WolfTalk.

Short, punchy, and straight to the point, Hull 4-piece, LIFE, have pulled it out of the bag again with their new single ‘Go Go Go’. It’s the lead track to be taken from their debut EP ‘I Knew I Was A Rat’, which will be released on the 11th May via Birthday Records, just days before their appearance at Brighton’s, The Great Escape.

I caught up with singer/songwriter Nico Cara about his new track, 'Where We Lie'.

Wolf Talk- You've just revealed the video for your new single 'Where We Lie'- tell us a bit about the concept, and how it was to record. Nico Cara- Well, the original concept behind the song and the way it’s represented in the video are very different. I wrote the song about a year ago as a somewhat typical over-romanticised, teenage angst-filled story of hormones and intoxication, from my perspective and my mates’ too. But the director of the video, Rhys Williams, somehow heard a completely different story in the lyrics and came up with this kind of fucked up love story, which all comes together with a twist at the end. All in all it was a super fun project.

WT- The single is going to be released on the 9th March, how are you feeling ahead of getting it out there? NC- I’m feeling alright, so far the response has been very positive and I’ve heard some nice things so it’s all good.

WT- It's your first single of 2015, and a cracking on at that- what can we expect from your for the rest of the year? NC- Another single for sure, maybe two or just a B-Side, who knows. As the cold weather passes I’ll be jumping back on the gigging horse and doing as many gigs as I can, and I might have some music in the pipelines with some other artists too so hopefully it’ll be a good year. You can check out the video for his brand new single below, and to keep up to date with him, give him a like here.

10. INTERPOL // ACADEMY, LIVERPOOL // MARCH 2014

I’ve been lucky enough to see Interpol play live a few times, and it’s always best seeing them in a smaller venue. It was part of the NME tour too, so support came from Temples, Royal Blood and Circa Waves. Phenomenal.

9. GOAT // NORTHUMBRIA UNI, NEWCASTLE // SEPTEMBER 2014

Quite a few people had recommended Goat to me, and I’d listened and enjoyed, but hadn’t had a chance to see them live, so when they announced a Newcastle date, I was excited. There was such an incredible atmosphere, and you couldn’t take your eyes off the stage.

8. COHESION // INDEPENDENT, SUNDERLAND // JULY 2014 Cohesion are one of my favourite bands, so obviously I was going to go to their ‘New Year’ single launch. Support came from Charlie Dancer and Dalaro, and the room was packed out. The atmosphere was amazing, and it was great to see the night be such a success.

7. BILL RYDER-JONES // DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER // DECEMBER 2014

Both ‘If...’ and ‘A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart’ are two of my favourite albums, and I had been dying to see Bill live for a few years. When he announced a tour with Saint Saviour, I just HAD to get myself along to a couple of dates, so I hit up the Georgian, and the Deaf Institute. His set was mesmerizing, and Deaf Institute is one of my favourite venues

6. NADINE SHAH // WHITLEY BAY PLAYHOUSE // JULY 2014

Nadine’s gig at Whitley Bay Playhouse was part of the Mouth of Tyne Festival, and it was spectacular. She previewed new songs, as well as playing favourites from her first album ‘Love Your Dum And Mad’.

5. ARCTIC MONKEYS // FINSBURY PARK, LONDON // MAY 2014

Arctic Monkeys, in Finsbury Park, with support from Royal Blood, Tame Impala and Miles Kane. Need I say more?

4. FOALS // APOLLO, MANCHESTER // FEBRUARY 2014

Foals always put on a spectacular show. As always they were so energetic, and that reflected in the crowd.

3. GOY BOY MCILROY & AVALANCHE PARTY // SAWMILL, DARLINGTON // DECEMBER 2014

Goy Boy McIlroy decided to throw their own Christmas gig in their practice room, wit their pals Avalanche Party. It was sweaty, and intimate, and one of the most energetic gigs I’ve been too. Class.

