The 10 Best Performances From This Year’s 2000 Trees Festival

Credit: Gloucestershire Live

2000 Trees is my favourite UK festival, bar none. Three days of some of the most incredible bands the world has to offer set amongst the rolling hills and lovely forests of the Gloucestershire countryside? With a load of bacon rolls and cider? Yeah, don’t mind if I do. 2019 marks my third consecutive year at Trees, and it’s potentially the strongest in terms of line-up; I don’t think I saw a single bad set throughout the entire weekend, making this an incredibly difficult list to make. Out of the 40 bands I managed to catch, though, there were certainly some standout performances worth writing about.

Just briefly, I want to give some honourable mentions to the bands who narrowly avoided making the top ten amidst some strong competition. Haggard Cat, to no-one’s surprise, put on yet another incredible show early on the Thursday at Trees (despite some comedic mistiming on their confetti cannons), and get a great crowd reaction to boot. The new material they play sounds brilliant, and the bluesy two-piece further establish their place as a new staple of the UK festival scene. Later the same day, I see Comeback Kid for the second time in a week, and whilst their set on the Cave doesn’t quite match up to the intimacy of their gig at Boston Music Rooms a few days prior, it’s still nothing short of wonderful. The band feel like legitimate hardcore legends at this point, and for good reason.

On the Friday, Drug Church and Rolo Tomassi play back-to-back on the Cave, and both stand out for different reasons. The sheer punk-rock energy of the former (along with frontman Patrick Kindlon’s cheeky banter and effortlessly cool stage presence) ensures that songs such as ‘Foam Pit’ and closer ‘Weed Pin’ are highlights of the day. Rolo, on the other hand, are positively otherworldly. Last year’s record, Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It, has elevated them to a whole new level, and it feels like the band should be headlining stages like this in the very near future. Saturday is also chock-full of killer sets, with Lotus Eater putting on easily the most aggro performance of the weekend. Violently-Glaswegian vocalist Jamie McLees is hilariously up-front, telling the spin-kicking maniacs down the front that he secretly likes seeing people get hurt, before the band around him launch into breakdown upon breakdown. The St. Pierre Snake Invasion’s Cave-sub-headlining slot is triumphant and endlessly fun, as they celebrate the release of their new record by playing songs from it with bounds of energy and visible excitement.

I could go on, and chat shit all day about Brutus, Can’t Swim, Mongol Horde, While She Sleeps, and plethora of other artists, but let’s get down to it. Here are the top ten.

Number 10 - Soeur (Thursday, The Cave)

First up are a band who continue to get better every time I see them: Soeur. The Bristolian three-piece have done remarkably well in recent years to hone in on a sound which is uniquely theirs; catchy pop hooks nestled between thick, grungy riffs and math-rock rhythms. As soon as they open with the first unstoppably danceable riff of ‘No Fire’, the band have the audience on tenterhooks and don’t let them go until the final blitz of ‘Fight’ has faded from the speakers. Their on-stage dynamic works wonderfully; dual vocalists and guitarists Tina and Anya play off each other exceptionally well, with ever-complex drums holding it all together at the back. The set feels like a big moment for Soeur – there’s not a minute goes by that doesn’t see one of the members grinning from ear to ear at the packed tent in front of them - and it's only trumped by the significance of their main stage performance on Saturday (which I only manage to catch the end of). As exciting as it all is, there's a real sense that this is only the beginning for the band.

Number 9 – Higher Power (Saturday, The Cave)

Photo by Jez Pennington

Rightfully one of the biggest names in modern UK hardcore, Higher Power put on an absolutely brilliant set at Trees this year. With a unique style of classic, 90s-inspired hardcore doused in grunge and crossover thrash, the Leeds-based crew inspire no shortage of two-stepping and spin-kicking down the front from their small-but-dedicated fanbase. Utilising his signature repeated mosh-calls of "Where the freaks at?" and "For the moshers!", vocalist Jimmy Wizard eggs them on, and exudes a mountain of charisma at the same time. At one point, he climbs down to the barrier in order to get into the faces of those in the front row - an action which results in a pile-on, demonstrating that hardcore kids won't let something as simple as a barricade prevent the creation of the sweaty-club-show feeling that this band deserve. Higher Power stand out amongst their peers not only because of the originality of their music, but also because of the driving sense of personality they possess as a band. They're the British answer to Turnstile, and if you keep on reading, you'll understand how much of a compliment that is.

Number 8 – Indoor Pets (Friday, Neu Stage)

One of the best things about 2000 Trees is that they champion bands who should, for all intents and purposes, be fucking massive – but for some reason, are not. On the strength of their songwriting, Indoor Pets are a prime example. Fronted by the ever-charismatic Jamie Glass (how can a man with such small hands craft such huge choruses?), the four-piece play a pretty unique brand of pop-rock that revolves around sticky hooks and big, bouncy riffage, and they're absolutely on fire on Friday night. This is a band who play songs so huge that you could picture them headlining Reading Festival (see 'Electrify', 'Teriyaki', and 'Cutie Pie, I'm Bloated'), but also possess an utterly unique vibe that makes them feel almost like a punk band; their music in a live setting is more chaotic and heavy than on record. It's still poppy, sure, but it's also engaging and exciting in a way than most of their peers would kill for. I only catch the first three quarters of this set (Cancer Bats were calling me), but nonetheless, I find myself humming the songs from it over and over for the remainder of the weekend.

