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The big review: Damnation Festival 2024
What happened when Nails, Gatecreeper, Cradle Of Filth and a ton more brought the noise to Manchester for the biggest Damnation Festival yet.
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Employed To Serve’s Justine Jones: The 10 songs that changed my life
Employed To Serve’s Justine Jones casts her eye over her life in music – from Destiny’s Child to Lamb Of God…
- Words:
- Simon Young
- Photo:
- Andy Ford
- Originally published:
- September 2018
Employed To Serve vocalist Justine Jones plays in one of the UK’s finest heavy bands. So her life must be filled with riffs, right? Er…
The first song that I remember hearingDestiny’s Child – Survivor (2001)
“I’ll give you a heads up, I come from a really uncool background in music. Sadly, my parents weren’t into anything heavy. My mum always had the radio on in the car, and that’s where I heard Survivor. It was always on MTV when I was younger, too. Do I still play Destiny’s Child now? Oh god, yeah – all the time.”
The song that reminds me of my childhoodThe Black Eyed Peas – Labor Day (It’s A Holiday) (2003)
“When I was in secondary school, I used to go ice skating with my family on Friday nights. I remember they’d play a lot of Black Eyed Peas when we were there and I remember this song. I was in Year 7 and I listened to a lot of pop. I was into Eminem, too. He was massive in our school. Everyone used to listen to him.”
The first song that made me fall in love with heavy musicLinkin Park – One Step Closer (2000)
“My cousin is the same age as me and he had a couple of Linkin Park CDs. Since I liked Eminem, I liked the rap side. When I heard One Step Closer, I was like, ‘This is sick!’ From that, I got into Korn after seeing the video for Twisted Transistor. I thought Snoop Dogg was in Korn for the longest time because of that video, but I was quite young, to be fair.”
The song that reminds me of my first heartbreakGregory And The Hawk – Boats & Birds (2006)
“This song isn’t very rock, I’m afraid. The break-up was a classic case of, ‘We’re just friends.’ It’s from an EP of the same name on Fat Cat Records, and I’d listen to the whole thing a lot. I don’t really listen to it any more, because it brings back too many memories.”
The song that helped me realise my vocal talentSuicide Silence – Unanswered (2007)
“I thought it was really fun and exciting, and it was the exact opposite of what I’d usually listen to. I’d sing along to Sorry, You’re Not A Winner by Enter Shikari when I was 14, but I’d try to avoid doing the screaming bits. I tried it, but I didn’t really pick it up until a few years later when this helped bring that out in me.”
The first song I moshed toBilly Talent – Try Honesty (2003)
“The first show I ever went to was Billy Talent at the Astoria in London. I saw that people were pushing each other, but they weren’t actually fighting. It was really fun. When you’re a teenager, it’s pretty tough a lot of the time and you have a lot of stuff going on. I wasn’t playing sports back then, so it was good to have a show to go to where I could get rid of some energy.”
The song I wish I had writtenLamb Of God – Laid To Rest (2004)
“When I first heard this song, I was like, ‘This is sick!’ I’ve always enjoyed Randy Blythe’s lyrics. It’s a way of connecting with people. His vocal style goes so perfectly with their riffs. I’ve watched many live videos of them on YouTube, but I’ve not seen them in person yet. They’re on my list of bands I need to see.”
The first of our songs I heard on the radioEmployed To Serve – Watching Films To Forget I Exist (2015)
“I’m pretty sure this was played on the Radio 1 Rock Show. It was the first time my family understood what we’d been working so hard towards. I think how a band works is really alien to a lot of people, so when you have reference points like, ‘Hey, we got played on the radio,’ they get it a little more.”
The song I’m most proud ofEmployed To Serve – Platform 89 (2017)
“I found the time signature really hard. I don’t have very good natural rhythm and when I first started, I really struggled with timings and stuff. I find that when I record things, I understand them better. I’d do an entire vocal take, then do it again. It makes me assess every single segment. When we recorded this, I was like, ‘Shit, I can actually do this now.’”
The song I’d like played at my funeralDarude – Sandstorm (2000)
“I like the idea that everyone would assume I’d pick a metal song for my funeral, but this is a song I listened to loads when I was a kid. I know it sounds really morbid, but I’ve already discussed this with my band members, because it’s a funny topic. Everyone would have to wear neon suits and dresses, and glow sticks would be handed out. It should be a celebration of life, so you’d want something a bit upbeat and funny as the soundtrack.”
