lucie-moody

[lucie-moody]

Station 47

Chichester-born but Brighton-based band Station 47 are combining many musical influences to create a fresh new indie rock sound straight from the South. They have starred in a documentary and released their first music video for their track titled Hollywood Dreamer. The Station boys are extensively gigging all over the country and are gaining recognition, so much so that they had a fake Instagram account try to steal their creative persona, to which dedicated fans helped get taken down. The band are already in the spotlight and are well on their way to bigger and better things.

Photography: James Christy Allman

[lucie-moody]

The Ovines

The Ovines are a dynamic four-piece band based in Kent. Taking bands such as The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Cure and Bob Dylan, they fuse together rock, ska and punk together to create their unique sound. The band are continuing to jam all over London and Kent and have recently supported Solar Ninties at Hartsdown Park in Margate and have also played with likes of The Word and Cry Baby Special. The Ovines are signed to Kiwi Records and they have just released their first single Arbitrary Gardens available for streaming on Spotify.

[lucie-moody]

Klae

Klae is a female-fronted alternative pop four piece who started out right here in Brighton. Their talents consist of atmospheric and hypnotic soundscapes and are a blend of retro and modern influences. Front woman Lizzy Coulson’s voice is hauntingly beautiful and is enhanced by Klae’s effortless harmonising styles and driven by their punchy rifts. Klae has recently released their first debut single titled ‘Fake�� and has also produced an acoustic cover version, both are available on their YouTube channel.

Photography: Ian Coulson Media

[lucie-moody]

Swimming Tapes

Swimming Tapes are a five-piece blend of retro and modern influences, as well as vintage and pastel coloured aesthetics. They play dreamy guitar pop with musing, romantic guitar chords that give you a heavenly, open-air feeling into your bedroom. Swimming Tapes express their music to be very summery, seaside-y and coastal-nostalgic, the kind of music you want to listen to whilst watching the sun set and the sky haze on Brighton’s beach.

[lucie-moody]

Cylus

A groove metal band consisting of five friends who met at BIMM last year. With the intentions of only being a Rage Against the Machine cover act, the band discovered that they all get along better than they had ever imagined, and thus, Cylus was born. Inspired by incarnations of metal from the 80’s and 90’s, Cylus deliver rampant blast beats and gnawing guitars that rip and slam their way from beginning to end.

Cylus had their first big break back in December last year and made a debut performance at Brighton’s Concorde 2. This experience motivated the metal band and inspired them to start writing. They released their first demo track in February titled ‘Don’t Tell Me’, elements of the song fuse together to create an obliterating blend of thrashing guitars and looming with distortion and death metal growls. ‘Don’t Tell Me’ is available for streaming on the bands Soundcloud and YouTube channel.

Photography: Cylus

[lucie-moody]

Jumanji

Jumanji are a six-piece female fronted indie pop band. Having been described to ‘play it better than the game’, Jumanji’s sound intertwines playful rock and African rhythms with indie melodies. They have recently hit 100,000 streams on Spotify and they have supported the likes of Fickle Friends and Indigo Velvet. Jumanji has a knack for fluorescent vocals and infectious rifts that are bound to keep you on your feet all night long.

[lucie-moody]

Cherry Pools

Indie-pop band Cherry Pools are from Toronto Canada. Describing themselves as the ‘Bad Boys from Heaven,’ they are a four-piece blend of retro and modern influences, as well as pastel coloured aesthetics. They started out in December last year and were signed to Weekday Records & Sony Music Entertainment by the end of the month. They are already touring venues where the likes of Marilyn Manson, Bring Me the Horizon and Kurt Cobain have stepped foot on the same stage. They have released two hit music videos one of which, ‘Are You in Love’? Yes, we are!

Photography: Darleny Caba

[lucie-moody]

Paerish

Paerish are an indie band from the beautiful city of Paris. Bonding over a mutual admiration for 90s pop punk, Paerish take inspiration from Blink 182 and The Offspring. They have recently hit an impressive two million streams on Spotify with their powerful rock song Undone and are set to share the stage with fellow alternative rockers Moose Blood in June this year. With their energetic vocals and roaring rifts, they are well on their way to becoming masters of their own craft, and their debut album Semi Finalists represents their first step to rock success. If you’re a Smashing Pumpkins or Weezer fan, then you are guaranteed to fall in love with this modern day rock band. In their own words, Paerish want to conquer the music world.

