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  • U2 unveil video for new single ‘Atomic City’
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XS Noize | Latest Music News
  • News
        • U2
          News

          U2 unveil video for new single ‘Atomic City’

          September 29, 2023

          U2 have recorded a brand new track titled “Atomic City”, which is released today, Friday, 29th September 2023. Produced by Jacknife Lee and Steve Lillywhite, it was recorded at Sound City in LA and comes […]

          Happy Mondays
          Gigs

          HAPPY MONDAYS announce UK tour for 2024 with special guests Inspiral Carpets & Stereo MCs

          September 29, 2023

          Legendary Manchester band Happy Mondays have announced a 16-date UK tour for March and April 2024, which will be their only shows of 2024. They will be joined on this special run of shows by […]

          The Darkness
          News

          THE DARKNESS announce feature-length documentary ‘Welcome To The Darkness’

          September 29, 2023

          Lightbulb Film Distribution today has announced that Welcome to The Darkness, a warts and all feature-length documentary about British rockers, The Darkness, is coming to cinemas on November 9th for one night only, plus encores. […]

  • Reviews
        • Album Reviews

          Jorja Smith - Falling or Flying
          Album Reviews

          ALBUM REVIEW: Jorja Smith – Falling or Flying

          September 28, 2023

          How many people can say by age 21 that they have toured and collaborated with Stormzy and Drake before even releasing their debut LP? With her debut LP Lost & Found taking five years to […]

          Blonde Redhead – Sit Down For Dinner
          Album Reviews

          ALBUM REVIEW: Blonde Redhead – Sit Down For Dinner

          September 27, 2023

          Blonde Redhead, made up of Kazu Makino and Italian twin brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace, releases their new album, Sit Down For Dinner, their first studio album in eight years. The album’s title carries a […]

        • Book Reviews

          BOOK REVIEW: Sophomore Songs by Clarke Geddes
          Book Reviews

          BOOK REVIEW: Sophomore Songs by Clarke Geddes

          August 29, 2023

          How does one become qualified to write a fictional music novel? The author of Sophomore Songs offers some clues. Growing up reading NME, doing a stint at Clash, drumming for several bands on and off, and […]

          Ziggy Marley - Music Is In Everything
          Book Reviews

          BOOK REVIEW: Ziggy Marley – Music Is In Everything

          January 16, 2023

          Back in 2020, Ziggy Marley teamed up with Lisa Loeb to release a catchy and infectious song that will get people of all ages to sing along called “Music Is in everything”. This song which […]

        • Classic Albums

          ‘Pop’ at 25: Looking back at the orphan child in U2's discography 2
          Classic Albums

          ‘Pop’ at 26: Looking back at the orphan child in U2’s discography

          March 3, 2022

          In March of 1997, 26 years ago, U2 released their much anticipated ninth studio album POP; for fans and critics alike, it quickly became their most polarizing release. There is a prevailing feeling that POP […]

          CLASSIC ALBUM: Duran Duran – Duran Duran 2
          Album Reviews

          CLASSIC ALBUM: Duran Duran – Duran Duran

          June 17, 2021

          This week sees the 40th anniversary of Duran Duran’s self-titled debut album. XS Noize looks back on this momentous release from a band that would become the ‘Fab Five’ of the ‘80s. It was December […]

        • Live Reviews

          LIVE REVIEW: Kula Shaker at The 100 Club, London
          Live Reviews

          LIVE REVIEW: Kula Shaker at The 100 Club, London

          September 7, 2023

          Twenty years following the departure of their original organist in 1999, Kula Shaker released their sixth LP, First Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs, which can best be described as their most vital […]

          LIVE REVIEW: The Strokes at All Points East Festival, Mile End, London
          Live Reviews

          LIVE REVIEW: The Strokes at All Points East Festival

          August 29, 2023

          As well as 2023 ending the four-year hiatus since The Strokes headlined All Points East, this festival day saw terrific performances by The Walkmen, Amyl and the Sniffers and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. After taking […]