2. THE MACCABEES // ACADEMY, LIVERPOOL // NOVEMBER 2014

The Maccabees organised a one off intimate gig in Liverpool as a warm up to their arena tour supporting Kasabian. They previewed some of their new songs, and they went down an absolute treat with the crowd. I for one cannot WAIT to hear the new album.

1. KLAXONS // THE WARDROBE, LEEDS // OCTOBER 2014

I’d seen Klaxons for the very first time at the beginning of 2014 at Ruby Lounge in Manchester, and it was everything I’d wanted it to be. When they announced another intimate tour, it was obvious that I’d be nabbing tickets for it. The gig got moved to The Wardrobe after Cockpit had closed down, and it was a great venue. The band were incredibly energetic which certainly showed in the crowd too, with mosh pits and crowd surfing. Long live Klaxons.

So it comes to that time where I 'review' the previous year, going through my favourite tracks, albums and gigs. Let's start it off with the top 20 tracks of 2014... 20. THE WYTCHES – WIRE FRAME MATTRESS

Favourite Lyric: 'You sit there and laugh, while my dignity collapses...'

19. IGGY AZALEA/CHARLI XCX – FANCY

Favourite Lyric: 'Taking all the liquor straight, never chase that...' 18. GEORGE EZRA - BLAME IT ON ME

Favourite Lyric: 'We counted all our reasons, excuses that we made...'

17. SAM SMITH - STAY WITH ME

Favourite Lyric: 'Why am I so emotional? No it's not a good look, gain some self control...'

16. THE 1975 - ROBBERS Favourite Lyric: 'You've got a pretty kinda dirty face...' 15. COQUIN MIGALE – GOLD Favourite Lyric: 'This elongated daydream doesn't last much longer...'

14. BEN HOWARD - I FORGOT WHERE WE WERE Favourite Lyric: 'Oh hello love, my invincible friend...' 13. COHESION - NEW YEAR Favourite Lyric: 'We may find some piece of mind, a better time for you and me...' 12. TAYLOR SWIFT - SHAKE IT OFF Favourite Lyric: 'I go on too many dates, but I can't make 'em stay...' 11. KLAXONS - THERE IS NO OTHER TIME Favourite Lyric: 'Tomorrow is standing right in front of me...' 10. DALARO - EMPTY APARTMENTS Favourite Lyric: 'Days are forgotten now that we don't speak...'

9. THE HORRORS - CHANGE YOUR MIND Favourite Lyric: 'You know that it only takes one of us...'

8. MARK RONSON/BRUNO MARS - UPTOWN FUNK Favourite Lyric: 'Stop, wait a minute, fill my cup put some liquor in it...' 7. CALVIN HARRIS - SUMMER Favourite Lyric: 'We fell in love, as the leaves turned brown...'

I caught up with Bill Ryder-Jones ahead of his co-headline tour with Saint Saviour to talk about producing, performing his debut album, and new music. 

I caught up with the Slaves lads right after their support slot with Jamie T at Newcastle O2 Academy. Here's what they had to say...

The Maccabees are a band that I discovered quite early on in their career. They were the soundtrack to my teen years: the soundtrack to my coming of age. As I started to grow, alongside their music, I began to frequent their gigs. I would scream the words to every single song, dance ecstatically, and spend whatever money I had on t-shirts and posters.

After taking time out to work on new material, 2014 sees the return of the Brighton based quintet. Having announced their first headline show of the year at Liverpool Academy next month, ahead of their arena support slot with Kasabian, I begin to think about their career thus far.

The bands 2007 debut, ‘Colour It In’, is a record that was, in a way, so naïve. Songs focused around tales of childhood memories, identity crisis, and the pros and cons of growing up. The album was filled with nostalgia. Two years on, the band release their second album ‘Wall Of Arms’, which was slightly darker than its predecessor. It was clear that their sound was evolving, and people were taking a real interest. They were gaining respect.