[lucie-moody]

Opinion Piece: Music Managers Need To Wake Up

In recent years, we have seen the unfortunate passing of some of music’s biggest names, who felt like they were slaves to the expectations of their managers and met their fate due to the draining effects of fame, including DJ superstar Avicii who sadly passed away a few months ago due to an apparent suicide.

Avicii had been struggling with his mental health throughout his career despite his massive success. He consumed a hefty amount of alcohol to help cope with his hectic schedule, so much so that it resulted in him being hospitalised in 2014 and had both his gallbladder and appendix removed. Looks can be deceiving and as we are blinded by all the glitz and glamour, we do not truly realise what celebrities have to endure. As soon as we hear about a celebrity that has died, young ones in particular, we immediately associate it with drink or drugs; we forget to consider that famous people are still humans with emotions.  

In a recent documentary titled Avicii: True Stories, released prior to his death, Avicii insisted that he warned his management over and over again that he was going to die if he continued touring. His management were around him every day, they knew him better than anyone yet they did nothing to help him. The sad truth of it all is that touring is the most effective way to make money, and if there are no shows then the managers, the crew and everyone else involved in the production does not get paid, and that is why it was forced so heavily upon this artist. The documentary also revealed that his manager effectively attempted to keep the DJ from resigning from touring in 2016 because of his health issues, saying that, “Avicii didn’t understand the value of money.”

Avicii was worked to death for the sake of other people. However, for him, it was never about the money. He wrote to fans on his website saying, “For me it’s creating music. That is what I live for, what I feel I was born to do.”

The film really highlighted Avicii’s team’s inability to treat Avicii as a human with a disease; they used him like he was a machine filling him with a diet of nicotine, alcohol and energy drinks. And despite his warnings, all his management did was tell him how much money he will lose if he quits, health is worth more than wealth, and this is something that Avicii’s team failed to recognise.

It’s time for music managers to wake up. Avicii’s death was definitely avoidable, if surrounded by the right people. Help Musicians is an organisation that gives positive support to emerging, professional and retired musicians, “We help existing professionals who hit a crisis in their lives which can have a devastating effect on their career and families.” Maybe if Avicii had this kind of support, he would still be here today. Although he is gone, his legacy will live on forever.

[lucie-moody]

Alunah

Influenced by nature, myths and magic, Alunah describe themselves as to have trafficked in a blend of the earthly and the unearthly. Alunah is an evil yet beautiful arrangement of guitars that shape shift from black roses to gothic cathedrals. They are musical writers of mystical tales and take inspiration from the natural world, paganism, folk stories and history. They give nods to Black Sabbath, Ahab, and Paradise Lost amongst many others. After being away for a while working on their sound and their look, they are finally back on stage and are currently touring all over the UK and will soon be bringing their dark magic to Brighton with a whole new range of ideas. They are a must see act and considered a doom band, you are guaranteed to be bewitched by their heavy entrancing music.

[lucie-moody]

Feature Interview: Stephen Einarrson

Stephen Einarrson

Its 6:30 in the evening, Stephen Einarrson had just finished a shift at Yo-Sushi! and the smell of Tamaki and California rolls wafted into the room. “I wouldn’t want to shake my hand if I was you,” he laughs, sinking himself down into a scruffy moth-eaten armchair.

We met in a run-down music studio in Chatham, close to Einarrson’s hometown. He is absolutely buzzing, “I can’t get enough of this stuff, it’s become a ritual, I need it every day,” he says, swigging on a Monster Energy drink – the juice of all metalheads. Einarrson barely gets any spare time due to work, studying and writing music, I should really consider myself honoured by his presence. He slaps his hands down on his knees. “Right! I’m ready, let’s do this sh*t!” he says. This is Einarrson’s first ever interview and he is extremely eager to get the ball rolling.

Einarrson has been working hard in the studio recently and has released two solo albums Space Odyssey and Burning Star.  But before I decide to get into that, I ask him about where it all started for him, he says, “I was about 11 when my uncle gave me an old classical guitar for my birthday and from then on I always wanted to be a musician,” he says, reminiscing about his younger self whilst opening another Monster, the maniac.  

