Tag: music

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Out For Blood: Interview with SAFIRE

We chat to female crossover metal artist SAFIRE about her new single, aesthetic and tattoo collection…

How would you describe your music? DOM POP! I make dominant pop music drawing inspiration from my love of metal/hardcore punk, RnB and Pop. My music is angry, empowering and sexually charged by my lust for shifting the power dynamics from the masculine to the feminine.

What inspires you as an artist? Rage! War! Blood!

When did your musical career start? I’ve been singing, dancing and acting since I was a kid, but I guess things really started to come to life during the pandemic lockdowns. I lived alone and had a lot of time on my hands to get creative, which is where things really began to take shape.

I wrote a whole record and even recorded two music videos during that period. I think that was the only thing keeping me sane! 

How have you got to where you are today? Blood, sweat and tears. And then some more blood and tears! I’m a self made, independent artist.

I’m lucky to have had the support of some incredible thinkers and creatives to help me develop what I see in my mind. My career and life are synonymous in that respect.

Can you tell us about your new single? I’ve arrived at a point where I have absolute respect for the divine feminine and will no longer tolerate oppression of any kind from the masculine. This is the message.

Out For Blood is about reclaiming your feminine power. It’s a self chant reminding you that you’re a fucking warrior!  

I think the message is clear. You fucked with the wrong woman. You’re on my list and I’m coming for you. 

What’s the process behind your songs? I sometimes draft a concept or storyline based on thoughts that I’ve been having or maybe it’s a nightmare I’ve had. I then draw together a playlist of elements that I’m vibing and will then sit down with my producer and start creating the track.

Whilst the track is being built I’ll start to hear melodies and rhythms. I then build in the storyline and lyrics that I’ve written. The process can be different depending on the mood but that’s a formula that works for me. I like to work in small circles of people that I trust, respect the opinions of and share a similar vision with.

Where can people see you live and find your single? OUT FOR BLOOD is out on all streaming platforms now! The music video is out on the 11th October at 6pm on YouTube.

I’ll be announcing other releases/live shows on socials so follow me there for dates.

When did you get your first tattoo, what is it and do you still like it? I got my first tattoo with a fucking amazing artist and human – Woody @woodfordtattoo. It was a heart made of question marks with soundwaves. It’s done well but nothing I’d have done now. It’s hidden amongst my sleeve on my inner arm. Even though I’m not a huge fan of it I do remember drawing it whilst listening to Tool’s new album (10,000 Days) and it holds some cool memories for me so I wouldn’t change it. 

Walk us through your tattoo collection, do you have a favourite? On my fingers are lyrics from a track by The Hope Conspiracy “It’s a gun at my neck, a voice in my ear, to never look back” handpoked by Adam Sage @adamsage13 and I think they are my favourite tattoos.

I have wings on my neck which is my latest tattoo done by Woody which are my second favourite tattoo. Number three has to be my cat x-ray on my leg by Jack Newton @jackthomasnewton. I got that one done shortly after my cat Canaan died, so it holds a lot of meaning. I’m really into iconography so a lot of my tattoos have some of these pieces within them. 

Do your tattoos help you to feel more confident? I think they did when I was a lot younger but I don’t really see them now.

They’re a part of me and an extension of my thoughts and feelings that I’m willing to convey outwardly. It’s a similar process with my music and visual art. 

Did your fashion style come first or your music, how do these come together? I think both elements have evolved concurrently and are both just a culmination of my interests and influences. I’m influenced by darker aesthetics and sounds for sure! Always have been.

Do you listen to music while you’re getting tattooed? Yes! I remember listening to Isis’s (then) new album ‘In The Absence Of Truth’ whilst getting my tattoo sleeve done. I LOVE Garden Of Light. Very cathartic.

Being tattooed has opened doors and conversations for me that I don’t think would have otherwise been opened. It’s equally closed some!

Can you share any experiences, good or bad, of being a tattooed woman? People definitely make judgements about who you are based on your looks and tattoos. I remember being stared at by an old and very disgusted couple in Belgium years ago. That felt weird to me. I don’t even notice my tattoos any more so I didn’t know what the hell they were looking at!

