John Scott marks the passing of bassist and vocalist John Wetton by revisiting the 1973 King Crimson classic. More »
Formed 5 years ago but playing music together going back as long as 15 years ago, Miss Lucid have created their 5 track, self-titled debut record, due for release in April 3rd on Fat Hippy Records. The debut single, ‘The Beast’ was unleashed on March 6th and they will also have some live dates that will be announced imminently. Luckily I got my hands on the full album for review! More »
It’s the new record from Moshi Moshi signings Happyness, who are releasing the follow-up to their acclaimed cult hit debut album, ‘Weird Little Birthday’, on April 7th this year. This new album “Write In” was recorded in their studio, right above a now-demolished old book shop, and is said take in a much wider range of influences, highlighting many new sides to the band’s song writing style. With the band only gaining more steam and heading for promising things by all accounts, it was only right that this little piglet here got her hands on it for a listen to see what all the hype is about!
From the first few lines of the opening anti-gentrification title track it was clear I was going to love this record and it just gets better the more you listen to it. My first time round was in the car and it was played three times in a row. I know little about the band, the CD came with no information and the band all have paper bags on their heads in the cover photo and as we listened on that drive we were second guessing who the band actually were. The singer has a quality to his voice that reminded me of Suggs out of Madness and I wrongly assumed that this was perhaps a side project of his. More »
Peter Murphy was the vocalist of the renowned rock group Bauhaus and has also made ten solo albums, the most recent being the Youth produced ‘Lion’, released in 2014. More »
Following last year’s release of her critically acclaimed second album “Black Terry Cat”, NYC’s Xenia Rubinos has announced live dates in the UK and Europe for April / May. More »
Diet Cig will be releasing their debut album ‘Swear I’m Good At This‘on April 7th (Frenchkiss) and in advance of its’ release they share a new single in album highlight “Barf Day.” The track, which was spun first by Zane Lowe on his Beats1 radio show, premiered via Stereogum who note, “The delightfully titled “Barf Day” (embodies) what makes the pair’s upcoming debut Swear I’m Good At This so enthralling: the featherweight garage grit, Luciano’s subversive sincerity, and bandmate Noah Bowman’s fist-pumping percussion…Against all odds, Diet Cig are coming of age on their own terms.”
London’s Mt. Wolf have seen support in recent months from the likes of The Independent, Indie Shuffle, Wonderland and more, all alongside the ambitious, 6 minute + “The Electric”, the first single from their upcoming debut LP. More »
Having received critical acclaim from the likes of Zane Lowe, Daniel P Carter, NME, The Line Of Best Fit, Clash, DIY and with a string of live shows supporting the likes of The Rolling Stones and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes in their wake, today, Loom have announced the details for their highly anticipated debut album. Two years in the making, Loom’s 10 track self-titled debut features the bands previous singles ‘Hate’ and ‘Bleed On Me’ along with eight brand new tracks. More »
It is 40 years this month since Iggy Pop’s debut album, ‘The Idiot’, was first released. Back in the grunge-heyday of the early 90s, ‘The Idiot’ was a puzzling prospect. Iggy Pop and Lou Reed were basically the godfathers of anything that was alternative, but here was a classic album of Pop’s canon, typically considered his best, that was drenched in synths and minimalistically dancey rhythms, with nary a guitar to be found on most of the tracks! Robert Harris explores this iconic record. More »
Rather amazingly, Dreadzone are one of those bands who’ve been around together for seemingly ages (they’re now in their third decade) – and yet the public at large is still blissfully unaware of them. That’s incredible, don’t you think? If I were asked to name the one band who’s playing at Glastonbury at the exact moment when you ‘find yourself’, then Dreadzone would likely be that band. That’s because along with their hazy mix of deep bass, dub beats and dance undertones, there’s a definite lean towards the otherworldly music which spills out of the West Holts Dance area. Call it dub, reggae, dubtronica or post-rave, it really doesn’t matter – it’s melodic, very listenable and you can’t help but shake in time with the music.
Lauren Coombes interviews four piece indie rock band, Miss Lucid. More »
Keyboard maestro Vangelis has personally overseen the remastering of Delectus, a 13 disc retrospective collection comprised of a selection of his solo albums and those recorded with Jon Anderson of Yes. More »
I first saw Pixies playing live nearly 30 years ago at Manchester International supporting Throwing Muses (who were promoting their second album ‘House Tornado’ – still one of my all-time favourite albums). I didn’t actually realise at the time, but it was to be one of those tours which people still talk about years later (‘You were there??!! No way!!’). I was – and still am – an avid 4AD fan, so I’d purchased Pixies’ album ‘Surfer Rosa’ on its release just over a month prior to the gig. The album’s now well-documented ‘loud-quiet-loud’ songs made for an essential listen; Pixies didn’t sound like much else at the time – and certainly nothing on the 4AD roster. I likely don’t need to tell you that bands such as Nirvana, Radiohead & David Bowie cited them as a huge influence. It still amazes me how Pixies signed to a London-based label, despite originating from Boston, Massachusetts – and even 4AD themselves nearly passed on the opportunity had it not been for the girlfriend of then-chief Ivo Watts-Russell who managed to persuade him.
