The Unthanks –The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
The Unthanks brought their UK tour in support of new album, Mount The Air, to a close in front of a sell out crowd at The Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh. Departing from tradition, not for the first time tonight, The Unthanks eschew the time-honoured format support band followed by main act. Instead, The Young Uns […]
Rumer – The Queens Hall Edinburgh
Somewhere in the deep, dusty archives of the BBC television centre lies an unseen episode of Dr Who in which Rumer becomes the Doctor’s assistant and travels back to 1975 where her new album Into Colour becomes the best selling album of the year.
New High-End In-Ears From Astell&Kern
Named after classic songs, clad in carbon fibre and Kevlar, and featuring the “most sophisticated in-ear headphone design yet” – Astell&Kern’s new Layla and Angie earphones certainloy look the part. The Astell&Kern earphones are engineered by Jerry Harvey Audio (JH Audio), designer of in-ear monitors (IEMs) for musicians as diverse as Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, […]
Bryston Isolation Transformers
Bryston has announced the introduction of new BIT (Bryston Isolation Transformer) models to serve larger applications. The new 45 and 60-Amp models feature a 220/240-volt input with a 120-volt output and are available with or without AVR technology (Automatic Voltage Regulation). In addition to these new models, all BIT products will now be available with standard […]
Meridian at Montreal Audio Show
Meridian Audio has announced its participation in the Montreal Audio Show, which commences on 27th March for three days during which time Meridian will unveil and demonstrate its new MQA technology. In association with AudioGroup as a Distribution Partner, Meridian will be displaying in two separate areas; Fontaine C and the Personal Audio zone at […]
Astell&Kern Announce Stainless Steel AK240
Astell&Kern has launched a limited edition Stainless Steel version of its flagship music player, the AK240. The move not only gives the portable a new look, but also improves both performance and durability. The AK240 Stainless Steel edition – available now, priced £2499 – also comes with a bespoke new leather case from the Tanniere […]
EMME Speakers Copernicus Loudspeaker
Italian loudspeaker manufacturer EMME Speakers have sent us pictures of their very latest loudspeaker Copernicus. The new loudspeaker keeps many of the concepts from the company’s previous loudspeakers and uses their BSSE system (Box Shaping for Sound Enhancement). The acoustic layout of Copernicus sees three drivers in an unconventional two-ways configuration. Mid-high frequencies are managed […]
An Evening With Steven Wilson – The Queens Hall, Edinburgh
If I required yet another reminder that The Supreme Being does not evenly distribute his gifts, I need look no further than Steven Wilson. Let’s have a think about this: Does he have a back catalogue spanning more than 20 years, covering a diverse variety of genres? – He does. Can he sing and play […]
Linn Space Optimisation Launch Event
On 13th March, I attended the Hospital Club in Covent Garden for a Linn launch event to showcase the latest evolutions of the Linn DS players – for there were several. New and improved DS The first big announcement was that Linn is launching a new Klimax DS, Akurate DS, Majik DS and Majik DSM, […]
New Control App From Chord Electronics
Chord Electronics’ audio streamers, the DSX 1000 (£7,500) and the CodeX from the Choral Series (£4,500), have been given a new free control app, Chord 2 HD. The new app, which is available for both the iPad and iPhone, will initially be available on iOS 8.0 and above, with an Android version to follow. Chord […]
Sanguine Hum – Now We Have Light (Esoteric)
Out now on the Esoteric Recordings label, Now We Have Light is the third album from Oxford’s Sanquine Hum. It’s a double concept album in the finest “prog” tradition with its roots going back over a decade and the days of Antique Seeking Nuns, which was the first project guitarist Joff Winks and keyboardist Matt […]
The Big Sound Authority – An Inward Revolution (Cherry Red)
It’s thirty years since the first release of An Inward Revolution on MCA, an album that scored The Big Sound Authority three single releases. The band came together after a competition in Smash Hits (a British pop magazine) had vocalist Julie Hodwen singing backing vocals with The Jam. The Jam’s Paul Weller put Hodwen together with […]
Purity Ring – ‘Another Eternity’ (4AD Records)
Whilst it’s been getting progressively more difficult to describe a ‘typical’ 4AD artist in recent years, as a label it has delivered some genuinely superb albums during this time – notably including Daughter’s ‘If You Leave’, Serena-Maneesh’s ‘#2: Abyss In B Minor’ and of course Purity Ring’s 2012 debut ‘Shrines’. I guess the first – […]