I’ve had the opportunity to appear in tattoo magazines and to host conventions when I was younger which was amazing. I met some incredible people during that period, so no regrets! 

Follow SAFIRE for more music, fashion and tattoos.

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Sylvia Rose Novak

28-year-old Sylvia Rose Novak is a folk/Americana songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and activist based in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. We talked to Sylvia about the inspirations behind her songwriting, her growing collection of tattoos, and background in horse-training…

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When did you realise that music and songwriting was what you wanted to do?It hit me kind of like a train in the summer of 2013. I wrote a couple of songs in the six months leading up to that revelation without any real purpose or desire to make it “a thing”. But, honestly, it feels like lightning hit me at some point that June and I’ve never looked back.

What inspires your songwriting? Is there anyone you admire? Ryan Adams. I want to grow up to be Ryan Adams, pinball machines and black Cadillac and all. He fascinated me. He’s also one of my favorite writers and musicians. I also greatly admire Jason Isbell. As far as what inspires me, that’s a grab bag. It could be a minor character in a book I’m reading or maybe just the state of the world. I’ve written songs about people I’ve never met just because their story struck me. I tend to prefer writing about things and people that are not me or my life, but I do that on occasion too.

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How does music fit with your other interests, such as yoga and horse training? One of my friends and, for lack of a better word, “mentors” in the yoga community (Ruby Chandler. She owns Shakti Power Yoga Athens. She is beyond amazing.) played one of my songs in a class I was attending once and, to my surprise, it actually worked! I always kind of wondered if it would. Outside of that, I think my live performances are more directly influence by my yoga practice than my writing is. I try to stay totally present for and connected to the audience – that is yoga.

I was a horse trainer for a long long time. I actually still do one-off training work sometimes. It’s in my blood. People will bring me a horse and say “This horse isn’t safe. It’s explosive. It’s impossible.” and 99% of the time, they’re just not listening. The horse is scared or anxious. Some of the best horses I’ve ever worked with were “impossible”. Now, I mostly just hack around on my horse of 11 years, Milo (who was also “impossible”.) I got him in 2007 and love him more than almost anything. He’s a big fat thoroughbred and he’s ridiculous. Like a giant dog.

With so many projects going on what do you do to relax? I’m actually currently sitting on my couch rereading “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs” for the fourth time. This is one of my very rare quiet mornings, so I’m enjoying it immensely (as I wait for the internet installer). I find ways to decompress when I can, but it’s rare. Hitting my yoga mat and working with my horse both help even though they’re active things. I also like to run when I can. I’m also a big fan of wine. Specifically Pinot Noir and Shiraz.

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Can you tell us about your tattoos, you’re an incredibly creative person, are your tattoos a reflection of this? I think they’re more a reflection of the tattoo artists. Most of the time I walk in and say “this is kind of what I want and where I want it”. And let them do the rest. I am by no means a visual artist. I once did an acrylic painting of Warren Zevon that looks a lot like Jim Henson. [My husband hangs it up in the house, anyway.] I have the album artwork from Jason Isbell’s “Here We Rest” on my back. It’s a piece of artwork by Browan Lollar. I love that record but, moreso, love that piece of artwork. My favorite tattoo is the big Ryan Adams tribute that I have on my forearm. Radar at Walk The Line in Athens, GA knocked it out of the park. I think my tattoos are more a tribute to the things that inspire me than of my actual creativity. – except for the compass earth between my shoulder blades. That one’s a reflection of being 18 and making a poor life choice.

Photos by Wade Allen

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Interview: Sublime with Rome

As part of their short UK run of shows and penultimate performance before Boomtown festival, Sublime With Rome landed at Bristol’s O2 Academy on 12th August to release their infectious mix of reggae, rock, hip hop and ska.

Before their set, music blogger Verity Vincent sat down with lead singer Rome Ramirez who has led the band’s line-up since 2009, alongside Sublime bassist Eric Wilson and new drummer Carlos Verdugo.swr2So how have the other UK shows been so far? The other shows have been awesome, just fucking packed, people have been screaming. The UK is always good and you’re so passionate about music so, it’s cool to come over from the US. In the US there’s a lot of bands that tour all the time and there’s a lot of competition so to be able to come over here and do that is awesome.

