ALBUM REVIEW: HUNTSMEN – MANDALA OF FEAR
Huntsmen are from Chicago. ‘Mandala of Fear’ is their follow up to 2018’s ‘American Scrap’. Okay the facts are out the way, time for a series of head scratching remarks. Listening to this album was a challenge. Because for one, it’s 78 minutes long. 78…..minutes…….loooooooooooong. At no capacity should a new band be releasing so much material on a sophomore album. It is ridiculous, I am not interested in the reasons for it. Because a sole factor is this band... Read More
LIVE: SPECIAL INTEREST – 10/03/2020
Special Interest – Yes Basement, Manchester – Humint: The opening act helps to congregate the room without windows with the post-punk-post-hardcore approach of being a mechanism that doesn’t quite work yet still works, the reverse stutter that is the drumming being the pedestal that makes this band the more rhythmically interesting of the 2 performers. Chordal descents and intentional off pitch delivery are other factors that render this particular entity something... Read More
LIVE: JON HOPKINS – 13/03/2020
Jon Hopkins – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester – Don’t mention it Don’t mention it Don’t mention it Don’t mention it Don’t mention it There are empty seats due to the coronavirus. There, I’ve addressed it. Some people don’t feel comfortable enough to come to a concert hall full of people who potentially have a world wide pandemic virus, and that’s fair enough. It’s a very odd time at the moment, and people aren’t really sure what they should and should... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW: BODYCOUNT – CARNIVORE
BODYCOUNT – CARNIVORE There are two major factors about Body Count you may already know. If not, then I will enlighten you and draw your interest. Body Count are fronted by legendary rapper Ice-T and on their debut release, their infamy was born with a song called ‘Cop killer’. Though they’ve been in existence for three decades, they’ve seen the most success in the latter stage of their career. With the release of ‘Manslaughter’ in 2014, ‘Bloodlust’ in 2016... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW: TODAY IS THE DAY – NO GOOD TO ANYONE
To write a review on a new Today Is the Day album, will require preparation. You cannot dive in without knowing what could come your way! That is a danger your mind can do without. When you can spend the depths of the earth’s darkest holes explaining this band, localising it to a space is a task, but here I go. Today Is The Day (TITD) have been an entity for near 30 years. It’s the juggernaut for uncompromising music by one Steve Austin. It has always had a rotating line up... Read More
LIVE: THE ORIELLES – 05/03/2020
THE ORIELLES (photo Neelam Khan Vela) – The Ritz, Manchester – This is being billed as a homecoming gig of sorts for The Orielles. By ‘homecoming’, I think people mean ‘big gig up north’, as the band hail from Halifax on the wrong side of the Pennines to Manchester, but we’ll let that slide; the excitement amongst a near to sellout crowd certainly makes it feel like some kind of homecoming. Fresh off the back of the release of their second album, the almost-psych,... Read More
THE PARANOYDS RELEASE NEW TRACK ‘MEMORY FOAM’
THE PARANOYDS (photo Renee Parkhurst) Following the release of their LP ‘Carnage Bargain’ via Suicide Squeeze late last year, Los Angeles four-piece The Paranoyds continue their streak of reminiscent sci-fi boogie with new digital single “Memory Foam”. The track accompanies a list of live dates, their first ever European tour. On this unearthed outtake from their ‘Carnage Bargain’ recording session, the band ruminates on the tedium and loss... Read More
THE CHATS RELEASE VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE ‘DINE N DASH’
Ladies & Gentleman, this is democracy manifest…What’s the charge? The Chats have released yet another unforgettable video for their latest track, Dine N Dash, the fifth single taken from The Chats’ debut album High Risk Behaviour, out March 27th. In true Chats fashion, Dine N Dash is fierce, funny, sweaty and sub-two-minutes. The video, directed by Matt Weston, finds The Chats in an unfamiliar environment, eating a meal, a succulent steakhouse meal, while... Read More
HINDS SHARE NEW SINGLE ‘COME BACK AND LOVE ME’
HINDS (photo Keane Shaw) Hot on the heels of singles ‘Riding Solo’ and ‘Good Bad Times’, Hinds now unveil another side of themselves with their gorgeous new single ‘Come Back and Love Me <3’. It’s barely a month out from the arrival of Hinds’ effervescent third album The Prettiest Curse, and already it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting years for Hinds yet, with dates supporting The Strokes already under their belts and a comprehensive UK live run... Read More
JARV IS ANNOUNCE ALBUM, SHARE NEW TRACK & UK TOUR DATES
JARV IS JARV IS… are pleased to announce their debut album “Beyond the Pale” which will be released on May 1st, 2020 via Rough Trade Records. The album will be available on LP/CD/Cassette. The band will also head out on a UK tour in May 2020. Listen to a new single from the album ‘House Music All Night Long’. This is the first original music from Jarvis Cocker since the “Further Complications” album in 2009. JARV IS… a band featuring Jarvis Cocker (vocals, guitar,... Read More