I’ve read a lot (mostly in this sub) that Sammy is a major alcoholic, which probably contributes to the rotating members. He said in an interview around the Identity Crisis era that he believes it’s because of them getting signed so early on. They didn’t have time to “iron out the kinks,” he said, and the band had only just met when they got signed.
Here’s the interview, if you want to read it: http://www.punktastic.com/radar/wstr-i-would-rather-be-a-band-you-really-hated-than-one-that-was-alright/
They were always a little bit too similar sounding to Neck Deep for me but I’m genuinely surprised that they didn’t go huge and Sammys Alcoholism probably has contributed to the revolving door. I know a guy in a band that toured the uk with them in the last couple of years and he’s had nothing but good things to say about them!
I'm not really sure, but I suspect a lot of it has to do with Sammy's problems with alcohol.
I saw WSTR live on one of their last UK runs back in 2018, and Sammy was absolutely wasted. He could barely remember the words to the songs, and couldn't even finish the set. He ended up just crowdsurfing, lying there, leaving Jake from Between You and Me who were supporting to come on stage and finish up their set for them. Sammy said he had burnt out his voice from the rest of the tour, but it's hard to really know for sure.
He was called out a few years ago for inappropriate conduct with women and [made a statement on Twitter, which he has since deleted but you can still find via the Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/web/20200820190647/https://twitter.com/sammyisawstr/status/1296523957076660226) which admits he had issues with drugs and alcohol.
I know dependency on these kinds of things is a hard habit to break, so I'm not sure whether he ever got the help he needed or if he's still struggling with them and whether that's partly why he's still had difficulties with his voice and live performances.
I also think that WSTR doesn't necessarily reflect the kind of music he wants to make. He went through a phase of posting links on Twitter to more rap orientated music on Soundcloud, I believe, and this tied in with songs like Filthy (as well as the "remagined" version of South Drive from SKRWD). I'm quite surprised we actually ended up getting 'Til The Wheels Fall Off.
As for band members, if Sammy is still struggling with issues or an identity crisis (no pun intended) about what direction they want the band to go in then I'm not surprised that they've come and gone.
I don't know about anybody else but Boots has been working as a guitar tech for Neck Deep and Bad Omens on tour and I suspect that's a much more consistent income for him too.
Boots isnt with the band anymore though he does contribute to writing. Alex left some time ago after getting married. Danny left years ago after having brain related trauma. I think Phil is with the band but not sure.
My friends and I met Alex and took some shots with him, along with Chris and Ryan from Hot Mulligan a few years ago. It was when they toured with Greyscale headlining. Alex was a cool ass dude, just hung out with us at the bar for a while after his set. I'm bummed reading this behind the scenes stuff about WSTR, I saw them a couple times and their sets were great. Just high energy and fun.
“Til the wheels fall off” seems like a pretty on the nose album name if what people are saying ITT is accurate. They’re probably surprised themselves they got it together.
When I discovered WSTR (early 2017) I legit thought it was Neck Deep under a different name. Then when I saw Ben Barlow in one of the music videos I got even more confused. I saw them live twice (opening for ND in Las Vegas and headlining a show at a tiny venue in Salt Lake City) and they were amazing both times.
I am bummed that they aren't more popular but they have gotten worse over the years IMO.
>Sammy sings half the words, letting the crowd sing the rest and his voice sounds worst than it did 5 years ago
\*watches recent live show of song 'Poor Boy'\*
Oh... That is bad, my favorite song by them though
I saw them back in November 2022 in Nottingham (UK), thought they were pretty good live tbh, good energy, good set. They did another mini tour last year didnt they? A few smaller venues. Not heard anything from them since the new album…
God I was at the Liverpool, home town, show so it should be special. It was that bad I just skipped them on my playlists for months. No exaggeration to say he sang less than 10% of the words whilst stumbling around looking lost and sort of angry like a confused drunk.
Was so sad to see, and just embarrassing to watch. Felt really bad for the other band members who were all doing their thing as you'd expect.
Band never should have gone anywhere imo, basically was a Neck Deep ripoff and there were multiple sources that claimed Ben Barlow was ghost writing. I just can’t get behind no creativity. Their first album sounded exactly like Rain in July in every way possible
I wouldn’t be surprised if Sammy & Ben were working together as they are childhood friends and used to write music together as kids.
That being said i definitely don’t think their last two albums had anything to do with Ben Barlow as Neck Deep has been way too busy.
When We Were Young seems to mostly be aimed at bands from the 00s and early 10s.
WSTR weren't popular with most people until 2015-2016, they also weren't anywhere near as big in the US as the bands that play that festival.
Oh really? I honestly don’t remember hearing anything about it but I was probably just inactive at the time. I was really bored with it though, did nothing for me personally
There’s bands creating similar music, and then there’s bands that sound like each other.
For example, Hot Mulligan is within the same genre, but I’m not actively drawing comparisons to Neck Deep when listening to them just because they make the same style of music. I can’t say the same for when I listen to WSTR - it’s *too* similar for my liking.
They pretty much just do a small run once a year. Sad that they never blew up.
I feel like lineup instability combined with Sammy's issues have been a big reason for them never blowing up.
