it feels as if no one has told them they aren’t actually headlining this evening.

Eventually it’s time for everyone’s favourite course, dessert. All Time Low are met by a shower of bras as they take to the stage. They deliver their famous sugary sweet pop punk with a hard to ignore swagger, spooning on all their big hits such as ‘Timebomb’ and ‘I Feel Like Dancin’’. However, like most desserts, it’s all over too quickly, as frontman Alex Gaskarth announces that they will have to cut the set short. It was clear right from the start that Alex was struggling with his voice and his distress is heart breaking to watch. Jack Barakat, with a cheesy grin that could rival Elmo, does his best to boost moral, covering for his bandmate’s lack of stage banter. But Alex is determined not to disappoint and does his best to get through a solo performance of ‘Remember Sunday’, leaving the stage with fans adoringly chanting his name. Although 20 minutes early, their encore makes up for their short set, with a trio of classics; ‘Weightless’, ‘Lost In Stereo’ and ‘Dear Maria’. It may have only been a fleeting visit but All Time Low don’t depart without leaving a tip for the fans, as they announce they will be returning to the UK next summer. So get ready to book your table for what is sure to be a big festival appearance. 

Interview: Japanese Voyeurs

On the Bournemouth date of the Rock Sound Exposure Tour, London rockers, Japanese Voyeurs, talk female genitalia and pervy photography...but not at the same time.

You have just embarked on the Rock Sound Exposure Tour, how did the first show in Bedford go?

Romily (vocals/guitar): It was good. There were a lot of people there. People seemed to be getting into it which was fun. Because you never really know. Some people, how they enjoy a show is just to stand there and watch. Which is cool but it’s always fun for us when people jump around a bit.

You are touring with Dinosaur Pile-Up and The Xcerts, have you ever met them before?

Steve (drums): I used to be in Dinosaur Pile-Up. Matt is one of my best friends so it’s nice to be back out with him. But Dinosaur Pile-Up and Japanese Voyeurs toured together a little while ago.

Johnny (guitar): We’ve done a couple of gigs with The Xcerts. So everyone kind of knows each other anyway.

What have you got planned for your sets in the next few weeks?

Romily: We’re not really into any stage dramatics. We just try to rehearse as much as we can so that we play as well as we can. We don’t really plan anything. I always think if you go and see a good band, the music should be enough.

How would you describe the music of Japanese Voyeurs?

Tom (bass): Loud rock music?

Romily: I think it’s easier to talk about the bands that we love. We sort of formed out of a love of bands like Melvins and Jesus Lizard. I think that always plays a part in the music that you decide to write. Otherwise, all those other crazy subgenres get a bit much really. Like alt-rock…box… number 3, I dunno.

Who else do you list among your influences?

Steve: Between us there is a big range of musical influences. Those are the ones that connect us all. But my first favourite band was Iron Maiden. I’m really into tech metal. But I also like classical music and a bit of dubstep now and then.

Romily: Ha!

Steve: Yea! I love it!

Romily: Yea there’s some stuff that sort of unites us and that’s the stuff I guess most influences the core of what we do. But then it’s always good to have other weird references coming in from the tech side of things that Steve loves. It adds another side to it.

Having a front woman, you are inevitably going to be compared to the likes of Paramore and Evanescence. Does this bother you?

Romily: I just have absolutely nothing to say about that. I just think if journalists love writing about music then surely they should be able to look further than what genitalia I have.

Who are your favourite women in music at the moment?

Romily: I love Lori S, who sings and plays guitar in Acid King. They’ve been around since the 90s. And she is like phenomenal guitar player. I love PJ Harvey, she’s a cool lady. I just read Patti Smith’s book. There might not be that many front women but there are girls in Earth and Electric Wizard. So they’re about.

What do you do when you’re not touring or writing music?

Rich (keyboards): Tom’s a video blogger on YouTube!

Tom: I don’t wanna talk about that.

Steve: I’ve got a daughter so I spend most of my time looking after her.

Romily: I read a lot. I love to read and write. Those are basic human skills which I partake in. I love pedals as well. So I’m always geeking about with that sort of thing. I think the thing is when you do something you love you sort of end up doing it all the time, even if you’re not actually doing it. I think everyone sits around and plays a lot even when we’re not all together.

Where did the name Japanese Voyeurs come from?

Romily: It comes from a series of photographs taken by a Japanese photographer in the 70s. And he found himself alone in a park one night and stumbled upon, as the story goes, all these couples having sex. So he decided to start taking pictures of these people. And he was one of the first photographers to use infrared film for art. It’s just really interesting in terms of what it says about human nature and that primal desire to look at the things which you probably shouldn’t look at and to do the things you probably shouldn’t do. And that sort of goes with a lot of the lyrical themes so we just thought it was a good fit.