Einarrson has a large variety of interests, he doesn’t just play guitar, he makes them. He studies Luthiery and keeps his work very up to date on his social media platforms, especially Instagram, where he regularly posts photos of his progress creating unique shaped guitars with snazzy designs. He says, “I've been repairing and modifying guitars for a few years now which only started because I thought it would be cool to make a couple of guitars exactly how I want them,” he pauses and pulls his phone out of his pocket, flicking through photos showing me his most prized masterpieces. Einarrson is a definitely a bit of a show off, but I must say, his work is pretty impressive.

But what he is most proud of is his recent album releases. They are concept albums based on the infinity and beyond. The intergalactic guitar riffs take off like shooting stars and it’s a truly unique cluster of sound. Space Odyssey is a mix of emotions and mental pictures, whereas Burning Star is more of a way of showing that instrumental rock and metal don't always have to sound dark, there's some grooviness in there too.  He says, “The songs in both albums have their own little stories. Because there's no lyrics I have to convey my feelings through the guitar. The most powerful song feelings wise is Race with Time from Space Odyssey because it's about various people in my life that have had or have cancer and their race with trying to live their life to the full before the end.”

Ding! Ding! Ding! Goes the sound of Einarrson’s phone beeping consistently, he is definitely a popular guy. “Sorry…” he laughs awkwardly “I’ll turn that off.” If you’re familiar with him, then you should know that he is extremely active on Facebook, he shares a very intimate and deep relationship with his following and is never afraid to share his emotions, his achievements and his opinions, though as of recently, Einarrson has been pretty down in the dumps, he says, “I haven’t felt the best lately, for no particular reason. But honestly, the only way I know how to deal with anything bad in life is just to play guitar and write music. All of my music has some form of emotion in it whether it's sadness, anger or happiness. If you find yourself in a bad way, no matter the cause it's always best to have someone to talk to rather than bottling it all up because I know from experience that it's the worst thing you can do, my friends really helped.”

Einarrson has recently returned from touring with some of his closest friends, them being the relentless metalheads Spyder Byte and Winters Edge. When asked what he likes and dislikes about touring he responded with, “Obviously, my favourite part is playing the shows. But there's also a sort of family aspect to it because you're spending a lot of time with the same group of people and have a lot of fun doing stupid things, I hate coming back to reality.”

Inside the studio, I was surrounded by some of the biggest names in music. The studio was extremely humid and the posters were peeling off the walls. Einarrson pointed to one of them and smiled, a twinkle glistening in his eye, it was a special edition Gamma Ray poster sealed in a crystal-clear glass case, he says, “I’ve got to say, the most memorable musical moment I have had so far was seeing Gamma Ray in London a few years ago and meeting the band, they're my all-time favourite band so it was amazing to get to meet the people behind the music that inspires me most!”

It feels like we have been talking for hours, and in a matter of fact we had. The manager of the studio knocked on the door to let us know we had five more minutes left. I wanted to know what’s next for Einarrson, he answers, “I'm actually working on so much right now it's insane. I'm writing a huge, Progressive Metal concept album about Space and the meaning of life. I'm also working on a solo EP and the third album. I'm writing stuff for a collaborative power/symphonic metal album as well as planning on making more guitars. I'm pretty much always working on something new and mad!”

The interview came to an end and Einarrson escorted me to my car, I shook his now washed hand and he said, “Thank you for believing in me and my music, I hope to hear from you soon.” A true gentleman.

[lucie-moody]

Feature: How Easy is it to Buy Legal Highs on College Premises?

This feature was my final piece when studying Print and Journalism in college. I had so much fun writing this feature and thoroughly enjoyed the entire process from researching to conducting interviews. To this day, I am still very proud of this piece.

...

Officially known as "new psychoactive substances", legal highs are substances that copy the effects of illegal drugs, such as cocaine, ecstasy and speed, but have been altered at an atomic level to get past anti-drug laws. This means that they do not fall under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act and they are legal to possess or use and that they can be sold openly on websites or high streets across the UK.  