        • Round Up

          XS Noize Best Albums of 2018
          Round Up

          XS Noize Best Albums of 2018

          December 22, 2018

          2018 has been an incredible year for albums. The year saw the strongest new acts in decades release their debuts, as well as a number of alternative legends returning to top form. The world of dance […]

          The Best Of October 2018 PLAYLIST + ROUND-UP
          Round Up

          The Best Of October 2018 PLAYLIST + ROUND-UP

          October 29, 2018

          Welcome to the October 2018 edition of our monthly new music playlist, which is available to listen to and watch via YouTube. If you enjoy any of the songs featured here, we encourage you to support […]

        • In Focus

          IN FOCUS// Field Day 2023 with Aphex Twin, Bonobo, Arca and others at Victoria Park, London Credit: Alina Salihbekova
          IN FOCUS

          IN FOCUS// Field Day 2023 with Aphex Twin, Bonobo, Arca and others at Victoria Park, London

          August 22, 2023

          Victoria Park is a place of yearly festivities and grand summer concerts. On the 19th of August, one of the most creative and mysterious electronic music producers – Aphex Twin – had a hugely awaited […]

          IN FOCUS// STIFF LITTLE FINGERS at Custom House Square, Belfast © Bernie McAllister
          IN FOCUS

          IN FOCUS// STIFF LITTLE FINGERS at Custom House Square, Belfast

          August 21, 2023

          Following their SOLD OUT Custom House Square show in 2022, Legendary NI Punks STIFF LITTLE FINGERS returned to Custom House Square for another special night in Belfast on Saturday, 19th August 2023, alongside an all-star line-up […]

  • Gigs
        • Happy Mondays
          Gigs

          HAPPY MONDAYS announce UK tour for 2024 with special guests Inspiral Carpets & Stereo MCs

          September 29, 2023

          Legendary Manchester band Happy Mondays have announced a 16-date UK tour for March and April 2024, which will be their only shows of 2024. They will be joined on this special run of shows by […]

          Far From Saints
          Gigs

          FAR FROM SAINTS announce Dublin and Belfast dates as part of major UK and Ireland tour

          September 28, 2023

          After earning a no. 5 chart position in the UK Official Albums Chart and widespread critical acclaim for their self-titled debut album, Far From Saints today announce that they will play dates at Vicar Street, […]

          The Longest Johns
          Gigs

          THE LONGEST JOHNS announce headline show at Limelight, Belfast

          September 27, 2023

          Having met and bonded over sea shanties across a kitchen table in their native Bristol a decade ago, The Longest Johns – Jonathan ‘JD’ Darley, Andy Yates and Robbie Sattin – have sailed the seven […]

  • Interviews
        • Erene Mastrangeli
          Interviews

          INTERVIEW: Erene Mastrangeli talks latest single ‘Love, Shine’ & her new album

          September 27, 2023

          Regarded as Italy’s answer to Joni Mitchell, Erene Mastrangeli’s music entices flashbacks to the sounds and famed artists of yesteryears, notably the 70s, a decade which heavily influences Erene and the songs she shares with the […]

          Big Gigantic & AHEE
          Interviews

          INTERVIEW: Big Gigantic & AHEE talk about their new single ‘Oh Dang!’

          September 26, 2023

          Electronic dance music duo Big Gigantic, Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken teamed up with bass music producer AHEE to create a funk-filled, drop-heavy banger of a track, “Oh Dang!” After emerging in 2009, Big Gigantic […]

          Everyday Pharaohs
          Interviews

          INTERVIEW: Glasgow-based trio Everyday Pharaohs discuss infectious new single ‘Skelmo’

          September 19, 2023

          The Glasgow-based Everyday Pharaohs have been making waves in the music scene for some years now, becoming a regular name gracing the city’s venues. After recently releasing the uplifting and highly infectious ‘Skelmo’, I thought […]

  • Podcast
        • Princess Goes
          Podcast

          INTERVIEW: Princess Goes discuss their evolution in ‘Come of Age’

          September 28, 2023

          In episode #148 of The XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar meets and speaks to Michael C. Hall, Peter Yanowitz and Matt Katz-Bohen from Princess Goes about their 2nd album Come of Age. Come Of Age […]