And you’re playing Boomtown tomorrow, have you done much of the festival circuit in the UK?  We’ve done like a dozen or so festivals over here before, but this will probably be the biggest one.

I’ve never done Boomtown but it’s supposed to be like a mini Glastonbury… It’s funny you should say that because that’s what we keep hearing so, I’m excited for that!

And then you’re back in the US to tour with Offspring? We start that in about three weeks. We played a show in southern California together, just us two bands and it was a massive success, bigger than what we would draw without them, and for them without us. With the bands being in the same area, and having a lot of mutual friends, it was just like, why don’t we go on the road?

We did a test run in Canada for a couple weeks and that was just awesome success.

So after the summer you’re back in the studio? October we’ll be back in the studio to release next summer.

At this point do you feel like you have a clear direction with which way your sound is going? Nah every time it’s kind of new. I know a lot of bands do that, they have their “thing” and that’s cool but, I think every album just has a different inspiration.

You always manage to have a good mix of sounds that are heavier and then more acoustic etc  Yeah totally. Sometimes you can put on a reggae or rock album and it’s just – the same – for a fucking, hour and a half y’know. My favourite part about Sublime is being able to mix all that up. I don’t know how we do it, I’m still figuring that part out!

Do you feel like there’s less pressure of what music people expect from you,  now that you’ve been established as Sublime With Rome for so long? Yeah, I think for me personally, I’m older now and been doing it for so long. People that come and listen to us and support us have already heard the news that we’ve been a band for almost eight years y’know. As far as that goes, and public perception goes, it’s been a lot more positive and they’ve had time to accept it.

That’s the cool thing about music though, it’s always expanding. And for me there’s so much involved in making a new album, that’s where the pressure is.

With the younger generation, do you think they’re an audience that will have heard your music before listening to Sublime? I think for the younger generation it’s still the other way around, with being introduced to Sublime and then they’re like… Oh what? That’s fucking crazy, let’s listen to what they’ve got! Just because, you know, Sublime was so massive. But, it’s awesome to be here and be able to do this and people that didn’t see Sublime, can come to our shows.

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Tattoo wise, do you have any favourite pieces of yours or particular artists you like to work with? Yeah! Nic Westfall, he has his own shop in Sacramento, California, he’s an insane artist. So fucking good. This is one of my favourite pieces (uncovers an incredible portrait situated on his forearm, just above an equally perfect Ren and Stimpy tattoo).

My buddy Nate Siggard he’s done most of my tattoos, and he’s tattoo’d pretty much all of us. And Jason Fritze from Florida, he’s done a million tattoos on Eric. He’s only done one on me but it wasn’t a good concept it was just a, fuckin’ cirlcle. I was like, “man I want you to give me one of those good tattoos!” but we were in the studio and didn’t have time. But we usually fly him out to our days off on the tour and he’ll come and chill for a day or two. Or if we’re at the studio, we’ll just invite him down and set up shop for a couple days and get some tattoos.

After speaking with Rome their set was insane launching with ‘Date Rape’ it perfectly set the tone for the rest of evening. Covering Toots & The Maytals ’54-46, That’s My Number’ among Sublime’s back catalogue and sprinkled with the bands’ own tracks including ‘Murdera’, ‘You Better Listen’ and ‘Panic’ from the 2011 album Yours Truly.

Rome, Eric and Carlos closed the night in timeless fashion with ‘What I Got’ and ’Santeria’, leaving the crowd in Bristol with an experience that had no doubt for most, been a long time coming.

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Top 10 Bands to catch at Reading & Leeds Festival

It’s just under a month until Reading and Leeds Festival and just glancing at this year’s line-up has got our guest music blogger Verity Vincent joining in the debate as to whether male artists are dominating festival line-ups.