There are over 64 million search results on google for legal high websites. These google search results are not blocked by filters in educational establishments in the UK. In many schools and colleges alike, the security settings are high and anything deemed to be ‘adult content’ or ‘inappropriate’ is blocked. However when scrolling through my millions of search results, I was able to access any legal high website I wanted, to such a degree that I could of easily bought legal highs whilst in the middle of a lesson without any issue. As to why these sites are not blocked I do not know, is it the fact they are legal?  

Legal highs cannot be sold for human consumption if they are unsafe but a legal outlet means they can be sold under the guise of something else, such as plant food or bath salts. Buyers are often unaware that one in five "legal highs" contain an illegal substance, making the nickname somewhat misleading.    

Teenagers who are wary of the law are willing to try these substances because the ‘legal’ element gives them a perception of safety, as well as the bitter taste and abnormal effects. Though most are very likely to find out otherwise such as 19 year old Luke Jones* from Ashford.  

“I've done the powder ‘Ching’ and the "synthetic" weed psyclone, with the powder I guess. It was meant to act like cocaine but the taste when you get the drip from a line was beyond disgusting, first line I gave my friend made him projectile vomit because the taste was just that bad.

I later set up my bong with it and as soon as I hit it I couldn't walk. I felt like I was having a heart attack for the most part and it just made me feel sick. I also did some other chemical research powder which was meant to be like MDMA/some other drugs which I can't remember and that wasn't a very enjoyable experience. As for how it's affected me now I wouldn't say it's had a long term affect as I've stayed well away from them since, I don't like them either I think illegal drugs are by far a lot safer and more enjoyable.”

The NHS suggests that legal highs can carry serious health risks. The chemicals they contain have in most cases never been used before in drugs for human consumption. This means they have not been tested to show they are safe. Users can never be certain what they are taking and what the effects might be.  

Dr Phil Yates, a government forensic scientist, said: “If something’s advertised as a legal high, people might think somehow the government have sanctioned that and so it’s safe to take. Really, all it means is that nobody’s tested it, nobody knows if it’s safe. These are completely unknown quantities.”  

Legal highs are often brand new and untested on humans. So, medical types don’t have the knowledge and experience that they have with well-known illegal drugs such as heroin or ecstasy.

Emergency care worker Deborah Harvey says “Even the hospitals don’t know how to treat them, they are a pain in the a***. We have a directory about what we can and can’t give. As we don’t know what is in the ingredients we can’t give anything.”

So even the emergency services struggle to treat those who have consumed legal highs. Despite the fact that not a lot of medical help can be offered, most problems with short-term use of legal highs will settle after you stop taking them. However, the negative effects of some legal highs can take a few days to wear off completely, just like the comedown from stimulants such as cocaine or amphetamines.

According to Deborah Harvey, “16-24 years old seems to be the popular ages, getting them in places they are on sale. They take them to clubs and take them to house parties as well. 9/10 times they’re also intoxicated with alcohol, which makes it even harder to deal with”.  

You increase the risk to yourself if you combine alcohol with any legal or illegal drug, legal highs can reduce your inhibitions, so you do things you wouldn't normally do. They can cause paranoia, a coma, seizures and, in rare cases, death. Because the chemical ingredients in a branded product can be changed without you knowing, the risks are unpredictable. Even drugs that look similar or have similar names may be of varying strengths and have different effects.  

There is a huge local and community impact from legal highs.  Most young people don’t come to any lasting harm taking these drugs and have not suffered from any sort of injury or lasting effect.  

Unlike Jimmy Guichard, 20, who died in hospital within hours of taking a legal high. According to Kent Online, he bought the legal high from UK Skunkworks shop in Chatham, Kent, on October 2nd 2013 and was found collapsed on his bed at home in nearby Gravesend just hours later. His mother Karen Audino claimed empty plastic bags found beside him were evidence he took the legal highs shortly before his death. She is now calling for a total ban.

She said: “I was told there were two packets by him. One was empty and one was full. His dad had said he had gone into Chatham that morning to purchase them.”

Jimmy's family decided to turn off his life-support machine after he suffered a heart attack, he had severe brain damage and was found unconscious.

In addition to this, Canterbury MP Julian Brazier wrote to Home Secretary Theresa May to call for a change in the law after 17-year-old Matt Ford from Whitstable nearly died after suffering a heart attack from taking a legal high. He attended Canterbury College, which was the same place I was able to access the online headshops using WiFi with security blocks.

