ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 28 NOVEMBER 2025

Red Ivory           Please Leave, I Need To Wake Up Now            Five track EP is claustrophobic and at points almost static, before freeway-falling into a frenzy of interlocking, distorted guitar, howling vocals, and thrashing cymbals. Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter               Forever I’ve Been Being Born  A suite of emotive songs from an open heart, dwelling […]
There are many ways people get excited for a gig, for some it may be that first step into the venue and seeing the stage, for others maybe waking up on the day knowing there is a gig that night, for me, however, it was when a pair of luminous foam earplugs were plonked in […]

LIVE REVIEW – MY BLOODY VALENTINE: AVIVA STUDIOS – 24/11/2025

ALBUM REVIEW – PAVEY ARK: MORE TIME, MORE SPEED

There’s no shortage of bands making music that circles around the theme of time’s passage, so why should you care about Pavey Ark? Because when Pavey Ark talk about time, they don’t talk about hours, days and years: they talk about epochs. More Time, More Speed sees the band pushing their psychedelic-tinged folk sound further than […]
Björk once described Ólöf Arnalds as “somewhere between a child and an old woman.” Clearly, this was not intended as an insult and it neatly encapsulates the charms that she brings to her fifth album, ‘Spíra’, which translates as Sprouts. Sometimes those polar opposites in age have similarities. The honesty and openness of childhood can […]

ALBUM REVIEW – OLOF ARNALDS: SPIRA

LIVE REVIEW – LOYLE CARNER: VICTORIA WAREHOUSE – 23/11/2025

Tackling the blistering cold and puddles that coat the cuffs of your jeans, we make our way to Victoria Warehouse. The queue is set up like Takeshi’s castle and a great feeling of accomplishment overcomes the body before the strip search takes place. Tickets scanned and patted down; we walk through the door where we […]
News flash! In case anyone has failed to notice, it is horrible out in the wider world. Despots in charge, anger, poverty, wars, pending environmental catastrophe and the dystopic possibilities of AI. Musicians are faced with a broad variety of choices: their songs could be a howl of rage, self-pitying whinges, thoughtful analysis of contemporary […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE JIMI TENOR BAND: SELENITES, SELENITES!

LIVE REVIEW – THE ROYSTON CLUB: CHESTER LIVE ROOMS – 13/11/2025

With an undercutting tenderness, The Royston Club’s discography continues to have an ever-tightening lasso around our necks – a rosary of the Royston religion. Their sophomore record, Songs For The Spine, is charm-soaked vulnerability on stereo. Over two years since the release of their former album, they’re meandering across countries on an expedition of reconciliation. […]
Lisa O’Neill       The Wind Doesn’t Blow This Far Right              Cavan songwriter whose six-track EP tackles a variety of social injustices in her distinctive folk style. Donna Thompson         What In The World?!?  Six track EP takes a deep dive into some of the relationships and situations faced whilst navigating new territories in life such as romance […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 21 NOVEMBER 2025

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!