ALBUM REVIEW – RUNO PLUM: PATCHING

“You seem to be everywhere, everywhere but in front of me” Heartbreak. It’s a concept sprawling with layers. To some, heartbreak is equated to relevance, freedom from a torn apart fabric that stopped becoming a place of love, a sanctuary of comfort. On the other side, heartbreak is related to the literal experience of having […]
After taking some time out to focus on their respective solo careers, 5 Seconds of Summer, commonly shortened to 5SOS, are back with their first studio album in three years titled Everyone’s a Star! Their sound has come a long way since the days of ‘She Looks so Perfect,’ and they are back with an […]

ALBUM REVIEW – 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER: EVERYONE’S A STAR!

ALBUM REVIEW – CELESTE: WOMAN OF FACES

Making an album seems pretty plain sailing.  In most cases, yes, but not at all for Celeste. When British soul and jazz singer Celeste released her debut album in 2021, it topped the charts in the UK, earned an Oscar nomination for ‘Hear my Voice’ and featured in the John Lewis Christmas advert with ‘A Little Love’. However, after the Covid-19 pandemic and a […]
When you think of Happy Mondays, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Shaun Ryder’s Outrages swagger? Bez throwing shapes? Lots and lots of ecstasy? All of the above are appropriate responses to hearing the name of one of the funkiest, bounciest and hippest bands in late 80s Manchester. And the man who found […]

ALBUM REVIEW – HAPPY MONDAYS: THE FACTORY SINGLES

ALBUM REVIEW – PAVEMENT: HECKLER’S CHOICE

Usually, I call people pretentious when they say that they were born in the wrong generation, however I make an exception when it comes to that being how I feel about the band Pavement. I should’ve been at a Pavement gig in the 90s, luckily they have just released a new compilation album titled Heckler’s […]
Sister Ray Davies         Holy Island       The duo might be based in “the hit recording capital of the world”, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, but they have made a concept album about the ancient religious outpost off the coast of northeast England which mixes fuzzy guitars with folk horror. They also are clear winners of Name of the […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 14 NOVEMBER 2025

ALBUM REVIEW – NUSANTARA BEAT: NUSANTARA BEAT

While group names can often be random, Nusantara Beat has chosen one that encapsulates its ethos. Nusantara means all the islands that make up Indonesia and dates back to when kings wanted to unite the whole archipelago. Today, it means unity, many cultures coming together as one. Accordingly, Nusantara Beat mix the rhythms and music […]
A Post punk revival is in full swing and hits the coasts of Portsmouth with a new release by Hotel Lux.  Previously attacking with a garage rock sound (which was championed by the likes of NME, Clash and So Young) before a lineup change meant a new lease on direction as the band stated, ‘We […]

ALBUM REVIEW – HOTEL LUX: THE BITTER CUP

ALBUM REVIEWS – THEE HEADCOATS: THE SHERLOCK HOLMES RHYTHM’N’BEAT VERNACULAR & THEE HEADCOATEES: MAN-TRAP

“One chord is good, a second is alright, three is a crowd, four will end in a fight.” These words from ‘The Friends of the Buff Medway Fanciers Association’ perfectly summarise Thee Headcoats’ music. They offer a primal take on rhythm’n’blues, rock’n’roll and punk influenced by early Kinks, Pretty Things and, most importantly, The Downliners […]
“There’s a mighty judgment coming / But I may be wrong”, Leonard Cohen croons on “Tower of Song”, a career highlight from 1988’s dark, moody I’m Your Man. Whichever it is, he doesn’t sound overly concerned. No, he sounds like a fatalist with a dry sense of humour. On their fourth album, No Time for […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE SAXOPHONES: NO TIME FOR POETRY