Nick Worthington. A man that has been through it all and came out the other side. He has been involved and seen the hardcore scene grow since the early 2000’s fronting bands such as Turn Cold & Dead Swans. Today he is part of an amazing group of guys who are making waves onces again in the UK scene with Still In Love.

I recently got chatting to Nick, from his early teen years down on the South Coast, escaping with skateboarding, moving abroad, beating addiction, sobriety and now Still In Love.

Nick thank you for your honesty and big respect, I hope you enjoy this read.

HI NICK, FIRST OF ALL WHERE DID YOU GROW UP & HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR HOMETOWN IN YOUR YOUTH & ADULT LIFE?

I grew up in New Zealand until I was around 9 years old and then moved to Worthing – My Dad is British and Mum is from NZ. I spent most of my teens and early 20s on the south coast of the UK, growing up in Worthing wasn’t the easiest.

I had a hard time in school and spent most of my days at Homefield skate park avoiding all of the things that we’re bringing me down. Bullying had a lot to do with it and looking back on it now, I consider myself lucky to have had a place to escape with skating. 

CAN YOU REMEMBER YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY WITH YOUR LOVE FOR MUSIC? 

I suppose watching skate videos was my first introduction to music. I can’t pinpoint exactly but the early Zero and Toy Machine videos.

I remember hearing Danzig and Black Flag for the first time and not really understanding anything more than it being the soundtrack to skate videos I loved.

There was a little shop not too far from my home called the music zone which sold secondhand CDs and records, I would wait for the credits in the Skate videos to find out who had what song on which part, write it all down on a piece of paper and head to the music zone to buy it.

I remember buying Danzig’s self titled after hearing Mother in Erik Ellington‘s part in Thrill of It All – I pretty much listened to that constantly and still do.

WHAT HOBBIES AND PAST TIMES WERE YOU INTO IN YOUR YOUTH?

I guess everything that surrounded skateboarding and the culture that came along with it.

Skateboarding made me feel like I belonged to something and gave me a place in the world.

When I was a little kid I was also really into the Terminator and Aliens, action and horror movies, I definitely latched on to things and hyper fixated, I still do to a certain extent. 

CAN YOU REMEMBER WHAT INFLUENCED YOU INTO THE HARDCORE SCENE?

I got into the hardcore scene through a bunch of friends in Brighton who played in a band called Abandon Ship. I ended up seeing them open for Give Up The Ghost in the Free Butt.

After skating the level one day, Matt their drummer invited me along to watch, and they became some of my closest friends.

As far as a standout show that had a lot of influence on me, probably AFI in 2001 at the Concorde 2 with Stampin Ground opening. My parents have always been into the likes of Phil Collins, Tears for Fears, Clannad etc… which has probably had just as heavy influence as punk & hardcore has on me.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE MUSIC & HOW DO YOU APPROACH YOUR LYRIC WRITING?

I think now there’s definitely a lot more of a process and structure in my approach to writing, but still sometimes songs come out of nowhere and it’s hard to really understand why that is.

Usually it’s around grief/addiction and uncomfortable situations.

I keep notebooks and use my phone notes if something pops into my head –  previous to that I had diaries everywhere around the house full of finished and unfinished songs and lyrics that I didn’t know what to do with.

I like the process of not knowing how something is gonna come out or not really knowing where I’m going with something, but just letting it evolve. I can’t really tell you what inspired me, it would’ve just been a load of bands, connecting with something, a feeling or seeing something live that resonated with me.

LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF YOUR EARLY PROJECTS, WHAT WAS IT LIKE STARTING OUT AS TURN COLD?

Turn Cold started shortly after I saw Abandon Ship play in Brighton. The drummer Matt was down to play in another band that was fast and that led to Turn Cold. We were all heavily influenced by the early Bridge Nine roster and late 90s – 2000s hardcore.

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and still look back on that time quite fondly. We were excited to play absolutely every time we could in Brighton and if we were offered anything up north it was like a little adventure.

We actually did our first tour with The Explosion and it was hard not to fan out around them. Damien, who played bass in The Explosion was also in Panic and In My Eyes, so getting to hang out with him and hear old stories about Boston was really fucking cool – plus they would cover Minor Threat every night and we would all scramble to stage dive.

They were definitely some of the best times of my youth and stand out a lot to me.