Have you got any plans for the rest of the year?

Rich: Touring mostly

Johnny: And doing as many festivals as we can. We’ve got our first gigs abroad in March. Two gigs in Germany. We’re playing Ireland too, so we get to go on a ferry!

Romily: Obviously once the album comes out we’ll be in as many places as possible.

Interview: You Me At Six

2010 was the year of You Me At Six after the band scored a Top 10 album. I caught up with them before their sold out show at the B.I.C to talk about their successes… as well as Dragons Den, Fifa and ‘curry-gate’.

2010 has been a huge year for you, but if you could have done anything differently what would it be?

Matt (bass): I think everything has shaped up the way we wanted it to be.

Dan (drums) - now with bleached blonde hair: I would have dyed my hair earlier on in the year. I should have thought about it earlier because I’m quite fond of it.

You went to America this summer for Vans Warped Tour, how do American tours differ to here in Britain?

Matt: There’s a lot more driving. Everyday you’re driving for like 8 to 10 hours. There are always travel days where you’re literally driving all day long. Whereas in the UK you travel for four hours and that’s long. You’re like ‘Oh four hours? Really?!’ Then we went over there and its 10 hours every day. That sucks. But there isn’t really that much difference. I guess the fans are different because maybe we’re not as well known over in America.

Dan: We’ve been touring the UK for like the last three or four years whereas in America we’re just kind of starting out again. That’s really fun though.

How was getting to play with Paramore on their recent tour?

Matt: Paramore were really good dudes… and girl. They were really fun to go on tour with. The shows were always massive with them as well because they’re like the biggest band in the world at the moment.

Dan: Yea it was fun that we got to go out to Europe. We’ve only headlined out there and it’s always been really small. So the chance to support someone like Paramore in Sweden where I think we played to like six or seven thousand people, that was incredible. It was a really good opportunity for our band and hopefully it paid off. I think it did.

You guys are going to be supporting Blink 182 on their European Tour in the summer, how does that feel?

Matt: It’s like a dream come true. My two favourite bands when I grew up were New Found Glory and Blink 182. We did a tour with New Found Glory about two years ago and were doing a tour with Blink next year so I’m losing my mind basically. It’s like the best Christmas present ever!

Dan: At Reading Festival I actually got to meet Travis Barker and I was freaking out. I was full on shaking and I couldn’t speak properly. And then I got invited on stage and was sitting about two feet behind him when they were playing. It was the best day of my life. And now we get to play with them every day!

Is there anyone else that you’ve ever been star struck over?

Matt: I don’t think we’ve properly been star struck.

Dan: Yea with Travis Barker I think that’s the only time in my whole life that I’ve ever been star struck or seen someone and just been shaking. Because he’s like a hero to me. When I was younger, he was one of those people I always looked up to.

Matt: I’d probably be star struck if I met Will Smith or Brendon from Coach Trip. I think he’s awesome.

Dan: Brendon from Coach Trip?

Matt: Have you not watched Coach Trip before?!

Dan: No, what’s that?

Matt: It’s the best thing ever!

Dan: I’d be star struck if I met Eminem. Or Jay Z. That’d be sick.

Matt: Basically A List celebrities.

Dan: If Notorious B.I.G. was resurrected. That’d be sweet.

Clearly you have done pretty well at getting high profile support slots but is there anyone you would love to support that you haven’t had the chance to yet?

Matt: Well my number one in the world was Blink 182 to be honest.

Dan: I reckon it’d be sick to support someone like Green Day or Linkin Park. Just because we like Linkin Park. The other day we put the old album on and were just rocking out.

Matt: We still know all the words to Hybrid Theory.

Dan: Every single word.

Matt: From being 12 years old listening to it in our bedrooms.

How are you going to cope with nerves before supporting Blink 182?

Dan: I think it will probably just be the first show we’ll be a bit nervous. We’ve done arenas before so it should be alright.

Matt: Yea we played Wembley with Fall Out Boy so we’ve played big venues but we haven’t played anywhere as big as The O2. So it’s gonna be scary. But it’s even more scary when your parents are watching you. When you’re playing to a load of random people it’s not actually that bad but when you’ve got all your family down, you feel like you have to be good.

Dan: Yea, like Leeds Festival, I just had a great time and didn’t even think about it when there was like 30,000 people there. But then at Reading Festival, because my mum and my sister were there and my auntie and my cousin, I was pooing myself.

You guys are with a major record label, but some bands, such as Enter Shikari, are now going back to independent labels. Do you think bands do better with a major label?

