ALBUM REVIEW – MAGGIE ROGERS: DON’T FORGET ME

Don’t Forget Me is a warm hug, it’s a ride in the car with the top down on a hazy summer afternoon. It’s the feeling of growing up, finding yourself and realising your potential despite the problems you faced along the way. It’s your well-worn favourite pair of jeans, mastering wearing just the right amount […]
After a brief spell of convalescence, the new releases guide is back to guide you through the week’s releases. Iron & Wine      Light Verse       On their seventh album Beam’s lyrics once again draw on a series of fictional and personal insights, filled with desperate characters and wide-eyed optimists, offering promise and a dose of heartache, […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 26 APRIL 2024

LIVE REVIEW: STILL HOUSE PLANTS – THE WHITE HOTEL 17/04/2024

Isn’t it brilliant when something connects seamlessly, when something locks in perfectly? For jigsaw nerds it might be that final piece snapping into place to reveal the whole; it might be something as simple as the feel of a key turning to open a lock; it could be something more complex, like the final bit […]
This is the first album review I have written under the combined influence of COVID and a shedload of medication. It feels an appropriate coincidence as Parsnip’s ‘Behold’ sounds woozy and psychedelic, not always of or tied down by the real world. I hasten to add that impression had already been formed on a first […]

ALBUM REVIEW – PARSNIP: BEHOLD

EP REVIEW – KAI BOSCH: LOVE, THROW ME A BONE

Kai Bosch’s ‘Love, Throw Me A Bone’ presents itself as a refreshing body of work, peering its intimate head into a music scene that often forgets the importance of individuality and character. Whilst the record itself certainly has aspects of a yearning for commercial success, the originality of Bosch’s melodies and lyricism aren’t just polarising, […]
2024 has a special date on the calendar, March 16th. It marks the 45th anniversary of one of post-punk’s seminal albums, The Fall’s uneasy and atmospheric debut ‘Live at The Witch Trials’.  In celebration of this monumental milestone, Cherry Red Records is releasing a fully remastered version of the band’s crucial debut on April 19th […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE FALL: LIVE AT THE WITCH TRIALS

ALBUM REVIEW – OBJECTIONS: OPTIMISTIC SIZING

There is something especially engaging about trios. I first became obsessed with the idea in the 1980s due to Big Flame. Slimmed down line-ups bring an element of clarity and demand that everyone’s contribution must be essential. Amongst post-punk acts of this size, the most notable have a frenetic quality, from The Minutemen through Big […]
Standing in the midst of a packed New Century Hall crowd, this feels like a big Saturday night out, a party to celebrate the return of a much loved band, and although they’ve only been away a few years, a rebirth of Zutons psych infused pop is well overdue. Having released the first new material […]

LIVE REVIEW:THE ZUTONS – NEW CENTURY HALL 13/04/2024

ALBUM REVIEW – EMEL: MRA

Although it may be the 21st century, the patriarchy continues to be fundamentally dependent on the tireless oppression of women, queer people, ethnic minorities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Whilst a significant portion of the music industry is complicit in burying their heads in the sand when it comes to issues regarding war, gender […]
Dayseeker have already pushed their name into the alternative music scene, with fans now hailing the Southern-Californian four-piece from all over. Having over 10 years experience in the music industry, since their first album release in 2013 (‘What It Means To Be Defeated’), Dayseeker have proved themselves to be more than worthy of all the […]

ALBUM REVIEW: DAYSEEKER – REPLICA