          Brand New Friend
          Podcast

          INTERVIEW: Grandstand Glory: A Candid Conversation with Taylor and Lauren Johnson of Brand New Friend

          September 21, 2023

          In episode #147 of The XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar meets Taylor and Lauren Johnson of Brand New Friend to discuss their new album, ‘Grandstand.’ No strangers to Ireland’s buzzing live scene, Brand New Friend […]

          Alex Lowe
          Podcast

          INTERVIEW: Hurricane #1 frontman Alex Lowe on their new album ‘Backstage Waiting to Go On’

          September 20, 2023

          In episode #146 of The XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar meets Alex Lowe from Hurricane #1 to discuss their latest album ‘Backstage Waiting To Go On.’ With 2 top 20 albums and 7 top 40 […]

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  • Benpscott

Articles by Ben P Scott

Xsnoize Author
Ben P Scott
Ben P Scott is a writer and DJ from Somerset, UK. In his teens, he wrote the indie fanzine Supernova from 1997 until 2000 and has been writing for various music sites since 2010, including his own Rewind/Fast Forward site. He has many favourite bands and artists including Manic Street Preachers, The Fall, Blur, David Bowie, Mansun and Oasis.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Shaun Ryder - Visits from Future Technology 2
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Shaun Ryder – Visits from Future Technology

August 29, 2021 Ben P Scott

The ongoing longevity enjoyed by Happy Mondays and Black Grape legend Shaun Ryder is proof that his unique talents and maverick charm have woven themselves into the fabric of British culture. In a career of […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Penfriend - Exotic Monsters
Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Penfriend – Exotic Monsters

May 27, 2021 Ben P Scott

Proudly released independently and with a good chance of breaking into the UK Top 40 comes the hugely enjoyable debut album from Penfriend. The latest alias of Bristol-based multi-instrumentalist Laura Kidd is something of a […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Paul Weller - Fat Pop Vol 1
Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Paul Weller – Fat Pop Vol 1

May 26, 2021 Ben P Scott

It’s not just the diversity of Paul Weller’s 16th solo album that gives it the feel of a Best Of collection, but the stellar form of the songwriting. Described by the British legend himself as […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Teenage Fanclub - Endless Arcade
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Teenage Fanclub – Endless Arcade

April 30, 2021 Ben P Scott

The sound and style of Scottish indie legends Teenage Fanclub is one of comforting familiarity, and it’s very much business as usual on their 11th studio album Endless Arcade. Behind the scenes, however, there has […]

ALBUM REVIEW: The Lucid Dream - The Deep End
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: The Lucid Dream – The Deep End

April 20, 2021 Ben P Scott

With their triumphant fifth album, Carlisle based four-piece The Lucid Dream continues a fascinating journey that has come by leaps and bounds with each LP since the more typical psychedelic rock of their early years. […]

KINGS OF LEON reveal brand new video for new single 'Echoing'
Playlists

PLAYLIST: XS Noize – March 2021

March 22, 2021 Ben P Scott

The monthly XS Noize Spotify playlist brings together the essential new music of the last month featured on the website. The March 2021 edition features tracks from James, Paul Weller, Richard Ashcroft, Imelda May, Noel […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Bradford - Bright Hours
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Bradford – Bright Hours

March 2, 2021 Ben P Scott

“Like water through cracks, we creep and trickle-down”, sings Ian Hodgson on the opening track to the first Bradford album in over 30 years, very much summing up the underrated and “could’ve been” status of […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Mogwai - As The Love Continues
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Mogwai – As The Love Continues

February 18, 2021 Ben P Scott

25 years on from the release of their debut single, what could we possibly expect from another new Mogwai album? It’s become something of a cliché to state how consistent the Scottish group are, however […]

INTERVIEW: Scotland’s best-kept musical secret CHARLIE CLARK on his new single & being signed by Alan McGee 4
Interviews

INTERVIEW: Scotland’s best-kept musical secret CHARLIE CLARK on his new single & being signed by Alan McGee