The student collapsed after smoking a herb called Exodus Damnation he bought from a UK Skunkworks shop in Canterbury.

Karen Audino is now behind campaign to get sellers closed down.  

The number of people in treatment for taking ‘legal highs’ has soared by 216% in the last five years, new figures reveal. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) calls for bold new powers to be given to police to close shops that sell the dangerous drugs.

Recent statistics show that the number of people in treatment rose from 738 in 2009/10 to 2,339 last year in the UK. In 5 years the number of people in treatment for mephedrone increased by 95%. Mephedrone, sometimes called ‘Meow Meow’ is a powerful stimulant and is part of a group of drugs that are closely related to speed and ecstasy and is a Class B drug in the UK. This comes after figures showed the number of deaths associated with the use of legal highs increased from 12 in 2009 to 97 in 2012.

A 2014 study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which looked at the issue of NPS abuse on a global scale, said: "The use of NPS that poses a health threat has grown rapidly over the past decade and there have been increasing reports of the availability and manufacture of such substances."

Synthetic cannabis, commonly known as ‘spice’, is designed to mimic the effects of herbal cannabis but can cause worrying side effects such as vomiting, seizures, psychosis and, in extreme cases, death.

It's been responsible for a string of hospitalisations across England and Wales, and has caused deaths in Germany, Sweden and the US.

As claimed by the Guardian, synthetic cannabis causing serious health problems in English prisons. Synthetic cannabis known as "spice" or "black mamba" is a growing problem in UK prisons with serious physical and mental health consequences, the chief inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick has said. Its popularity with inmates has surged because the psychoactive designer drug can be passed off as a tobacco roll-up, has no distinctive smell and it evades current drug testing capabilities in prisons.

Several former prisoners said the drug was common inside, having been thrown over the walls or otherwise smuggled in, and one said its lack of smell meant it could be smoked in front of the guards. Another, a remand prisoner currently at HMP Forest Bank near Manchester, said in a telephone interview that some of those using it were "going down like flies". He said it had led to multiple calls to the emergency services.

According to the Mirror, in May five Lancaster University students were hospitalised, and two were left critically ill, after smoking the cannabis substitute, and in June a man in Manchester was taken to hospital with severe injuries after taking the drug and falling from a sixth floor balcony.

These drugs are typically developed as liquids in the lab and then sprayed onto plant material and sold in foil bags or added as a powder to cigarettes. They contain strong chemicals, many of which are unregulated in the UK.

The fact that legal substances are so easy to buy is the main issue. You can be any age and sit behind a computer screen and order legal highs directly to your house, which gives the very likely possibility of legal highs being used and/or sold in secondary schools all around the world. Teenagers are impressionable, if something looks good typically they’re going to be interested.  

In the US, synthetic cannabis is the second most common drug used by children in secondary education. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) reported that over the first six months of 2015, more people used these drugs than in the whole of 2014 - resulting in as many as 15 deaths.

This increasing use and the drug’s ever-changing chemical structure represents a huge challenge for the health service.

Statistically, 16-24 year olds do seem to be the targeted age for legal highs and a lot of people this age do show a common interest. But why is this?

Three young people between the ages of 16-24 were asked this question. These were the responses, “I only really tried them out to know what the ‘high’ was like, and the fact they were legal I suppose”, “the fact that you can smoke them in public”, and “the fact that they were legal made them exciting”.

So does the fact that they are legal really give them an element of safety? Or are there benefits? Do legal highs contribute to a happy stress-free life? Or do they turn your life upside down? Ethically the water is muddy.

According to the Legal Guide, legal substances include smoking blends and pills that are made to mimic the effects of illegal drugs such as cannabis and other illegal plants. Of course, a strong advantage of these legal highs is the legality of their use. Another advantage is the close similarity in effects to illegal substances. With legal highs you are obtaining a similar high to illegal substances without breaking the law. Some legal high products, like spice smoke, is made to specifically mimic the effects of smoking cannabis but is completely legal. Other legal highs include herbal substances that come in pill form. These herbal highs can help you achieve stimulating effects that are similar to illegal stimulants but again, are natural and completely legal.  Another reason these legal highs have become so popular is because many products sold as legal highs are also drug harm minimisation solutions. That is, a substance that is sold for the purpose of achieving a high without the dangerous physical and psychological effects of stronger, illegal substances. Many supporters of legal highs claim that having an alternative reduces dependency and abuse of illegal drugs. There have been many famous testimonies of people addicted to dangerous drugs such as methamphetamines, and who had switched to legal highs to help break their dangerous habits. Most legal highs are natural substances, non-addictive, and come with much fewer side effects than their illegal counterparts.