Dan: I think there are pros and cons. We were on an independent for quite a while, Slam Dunk Records. We sort of made it up with our manager. That didn’t quite work out so right not we’re trying a major label and its going quite well. I think they have the financial backing and they also know people in the industry so they can open up doors for you.

Do you think the business side of the music industry has a negative effect on music?

Matt: Well the business side of the industry is full of arseholes.

Dan: There are always problems with everything. Like if you’re on an independent you’re gonna find problems and if you’re on a major label you’re gonna find problems. That’s something you have to realise quite early on otherwise you’ll kill yourself.

Matt: Yea stuff is always going wrong. Stuff is going wrong the whole time.

Dan: I’m sure even in Paramore’s world there’s times when they’re pissed off about something or something is going wrong.

Matt: Yea and when stuff is going wrong, people don’t know it’s going wrong. Like on out first album, the first 5000 copies that went out were missing a page. You open it up and it was white behind the CD.

Dan: Yea we were going crazy about that.

Matt: We were going mental but everyone was like ‘Oh it’s probably supposed to be like that’. And we’re just like ‘Nope’. So if you do have ‘Take Off Your Colours’ with a white bit behind the CD, that one went wrong.

Dan: You could almost say its limited edition.

What is your favourite song to perform live?

Dan: I think mine has been ‘Stay With Me’.

Matt: Yea same. We go off and then come back on for our encore. We don’t say anything and then there’s the first note and the lights and stuff. It looks pretty cool.

You’ve spent a lot of time travelling all over the world together, how do you usually pass the time when travelling on the tour bus?

Dan: People have been playing Fifa for money the past two days. Josh is up like £400.

Matt: Yea one of our friends from America came over and he and Josh were playing £100 games. Josh beat him basically every time. Then he went to the casino and won again.

Dan: And then everyone was like ‘Matt, Dan, why don’t you join in?’ and it’s like ‘Because I don’t want to just give you my money because you’ll clearly beat me’.

Matt: Yea we suck at Fifa.

Dan: I’m alright but I probably wouldn’t win. We’re fans of Call of Duty more than Fifa. Chris is wicked at Call of Duty.

Matt: Chris is already level 50

Dan: And Max is good

What could you not live without on tour?

Matt: A fridge to put the beers in.

Dan: A bed.

Matt: No the fridge, I could deal with sleeping on the floor if I’ve had too many beers.

Any particular food you can’t live without?

Matt: Well I always have curry but someone ate my curry last night. It’s stressed me out basically.

Dan: He’s been going mental for the past three days because someone stole his curry.

Matt: Twitter is going crazy. If anyone knows where my curry is by the way let me know. There’s a cash prize.

Dan: Yea £5000. We think it’s Max though.

Matt: Last night we got really drunk and I was like ‘Max, did you eat it?’ and he said ‘Actually, I might’ve eaten it’. And I was like ‘Well did you?’ and he said ‘I dunno’

Dan: Basically, he admitted to eating it

Matt: He’s the curry thief.

Dan: He keeps talking about it so I think he’s guilty.

If you ever have any major arguments, what or who is usually the cause?

Dan: It’s usually really little things.

Matt: I get stress out when I’m like ‘Are you ready to go out now?’ and everyone’s like ‘Yea yea yea’ And then we’re just about to go out and someone goes ‘Oh will you just wait for me for five minutes?’ and 15 minutes later they come and them someone else goes ‘No wait for me I’ll be like two minutes’ and then another 15 minutes later someone goes ‘Wait for me!’ and I’m just like ‘No. I’m done’ and they start stressing out that I’m not gonna wait for them. And I’ve been waiting for like two hours. You can’t get everyone together. There’s 24 people on this tour travelling with us and so getting them all together is probably the hardest thing in the world. That stresses me out.

Dan: I don’t get that stressed I don’t think. I like to wind Matt up quite a lot

Matt: Dan stresses me out a lot actually.

Dan: I do it on purpose though because I know exactly how to do it. Like yesterday he was like ‘Are you gonna come to the room’ and I’m like ‘Yea I’m gonna go in about 10 minutes’, and he’s like ‘Well why don’t you come now?’ and I’m like ‘I’m just gonna come in 10 minutes’. And then I turn round to him and I’m like ‘Do you need me to hold your hand?’ and all this stuff. And he’s like ‘Fuck you man, fuck you’ and walks off and gets so stressed out

Matt: The only reason I wanted him to come was because I was gonna go swimming so I was gonna wait for him in the room. Then I waited for like 15 minutes just sat there and he just weren’t coming.