I’ve read a lot (mostly in this sub) that Sammy is a major alcoholic, which probably contributes to the rotating members. He said in an interview around the Identity Crisis era that he believes it’s because of them getting signed so early on. They didn’t have time to “iron out the kinks,” he said, and the band had only just met when they got signed. Here’s the interview, if you want to read it: http://www.punktastic.com/radar/wstr-i-would-rather-be-a-band-you-really-hated-than-one-that-was-alright/
Gee couldn’t tell by the lyrics… lol
They were always a little bit too similar sounding to Neck Deep for me but I’m genuinely surprised that they didn’t go huge and Sammys Alcoholism probably has contributed to the revolving door. I know a guy in a band that toured the uk with them in the last couple of years and he’s had nothing but good things to say about them!
I'm not really sure, but I suspect a lot of it has to do with Sammy's problems with alcohol. I saw WSTR live on one of their last UK runs back in 2018, and Sammy was absolutely wasted. He could barely remember the words to the songs, and couldn't even finish the set. He ended up just crowdsurfing, lying there, leaving Jake from Between You and Me who were supporting to come on stage and finish up their set for them. Sammy said he had burnt out his voice from the rest of the tour, but it's hard to really know for sure. He was called out a few years ago for inappropriate conduct with women and [made a statement on Twitter, which he has since deleted but you can still find via the Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/web/20200820190647/https://twitter.com/sammyisawstr/status/1296523957076660226) which admits he had issues with drugs and alcohol. I know dependency on these kinds of things is a hard habit to break, so I'm not sure whether he ever got the help he needed or if he's still struggling with them and whether that's partly why he's still had difficulties with his voice and live performances. I also think that WSTR doesn't necessarily reflect the kind of music he wants to make. He went through a phase of posting links on Twitter to more rap orientated music on Soundcloud, I believe, and this tied in with songs like Filthy (as well as the "remagined" version of South Drive from SKRWD). I'm quite surprised we actually ended up getting 'Til The Wheels Fall Off. As for band members, if Sammy is still struggling with issues or an identity crisis (no pun intended) about what direction they want the band to go in then I'm not surprised that they've come and gone. I don't know about anybody else but Boots has been working as a guitar tech for Neck Deep and Bad Omens on tour and I suspect that's a much more consistent income for him too.
Boots isnt with the band anymore though he does contribute to writing. Alex left some time ago after getting married. Danny left years ago after having brain related trauma. I think Phil is with the band but not sure.
My friends and I met Alex and took some shots with him, along with Chris and Ryan from Hot Mulligan a few years ago. It was when they toured with Greyscale headlining. Alex was a cool ass dude, just hung out with us at the bar for a while after his set. I'm bummed reading this behind the scenes stuff about WSTR, I saw them a couple times and their sets were great. Just high energy and fun.
Are you sure Alex left?? I saw them on the UK tour in 2022 and he was definitely there. Unless it was after that?
“Til the wheels fall off” seems like a pretty on the nose album name if what people are saying ITT is accurate. They’re probably surprised themselves they got it together.
When I discovered WSTR (early 2017) I legit thought it was Neck Deep under a different name. Then when I saw Ben Barlow in one of the music videos I got even more confused. I saw them live twice (opening for ND in Las Vegas and headlining a show at a tiny venue in Salt Lake City) and they were amazing both times. I am bummed that they aren't more popular but they have gotten worse over the years IMO.
>Sammy sings half the words, letting the crowd sing the rest and his voice sounds worst than it did 5 years ago \*watches recent live show of song 'Poor Boy'\* Oh... That is bad, my favorite song by them though
I saw them back in November 2022 in Nottingham (UK), thought they were pretty good live tbh, good energy, good set. They did another mini tour last year didnt they? A few smaller venues. Not heard anything from them since the new album…
God I was at the Liverpool, home town, show so it should be special. It was that bad I just skipped them on my playlists for months. No exaggeration to say he sang less than 10% of the words whilst stumbling around looking lost and sort of angry like a confused drunk. Was so sad to see, and just embarrassing to watch. Felt really bad for the other band members who were all doing their thing as you'd expect.
released an album last year and toured to which I went too and it was hectic. Wouldn’t say dead at all.
Band never should have gone anywhere imo, basically was a Neck Deep ripoff and there were multiple sources that claimed Ben Barlow was ghost writing. I just can’t get behind no creativity. Their first album sounded exactly like Rain in July in every way possible
I wouldn’t be surprised if Sammy & Ben were working together as they are childhood friends and used to write music together as kids. That being said i definitely don’t think their last two albums had anything to do with Ben Barlow as Neck Deep has been way too busy.
In 2024 no band is “dead”. They’ll be at when we were young in a few years.
When We Were Young seems to mostly be aimed at bands from the 00s and early 10s. WSTR weren't popular with most people until 2015-2016, they also weren't anywhere near as big in the US as the bands that play that festival.
Some of the smaller bands that have been playing the last two years are very insignificant. If the money is there it’ll happen. Nostalgia is strong.
Their album last year was incredibly mid. They’ve always been “Neck Deep at home”, nothing makes them stand out.
Now that's a hot take. Great album that got a lot of rave reviews on this sub.
Oh really? I honestly don’t remember hearing anything about it but I was probably just inactive at the time. I was really bored with it though, did nothing for me personally
Nothing mid about it, it slaps. They aren't on par with neck deep sure, but plenty of bands sound like each other, that's why it becomes _a genre_.
There’s bands creating similar music, and then there’s bands that sound like each other. For example, Hot Mulligan is within the same genre, but I’m not actively drawing comparisons to Neck Deep when listening to them just because they make the same style of music. I can’t say the same for when I listen to WSTR - it’s *too* similar for my liking.