George Jones was the king of heartbreak. But with his demise in 2013, Jim Lauderdale, the crown prince, could very well take the throne. However, it’s not as simple as a mere coronation ceremony. It’s a test of mettle, of experience, and of the songs. With a solo career spanning from 1986 to 2017, Lauderdale has the experience, and as evidenced by London Southern, he has a firm grasp on the songs. However, the sceptre just about slips away. More »
Myles Manley makes idiosyncratic folk music on guitar with rhythms and colours snatched from various places, most recently Eric B and Rakim, Micachu and The Shapes, Moondog, The Clash’s Sandinista, Jinx Lennon, Frankie Cosmos, etc. “I started listening to a lot of early hiphop for some reason and what I loved about it was the clunkiness of the sounds, and the excitement you can hear at a whole new world of opportunities. I bought an MPC and started making idiot beats late at night that I’d write songs to. I’ve always had an ear for weird rhythms and I was able to make stuff that you’d never come up with rehearsing in a room with a drummer.”
“Surviving Twin” is a posthumous collaboration in which Grammy Award winner Wainwright connects some of his best songs with the writing of his late father Loudon Wainwright Jr, the esteemed LIFE Magazine columnist. The performance is a game of creative catch between son and father, exploring issues like birth, loss, parenthood, fashion, pet ownership, and mortality. In a one man show, Wainwright recites a selection of his father’s compositions interspersed with songs from his own catalogue. “Surviving Twin” has never been previously performed in the UK.
Norwegian pop-punks “TAKING NAMES” share first single “Say Anything” More »
The Black Angels – Austin’s psych rock masters – have confirmed details for their upcoming album, ‘Death Song,’ out April 21st. This will be the five-piece’s first full-length release in four years, and their debut for Partisan Records.
Ahead of the release of their forthcoming album “The Tourist”, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have announced a string of UK tour dates for September 2017. This will be the first time the band has toured in the UK since 2014, and the dates will follow on from the band’s huge US tour, which will take place across March, April and May 2017
The Los Angeles based duo Tashaki Miyaki will release their highly anticipated debut album, ‘The Dream’, on April 7th via Metropolis Records and have just shared the first taste of the upcoming release via a new single entitled ‘Girls On T.V.’ “This track emerged out of observing fame culture,” explains vocalist Paige Stark. “Things like the emergence of reality TV stardom and social media celebrity have elevated fame culture to a new sphere. We are living in an Andy Warhol meets Orwellian vision of the future and I find it terrifying. It’s all about ‘likes’ and numbers, and now our country is being run by a monster who was created by this very machine. The title is playing on the perspective I’m singing from a media brainwashed girl that only wants to be famous like the girls on TV.” More »
Porshyne are an atmospheric rock five-piece hailing from Brighton. Formed in 2014, early releases from the band such as “Residue” and “Warp” have helped to cement their name within the Brighton music scene, leading to them playing shows alongside the likes of Black Peaks, Valerian Swing, Town Portal and many more. Now, after having burrowed away to record their debut EP “Environmental Music” with Mark Roberts (Black Peaks, Broker, The Physics House Band), Porshyne are set to return with their most heavy, emotive and accomplished material to date. More »
Sweet Gum Tree’s first and heavily supported album by the likes of Mojo, Uncut and The Line Of Best Fit, came to fruition with the help of many prestigious collaborators such as Isobel Campbell -Belle & Sebastian, Earl Harvin -Tindersticks and Marty Willson-Piper -The Church. This time, Arno Sojo has reshuffled his cards and chosen to record this new album almost entirely on his own, except for the help of Irish producer David Odlum (long-time partner-in-crime of Gemma Hayes and Glen Hansard). More »
Van Morrison, Herbie Hancock, Jamiroquai, George Benson, Norah Jones, Laura Mvula and many more confirmed for North Sea Jazz Festival 2017 More »
Get It Inner – James Fleming Addresses The Love Generation
James Fleming has opinions and uses “language” and today addresses the “Love Generation”. You have been warned! More »