Dan: I think he needs anger management.

Did you get to go swimming in the end?

Matt: I did actually but the jacuzzi was broken

Dan: And then you probably got more stressed out about that because it was broken right?

Matt: Yes

Dan: There you go.

You must do a lot of press, is there a particular question that you never get asked but wish you would?

Matt: You’ve put us on the spot now. Now I feel like we’re interviewing you!

Dan: I would love to be asked the question ‘My best friend is Zooey Deschanel, would you like to go on a date with her?’ That would probably be my favorite question.

As five guys in a rock band, how do you cope with all the female attention?

Dan: We don’t get any because we’re losers

Max (from across the room): The only female we have in the band is a curry!

Matt: Max, shut up. This is our interview alright?

Max: Sorry, I’ve got curry on my mind

Dan: We don’t get much female attention.

So you don’t get any knickers thrown at you or anything?

Matt: Well we do but Dan doesn’t see them because he’s at the back and they can’t throw that far. No, there’s not that much female attention. It depends. If we were to go out to a rock bar after the show then there are people who know who we are. So we tend to go to dance clubs and dance like idiots.

Dan: The other day there was 30 of us from the tour, everyone was out going crazy and dancing like fools.

Matt: Yea, Max fell over. He got so drunk.

Dan: He not only fell over but he face planted as well.

Matt: Yea I’ve got a feeling he was two-stepping to JLS or something and he slipped and face planted to the floor. And Bob from The Blackout was stomping around past all these 30 year old chavs. It was pretty funny actually.

Dan: Yea, if there was a small group of us they probably would have just beaten us up but because there was 30 of us they were all just looking over like ‘Who are these guys? And why are they in a massive circle having a dance off?’ It was brilliant.

This year was obviously huge for you but which bands would you like to see have the same type of success in 2011?

Dan: Canterbury

Matt: Yea they are the best dudes ever.

Dan: Their songs are amazing and they deserve it. And they’re amazing live. I’d love to see them get massive.

Matt: And a band called Not Advised, I really like them as well. They’re from Southampton. They’re really good, you should check them out.

Dan: And Tibbin as well.

Matt: Oh yea, DJ Tibbin. He’s DJing inbetween the bands tonight and he’s sick. He plays drum n’ bass and dubstep. He mixes pop with dubstep.

Dan: His Twitter is @TibbinAKATibbin

Matt: Tweet him

You are already writing the third album and I’ve heard there will be some exciting collaborations. Can you divulge any now?

Dan: Oh really? I don’t know.

Matt: Well, we’re doing one song with Eminem.

Dan: And another song with Rhianna

Matt: And Britney Spears was begging us to do a song with her but we said no.

Dan: We said ‘Do one! You used to be bald’.

Matt: And Dr Dre also was like ‘I want you to come round my house’ but we were just like ‘Sorry Dre’.

Dan: No, Dre is gonna produce it now I think.

Matt: I don’t know if I want him to. I don’t know if he’s good enough.

Dan: No, but seriously though, we have no clue.

Matt: We’ve demoed 4 songs.

Dan: It’s probably just Josh chatting rubbish on Twitter.

Matt: Yea, he likes to cause a kerfuffle.

A few of you are quite entrepreneurial as you run various clothing labels. But if you were auditioning for The Apprentice, how would you try to impress Lord Sugar?

Matt: God I don’t know.

Dan: I’d just say ‘Alright mate? Like this T-Shirt?’ Wanna buy it?’

Matt: If it was Dragons Den, because they’ve got all the money in front of them already, surely if anyone is clever enough when they go for their interview they’d just take a gun and say ‘Give me your money’. And then everyone gives you their money and then you win. You don’t even have to give away a percentage.

Dan: Yes you just walk in and hold the gun at them and they’ll be like ‘Oh so what’s the business?

Matt: ‘My gun to your face’

Dan: ‘Give me your money. Now’

Matt: Yea I don’t know what I’d do on The Apprentice but I know what I’d do on Dragons Den.

If you were freshers, what would your ideal student night out involve?

Matt: We go on freshers nights out all the time! Well, not freshers nights out but we go to student nights at clubs, because we basically are students. We’re the same age as everyone else.

Dan: We just don’t go to uni. We blag ourselves in there.

If it was a fancy dress night, what would you wear?

Matt: The last fancy dress night we did was Halloween and I had a full chimp suit. It was literally Thorpe Park material.

Dan: I was a bear and I looked like a gay bear

Matt: I’ve been dressed up as a fairy before. That was funny, and a bit gay.

Dan: My mum says we’ve got a full Superman outfit in the attic so I’m gonna wear that next time I dress up.