Number 7 – Turnstile (Thursday, Main Stage)

Photo by Abbie Shipperly

Turnstile are just one of those bands who can do no wrong in a live environment. This being the fourth time I’ve seen the Maryland hardcore upstarts, I know what to expect to a certain extent... but that doesn't stop me from being impressed all over again. With an opening riff-laden 1-2-3 punch of 'Generator', 'Drop', and 'Real Thing', it's easy to see that Turnstile are their usual incendiary selves, and they sound even better outdoors (and in the sun). The word of their prowess as a live act must have spread around, too, because they pull one of the biggest main-stage crowds of the entire festival. On stage, though, as always, bassist Franz Lyons is the one to watch, exuding ridiculous amounts of energy and getting the masses riled up like a commander leading troops to battle. Around him, Brendan Yates, Daniel Fang, Brady Ebert, and Pat McCrory are all doing their best to outdo one another in regard to power, kineticism, and brilliant instrumentation. Most hardcore acts would struggle on such a large platform in a festival setting; instead opting for the heat and intimacy of a smaller tent. Turnstile, though, do just as well here as they would do in a 300-cap no-barrier club show, because they're a band who transcend every boundary and cross every line put in front of them.

Number 6 – A.A. Williams (Saturday, The Forest)

The only purposeful venture I make toward The Forest Stage over the weekend is to see A.A. Williams, and it’s absolutely magical. I’ve never heard the setting so quiet - usually there's a constant unwanted murmur from pricks at the back who decide the best place to chat is the acoustic stage, but this time you can only hear the rustle of leaves, the occasional click of a camera shutter, and every aural detail of the performance. Backed by two other instrumentalists for the majority of the performance, Williams creates an atmosphere which is at once haunting and angelic. Porcelain vocal lines drift over slowly-progressing soundscapes, and the utilisation of dynamics is one of the set's biggest strengths; the quietest moments focus the attention of the attendees so sharply that when a crescendo comes in, it feels almost emotionally overwhelming. In the midst of all the noise and excitement of 2000 Trees, A.A. Williams provides half an hour of real, awe-inspiring beauty.

Number 5 – Orchards (Thursday, The Axiom)

Photo by Jez Pennington

If you could hear happiness, it would sound like Orchards. The Brighton math-pop quartet take to the Axiom early on Thursday afternoon, and it’s a sun-soaked performance driven by pure joy and big hooks. As with Soeur earlier in the day, this might well be one of the biggest – and most involved – crowds the band has ever played to, and the fact that you can see how psyched they are about it just adds to the atmosphere that their bubbly, upbeat tracks create. With some glittery, pink inflatables (which survive to crop up in the audiences for other bands across the weekend) thrown out into the crowd setting the tone, songs such as 'Peggy', 'Darling', and 'Double Vision' are vibrant bursts of colour made all the more enjoyable by the exuberant stage presences of vocalist Lucy Evers and guitarist Sam Rushton. Disaster almost strikes as the powers-that-be look to stop the set before the very last song, but when the band urge those backstage to let them finish up (and they finally relent), the version of 'Luv You 2' that closes the performance is one of the most exciting, joyous, and memorable moments of the whole festival. 

Number 4 – Palm Reader (Thursday, Neu Stage)

Palm Reader have almost become a house band at 2000 Trees over the last few years, and I’ve seen them there every year since 2017 (each time better than the last). It’s incredibly infuriating that they’re still not at a level past sub-sub-headlining the smallest stage at a medium-sized festival, because honestly, I consider this band the gold standard for British heavy music. Their performance on the Neu stage here bolsters that view tenfold, as the Nottingham five-piece put on a metal masterclass focused around their seminal 2018 record, Braille. Every single member puts their absolute all into every song; with Josh McKeown's always-impassioned vocal delivery flanked by mesmerising guitar and basswork (and furious crowd incitement) from Andy, Sam, and Josh. Dan Olds, even from the back of the stage, is the driving force around whom the others revolve, pounding his kit into oblivion through immense tracks like 'Always Darkest' and 'Swarm'. This is the best crowd reaction the band have ever received at Trees, too - a promising sign of things to come. Toward the end of the set, Josh announces that Palm Reader are working on their fourth record, and (after a show so brilliant) one can only hope that this will be, at long last, the breakthrough that they've deserved for so long.

Number 3 – Raketkanon (Friday, The Cave)

Photo by Jez Pennington

Raketkanon are not your average band, and they sure as hell don’t put on an average festival set. Everything is off kilter even before they play a note - from the smoking guitarist playing a headless six-string to the minimalist percussion set-up; from the giant, angular, flashing scrawl of a backdrop to the weird stage blocking, this is a band who know how to get inside your head. Then they launch into ‘Fons’, and it’s outstanding. In the bridge of the song, the band encounter some technical difficulties, but they just extend it seamlessly until the issue is fixed (whilst frontman Pieter-Paul Devos asks if anybody in attendance has weed they can buy). As the Belgians blast through some of their oddest and most compelling tracks, Devos throws himself into (and around) the crowd whilst wearing one of Orchards’ inflatable donuts from the day before. The band's new record, RKTKN #3, serves them well here, with synth-heavy songs like 'Harry' and 'Hannibal' standing out as highlights amongst their classics. This set is the perfect storm, and it ends up being one of the best performances of the weekend. 

Number 2 – Every Time I Die (Saturday, Main Stage)

If the idea of Every Time I Die (one of the best bands in the world) playing Hot Damn! in full followed by a ridiculous run of big-hitters doesn’t appeal to you, then you might not actually like music. Especially considering that those big-hitters are ‘Underwater Bimbos’, ‘We’rewolf’, ‘Decayin’ With the Boys’, ‘It Remembers’, ‘The Coin Has a Say’, ‘No Son of Mine’, ‘The New Black’, and ‘Map Change’. Goddamn.