February 9, 2021 Ben P Scott

Scottish singer-songwriter Charlie Clark has just released his brand new single ‘Don’t Have A Cow, Man!’, the first taste of his upcoming album Late Night Drinking. A multi-talented songwriter, Clark and lifelong friend Willie Campbell […]

THE ANCHORESS shares video for new single 'The Art of Losing' 1
Playlists

PLAYLIST: XS Noize February 2021 – Listen Now

February 5, 2021 Ben P Scott

The monthly XS Noize Spotify playlist brings together the essential new music of the last month featured on the website. The February 2021 edition features tracks from The Coral, Hello Cosmos, Teenage Fanclub, King Gizzard and […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Paul McCartney - McCartney III
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Paul McCartney – McCartney III

December 17, 2020 Ben P Scott

The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 meant that many of us had to spend a lot of time indoors. Definitely a bummer in most cases, but one of the few silver linings is that musical geniuses […]

LIVE REVIEW: Liam Gallagher - Down By The River Thames 1
Live Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Liam Gallagher – Down By The River Thames

December 6, 2020 Ben P Scott

Since the split of Oasis over a decade ago, the debate has continued on just who made the era-defining band what it was. While Noel Gallagher’s development and experimentation as a solo artist brings a […]

REVIEW: Mansun - 'Closed For Business' 25th anniversary box set
Album Reviews

REVIEW: Mansun – ‘Closed For Business’ 25th anniversary box set

December 5, 2020 Ben P Scott

Mansun were without a doubt one of the most interesting and unusual groups to grow from the Britpop era of the mid-’90s. While the industry and the music press were desperate to comfortably pigeonhole every […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Ultravox - Vienna (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Ultravox – Vienna (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

October 12, 2020 Ben P Scott

As a John Foxx-fronted five-piece, Ultravox (formerly with an added “!” in homage to Neu!) gained much critical acclaim with their increasing synth dominated glam punk rock, but split after third album Systems Of Romance […]

ALBUM REVIEW: James Dean Bradfield - Even In Exile
Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: James Dean Bradfield – Even In Exile

August 25, 2020 Ben P Scott

The last time Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield released a solo album was in 2006. His band were at a strange and somewhat transitional point in their long career, taking a few years […]

REVIEW: Gene - The Albums (Boxset)
Album Reviews

REVIEW: Gene – The Albums (Boxset)

August 14, 2020 Ben P Scott

In hindsight, it’s easy to see why Gene stood out amongst all the other British guitar bands that emerged in the mid-’90s, but it would also be a lie to claim that they had nothing to […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Jarv Is... - Beyond The Pale
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Jarv Is… – Beyond The Pale

August 6, 2020 Ben P Scott

After the Britpop years of the 90s had peaked, it’s fair to say the disillusionment with fame and the resulting hangover had left Pulp in a creative rut. 2001’s Scott Walker-produced ‘We Love Life’ would […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Manic Street Preachers - Gold Against The Soul (Deluxe Reissue)
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Manic Street Preachers – Gold Against The Soul (Deluxe Reissue)

June 11, 2020 Ben P Scott

Following 2014’s acclaimed Futurology, the stellar, anthemic 2018 album Resistance Is Futile reaffirmed the Manics’ position as the UK’s most resilient and enduring guitar band. As well as continuing to make brilliant new music, their […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Ist Ist - Architecture
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Ist Ist – Architecture

April 30, 2020 Ben P Scott

Formed in 2014 and having gathered traction with a series of well-received EPs, the four-piece Ist Ist is a band with an unmistakably Manchester sound. Their long-awaited debut LP arrives in the form of ‘Architecture’, […]

ALBUM REVIEW: The Orb - Abolition Of The Royal Familia
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: The Orb – Abolition Of The Royal Familia

March 25, 2020 Ben P Scott

32 years after its formation, The Orb follows the genre-hopping 2018 treasure No Sounds Are Out Of Bounds with this equally cerebral new LP. Abolition Of The Royal Familia is the Alex Paterson helmed unit’s […]

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