The release of their third album, ‘Given To The Wild’, in 2012, reflected just how much the band had developed. Compared to their previous albums, this record was subtler, with more ambient swathes, whispery vocals, and rippling guitars. The album was so beautifully structured, exposing the bands maturity, through tracks like ‘Child’, ‘Grew Up At Midnight’, and ‘Pelican’. The confident nature of the album showed how they had progressed, and allowed them to be championed by the BBC, numerous magazines, and even earned them a nomination at the 2012 Mercury Prize Awards.

Fast-forward a year, from the release of ‘Given To The Wild’, to January 2013. After a UK headline tour, and support slot with The Black Keys, the band were set to embark on their very first North American headline tour.

As I walk into the Music Hall of Williamsburg, in Brooklyn, I am greeted to the pleasant sound of The Maccabees performing their track ‘Feel To Follow’ as part of their soundcheck. I stand there, the only person in the room who is not part of their entourage. Once they had finished, frontman Orlando Weeks steps down from the stage, and wanders over to greet me, polite as ever.

We head upstairs to their dressing room, and he invites me into the room, offering me a seat on the settee. I sit down, and he pulls up a chair next to me. After a short conversation about the city that never sleeps, and how beautiful the venue that we were sitting in was, we start to talk about the previous year and success of ‘Given To The Wild’.

“I think it has gone better than we could have hoped.” He says, nodding his head, thoughtfully. “There were definitely moments when we were writing it and playing it to people, that we didn’t have any idea where it would sit, in terms of what people would think of it. Our friends, or The Maccabees, or people that would scrutinise it for different reasons, but I think it’s fit in nicely.”

We start to talk about the opportunities that the band have had over the past year, and the places that touring has taken them for the first time, like Australia, and Mexico.

“I think anytime what you love doing gets to take you places you’ve never been before, feels like one of the real treats.”

Orlando went on to mention that it is not all fun and games on the road when you have to travel for a long time. 

“I get nervous of the drives”, he said quite warily. “I’ve started developing a worrying…” he hesitated, before carrying on, “I start having weird dreams of crashes and stuff like that.” He started to laugh nervously, but I could see that it was something that quite clearly freaked him out.

I started to ask about the American tour, and how things had been going so far, in the cities that they had played in up to this point. Orlando started to reflect on their previous night in Boston. 

“The atmosphere was really nice, and people seemed so happy with it.” He went on to talk about what happened when he went outside for a cigarette after the gig had finished.

“Two guys asked for a light. They had been to the gig, but didn’t recognise me.” He went on. “They said they liked the record but that the band didn’t cut it live.” He started to laugh, shaking his head. I asked him whether he brought up the fact that it was his band that they were talking about.

“No, of course not!” We both started to laugh, and he went on to pretend that he had joined in with their conversations, “yeah you’re right, clowns aren’t they?” [laughs] I don’t really mind, at least they liked the record.’ We laughed once again, at the awkwardness of the conversation, before going on to talk about new material.

“We were really hoping we’d have something for this tour, but it was only 85% and that’s not good enough.” It is clear that the band have so much pride in their work, and so much respect for their fans, that they did not want to play anything half-heartedly. He carried on talking about album number four, and how it would follow 'Given To The Wild'. 

“It’ll be, hopefully, a step on; otherwise there’s no point. The way that I’ve always approached any of these things - you realise where you’ve made mistakes in the past, and you try not to make the same mistakes again, and that’ll be the ethos going into this album as well.”

That night, The Maccabees performed so energetically, and constantly praised the audience. It’s refreshing to see just how thankful and appreciative the band are towards their fans. It's easy to see why they have won over so many hearts over the years, especially mine. 

Oxford rockers Orchard Hill have announced that they’ll be releasing their brand new single ‘Make It Out Alive’ on Monday the 6th October!

