ALBUM REVIEW – LONG FLING: LONG FLING

It takes considerable chutzpah to preview your first, and it is claimed only, album with what proves to be the record’s most awkward and wiry song. That is what Long Fling do with ‘Flung’ which starts with ten seconds of ominous hum that could herald the arrival of aliens on a sci-fi movie soundtrack before […]
The third solo album from Jenn Wasner, recording under the name Flock of Dimes, is an unflinching account of addiction, co-dependency, trauma and finding peace in the face of other’s suffering. In Wasner’s own words, “As it turns out, this record is not someone else’s story–it is mine, the story of my life. A life […]

ALBUM REVIEW – FLOCK OF DIMES: THE LIFE YOU SAVE

ALBUM REVIEW- GUITAR: WE’RE HEADED TO THE LAKE

Guitar’s We’re Headed To The Lake is a scruffy album. Coming from me that’s a compliment, by the way. As a slacker rock band in the vein of Pavement etc. this kind of scruffiness is kind of the point. But Guitar does pull enough from the various corners of the genre umbrella to not be […]
The biggest constant throughout over half a century of Sparks has been their willingness to try something new. In the case of ‘MADDER!’, it is one of their least revolutionary acts, merely their first ever EP, and acts as a companion piece to ‘MAD!’ which achieved their highest ever UK album chart position. What is […]

EP REVIEW – SPARKS: MADDER!

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 3 OCTOBER 2025

Širom   In the Wind of Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper       Slovenian avant-folk trio. Navigating almost two dozen instruments (some of which they’ve handcrafted), and hypnotic compositions that often exceed ten minutes in length, they court patient, deep-dive listeners via intricately woven atmospheres, rhythms and sonics. Idlewild              Idlewild              Across the ten songs of ‘Idlewild’ they welcome each […]
A glance at a record’s list of songtitles often offers an indication of its type of music. The Antlers’ ‘Blight’ is deceptive in that respect. In addition to the title track, there are songs called ‘Carnage’, ‘Calamity’ and ‘A Great Flood’ which suggests that they could be accompanied by some brutal, pummelling Napalm Death type […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE ANTLERS: BLIGHT

LIVE REVIEW – SELF ESTEEM: MANCHESTER ACADEMY – 29/09/2025

It’s a mundane Monday, and the humdrum normality of everyday life is reaching out for some form of escapism. Seeking music as the solution, I, along with just over 2000 other people will congregate within the walls of Manchester Academy, where Rebecca Lucy Taylor (better known as Self Esteem) will perform for the third (sold-out) […]
The breakup album is virtually a cliché. There are reasons why it can be irresistible to artists and listeners alike. It is a common, almost universal, experience. Very few will have been lucky enough to immediately fall into the perfect relationship so the emotions may well be familiar but repetition of themes make it inevitable […]

ALBUM REVIEW – CATE LE BON: MICHELANGELO DYING

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 26 SEPTEMBER 2025

An absolutely mega week in which it would be impossible to cover all the great releases in the depth that we would like. Here is our precis of the new releases. The Cords         The Cords         Sisters Eva and Grace take their cues from forebearers like Dolly Mixture, Shop Assistants, Heavenly and Tiger Trap, reinvigorating the […]
There is an old saying about a picture being worth a 1,000 words so by that measurement, here is a dissertation length photographic review of LA Witch. Dive in and capture the atmosphere as the trio blast out their melange of darkwave, punk and psychedelia through Mat Coffey’s photos.  

LIVE IN PICTURES – LA WITCH: LEEDS BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB – 23/09/2025