Photo by Gareth Bull

From the moment the Buffalo icons take to the main stage as sub-headliners on Saturday, it’s clear that we’re in for a special show. They rip through the first three tracks off Hot Damn! with reckless abandon, creating an immediate frenzy in the crowd down the front and demonstrating just how many people have been waiting with bated breath to see this band destroy 2000 Trees. There's just as much of a reaction for the album's deep cuts as there is for setlist mainstays like 'Floater';  the album's closer, 'Pornogratherapy', is a particular highlight, as frontman Keith Buckley confesses that it might well be the last time the song gets played live. As the track reaches its home stretch, Buckley launches the microphone from the stage into the audience and leaves the fans to do the honours. This brilliant moment spawns some technical difficulties, but once it all gets up-and-running again, the aforementioned run of classics which closes out the set is godly. Each member gets their own spotlight, from Andy Williams' incredible, muscle-bound riffs to Jordan Buckley's shamelessly in-your-face stage presence taking centre-stage at the end of 'Map Change'. It's an incredible show from one of the greatest bands to ever do it, and I can only pray for them to return to Trees in the near future (and maybe even headline next time). 

Number 1 – The Armed (Saturday, Neu Stage)

There is no band on planet Earth who can hold up to the insanity of a live set by The Armed. I arrive at the Neu Stage five minutes before they come on, still sweating from ETID (who had finished up moments before), to find a man in a ghillie suit sat alongside vocalist Cara at a table laid out with croissants, French cheese, and beer. In the middle of where the pit is sure to be. And it doesn’t get any more normal from that point on. I must confess that as a reviewer, I'm not particularly professional during this set. By that, I mean that at various points throughout, I jump off the table onto the crowd, get carried around the audience by the band's seven-foot frontman, and manage to get onto the stage to take the position of a vocalist for 'Fortune's Daughter'. Apologies if it's all a bit of a blur from my perspective.

Still, it's all par for the course at a performance from The Armed. With various members of the collective tormenting everybody in the audience (even those who think they're safe, lounging outside the tent), the soundtrack to it all is absolutely perfect; a typhoon of wild synthesisers, riffs, complex guitar passages, and intense drumming, all at once bastard-heavy and incredibly intricate. The band's second album, 2018's Only Love, was my record of the year, and cuts taken from it - like 'Witness' and 'Role Models' - are bouts of unstoppable madness when played live. Older ragers such as 'Future Drugs' are equally excellent, but plant more of a focus on Converge-esque instrumentation than usage of electronics. Either way, the blistering noise which constantly batters the audience is not for the faint of heart, especially with strobe lighting and fog machines adding to the chaos. The whole thing feels more like a hallucination or an out-of-body experience than a 45-minute festival set. It's one of the best 2000 Trees performances I've ever seen, and The Armed deserve their place at the top of this list.

Photo by Ben Morse

MOPE Mid-Year Review: The Best Albums I Missed in the First Half of 2019

As committed to MOPE as I try to be, there are always gonna be some albums which slip through the cracks. At the end of June, I decided to take a look back over the first half of the year and see which new albums that I love haven't been given a review on this site so far - either because I've been too busy or because I just didn't get round to listening to them soon enough. Even in this little feature, there are records I couldn't fit in, so I'd like to give a few honourable mentions to the following:

• Baroness - Gold & Grey 
• Full Of Hell - Weeping Choir
• Jamie Lenman - Shuffle
• Bad Breeding - Exiled (check out my review of this one on Already Heard here)
• Slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain
• The Wildhearts - Renaissance Men

So, without further ado, here are six albums from the first half of 2019 that you should be checking out right now. Enjoy!

Her Name Is Calla – Animal Choir

10/10

Best Tracks: The Dead Rift, Kaleidoscoping, A Moment of Clarity, Robert and Gerda

FFO: Radiohead, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai

Animal Choir is special because it’s not too often you hear a genuine masterpiece. Often, when you do, it comes out of absolutely nowhere – and that’s the case with the final record from Her Name Is Calla (a band I hadn’t ever been exposed to before this album, and who have now called it a day). The post-rock visionaries flew very much under my radar until the LP was covered on the Riot Act Podcast (big up) recently, and now I’m kicking myself for not listening to them sooner.

The first thing I picked up on when I first listened to Animal Choir was how well-crafted it is in terms of flow and structure. As clichéd as it sounds, it genuinely feels like a journey, tirelessly leading the listener from one overwhelming sensation to another. Truly, it’s a record which needs to be heard in full to be appreciated properly. At the same time, though, there are countless moments that you could pick out which are just as powerful on their own: the intense, catchy, violin-led ending of ‘The Dead Rift’; the hugely immersive, Radiohead-inspired atmosphere of ‘Kaleidoscoping’; the gorgeous, floating vocal lines of the album’s best track, ‘Robert and Gerda’. Each song immerses and astounds in its very own way.

Musically, the album is a smorgasbord of intriguing influences and ideas put to use in a manner that comes across as wholly original and strikingly unique. Whilst - as aforementioned - Radiohead is the artist most easy to cite as an inspiration, there are also noticeable elements of folk in the record's instrumental choices, hulking post-metal on tracks like 'Swan' and 'Bleach', and even the outer reaches of ambient and post-rock on 'Pyre' and 'Deer Trapping'. Everything comes together to add to the distinctive aura of Animal Choir, and the listener is left feeling at once dwarfed by it and enveloped in its world. There's imagery scattered across the canvas of the record so rich that it feels like it stimulates all five senses, and a powerful use of dynamics which goes from one extreme to the other in the most effective way possible.  

