4.52am Issue: 067 The Verheerer Issue - 18th Janusry 2018

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T
his week I have to say that I really couldn’t
resist putting somebody a million miles
away from where we normally think of
ourselves, and I am doubly proud that we got a
chance to talk to Verheerer who are a great
band.
From there we thought a fitting tribute to
Dolores O'Riordan would be to look at how to
play some of the songs she wrote. It is easy to
forget just what a good songwriter she was and
tragic, like so many before, for her to be taken
from her family, friends and fans so early.
Other than that Graham Coxon has recorded a
soundtrack album, the lead single of which is
brilliant, so we thought we would take a look at
that.
Enjoy!
All at 4.52am

Contents
Learn To Play: The Cranberries ................................................ 9
Verhereer ............................................................................. 13
Graham Coxon ...................................................................... 29
La Contessa Presents… .......................................................... 41
1960s: Mama Cass ................................................................ 43
1970s: Sniff ‘n’ The Tears....................................................... 45
1980s: The Housemartins ...................................................... 47
1990s: World Party ............................................................... 49
2000s: Appleton .................................................................... 51
2010s: Royal Blood ................................................................ 53

Learn To Play:
The Cranberries
W
hen somebody like Dolores O'Riordan passes on,
everybody looks for a meaning in their death, or
focusses on the numbers – how many records sold,
downloads or streams - when in reality it is the quality of her
work, the songs she has written that nag at your brain for days
after you hear them, that is the measure of a songwriter.
Sorely missed already doesn’t begin to cut it.

Verhereer
S
ometimes it is quite exciting to find a new band that puts
the hairs on the back of your neck into overdrive. Hearing
the opening track from the new album from Verhereer,
was almost spiritual in its intensity and quite simply I had to find
out more about the band.
We caught up with them and asked a few questions, here is how
it went,
How did you get together?
Simon:
“We basically are the two remaining shards of a band that split
up, ten years ago.”

Would you briefly tell us about each of the band members?
Simon: Guitars, Songwriting, Concepts, Some Vocals, Graphics,
Pre-Production.
Bastian: Vocals, Lyrics, Concepts, “Red Line Through The Band”
This is core of Verheerer. Since we play live we have three other
musicians:
Helge: Bass - also recorded the bass on MALTRÉR
Ivar: Guitars - live guitars only (at least till the moment)
Sebastian: Drums on our upcoming shows and hopefully on the
next record
The past is alive…Sören from Paragon (Heavy Metal from
Germany) played the drums on all songs on Maltrér, except
Heimgang for organisational issues.”
When and where did you meet?
“As mentioned above, we used to play together in an old band
and remained friends after the split. I just couldn’t stop doing
music, he couldn’t stop writing stuff - so one thing led to the
other.”
What influences did you bring as a band?
“Hard to say… Bay Area Thrash Metal, German Thrash Metal,
2nd Wave Black Metal, Swedish Black Metal, some things from
nowadays and some things outside the metal-rooster like Sisters
of Mercy or Soundgarden.”

Basti: My main inspirations to start “singing” in the first place,
were old SODOM, Darkthrone and similar bands. Today, as a
vocalist in general, and black metal vocalist in particular, you are
more or less limited to a certain style of singing, although there
are many great bands that pushed the boundaries of pure black
metal and did some amazing vocal performance. “
When did you start gigging - what was your first gig like?
Simon: “In 2016. We had three rehearsals before as band. It was
surprisingly good.”
Tell us about the big gigs you’ve played and how did you enjoy
them
Simon: “I only can speak at the Artysan open air which was a
pretty big deal for us.”
The first thing you’d recorded? - How old were you, when was
it, where did you do the recording, how long did it take?
Simon: “As Verheerer: Archar EP (self-recorded and mixed in
2015). The first thing I ever recorded was in 2005 in small private
studio situation.”
Was it what you expected/what would you change now?
Simon: “I wouldn’t major change anything in Archar.
From the 2005 record: I would change everything!”

How has recording the new single compared?
Simon: “Not that different, but this time we didn’t mix the
album. And our sound-engineer re-amped the guitars in his
studio instead of recording them live.”
How did you find working with the producer?
Simon: “We didn’t have a producer - only a sound-engineer for
mixing and mastering.”
What was the recording set-up?
Simon: “I don’t know what our former drummer used… but
speaking of guitars I played my ESP Ex (2005), a Marshall JCM
2000 TSL and a J’Dunlop Cry Baby. The guitars were re-amped
with Peavey JSX or something.”
What is next for you/band - are you touring the album?
Simon: “We’ll do small tour in April and start new songs in May.”
Thinking about your approach to songwriting.
What comes first - words or music
Simon: “Some main-theme like a riff or a part of a song and a
hunch of a lyrical vibe.”
Basti: “For me, it differs! Sometimes, Simon writes a riff or plays
some part of a song which inspire me to some lyrics, other times,
it`s just a line of text or merely a “feeling” I would like to
transport, that gets stuck in my head.”