Many people are looking for mind-altering experiences without the dangerous consequences of hard-core, illegal drugs. Also, any illegal substance can get you into serious trouble. You risk losing your job, dealing with heavy penalties and carrying a negative stigma. It’s no wonder that people are more and more interested in experimenting with legal highs. 

Despite this, the fact that a substance is sold as ‘legal’ doesn’t mean that it’s safe at all.  You can’t really be sure of what’s in a legal high that you’ve bought, or been given, or what effect it’s likely to have on you or your friends.  We know that many legal highs are sold under brand names like ‘Clockwork Orange’, ‘Bliss’, ‘Mary Jane’  and have been directly linked to poisoning, emergency hospital admissions including in mental health services and, in some cases, deaths. 

The main effects of almost all ‘psychoactive’ drugs, including legal highs, can be described using three main categories: stimulants, ‘downers’ or sedatives and hallucinogens, commonly known as psychedelics.  

According to experts, in 2013, three 15 year-olds from Blyth in Northumberland were taken to hospital, vomiting blood, after taking one of the latest so-called "legal high" drugs. The two girls and a boy recovered. But the high they took, known as Clockwork Orange Incense, can easily be bought in shops across the North East.

Coffeesh0p, a headshop that sells legal highs online and is run by John Clarke - the director of the store. When contacted, he would not recommend anything and refused to talk about it and suggested further research on Google for more information. Does this sound like a person wanting to sell their produce? This man did not want to be included in the use of his own products. Maybe because he is fully aware of the dangers and doesn’t want to be responsible if something happens.

A survey from 2015 showed that 98% of a group of under 25’s were in fact aware of the dangers of legal highs but still took them. Primarily just because they were so easy to get hold of and ‘why not?’.  

The advisory council on the misuse of drugs (ACMD) has written to Theresa May telling her that her legislation risks handing out seven-year prison sentences to the sellers of friendly or even helpful herbal medicines, criminalising otherwise law-abiding young people and making the “directors” of pubs, clubs and even prisons liable for prosecution.  

According to the Guardian, Theresa May was told legislation banning all psychoactive substances needs a rewrite to avoid unintentionally criminalising people.

Due to the fact that legal highs are legal, this saves a lot of hassle both for the user and the police- although some police forces perceive it as their job to fight legal highs as well as illegal highs. Thes products make the country a great deal of money both in taxes as well as costs in confinement that are saved (since having people in prison costs society a lot of money). There is no direct contact between consumers and criminals (since legal highs are often obtained over the internet).  

According to the Daily Mail, police chiefs have warned the Government that the banning of ‘legal high’ drugs is doomed to fail.  

They say that declaring the substances illegal does not work and forces will treat anyone found with them leniently – cautioning them instead of sending them to court.

In documents seen by The Times, ACPO warns that new measures which led to the banning of legal high methoxetamine or ‘Mexxy’ last week are not a realistic option given the speed with which new drugs can be produced.

Legal highs mimic the effects of illegal drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine. Mexxy was the first such drug banned temporarily under the powers, which make it illegal for a while as officials decide if it should be become a permanently controlled drug.

Roger Howard, of the UK Drug Policy Commission, echoed the report’s concerns. He said: ‘Just adding the drug to the long list already controlled won’t make much difference. The police and forensics are under too much pressure already to be able to offer much deterrent to potential users. 

“We are deluding ourselves if we think that a ban will solve the problem.”

Allowing their existence is a statement of personal freedom - societies in which the individual must answer to the state as to his/her personal habits are prohibitionist and conservative. Personal liberty is considerably compromised in these societies.