It frustrates me that I’d never heard of Her Name Is Calla before this album was released, and now they’ve broken up. It’s a bittersweet way to discover such an outstanding piece of art, but it’s made all the more poignant for it. Animal Choir truly feels like the best swan song any artist could wish for, and – to be fair – you might as well call it a day after dropping a record this good. I cannot recommend it enough.

SeeYouSpaceCowboy - Songs for the Firing Squad

8.5/10

Best Tracks: I Am A Trans-Continental Railroad, Please Run A Train On Me, Stop Calling Us Screamo, Pep Talk From A Nihilist

FFO: Botch, Converge, Fear Before

I didn’t initially review this album upon its release because technically it’s a compilation, but having not stopping listening to it since, there’s no way I can go any longer without talking about Songs for the Firing Squad. California metal/mathcore/screamo (sorry) outfit SeeYouSpaceCowboy have garnered a lot of hype with these songs, and it’s easy to see why.

This record has absolutely everything I love most in music: dissonant, chaotic guitars; left-field structural shifts; manic, wild, screaming vocals; insanely brutal breakdowns; even lengthy, tongue-in-cheek song titles (how good is ‘Self Help Specialist Ends Own Life’?). The breakneck pace of this maelstrom is absolutely intoxicating, with the band managing to fit countless ideas and sudden changes into each sub-two-minute track (and thirteen songs into an eighteen-minute long record). The fourth track, 'I Am A Trans-Continental Railroad...', for example, starts off with violent, sporadic bursts of angsty dissonance and ends in a strange, off-kilter disco-beat breakdown. Even though this drastic switch takes place in just one minute and eleven seconds, the pacing seems to make sense (in a fairly deranged way). 

Whilst this album doesn't necessarily break any new ground within its genre, it doesn't really need to. It’s easy to make comparisons here to Jane Doe-era Converge, early mathcore bands such as Botch and The Dillinger Escape Plan, and even the best of early 2000s post-hardcore acts like Fear Before. Songs For The Firing Squad wears its influences on it’s sleeve in bold colours, but at the same time doesn’t feel particularly derivative - primarily because they explore so many different avenues, and never stay still in one place for too long. 

If you like your music fast, aggressive, and full of personality, you'll do no better this year than SeeYouSpaceCowboy. With their debut LP proper in the works and scheduled for release later in 2019, Songs for the Firing Squad should act as the first maniacal step on this band's path to infamy.

Green Lung – Woodland Rites

7.5/10

Best Tracks: Woodland Rites, Let The Devil In, May Queen

FFO: Ghost, Black Sabbath, Puppy

Take the huge, classic-sounding, doomy riffs of Black Sabbath, the modern-pop style hooks of a band like Ghost, and a heaping spoonful of stoner rock in the vein of All Them Witches, throw it all in a bubbling cauldron under the light of a full moon, and what do you get? Green Lung’s Woodland Rites.

As a wonderfully occult-driven rock record peppered with huge, sticky choruses, this debut LP from London five-piece Green Lung gives the Puppy album from earlier this year a decent run for its money. Through its themes of witchcraft, satanism, and the rituals that come with them, the record conjures a brilliant sense of atmosphere, helped along by skyscraper riffs and an emphasis on the low-end throughout. The rhythm section seems intent on keeping the listener headbanging for the length of the record, and it pretty much succeeds.

Some might say this album sounds a little too Sabbath-worship heavy for it's own good (even taking the famous "Oh lord yeah!" from 'War Pigs' to kick off the title track). It's true to an extent; Tony Iommi's influence on the riffwork is plain to see, as is Ozzy's on the vocal styling. There are, though, a few things which make it more interesting than all that. John Wright's work on the organ on a song such as 'The Ritual Tree', for instance, helps to make it feel like the record somehow heralds from a time of magic and rampant superstition. Vocalist Tom Templar's effortless grasp on the art of the catchy chorus is one of the primary selling points here, too, and songs like 'Let The Devil In' and 'May Queen' will be stuck in your head for weeks to come.

Woodland Rites is an album which can transcend genre boundaries, in that fans of rock and metal of any sort should be able to find something about it that they enjoy. Green Lung have done well to create as strong a debut as this.

Injury Reserve – Injury Reserve

8/10

Best Tracks: Koruna & Lime, GTFU, What a Year It’s Been

FFO: JPEGMAFIA, BROCKHAMPTON, clipping.

Injury Reserve have often been cited as one of hip-hop’s most unfairly overlooked artists, and rightly so. The experimental trio have been responsible for some of the most exciting releases of the past decade within their genre, with their last two mixtapes in particular (2016’s Floss and 2017’s Drive It Like It’s Stolen) gaining critical acclaim from those on board. Now, on their self-titled debut album, they aim to shake off the label of “underrated” and step into the spotlight.

Injury Reserve continue to break the boundaries of experimental hip-hop here. Some of the instrumentals, most noticeably, are just mind-blowing; opener ‘Koruna & Lime’ has a glitchy beat frankensteined out of clips of random yelps and screams which only starts to make sense once some percussion kicks in, and 'Jailbreak The Tesla''s instrumental appears to be accumulated from the sounds of the vehicle from which it takes its name. This exercise in pushing the envelope, as expected, results in a couple missteps - notably 'Rap Song Tutorial', which is effectively what it says on the tin, going through the elements of a typical track step-by-step in the manner of an instructional video. The song has an interesting idea behind it, but unfortunately the execution makes it feel a little too gimmicky. Still, one dud in thirteen ain't bad.