Following on from a successful UK tour this August, the band have also announced that they’ll be touring again throughout December. The band will be heading to 4 Academies around the UK, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, and London, and the tickets for the gig will be...wait for it...absolutely FREE!

Guitarist Jamie Rogers said “We realise that people’s budgets are a bit tight at the moment, so we think it’s time to give back to the fans who have supported us from the beginning as well as celebrating a huge year for the band”.

You can claim your free tickets from 9am tomorrow morning from here.

DATES: 

14th DECEMBER - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy 3

15th DECEMBER - MANCHESTER Academy 3

17th DECEMBER - NEWCASTLE O2 Academy 2

Let's be honest here, Catfish and the Bottlemen have had a pretty fantastic year. A busy summer, massive praise from the likes of Radio 1, a phenomenal debut album, The Balcony, and a sold out UK tour. Impressive to say the least!  The fellas have announced some fantastic news today, in the form of ANOTHER UK tour! They'll be heading on the road throughout March and April next year. The dates are... 23rd March - Leeds O2 Academy 24th March - Glasgow O2 ABC 26th March - Newcastle O2 Academy  27th March - Manchester Academy  28th March - Birmingham Institute 31st March - London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire      1st April - London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire       3rd April - Bristol O2 Academy      4th April - Sheffield O2 Academy       5th April - Liverpool Guild of Students      7th April - Belfast Limelight       8th April - Dublin Whelan's So if you missed out on tickets for the November tour, this is your chance! Tickets come on sale 9am Friday 3rd October. 

I caught up with Van back in August at Leeds Festival, and you can listen back to our chat below.

I caught up with Harry and Sam from Peace backstage at Leeds festival to chat about the new album, the upcoming tour with Bombay Bicycle Club, and we played a game of 'Who's Line Is It Anyway?'.

So I headed along to Leeds Festival on the August bank holiday for Spark FM, and caught up with a number of bands and artists. Over the next few days, I'll be uploading interviews from the weekend...starting with this- We Are Scientists! Enjoy.

It’s no secret that Wolf Talk loves Catfish and The Bottlemen, so I was pretty excited when I heard Zane Lowe drop their new single, ‘Cocoon’, as his Hottest Record in the World earlier this week. ‘Cocoon’ follows on from previous single, ‘Fallout’, and is taken from their debut album, The Balcony, produced by Jim Abbiss, which is set for release on 15th September. This comes just before their UK headline tour, which includes a sold out show at London Koko!

The track took shape during a writing trip to New York last year. Singer Van McCann says - ‘I was living in this apartment block, and I used to go up to the rooftop for a smoke and look over the skyline which was beautiful every night. I was away from home and missing the love of my life, and I just wanted to write a song about being together and fucking everybody off. So ‘Cocoon’ is about being madly in love with someone, your best friend or whoever, and people try to get inside that and fuck shit up for you’.

The single is paired with an official video tracing a doomed psychiatric institution love affair, directed by James Moore, and gives a nod to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.

You can catch the band live at various festivals this summer, and on a UK tour later in the year. Dates below:  

UK Live Dates:

1 August KENDAL Kendal Calling

2 August DERBYSHIRE Y Not Festival

8 August INVERNESS Belladrum Festival

9 August LEICESTERSHIRE Strawberry Fields Festival

10 August CORNWALL Boardmasters Festival

21 August BRIGHTON The Haunt

22 August READING Reading & Leeds Festival

23 August LEEDS Reading & Leeds Festival

29 August LODE Lodestar Festival

30 August BINGLEY Bingley Music Live

5 November CARDIFF The Globe

6 November PORTSMOUTH Wedgewood Rooms

7 November LONDON Koko SOLD OUT

8 November LEICESTER 02 Academy

9 November LEEDS Cockpit

12 November EDINBURGH Caves

13 November ABERDEEN Tunnels

14 November GLASGOW Classic Grand

15 November NEWCASTLE 02 Academy

3 December MANCHESTER Ritz

4 December BRISTOL Thekla       

5 December STOKE Sugarmill

7 December BIRMINGHAM Institute

8 December OXFORD 02 Academy

12 December NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms

I had a good chat with Matt Hayward from Band of Skulls for Spark FM about festival season, and their plans for after summer!

