ALBUM REVIEW – SOFY: HOW TO PERFORM MAGIC

As the title would suggest, the latest offering from bedroom-pop mage SOFY offers a charming playbook on not just how to perform magic, but how to continuously source and bottle it with delicious musical density. The whole project feels entirely reminiscent of something a sparrow would pick up, with robust breakbeats and scraps of percussion […]
Broken Social Scene are less of a band and more of a family. That is simply one of the best ways to describe their dynamic. Over thirty years ago founding members Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning met in 1999, since then they have been collecting members, with the latest addition being Hannah Gerogas who joined […]

LIVE REVIEW – BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE: MANCHESTER ACADEMY – 13/09/2026

LIVE REVIEW – MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY: HALLE ST MICHAEL’S – 17/09/2026

The back bar and merch area of St Michael’s affords a good overview of the room: This former church, now bathed in lush – even sacrilegious – red light still has the raised stage, the alter. And it forms the perfect environment for this latest meeting of the Mull Historical Society. But do not be […]
Son Lux              Out Into              They have built a singular catalogue that blurs experimental composition, electronic music, hip-hop production techniques, and art-pop ambition. But while previous releases often expanded outward into sweeping, cinematic territory, ‘Out Into’ turns toward something more tactile and instinctive. Railcard             Two Steps At A Time    In 2025 Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture), Ian […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 18 SEPTEMBER 2026

ALBUM REVIEW – PENELOPE ISLES: 3

There is substantial numerological logic to Penelope Isles naming this album ‘3’. In addition to being their third album, it is their first as a true three-piece with siblings Lily and Jack Wolter being joined by drummer Joe Taylor, best known for playing with Anna B Savage. It is also three years since they played […]
Between working with some of the biggest artists in the world such as Drake and Dr. Dre as well as building his own impressive discography, Kiefer has built a sound that feels entirely his own. As pianist, producer and multi-instrumentalist, his music carries an effortless balance between technical musicianship and the loose, beat-driven energy of […]

ALBUM REVIEW – KIEFER: MEMORY BOMB

LIVE REVIEW – EVANESCENCE: CO-OP LIVE – 10/09/2026

There are many things you expect when going to an Evanescence concert, the striking and powerful voice of Amy Lee, who sounds every bit as commanding as fans have come to know over the last twenty years since the band’s debut album. However, what you perhaps wouldn’t expect is how much attention is drawn away […]
Biita (pronounced Bee-tah) means “unique” in the Farsi language. The name was gifted by her aunt to Lisa Houdei who has chosen to record her debut album under this moniker to feel closer to her Persian heritage. The idea of being unique is a grand claim and while Biita Houdei’s music is not completely unlike […]

ALBUM REVIEW – BIITA HOUDEI: THIS BED WAS MADE FOR ME

ALBUM REVIEW – DUR-DUR BAND: DUR-DUR VOLUME 3 (1988) & 4 (1989)

The music of Dur-Dur Band captures the energy and optimism of 1980s Mogadishu. They were the prime exponents of a sound which blended Somali melodies with disco, funk, jazz, soul and reggae. As Dur-Dur translates as stream, all these elements could be compared to tributaries feeding into the smooth running of a larger river. It […]
It feels like bias will spill everywhere and lines overlapping writing about The Cheap Thrills and being a Scouser but, the music without a doubt backs it up and the impact in the Liverpool music scene can’t be understated. Hailing from Walton Vale, the fourpiece have always worn who they are like a badge of […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE CHEAP THRILLS: KEEP CHEAP