Our first magazine of 2017 and a new era for So Young. Issue 12 brings us face to face with ‘The Scene’ as well as the exciting sounds from outside of the capital. Goat Girl grace our cover as we unlock their dissatisfaction with being labelled ‘leaders of scene’. Cabbage stumble in from Moseley near Manchester and we talk about Trump’s likely assassination amongst other things. Jason of Sleaford Mods talks to us about being an ageist target, whilst The Big Moon inform us of fans with lyric tattoos! Keep digging and you’ll find chats with Bristol noise makers LICE and we re-ignite our love for Neon Waltz with a conversation that brings John O’Groats a little closer to home. returns with another round of fresh sounds. Hear from Hotel Lux, And Yet It Moves and Yowl to name a few.
To those that don’t know, So Young is available in print as well as for FREE online. In this feature, we wanted to walk you through what you can find inside and give you a glimpse into the magazine within its primary and intended form, print. Shop here.
Rob Knaggs speaks to Goat Girl.
You guys seem pretty pissed off with that Guardian piece
“The thing that we were actually saying in that interview, was that the scene’s great because no one’s better than anyone. It’s a community thing. And The Guardian just changed it. They wouldn’t write about it if it wasn’t grandiose, do you know what I mean? So they try to make it seem bigger than it is. They haven’t experienced it at all. They just have an idea about it, or have read about it. For you guys at So Young, like you’ve been there for it. But people at The Guardian just haven’t… they need a story, that’s all.
It is a scene. No doubt. But I think the hype it’s given is a bit much. It’s not a movement. It’s just a group of people that happen to be making music and playing in the same venue. People have only heard of us because we’re signed to Rough Trade. It’s not because we’re any better.”
Sophie Diver Speaks to The Big Moon
Tell us about Love in the 4th Dimension…
“We don’t want to prescribe it. We don’t want say this is what it is because you’ll spoil it for people. As soon as you release that song, it’s not yours anymore. The most exciting thing is that lots of people are going to hear them well, hopefully. I’m really proud of them and the way the way that Jules wrote them.”
Sam Ford speaks to Cabbage
Illustration by Sac Magique
Do you have any predictions for the Trump Era?
“I don’t know whether we are just becoming too narcissistic to deal with problems? We do a lot of describing the problem as opposed to finding the solution. Urm…he could get murdered? He could go to war? Russia could start using him as their puppet as we are finding out it could be possible that he got him into power. I think we might just trod along in this cold war for another 20-30 years.”
Matthew Fogg Speaks to Sleaford Mods
Illustration by Jean Jullien
Despite all of the fans, you’ve been a target of criticism from some. To me it seems there are people that love you and people that hate you for the same reasons.
“Yeah it’s fucking weird isn’t it? I think it’s firstly because we’re older. There’s a lot of ageism that goes on with us. If I ever have anything to say about another band, they won’t try and defend their music they’ll just call me an old cunt. It’s the easier way out but they kind of win all the time, because when I was younger if some older geezer said something I’d be like ‘fuck off you old cunt’. Ageism is a big problem, especially in industries like this. Well, in most industries.”
Instant Hit. A guest zine by Georgie Jesson.
To call HMLTD ‘glam-rock’, to call Shame ‘punk’ and FISH ‘grunge’ is only just scraping the scum off the top of the pot. Now, especially now, it is no bands responsibility to sit and fit snug and sound, no genre is safe, and this is the stuff that makes the NME weep, that’ll make a Vice writer squirm in his seat searching for a definition. But these bands challenge us and we accept.
Emma Snook speaks to Dream Wife
Illustration by REN
What can be expected from the debut album?
“We want it to sound like the live show. That’s what the album had to capture but also ultimately it is a pop album. We were in the studio recording onto tape, over four days I think, and we got the majority of the album down then. Recording onto tape, we’ve never done that before, and I think – the way you have to really lock it in before you get to pressing record – it was vital for us to do it that way to get the live feel of it. It’s gonna be a banger I think!”
Josh Whettingsteel Speaks to Dead Pretties
What inspired the lyrics for ‘Social Experiment’?
“I was disillusioned with the general fakery present in social circles/situations that I’d found myself in, people compromising their true self to suit whoever they’re talking to, switching colours like cowardly chameleons. This seems to be a common trait with our generation – its dull and its pointless.”
Rhys Buchanan speaks to Lice
You’ve done a lot of huge support slots now – do you have a favourite?
“The Fat Whites was a good one because we had no idea we were going to play it. Basically Alastair harassed their tour manager and eventually he was just like fine. We weren’t on the Facebook event or anything so it was all up in the air. We were waiting outside the loading bay expecting to be told to fuck off. Then we saw the set times inside and it was the first time we knew. The Howling Owl boat party was epic though, it was such a nice day and when we went under the bridges the reverb was crazy.”
Lucy Bourton speaks to Neon Waltz
Illustration by Marcus Oakley
How did you find music in the middle of nowhere?
“When I started getting into music, I was really into football. I was watching some highlights show, it must of been Soccer Am. Up The Bracket by The Libertines came on. I was watching it with a mate and we started a band just because of that song. I thought they were called The Libertynes as well, not knowing any different. From that, whenever I had money I’d just go buy and albums that were recommended in the NME. Everyone in the band would swap albums with each other, we didn’t really use the internet much back then.”
Who Are You? We ask the simplest of questions to our favourite brand new bands. Meet Hotel Lux, Matt Maltese, Sports Team, Idles, And Yet It Moves, Yowl, The Britanys and Girl Ray.
You can purchase your copy of So Young Issue Twelve here.