Though there are potential obstacles, to resolve this social issue, all political parties should commit to ban the import and sale of psychoactive substances in their election manifestos. Local Trading Standards Authorities need to make full use of existing consumer protection regulations and general product safety regulations to remove unsafe legal highs from the high street, responsible marketing needs to be enforced to ensure NPS do not contribute to normalising illegal and dangerous drug use, youths need to be fully aware of the risks of NPS and consumers should actively support their local authorities by reporting suspected bad practice to Trading Standards.  

Harry Shapiro, director of communications at Drugscope, said: “The truth of the matter is that you don’t know what you are buying. It’s not got any consumer quality control, there’s not a reliable ingredients label. So people can be using a mephedrone substitute and think it’s legal. But police could find it, test it, and say ‘actually that is illegal’, which would land you in trouble.”

An article titled ‘Legal - but lethal: How your child can buy drugs online as easily as you order your Waitrose groceries’ features a spokesman from the Angelus Foundation, who is calling for a wholesale ban on research chemical sites, they said: 'This is now one of the most successful industries in Britain.’

“There are huge profit ratios and these people are getting much more confident. They say these products are only for over-18s, but, of course, it's 15, 16 and 17-year-olds who are trying these legal highs.”

Surely it can't be beyond the wits of officials and ministers to stop this facade of selling toxic products saying “not for human consumption”, when we all know what is going on.'

The primary reason for legal highs raising to be such a dangerous factor, is strictly because they are so easily purchased. If we can take legal highs off the market and remove them from our community, young people won’t be so easily tempted to buy them instead of a packet of crisps at lunchtime.  

*- Fake name has been used to protect identity.  

[lucie-moody]

Contact Me

Please send any enquiries to-

Email: luciemoody98@gmail.com

[lucie-moody]

Q&A: Anton Vic

Venezuelan born Anton Vic, 23, studies Songwriting at BIMM Brighton. As well as a songwriter, he is a producer and multi-instrumentalist. In his own words, he is attempting to create something new by mixing genres, instruments and electronic synths making the right balance between an energetic and melancholic sound. Anton speaks about the beginning of it all, his struggles as a musician and what keeps him motivated.

Where did it all begin for you?

It all started when I finished High School around late 2011, started composing, recording and writing raw rap songs under another moniker. I took a two-year gap because I was dealing with identity issues, I was trying to find a career to follow, a passion and something to motivate me. Then I discovered music, and considered as a career. After that, decided to leave my country (Venezuela) due to the bleak political situation and the opportunity of studying and pursuing a musical career in the UK.

What’s the song writing process for you? What inspires you to start writing?

I mostly compose in different ways, sometimes by playing chords on the guitar/piano or by producing a whole track using a DAW, even whistling a melody can lead to a song or a word, an idea. It is crucial to always pay attention to the ideas we create, we could develop them afterwards and find true art. I mostly inspire myself from insecurities, fears, angst and sometimes love - it doesn't have to be always my stories, I pay attention to my surroundings and the people around me, they inspire me as well.

On your Facebook page you spoke about your struggles with anxiety, how did you cope with this?

Anxiety is a topic that is always rounding mine and others people heads. There was a period in my life when I was writing music aiming on pleasing people, I was focusing on people's opinions too much and drowning my own voice. I was holding back, afraid and attached to my insecurities that I forgot why I was doing music in the first place. I realized afterwards, it is impossible to please everyone, there are gonna be people who won't like your art, and learning to cope with that helped me towards anxiety. Fear is more powerful than love, that's why most of my songs are based on it, real struggles.

Have you faced any other challenges as a musician?

Again, identity issues, finding my own sound, ideas, image. Finding people to work with, it took me a long time to find the right people to play live with. The language barrier was another challenge, I had to learn English from zero and try to master it as fast as I could, including writing and recording songs.

What keeps you motivated?

Inspiring people, and making short-term goals, you have to start from something small in order to achieve something big. I wanna make people feel, make an unpredictable but always beautiful dance with the people in the crowd. I want my music to be more about others than myself. Creating and giving meaning to something, motivates me.

What song do you enjoy performing the most?

I would say one of my most recent songs called "Obey Me" - which is a hypocritical attempt used to manipulate people into not being manipulated by making them begin to question their surroundings.

What venues have you played at so far? Which was your favourite?

