ALBUM REVIEW – ELLA RONEN: THE GIRL WITH NO SKIN

From a singer-songwriter album, you might hope for a great voice, emotion, mystery, clarity, melody and sonic variety. The ten tracks that comprise Swiss-Israeli storyteller and activist Ella Ronen’s ‘The Girl With No Skin’ tick all these boxes. They are a collection of songs that mix autobiography with the air of magic realist fables. Some […]
I Wonder If The World Knows? is a debut of burgeoning brilliance that traverses through the years leading up to its creation as if exploring its own mind. Across twelve tracks, Earlestown originals, The K’s step into the skin of moments gone by and reimagine them thought for thought, note for note. Standing on the […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE K’S: I WONDER IF THE WORLD KNOWS?

ALBUM REVIEW – VIAL: BURNOUT

In a follow up from 2021’s LOUDMOUTH, VIAL return with a short fit of rage entitled Burnout. Clocking in at just under 20 minutes the album epitomises girly pop-punk much akin to that of Olivia Rodrigo. A study in feminine rage this album tackles subjects ranging from chronic illness, to friendship breakdowns and even hitting […]
Assiduous Silent Radio readers will have noticed numerous reviews referencing Ajay Saggar over the past couple of years. In addition to releases under his solo guise, Bhajan Bhoy, there have been collaborations as Chela and Volksempfänger. Prior to his April tour of Scotland and northern England, we asked him about his life in music. In […]

INTERVIEW: AJAY SAGGAR (BHAJAN BHOY)

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 29 MARCH 2024

Here is our roundup of the releases sneaking out on Easter Friday. High Llamas        Hey Panda          Their 11th studio album which combines Sean O’Hagan’s love for the music of J Dilla with his capacity for sumptuous melodies and ridiculous chord changes. Chastity Belt      Live Laugh Love On which the band refine their trademark sound: lush […]
‘Sportswashing’ may be a new term but examples can be seen well before the attempts made by Saudi Arabia and Qatar to cleanse their global reputation through engagement with top quality entertainment. In 1974, the country then named Zaire staged a World Heavyweight championship fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman known as the Rumble […]

ALBUM REVIEW – VARIOUS: CONGO FUNK! SOUND MADNESS FROM THE SHORES OF THE MIGHTY CONGO RIVER (KINSHASA/BRAZZAVILLE 1969-1982)

ALBUM REVIEW – THE SECRET SISTERS: MIND, MAN, MEDICINE

After being asked to review ‘Mind, Man, Medicine’ by The Secret Sisters, I was immediately compelled to research their story. With almost one million monthly listeners on Spotify alone and an impressive two GRAMMY nominations under their belts, I decided to press play on the Alabama born siblings’ new record. There was one core question […]
What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday evening. William Doyle is on a tour around the UK supporting his fantastic new album Springs Eternal, just him and his friend Alex Painter playing tracks that have been, according to Doyle’s Instagram, “repurposed…to work extra nicely as a duo, trying to replace things where a human […]

LIVE REVIEW: WILLIAM DOYLE – DEAF INSTITUTE 24/03/2024

FEATURE: WHO ARE YA? – BEANS

Boots N Cats, the latest album from Melbourne’s Beans, released this March, captured the attention of our writers with its organ-driven garage-rock wig-outs, breezy psych-pop and groovy funk instrumentals. We needed to know more and via the wonders of the internet, here is our essential guide to the band: Who are you? Vincent Clementson, Bass Player […]
 Arriving at Manchester’s O2 Apollo in the back of that Uber was a mix of excitement and nerves as either tonight would be one of the greatest gigs to be witnessed or a night filled with a lacklustre performance, overpriced drinks, boredom, regret and the taste of another man’s sweat in your mouth.  Getting out […]

LIVE REVIEW – YARD ACT: MANCHESTER APOLLO 16/03/24