I REMEMBER CATCHING DEAD SWANS JUST AFTER SLEEPWALKERS WAS RELEASE. HOW DID DEAD SWANS COMPARE TO TURN COLD & WHAT FOND MEMORIES DO YOU HAVE FROM THIS TIME?

It felt pretty much exactly the same as Turn Cold just on a larger scale. I think during the first couple of years of Dead Swans we were all in a bit of shock at how well the band was received in the scene.

I think my favourite time was up until the second year of Sleepwalkers being out. It was when it felt most cathartic and made most sense. All of those shows we did at Camden Underworld during that time were quite special. 

YOU’VE SPENT SOME TIME LIVING IN AUSTRIA, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?

I moved to Vienna for around eight years working for a Skateboard distribution company. Dead Swans had broken up and I moved there with the intention to get sober and start fresh. I held a fairly balanced lifestyle for a couple of years but ultimately was just running from myself.

I never really had the tools to understand how to filter out or process my addictive tendencies or all the shit I had bottled up inside and eventually it chewed me up.

I’m lucky I made it back to the UK alive to be honest, but that all being said Vienna is a beautiful place and I feel very privileged to have spent the time I had there.

CAN YOU REMEMBER HOW STILL IN LOVE CAME TO FRUITION?

After getting back to the UK and being sober for around a year I moved down to London (after staying in Manchester with my parents). I was feeling a lot clearer and working full-time, and started to reconnect and talk to old friends at gigs.

Adrian, who plays bass in Still In Love, would come by my work and we had a few conversations in late 2023 about starting a band and eventually that led to Still In Love.

There was a point in those first years back in the UK where I didn’t think a new band would happen – I had been trying to get a couple things off the ground but they hadn’t worked out, but I’m grateful it all led me to Still In Love and being in this band with such an amazing group of guys. 

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE MEMORY WITH MUSIC AS A WHOLE & NOW WITH STILL IN LOVE?

Honestly, whenever we’re all together with Still In Love it’s constant laughter and general excitement around whatever is in front of us. I had a lot of fun going to Italy for the first time with them and all the shows we’ve been lucky enough to play have been such a privilege.

I can’t really think of a favourite memory, but I would say releasing our album Recovery Language is something that puts a smile on my face whenever I think about it.

WE CAN’T ALL BE MUSICIANS 24/7 SO WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?

I teach skateboarding as a day job. I was originally working for Vans in Covent Garden which came to an end about five years ago and have been at Selfridges ever since managing their Skate Bowl.

I’ve skateboarded for most of my life so having this job, especially in London, is really the golden ticket for me. 

I ALWAYS CATCH A GLIMPSE OF YOUR SKATING CLIPS FROM YOUR SOCIALS, HOW DID YOU GET INTO SKATING AND WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT IT?

I got into skateboarding at very young age whilst living in New Zealand actually.  I watched Back to the Future part 2 and saw Michael J Fox using a hoverboard and asked my Mum if I could have one.

She explained that they hadn’t been invented yet and said she would get me a Skateboard until they were hoverboards….we still have that bet going.

Skateboarding has changed for me over the years; I used to use it as a form of escapism, it helped me calm down when things were feeling quite turbulent, but now I don’t really skate as much escape but more to feel calm. I need my head to be clear before I go skating now, It’s just something that’s changed over time.

It’s an irreplaceable feeling when you go skating and something that I’m just still a massive fan of. I grew up skating Homefield skate park in Worthing and I’d say my favourite place to skate now is Stockwell in London. 

IS THERE ANY BAND OR ANYONE IN PARTICULAR YOU’D LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO?

Wits End, Disengagement, Bodyweb, TS Warspite, Asidhara, Grove Street.  

THANKS FOR BEING WITH US NICK, FINALLY HAVE YOU GOT ANYTHING COMING UP SOON?

Still In Love are playing some festivals this summer so I’m really looking forward to that, and writing and recording some new music. Loads of great stuff to come. 

You can catch Nick and Still In Love this summer at 2000 Trees in Cheltenham as well as Bring Me The Horizon’s 20th Anniversary Count Your Blessings show in Manchester this July 10th/11th.

For further information keep an eye out on the Still In Love socials @stillinloveuk.

Until next time, I’ll catch you in the pit!

If you are interested in writiing a review of an album/show and would like it featured on our site please email us by using our ‘Contact Us‘ page! If you are an artist that would like to be featured please give us a message!

Never miss an article we post by signing up to our newsletter below!