Articles by Michael Barron

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The last ABBA UK live performance took place on 11th December 1982. The Swedish quartet played ‘Thank You for the Music’ on The Late Breakfast Show hosted by Noel Edmonds almost five years before MTV […]

Much media coverage has been about large music venues and outside music events being pivotal to boosting the economy. Thankfully, some small music venues, including the 1,410-capacity Koko, received significant investment too. Following £ 70 […]

When Blur released their last LP, The Magic Whip, there was much joy since it was their first album since 1999’s 13, where each track featured all of the original band members. Furthermore, The Magic […]

Over two years ago, Belle and Sebastian announced they would perform two dates at the Camden Roundhouse. These February 2022 gigs were postponed for another nine months. A “health issue” pushed them back further to […]

Playing out a festival is always an honour. It is even more notable when the venue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For the most part, the sun shined. The seldom drops of rain that […]

When the Greenwich Summer Sounds festival kicked off with Nile Rogers & CHIC, the festival had to contend with brutal weather. Ponchos and waterproofs could not see off the worst of the rain. There was […]

Not only is the Old Royal Naval College over 330 years old with beautiful grounds idyllic for a summer festival, but it is also a cultural destination in the heart of the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO […]

Around a week before this show, Mötley Crüe issued a poster advertising an up-and-coming show for the band Dögs of War at The Underworld in Camden, London. With this gig occurring one day before Mötley […]

The 28th rendition of the Southbank Centre Meltdown annual festival has seen impressive performances by acts including art-rockers Warpaint. Before the festival curator Christine and the Queens played out the two final shows, Icelandic post-rockers […]

The Southbank Centre Meltdown annual festival has returned, where a famous artist curates ten days of fantastic music. Last year, Grace Jones curated, performed, and invited acts, including Skunk Anansie, to perform. This year’s curator […]

Whilst this poignant album celebrates 35 years of hits for the pop duo, the Pet Shop Boys story dates back to 1982 when vocalist Neil Tennant became the news editor of the former British teen […]

With the global events of 2020, the length of the hiatus since artists last performed in a specific location has soared. However, few artists have had a break of eight years since they last played […]

When the Levellers took their first acoustic album, We The Collective, of reinterpreted old and new songs on tour in 2018, the London leg took them to Camden Roundhouse in North London. Five years later, […]

Whilst Kultur Shock are a Seattle-based band, they do not have a presumed Seattle sound. As “de-facto founders of the gypsy punk movement”, their sound transcends geography. Over the last 26 years, Kultur Shock has […]

Exotico is different from Temples previous three albums for two reasons; firstly, it is the Kettering band’s debut double album; secondly, it is the first LP that is not self-produced. Exotico was produced by Sean […]