It's not just the wild experimentation on this record which make it stand out. After the hype of the album's first half dies down a little, songs like 'What a Year It's Been' and 'Three Man Weave' allow the group's lyrical prowess to shine through atop some more simplistic (and even jazz-influenced) production efforts. There are introspective, heartfelt, and emotional moments hidden on these tracks, which one might not expect from a record that also features a song consisting mainly of guest vocalist JPEGMAFIA repeatedly yelling "get the fuck up!".

Injury Reserve's debut self-titled album might well be my favourite hip-hop release of the year thus far. It excels at as many things as it subverts, and is more than likely to be the release which puts the group's name in many more mouths.

Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising

9/10

Best Tracks: Andromeda, Something to Believe, Movies

FFO: Kate Bush, Beach House, ABBA

So here it is: the year’s most surprising release, at least in regard to my personal tastes. Natalie Mering’s third solo LP under the Weyes Blood name, Titanic Rising is simply a fantastic pop record which continues to reward more richly with repeated listens.

From the actual sound of the record to its lyrical themes, such a palpable feeling of nostalgia, longing, and sadness is conjured over the course of these ten tracks that it can often end up feeling like a tidal wave of emotion. Second track 'Andromeda' is a prime example, driven by an acoustic guitar and simplistic percussion but surrounded by strings and near-ethereal effects. When Mering's voice cuts through with lines like "Looking up to the sky for something I may never find" and "Treat me right, I'm still a good man's daughter", it pulls at the heartstrings instantaneously. 'Movies' is the record's centrepiece, a six-minute slow build which uses arpeggiating synths and a chorus of backing vocals to evoke wonderment and deep-seated melancholy at the same time.

The influence of 1970s and early ‘80s pop music here is hugely apparent. In fact, when I first heard it, I described this album as “falling asleep underwater and having a dream about ABBA”, which is a comparison I still stand by. The vocal harmonies all over Titanic Rising are hugely reminiscent of the Swedish pioneers, and on a song like ‘Everyday’, you’d be forgiven for thinking a B-side from Arrival had slipped through the cracks. There are nods to artists like Kate Bush, David Bowie, and The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds in particular) which lend the record a tangible baroque-pop atmosphere, as well as a strong sense of timelessness. Play this to somebody unfamiliar with it, tell them it's a hidden classic of years gone by, and they'll have no reason to disbelieve you other than the outstanding quality of the production.

Titanic Rising may be far from standard fare for MOPE, but it’s easily one of my favourite records of the year. No matter who you are or what you like, I urge you to give it a listen.

The St. Pierre Snake Invasion – Caprice Enchanté

9/10

Best Tracks: Remystery, Casanovacaine, Pierre Brassau

FFO: Mclusky, Jamie Lenman, HECK

The long-awaited second full-length from Bristol noiseniks The St. Pierre Snake Invasion is finally here, and (spoiler alert) it’s worth the wait. 2015's A Hundred Years A Day, their full-length debut, was a brilliantly wild statement of intent, but Caprice Enchanté is something far more involved and richly-textured.

Still, the opening salvo of 'The Safety Word Is Oklahoma', 'Remystery', and 'Braindead' should be enough to signal to any listener that St. Pierre aren't pulling any punches on this album. With strong echoes of equally raucous bands like Mclusky and Future Of The Left (both self-admitted influences on TSPI), the record's most intense moments are arguably its best - from 'Remystery', with its repeating panic chords and outrageously heavy riffage, to 'Pierre Brassau''s snaking, math-rock inspired guitar lines and spasmodic rhythm section. Even some of the more moderately-paced tracks, like 'The Idiot's Guide To Music', still manage to maintain the same chaotic energy through instrumental ideas and production techniques.

I might be a sucker for the most frenetic stuff featured on Caprice Enchanté, but it’s definitely worth mentioning that the more melodic and atmospheric tracks stand out, too. ‘Things to Do in Denbigh When You’re Dead’ and closer ‘I Am the Lonely Tourist’ (which features an excellent melodica section) both showcase vocalist Damien Sayell’s dulcet tones, as well as the band’s ability to build some watertight tone in the midst of chaos. Sayell's lyricism lends the record another dimension, as well; whether he's lashing out at right-wing fearmongering on 'Braindead' ("There's someone in your garden and they've come for your kids") or dropping cryptic one-liners like "I'm a cyst for a heart / I'm a lung in a bucket", his words refuse to shift from centre-stage for one moment.

This album feels like an important moment. With the release of Caprice Enchanté, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion have not only started to truly come into their own as a vital institution of "underground" British rock music, but have bolstered the scene as a whole.

Local Spotlight: Lil Cucc On His Journey, His Secret Identity, and His Sophomore Album

Nobody knows who Lil Cucc really is. The British rapper, producer, and rising star has worked hard to keep his work up until now relevant and personal without letting his secret identity slip... but the side that we, as fans, are permitted to see is intriguing enough on its own.

Taking Soundcloud rap by storm in early 2018 with his collaborative single with Fat Bunt (the interestingly-titled 'Anal Penis Bumhole'), Cucc has since released two full-length solo albums, as well as an outstanding Christmas EP. Though his debut, Songs of Gays, was unanimously adored by critics and his ever-growing cult following alike, it could easily by argued that Higher Education: First Year In Review, his most recent LP, is a far more artistically complete work. Recently, MOPE sat down with Lil Cucc to chat about the album, and get a bit of an insight into the mind of one of hip-hop's brightest young prospects.