Good news Bottlemen fans! The boys have announced that their debut album The Balcony, recorded with Jim Abbiss, will be released through Communion/Island Records on the 15th September! You can pre-order the album here!

Along with this announcement, the band have also announced their biggest headline show to date at London Koko on the 7th November! You can grab your tickets for the show here.

The band have also revealed their latest video for their track 'Fallout'.

30 Seconds to Mars are a band I truly love. Jared Leto is a man of many talents. Director, actor, musician. Jack of all trades. He’s a man I respect.

When browsing their website back in January for a new tshirt, I came across their meet and greet scheme with Adventures In Wonderland. I instantly thought ‘YES. I MUST do this!’. So right there and then, I decided that I’d take myself on a trip, from England to Italy, to meet one of my favourite bands.

There were different packages for you to choose from, ranging from around $150, to $799. I chose the package worth $499. With this, I got a ticket for their concert at Palaolimpico, some merchandise, including a poster, a tshirt, a bag, and a bracelet, and a meet and greet with the band- including a photograph.

I was ecstatic, and couldn’t wait for June to arrive. I had a countdown on my phone, and in my diary, and made a constant reminder on Facebook and Twitter that I’d be meeting the band in [insert number here] days.

It was the night before the event, and I was lying in my hotel bed, somewhere in Turin, thinking about the day to come. So many questions were going around in my mind. What would I say to the band? Should I ask a question? Pay them a compliment? What smile should I pull in the photo? What dress should I wear? It was crazy. It’s not like I haven’t met a band before. In fact, it’s kind of my JOB to meet bands. Working in radio means I’m constantly interviewing different artists. I’ve been lucky enough to meet and interview one of my other favourite bands, The Maccabees. They were delightfully charming, and humble. That was the most important thing, and it made me love them more for it.

I shook my head and told myself to stop being so ridiculous. They’re only guys. They wake up every day, put clothes on, go about their everyday business…it’s just that their business is being in a super famous band, who a hell of a lot of people know about, and love.

I went to bed, and hilariously, dreamt that I’d missed the meet and greet. On reflection, I wish I had.

I headed to the venue in time for the VIP entrance opening at 3pm. At first there were only a handful of people, but my god did that queue grow. I’d estimate that there were around 150/200 people there. It was crazy. We got let through the gate 5 at a time, signed in, picked up our merchandise, then waited in another queue. At 5pm, we were let I to the venue.

We were all made to sit in lines on the floor. It felt like I was back at school, sitting in assembly, being told to ‘shush’. One of the members of the Adventures In Wonderland team stood at the front and told us how the meet and greet was going to pan out. There was an added Q&A which was exciting, so I sat and tried to think of a question. She went on to say how there were no pictures to be taken from our own phones or cameras, that our bags needed to be out away, and that we could only get one thing signed- and we weren’t allowed to ask for it to be signed to us, or for a message to be written. Anyone who had brought presents for the band, were asked to hand them in straight away, as they were not allowed to hand them directly to the band. Who knows if the band would actually get to see what fans had given them.

Jared and Tomo walked in, and the room applauded them. They sat at the front, and Jared began to talk, asking us questions about how we listen to music, what we thought was bigger- Spotify, or ITunes, etc.I felt like I was in a focus group, but it was pretty interesting. A few questions were asked, then it was time for the signing part of the meet and greet. We all queued around the room and out into the hall in single file, with our one item to get signed in hand. I, like most people, picked the poster that we’d been given. We were told that we weren’t allowed to get tshirts signed, which I wasn’t bothered about, but some people were. As soon as I got to the desk, Tomo said hello, and asked how I was. Pleasant, and it made me smile. He signed my poster then handed it over to Jared. This was it. I was standing in front of JARED LETO. My mind was trying not to explode. I smiled at him and said hello. He signed my poster, without acknowledging me, and instead, talked to one of the Adventures In Wonderland team members. Security ushered me out of the room immediately, to join the back of the queue again, ready for a photo.