I played at multiple venues in London, but unfortunately, I haven't got a favourite one yet. Hopefully I will have an answer for this question, after gigging and promoting my new music in different places in the world.

Do you go for any particular vibe when designing your artwork and shooting photos?

At the moment, yes. The image I'm trying to promote is kind of aesthetic glitched art. Also, I'm focusing on the 80's designs, I always try to have a meaning behind every single thing I do. Whether it is designing artwork or photo shooting - it needs to have a meaning.

When you first stepped into a recording studio how did you feel?

Happy, I always felt so relaxed. Whether I'm recording my own material or producing someone else’s. It is one of the best experiences I lived. It's a place where a lot of ideas came to life.

Who are your musical influences?

I would say that people always try to take the credit out of artists as soon they find out who their influences are. I influenced myself and my music from a lot of artists. I am constantly borrowing from different sources and genres making my own style and vibe, and I believe that this is something that will grow never endingly thorough my musical career as I am experiencing different things every day.

Thanks Anton!

Photography: Dione Harrington & Anton Vic

[lucie-moody]

Asking Alexandria - Asking Alexandria (self titled)

Asking Alexandria, who in 2009 was every scene kids favourite band. This was the generic keyboard over breakdowns sound and the long black hair with the all so important fringe that covered one eye. It was the end of Asking Alexandria’s mainstream metal-core apotheosis and the return of Danny Worsnop that made this album so exciting for fans. He had left to pursue a career in country music and had released two demos prior to re-joining Asking Alexandria.  

What used to be only a teenage fandom has evolved into something that the whole family can enjoy. It feels as if Asking Alexandria had been revived and exorcised. The lyrics are no longer about burning heaven to the f*cking ground, they are about being hopelessly hopeful and relentlessly positive when life throws you a curveball.

Despite the unexpected electronics on this album, Danny re-joined the group with this new raspy, seductive rock and roll voice that really shines through with the clean vocals, especially on their tracks ‘Vultures’ and ‘Rise Up’. The band had opened up to new possibilities, which is emphasized in their lyrics when they sing about pushing boundaries and breaking the rules. They have introduced smatterings of synths with gradual crescendos and monolithic grooves, it is a rhapsodic master piece.

[lucie-moody]

Spyder Byte

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Spyder Byte - Britain’s new up and coming ‘In Your Face Sleaze Metal’ band. Spyder Byte broke out 6 years ago in Kent and is made up of five very relentless metal heads, Connor Godfrey, C.C, Nathan Hammond, Daniel Lawrence and Luke Naylar. Nathan, Dan and Connor all study at BIMM, being able to study whilst having this continuous success is truly remarkable.

Throughout the band’s career, Spyder Byte have released 1 E.P, their debut album 'Addictive' and have toured and played over the UK, performing shows at renowned venues such as The Underworld in London Camden supporting Tigertailz and Bloodstock Open Air. As of now, Spyder Byte is in the process of writing their brand-new album, meaning we have many more blistering rifts to look forward to! And are set to play Hard Rock Hell Sleaze 2 in September next year.

Calling all metal fans! Spyder Byte is a band you NEED to listen to, as said by the band themselves “If partying hard, banging your head, and singing your heart out to some big choruses sounds like a good time for you, you're in good company”.

Photography: Rikard Osterlund

[lucie-moody]

Matty Tasteless at Rock Avenue, Gillingham 28/04/2018

Matty Tasteless is an up and coming artist specialising in a mix of hard-core punk, progressive metal and underground trap. Trap metal is new genre that exists simply, because it can. 

Matty Tasteless is new to this industry, this being his first ever performance. He takes to the stage with his personalised ‘Tasteless’ beanie and starts spitting his lyrics from his debut EP Rifts. With a microphone in one hand and a beer in the other, he slams his opponent in an Eminem style rap battle, chanting “how you gonna compete with this?!” The atmosphere was almost demonic, insidious yet so exciting. 

However, the vibe soon changed as an out of this world intergalactic symphonic backing track; sounding like a UFO begins to play. It was the beginning of Matty’s song Culture Death, the crowd were all familiar with it as they soon began rapping along and became even more wild when Downfall began shortly after. The entire event felt like you were on some sort of hallucinogenic acid trip. It was a psychedelic apocalypse. Simply excellent.

Photography: Matty Tasteless