From the get-go, it's clear that the man himself is buzzing with excitement about his new project. When asked about the reaction from fans and first-time listeners, he laughs. "So far its been the usual cocktail of amusement and concern for my mental health. As expected, interest has flocked towards the featured artists." Cucc gives a wry smile "That perhaps something about me, but I'm pleased to see that the Cucc family is steadily expanding."

These said featured artists are the icing on the cake of First Year In Review, and Lil Cucc has a lot to say about each of them. "The process [of collaborating] varies quite differently from artist to artist." He says, "I've been working with Yxng Kids and Schmuel Dick the longest, and our writing sessions are typically a joint effort, though they've become more independent with each project. I think they reached new heights with this album and I couldn't be happier for them. Yxng Gooch and A$AP Bendy, on the other hand, are both absolute liabilities." When asked to expand on that, he grins, clearly relishing the opportunity to spill the beans on his friends, "I had to hold their hands through each of their respective verses, so they were really brought in more for the performance aspect."

Cucc's most aggressive and outspoken returning collaborator is the aptly-named Lil Cunt. "Lil Cunt is a joy to work with. By the far the most independent of all the features, he's proven himself to be consistently trustworthy when it comes to handing over an instrumental and watching it transform. I expect nothing but fireworks from the man."



As previously mentioned, this second album from the British rap prodigy feels like far more of a comprehensive body of work than his first effort. There are clear overarching themes to the record, and I asked him to expand on them.

"This album has been a much more long term project than any that have come before it, pretty much perfectly starting and ending in line with my first year at university. The last thing I do for an album is decide the name, so I can't say the theme was entirely intentional," he chuckles, "but taking a step back from the tracklist, it all just seemed to line up: the very first verse expressing concerns about upcoming exams; 'No Homo' essentially being a love letter to my flatmates; 'Keep It Simple' dealing with the trials and tribulations of partying and attempting to pick up girls... These topics are, of course, approached in a comedic manner, but - whether intentionally or not - the subject matter of each song was always dictated by something closer to home than I realised at the time. Where 'Songs of Gays' read more like a mixtape, the aim going into this album was to create a complete and cohesive album experience."

Lil Cucc continues, "I also wanted to use the interludes to act as the kind of devil on my shoulder when its comes to the creation process. The intent was - again - comedic, but hopefully it struck upon the conflict of making what I enjoy making and making what I think other people will enjoy hearing. The most personal track, 'Outro', was an important inclusion, and provided me with a chance to get some things off of my chest. The intent was to deal with themes of philosophy, motivation, and work ethic, though the meandering path it takes eventually leads to a misdirected conclusion." He laughs again, "Ultimately it's just me talking shit for four minutes."

Though clearly Lil Cucc is immeasurably proud of his new record as a whole (and rightfully so), it's interesting to see what he considers to be the standout moments across the track listing.

"As far as moments go, Matt's biblical verse on 'Intro' never fails to put a smile on my face, and I can't help but dream about how crazy the live set for 'Backseat Bukkake' would be." He says, before looking off wistfully into the distance, "In terms of pure bars, it would be difficult to look further than 'The Welsh National Anthem'; "See a lamb with the biggest back / Put designer on her ribs that's racks on racks" and "Come straight like that no farm-based wordplay / But from day one I'm putting penis in ewe". Of the many gems on 'Keep It Simple', the line "I don't have a foreskin though b, I just have a three skin / I lost one in an accident I had in my last threesome" is one I predict will be talked of in Lil Cucc folklore for many years to come."



Speaking of Lil Cucc folklore, it'd be wrong to talk to such a cult artist without asking him about his image. As aforementioned, nobody knows for sure who the man really is - his identity is shrouded in secrecy, and any photo you'll ever see of him will feature sunglasses and a low hat at the very least. MOPE questioned him on this bold artistic decision.

"I’ve often been tempted to promote my work publicly on personal social media accounts, but have always been put off by the desire to one day obtain a job. Unfortunately there’s a direct conflict between the career ambitions of Lil Cucc and the career ambitions of his alter ego, not to mention the strain it would put on his relationship with his parents." He grimaces. When asked if the term "alter ego" is apt, and if the personalities play off of one another at all, Cucc says, "I think Lil Cucc and his alter ego have a fairly similar sense of humour. I’d say he’s more of an exaggeration of me rather than a different entity. When I first made songs I'd be the only person to hear them, so I’d say it comes from a place of being unfiltered and silly more than anything else."

But how did this all come to be? Where did the legend of Lil Cucc start, and how did it get to the stage where he has two world-class records and a Christmas EP under his belt? He says that it's been a few years in the making. "I first messed about on GarageBand attempting to make EDM inspired by my favourite album - Until Now by Swedish House Mafia... and that was incredibly unsuccessful." Cucc smiles, "It wasn’t until I listened to Culture by Migos that I realised how incredibly recreatable that sound was, and thus ‘K-Clere Trap’ was born. It's the only song on my SoundCloud that isn’t under the Lil Cucc persona, and it details my turbulent upbringing. This whole thing also coincided with the first release from [comedy music duo] Tiny Meat Gang, who have ended up being a great source of inspiration throughout my short career. Lil Cucc, at least in his final form, wouldn’t be fully realised until his collaboration with Fat Bunt in early 2018, coming in with the immortal line “bitch I ain't gay, but I still like willy”."