I was so confused. In fact, confused isn’t the right word. I was, just, I don’t know what I was feeling. I didn’t know then, and I still don’t know now. Those few seconds were part of what I’d been waiting for for 6 months. What I’d thought about every day. What I’d paid so much money for…and he didn’t even look at me.

I stood in the queue chatting to my new friend, Melissa, saying any old gibberish to try and keep my mind off what had just happened. To try and stop myself from crying. I mean, I didn’t want panda eyes in the photo, right? Right.

Once we were back to the beginning of the line, it was time for the photo. I was thinking, maybe this time he’ll say something to me. Maybe this time he’ll recognise my ENGLISH accent in a room full of Italians, and mention it. Just maybe.

As I was getting closer to the front of the queue, I noticed a few people were having to get their photo taken twice. Jared made a comment about this, saying, ‘can you all make sure you don’t blink so that you can get it done in one take. When he (pointing at the photographer) says ready, you open your eyes.’ People laughed, but to be honest, I found it quite annoying and slightly condescending. Clearly, he just wanted to get it over and done with.

I got to the front of the queue, and security ushered me into the photo. I looked at Jared and said, ‘alright?’. He looked at me, and said ‘hey’. In my head, he was going to say something else, maybe mention my accent. I wanted him to say something. Anything. Instead he turned around to talk to someone on his team. I positioned myself in the middle of him and Tomo, the photographer said ‘ready’, Jared turned his head to the camera, and FLASH. Once again I was ushered away. I felt like cattle.

That was it. That was what I’d dreamt of. This was what I’d spent all of my money on. That was what I’d claimed would be ‘the happiest day of my life’. Instead, of happiness, I felt sick. Physically sick.

The whole thing was so robotic. Just part of the job. Jared didn’t want to be there, he was uninterested. You could see by the blank expression on his face. He didn’t care about you, your name, or your story. To him, you were just someone lining his pocket full of cash.

I blinked a few times holding my tears back. Grabbed my bag, and went into the venue.

I can’t say anything bad about the gig. They’re a great band, and I love their music. But bloody hell was I disappointed. I felt stupid. So stupid that I’d built up this whole thing, told everyone about it, done everyone’s head in with my excitement.

The thing that got me the most, is how much Jared talks about his fans, how much he loves them, how much they mean to him. As my dad kindly pointed out- ‘He might act like he’s “all for the fans” but remember, his acting won him an Oscar.’

It’s bank holiday Monday, the sun is shining, and a mass of people cram through the doors of The Cluny, bevvies in hand, ready to see Catfish and the Bottlemen. The Bottlemen are quickly becoming one of the most talked about bands of 2014, with a summer of shows lined up at the likes of Kendal Calling, T in the Park, Ibiza Rocks, and Leeds Festival. Having seen the band support Glasvegas at The Cluny in 2013, I was eager to see them play their own headline gig there. Once local support act, Tissue Culture, had finished performing, the crowd pushed forward, raring to go. Catfish and the Bottlemen appeared on stage in a haze of red lights, and kicked straight into their opening track. The crowd went wild, and showed much enthusiasm as the lads played their tracks, ‘Rango’, ‘Fallout’ and my favourite song of theirs, ‘Kathleen’. (Which has, in fact, been my alarm tone every single morning since it’s release. Fact.) It’s great to see the band go from strength to strength, and that their relentless touring and hard work is paying off. Make sure you see them in small venues and on small stages while you can, because it won’t be long until they’re headlining festivals, and you're crying because you don't have a ticket to see them.