JUSTINE JONES
YOUR PASSION CAN TAKE YOU PLACES Whether it’s fronting Employed To Serve or Holy Roar Records, Justine knows a thing or two about UK metal. You best sit up and pay attention
“I remember when I first got into music, I became obsessed with Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails. I couldn’t get enough of them, I rinsed both of their entire discography. I became one of those weirdos that research the whole Kurt and Courtney case. When you’re that age you have that ‘thing’ that is your identity, and I have my normal friends who have just never been so obsessed with anything. I don’t have as much time to be like that anymore, obviously, but I really don’t know what I’d do for a job without my hobbies and passions. It’s kind of a gift to be able to exist in this world due to how you felt about something as a child.”
WORKING WITH YOUR OTHER HALF TAKES BALANCE
“We’ve [Justine and Employed To
Serve guitarist Sammy Urwin] been going out since we were 16 years old, so we know each other painfully well. Me and Sammy are both quite docile creatures, so that helps. The biggest pitfalls are when things in the band aren’t going so well, we have to set some ground rules – if some band things happen you take 10 and walk away. It’s not a problem for us.”
BEING A WOMAN IN A BAND ISN’T TABOO NOW
“The last couple of years the whole ‘girl in a band’ thing has died down. You still get the odd person who just can’t believe it – ‘Wow! A girl that does it!’ – but it’s just a part of change, I think. You go through this teething period where people look at girls doing vocals want to parody it! I really want to do a tour with ETS, Svalbard and Venom Prison and call it ‘Bitchez Of Metalcore’… maybe even add a couple of extra Z’s to the poster too, really take the piss out of that stuff. But I’m not sure people have enough of a sense of humour anymore. I’d definitely have men telling me that they are offended by that!”
THE UNDERGROUND IS ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING
“DIY culture is massive to me. It’s where I grew up and it’s where my heart is. It keeps you grounded, gives you a sense of community, and it just means that you can get pleasure from the scene as a whole. I’m lucky due to my work with the label that if things aren’t going great for my band I can look at, ‘Oh hey, Conjurer are smashing it!’ or ‘Great, Svalbard have got onto this great tour!’ It’s nice, and really refreshing.
NEVER, EVER LOSE THAT LOVE FOR MUSIC
“Some people tell me that they get sick of music, but I don’t. I think that I come at it from so many different angles that I can never get bored of it. I write a column and I can shout out my favourite bands, I work for the label and I am in my own band. Someone once said I was like the UK’S Jamey Jasta, and I love that. He’s got such a big passion for music and the scene, I took that as a real compliment.”
YOUR BAND IS A BUSINESS
“Just before this interview I was setting up our band as a company. I feel like a child in a suit, but these things need to be done. Just because it’s a fun hobby, it’s still your job.
Now we’re getting a bigger profile and are playing bigger shows and bigger festivals people are starting to make money from our band. Our accounts person for example, he’s no different to us. He’s a freelance guy trying to make a living. You have to do the right things, and do them correctly or you’re letting the people who rely on you down.”
METAL’S STRENGTH IS IN ITS DIVERSITY
“I can’t think of another genre where so many bands that are so different can play together. That’s our great strength in the British music scene right now. We have a real community, and we have some really eclectic bands that go out and do shows together. We have toured with Black Peaks and we have toured with Milk Teeth. I would love us to go out on tour with Creeper, I don’t think that would be weird. Ultimately, we all respect each other’s creativity, and we don’t all just want to go and see five metalcore bands on the same night. It gets boring. There is just so much young UK talent all doing their own thing, but together.”
“SOMEONE CALLED ME THE UK JAMEY JASTA”
GLASTO IS ACTUALLY A GREAT PLACE FOR METAL
“I didn’t really sink in what we had done until we had come offstage. You know, you can’t really comprehend how big it is. In fact, it was never really something that was on my