And now, it seems, we've come a long way. Lil Cucc has gone from sitting in his bedroom trying to ape Swedish House Mafia on GarageBand... to sitting in his bedroom making timeless trap and hip-hop bangers on GarageBand. What everybody really wants to know, though, is where Lil Cucc goes from here. How do you follow up an album like this? The news straight from the source is bittersweet: "Unfortunately Lil Cucc is going to take a much needed break for a while, but fans can expect me to return with a rejuvenated sound. Only time will tell who and what shapes that sound, but rest assured that I intend to keep my audience on their toes. Whatever the new chapter brings, I'm aiming for it to be the most diverse and ambitious iteration of your boy yet."

If that's not an exciting promise, I don't know what is. Stay tuned for more from Lil Cucc, but in the meantime you can check out Higher Education: First Year in Review in all its glory below - and you really, really should.

Live Review: Download Festival 2019 (Pt. 3 - Sunday)

Still recovering from the effects of Slipknot’s set the night before (on top of a decent hangover), the mile-long muddy trek to the arena on Sunday morning feels more like a pilgrimage across three continents. It means I miss the majority of Cane Hill’s main-stage-opening set, but the two songs I did see were pretty good – though not quite enough to pull me out of my stupor.

So who better to shake off the cobwebs than Dinosaur Pile-Up (8.5/10)? Fresh from the release of the best album of their career, Celebrity Mansions, the three-piece take to the Zippo Encore stage with something to prove. As a relatively small band, being given a midday slot on a huge outdoor stage on the last day of a metal festival (in the rain, no less) might seem a hugely daunting situation, but armed with songs like 'Pouring Gasoline' and 'Round The Bend', DPU make it look easy. This new material was made to be played on massive stages, hence why it takes up the majority of the band's setlist; skyscraper choruses, bouncy riffs, and pure joy reign supreme. It's clear that Matt Bigland and co. are enjoying themselves immensely, and by the end of the set the crowd seem to share their enthusiasm, having pretty unanimously come around to the band if they hadn't heard of them before. How could they not, when ending on 'Thrash Metal Cassette' and 'Back Foot' is so outrageously good?

Underoath (6/10) taking a main stage slot sandwiched between I Prevail and Godsmack feels pretty strange, and their crowd proves why. I personally have a whole lot of love for the band, but they’ve never been that big in the UK, and their comeback album from last year (Erase Me) didn’t seem to even make a dent. Still, their energy and individual performances are brilliant. Solid-gold metalcore classics 'Writing On The Walls', 'Breathing In A New Mentality', and 'It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door', all sound great and go down well, but the remaining six or seven songs on the setlist are new. Underoath choose to rely on new material far too much here, and it's clearly to their detriment. That's not to say that the songs are bad, necessarily - choice cuts like 'Hold Your Breath' and 'On My Teeth' stand out amongst the others - but the decision still isn't a good one. Admirably, though, the band stick to their guns and play like they're headlining the festival. It's a good showing with an underwhelming soundtrack.

Heart Of A Coward (7/10) are the first band in the Avalanche tent I see all day, and they seem to pull a pretty respectable crowd for such an early slot. Musically, they don't offer anything too original or mind-blowing, but they've perfected the brand of metal that they trade on down to a T; it's brutal, it's breakdown heaven, and it's littered with huge, singalong moments. A huge pit down the front spurs the band on (orchestrated, of course, by the Pit Troll™) as they crash through a set consisting of heavy metalcore stompers such as 'Hollow', 'Shade', and 2018's 'Collapse'. There's not too much to report here; just a solid band putting on an entertaining show.

I’ve seen Black Peaks (10/10) eight times now. The first was at Takedown Festival in 2015, a year prior to the release of their brilliant first record, Statues. Since then, they’ve not only become a consistently excellent live band, but also one of the UK’s best bands full-stop, and their set on the Avalanche stage at Download feels like the biggest moment of their career thus far. It's also the best show I've ever seen them put on. Now with added pyro and a fantastic sophomore album to revolve the setlist around, every element of what makes Black Peaks great is present in full force. Will's vocals are exceptional (easily one of the best technical performances of the weekend), and the instrumentation is just as noteworthy; Mastodon-esque guitarwork, complex drumming, and staggering basslines coalescing into a beautiful musical storm. Tracks from All That Divides take centre stage for the most part, before fan favourites 'Say You Will' and 'Glass Built Castles' round off the set in glorious fashion. Everyone knows every word to the final song, and it's joyous to see a band who have deserved so much for so long finally getting some proper recognition. It feels like just the beginning, though; Black Peaks are future Download headliners. 

In a fairly emotional state, I head back over to the main stage, thinking that the idea of following up a set as phenomenal as that is far from enviable. To make an impression, you’d need to have massive flaming stage props, or Vikings battling to the death, or dragons… oh wait. It’s Amon Amarth (7.5/10). To the hulking soundtrack of their melodic death metal, the Swedes take their main stage slot as an opportunity to transform Donington into Valhalla for fifty minutes. With rowing in the mosh pits and fans raising their (very impractical) drinking horns in a toast to metal, it's easy to get swept up in the whole thing, especially with songs as gargantuan as 'Guardians of Asgaard' and 'Shield Wall' to back up the spectacle. Amon Amarth are the ideal band for this sunny Sunday afternoon.