With some incredible bands spread across stages large and small, Verity also shares the top ten artists she cannot wait to see this year…

Should whether music is led by a male or female voice be theoretically irrelevant? The gender lines should be blurred enough for it to matter more about the diversity and quality of music on offer than whether it comes from a man or a woman. But does the “should” transcend?

Ellie Goulding has spoken out about a lack of female peers at many festivals. But my recent experiences at festivals like 2000 Trees has been different, there was a distinct mix of powerful, female fronted bands. If you take festivals such as V Festival, which are predominantly pop focused, you’ll pretty much find a 50/50 split of male and female acts, so is it purely down to a coincidence of the genre? What bands have released new music or who’s reformed?

Looking over the Reading and Leeds poster there are some seriously powerful females on the bill, from the ultimate trio that is Haim, to The Pretty Reckless, PVRIS, Charli XCX, Anne-Marie, and feminist trailblazer Lande Hekt of Muncie Girls. Yes, male-led acts may have dominance, but aren’t we just all happy to be in the same place celebrating rock music old and new?

Here’s my top ten artists that I cannot wait to witness…

Kasabian
Kasabian’s new album ‘For Crying Out Loud’ has some incredible tracks like Twentyfourseven, Comeback Kid and their lead single, ‘You’re in Love With a Psycho’.

The Magic Gang
Ep’s One, Two and Three have all been packed with feel-good, soul warming, foot tapping loveliness. They’re a band made for creating real festival vibes. But in a cool way, not a flower crown wearing kinda way.

Blossoms
Blossoms have had quite the ride in four short years, creating an album filled with catchy yet credible tunes that have earned them a main stage top 3 slot.

Muncie Girls
After a Kerrang! Award nom last year, an Australian tour and a string of festival bookings this year, the Exeter based band continue to be on the rise.

Idles 

Ballsy, brash and Bristolian band Idles have a wonderfully uncompromising attitude when it comes to presenting their music, and theirs is a set not to be missed.

Haim 

Is there anyone that doesn’t adore Haim? How can you not? Their personalities are just as infectious as their music.

Frank Carter
Frank’s sets are often as dramatic as they are energetic. The front man doesn’t shy away from getting involved with people’s lost phones, settling fights and generally acting as an extra form of security. What will happen at Reading and Leeds? We’re more than intrigued to find out.

While She Sleeps
I distinctly remember watching While She Sleeps play a morning slot at Bestival a few years back – what a way to shake off a hangover. Headlining The Pit stage on Saturday night, they’ll be an equally perfect way to finish the night as to start the day.

What about the last two?  Liam Gallagher and Eminem. Arguably both at iconic status and possessing a back catalogue big enough to please diehard fans. How would a conversation pan out between them I wonder? A question we may never know the answer to…

Liam Gallagher

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Who made it onto your list?

There’s also a stellar offering on the comedy front including Simon Amstell, Tape Face, Katherine Ryan and Bill Bailey.
Check out the full line-up poster below and get your tickets here.

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Gin Wigmore: New Single & GIRLGANG

The sultry, gravel voiced New Zealand singer-songwriter Gin Wigmore returns with her defiant new single, ‘Hallow Fate’ and simultaneously launches GIRLGANG a collaborative project focusing on music and art…

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Written and produced by Gin Wigmore and Steve Rusch, ‘Hallow Fate’ is the first single taken from her forthcoming album. Launching in conjunction with the release of the new song is GIRLGANG – an exciting new collaborative project that combines both art and music and focuses on female empowerment and partnership. Wigmore has hand selected five artists to create exclusive and original pieces inspired by five songs from her new album.

The first GIRLGANG pairing sees Gin collaborating with San Diego tattoo artist Briana Sargent who created a tattoo inspired by ‘Hallow Fate’, her love of vibrant colours and the spirit of California.

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Over the next eight months, Gin will release five songs taken from her upcoming fourth album, each one a collaboration with a different female artist. Gin personally chose the artists and assigned them a song for them to use as inspiration for their creations. The GIRLGANG project is designed to highlight and celebrate fellow women and to find a new way to have an experience and connection with music through a variety of artistic formats.

‘Hallow Fate’ is available worldwide now. Download/stream it HERE.