How did you learn to write a song?
Simon: “I never did. Songs just grow. Sometimes in a afternoon
(like vertigo), sometimes in a year (like kultyst), sometimes in a
decade (like maltrér).”
Which one are you proudest of
Simon: “Heimgang.”
Basti: “Same for me!”
Does being able to record and distribute from your own home
have any advantages/disadvantages compared to the traditional
approach?
Simon: “Actually I can’t tell because as long I write songs I ever
had the opportunity to distribute them by ourself. But to be
honest: It’s a big advantage if some likes your stuff who knows
people.”
Collaborations - have you done any/would you like to - who?
Simon: We want to do something with Afsky from Denmark. But
there no specific plans right now.”

In terms of your guitar gear, can you talk us through it
Simon: “Sorry I have no pictures because it’s nothing
extraordinary I use… As mentioned above, I mainly play my ESP
Ex (Japanese model, custom series from 2005). I also use a
Epiphone Les Paul from 2000, build in the Czech Republic and
feels like a nice Gibson Standard, at least. I changed the bridge
Pickup.
Pedals: in BOSS GT-10
Amps: Marshall JCM 2000 TSL100 Head
Picks: Dunlop 0.73 mm and 0.88 mm
Strings: Ernie Ball Beefy Slinkys 54 - 11 on D-Standar
Helge: Bass: fame baphomet 5
Amp: ampeg portaflex
Strings: B on Ernie Ball Power Slinky 135 – 050”
Any dream guitars you would like?
Simon: “A ‘70s-Style Flying V in worn olympic white. A copy
would do the trick. They look so fucking bad ass thrash metal!!!”
Helge: “A Le Fay Pangton would be an absolute charm to me.”
You can find out more about the band Here

Graham Coxon
I
t seems quite a while since we had a new solo album from
Graham Coxon, and if this isn’t quite the full deal, the release
of Graham’s first soundtrack album is definitely something to
look forward to.
Being released next week (26 th January) as a download and in
March on Vinyl, Coxon has created a soundtrack album for the
Netflix/Channel 4 series ‘The End of the F***ing World.’
The first track to be released shows all of Coxon’s songwriting
genius, channelling Johnny Cash with ‘Walking All Day.’
You can pre-order the album Here.

The project saw Coxon write over 40 original pieces for the
show. Talking about the writing of the album, Graham explains it
wasn’t an easy process,
“There were days where I wrote and finished three or four new
songs in a single day. It was mental, I’ve never worked to that
kind of schedule before. But the creative process around
observation and interpretation is one that is very familiar to me.
I feel very comfortable reacting to things and adding my bit. And
this show particularly appealed to both my appreciation of dark
music as well as my dark sense of humour. It felt like a good fit.”
Director Jonathan Entwhistle said: “He is my all-time guitar idol.
Watching Graham's music videos taught me how to play guitar
as a kid. I bought a Fender Mustang just because he had one in
the 'Coffee and TV' video."
Based on the award-winning graphic novels, adapted by
acclaimed newcomer Charlie Covell, ‘The End of the F***ing
World’ is an eight episode series that follows James (Alex
Lawther, Black Mirror) and Alyssa (Jessica Barden, Penny
Dreadful) - a self-proclaimed psychopath and a foul-mouthed
rebel fed-up with her boring life. The two embark on a roadtrip
to find a better life, and escape the impending doom of
adulthood. As their chaotic journey unfolds, it becomes apparent
that James and Alyssa have crossed a line and have no choice
but to take it as far as they can... ‘The End of the F***ing World’
is now streaming globally on Netflix. Watch trailer here.

La Contessa Presents…
T
His week La Contessa has a lot to live up to, and naturally
hits the headiest of heights with aplomb.
Ever eclectic, the lady brings us..
Enjoy!
• Mama Cass
• Sniff ‘n’ The Tears
• The Housemartins
• World Party
• Appleton, and
• Royal Blood

1960s: Mama Cass

1970s: Sniff ‘n’ The
Tears

1980s: The
Housemartins

1990s: World Party

2000s: Appleton

2010s: Royal Blood