Lamb Of God (6/10) take to the main stage next, and at first I'm blown away by the sheer power of their performance. Having never seen them before (or really even heard that much of their music), I'm loving it when frontman Randy Blythe bounces about the stage, looking like he's ready to kill a man to the sound of mighty, Pantera-inspired riffage. There's a raucous reception down the front of the crowd for the band to feed off, and it's all going pretty great. But then, for the next hour that they're on stage, nothing actually seems to change. There's only so many times you can play a song that sounds exactly the same as its predecessor and have it not get a little dull, so the energy dwindles a little by the middle of the set and doesn't seem to pick back up. As solid as it all sounds, Lamb Of God leave me feeling like I would've got a better experience if they'd have just played a half-hour long greatest-hits set.

At Download last year, my set of the weekend was the very first UK performance from Fever 333 (7.5/10). At the time, I was foaming at the mouth to catch a glimpse of Stephen Harrison and Jason Butler (ex-The Chariot and ex-Letlive respectively), and the band really felt like a tangible movement; an explosion of politically-charged rage and simplistic, no-fucks-given musicianship. Now, one year later, Fever put on a fairly different set. There's a much bigger crowd response for the upstarts this time around, with the Avalanche tent full all the way to the back. In response, the three-piece are their usual wild, energetic selves (with Jason at one point even attempting to crowdsurf inside a bin). The charismatic frontman is also as much of a political speaker as a vocalist, taking the breaks in between each song to bring attention to a range of issues (from gentrification, to racism, to an appraisal of LGBT+ pride) in a far better, more articulate way than anyone else does over the weekend. The biggest difference to Fever 333's set compared to last year is the music, and the fact that it's now unfortunately more readily fueled by backing tracks. The hooks are still brilliant and the help of a track makes it all feel bigger, but also takes away a lot of the edge that they had beforehand. Still, a massively enjoyable performance, and one which will assuredly take the revolutionaries to the main stage in the near future.

Often, at a festival, you just need balls-to-the-wall, utterly inebriated, unapologetic fun – and Municipal Waste (8/10) specialise in just that. Offering nothing but pure, greeby thrash metal antics for the length of their set, the Richmond partiers are the perfect festival band for that point in the evening when everybody is just starting to get properly wasted. There's no shortage of banter from frontman Tony Foresta (at one point urging the crowd to give the band some weed after their set) in between shout-along ragers like 'Headbanger Face Rip' and 'Unleash The Bastards'. Instrumentally, it's as tight as crazy thrash can be, and killer riff after killer riff fills the Dogtooth tent until the crowd are all circle-pitted out (including one guy in a wheelchair, who is - impressively - pushed round the pit for pretty much every song). It's a wonderful time had by all, and everybody leaves the tent knowing one thing for sure: Municipal Waste are gonna fuck you up.

Now, this is where I completely obliterate any remaining metal cred I once had by confessing that I didn’t stick around to see Slayer’s final UK show ever. Instead, I made my way to the Avalanche stage to once again see one of the world’s greatest live bands in the form of Enter Shikari (9/10), and I don’t regret it one bit. This being the ninth time I've seen the Hatfield genre-smashers, I'm not necessarily surprised by how good they are... but I am left amazed at how hugely I still enjoy their shows after seeing them so many times. Whether it's through a new "quickfire round" mix, unexpected setlist choices (they played 'Quelle Surprise'!!!), or changes in stage production, Shikari always find something new to have me grinning like an idiot by the time they close the set. With so many absolute barnstormers - from 'Mothership' to '...Meltdown' to 'Slipshod' - they should honestly be headlining the second stage at Download at this point in their career. The musicianship is as tight as ever, and each member's stage presence is, as always, utterly undeniable. Enter Shikari end their performance through a flurry of blue confetti with 'Live Outside', and I'm left wondering how anybody could not love this band with all their heart. 

The final headliner of the weekend, Tool (10/10), aren’t a band whose material I’m too familiar with. Of course, I've heard the big hitters - 'Stinkfist', 'Schism', 'Ænema', all that - but (to my shame) I've never really gone in on them properly. That being said, with the amount of hype around their return to the UK after such a lengthy absence, I was expecting something incredible... and that's just what I got.

Tool aren't your typical headline act. There's no pyrotechnics display. There's no pandering showmanship. There aren't even cameras filming the band to be displayed on the screens either side of the stage. There's just Maynard James Keenan, Danny Carey, Adam Jones, Justin Chancellor, and some trippy, disturbing, immersive visuals to back them up. Keenan, as the vocalist, chooses to lurk at the back of the stage in shadow for the majority of the performance, only talking to the crowd twice; once to yell "Download", and once to ask who in the audience is under the age of 27. As a cheer goes up, he quips "This song was written before you were sperm". The show is so atypical and unique that it sucks you in from the get-go, and doesn't relinquish its grasp for the full ninety minutes. The aforementioned visuals mainly draw from the original music videos from each song the band play, and each one still holds up (at least in terms of impact) even twenty-odd years on.

The music itself is brilliant, of course. Carey's drumming in particular has me absolutely entranced, as the man flits through a multitude of complex time signatures within a single song like it's nothing. Maynard's voice is at once sultry, powerful, and totally unique, and the guitar and bass work is similarly untouchable. At the mid-point of their set, in the midst of the bigger, more well-known songs mentioned earlier (which go down a storm), Tool launch into two new tracks; sprawling prog epics which seem to last eons, but are over all too soon. I've never experienced a headline set like this, and very much doubt I ever will again - it's a hypnotising display of what it means for a band to act as a true artistic statement in a world of sycophantic crowd-pleasers and self-absorbed rockstars. Tool are transcendent, and it's the perfect way to end an amazing weekend.