The Buckinghamshire town of High Wycombe might only be famous for chair-making and pub violence, but that’s about to change with the arrival of As Everything Unfolds. A hard-hitting six-piece whose new EP, Collide, is the perfect blend of savage riffs and throat-shredding vocals, AEU have fought long and hard to get this far. Recent support slots with Black Peaks saw them come out fighting, while their headline slot at The Black Heart in Camden, London back in May was where they drew a line in the sand. AEU are coming for you.
“We’re unique,” says frontwoman Charlie Rolfe. “There’s not many bands that sound like us: our mix of heavy riffs and rhythms, plus my vocals, make us different – and I know people are ready for something different!”
Like guitarists Owen Hill and Adam Kerr, bassist George Hunt, keyboard player Jon Cassidy and drummer Liam Burgoyne, Charlie has paid her dues in a ton of bands, playing a headline show at the Camden Barfly at the age of only 13. Meanwhile, founder members Adam and Jon have been playing together for the last decade. “We had an acoustic duo called The Saucy Republic, then a pop-punk band called Overthrow The Night,” remembers Adam. “AEU was a bit of a laddish nu metal band at first – we pissed about more than we played music!”
If you love your post-hardcore but can only check out one new album this year, make it Collide. Razor- sharp songwriting and Charlie’s emotion-drenched performance make the songs totally immersive; it’s no surprise that the singer admits, “The songs were a good way of me getting over a lot of stuff.” “We write about angst, pain and aggression in contrasting yet complementary ways,” adds Adam. “A friend of mine who was high on LSD once told me that Charlie is the light guiding the dark…”
Coming out of their past chaos with renewed clarity, As Everything Unfolds know exactly where they’re going. “We really want to do the big festivals like Download and Bloodstock,” says Owen. “I remember going to metal venues when I was 16 and thinking, ‘One day I’ll play here’ and now we’re actually getting to that stage.”
Things are moving fast for AEU, and the road is getting crazier by the day. “Ben Sansom from Lower Than Atlantis watched our set in Watford, which was a pretty surreal moment,” says Rolfe, and the rock’n’roll tour stories are stacking up. “Recently, George got drunk and threw up hot dogs all over our ex-guitarist,” notes Adam. “An outstanding effort on his part.” “I played a gig a week after having my appendix out,” adds Owen. “I was off my chops on Ibuprofen, which I didn’t even know was possible!” Now that’s commitment…
Sounds like: BMTH-style riffs fighting with killer vocals
For fans of: Rise Against, Pierce The Veil, Motionless In White
Listen to: Bright Lights
Collide is out now
The 90s issue: Your definitive guide to the craziest decade in metal
