Articles by Michael Barron

Having an anniversary tour when a band’s significant album reached a poignant milestone is hardly an original concept. Still, with more artists doing these anniversary tours, they can be considered modern and part of the […]

Judging by the front cover, one might expect Pop Rock Icons to be festooned with infographics. It isn’t. Instead, it’s a collection of photographs depicting “London’s Swingin’ 60s & 70s”. Rather than homogenise and cluster […]

With over 25 years of being, Kula Shaker has built live staples guaranteed to enchant and exhilarate fans old and new. As has become a tradition, the four-piece opened with “Hey Dude”, which instantly gained […]

NOFX, throughout their almost four decades career, has been known for making controversial statements, and the band members have not become more mild-mannered as they enter their fifties. The latest being that the Beatles’ White […]

In 2007 with several high-charting singles and a debut number-one album, it looked like The Hoosiers had found The Trick to Life. Their sophomore effort, The Illusion of Safety, made it into the top ten, […]

In 2010 Bellowhead made history when their third LP, Headonism, became the highest-selling independently released folk album of all time. The eleven-piece (before they disbanded in 2016) then released another two albums, which earned them […]

Lowlife consists of Jordan Cardy (RATBOY) and his backing band, Liam Haygarth and Harry Todd. The trio gelled so well together that they decided to form their own band and take a DIY approach to […]

From hosting countless listening parties, which brought thousands of people together during a period they were most needed, to being an accomplished author, the Charlatans frontman has proved he is a master of many trades. […]

DMA’s efforts following their 2018 LP For Now have seen the band increasingly adopt dance elements and synths alongside their jangly indie-rock sound. They have never had a single that has entered the UK charts, […]

The first thing one notices with the artwork from Maximo Park’s latest LP, Nature Always Wins, is the stunning post-impressionist thick oil-based brushstrokes depicting an unidentified being in the water. Concerning artwork, the Newcastle upon […]

The year is 2005. Phones still have rudimentary cameras, and social media, as it is today, is still in an inchoate state. No one filmed on their phones or updated their status during gigs. There […]

One of the things that makes a great artist is their diversity and plethora of ideas. Xavier Rudd, being of Aboriginal, Irish and Scottish heritage, was at an excellent advantage to develop many ideas, which […]

Almost two decades ago, Dropkick Murphys covered Woody Guthrie’s “Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight” on their 2003 album Blackout. The idea of using Guthrie’s unreleased lyrics for a future Dropkick Murphys album has since been […]

Having won a scholarship to study at Eton College, Frank Turner always had potential. Along with his work ethic, sincerity and willingness to get people to participate and come together, his impact has been nothing […]

The number of biographies and autobiographies of artists is colossal, but what makes Sound within Sound unique is the largely unknown contributions of the ten twentieth-century artists Kate Molleson has featured. The one thing all […]

This twenty-first-anniversary edition of Know Your Enemy doesn’t feature the LP in its original track order. Instead, the first set of songs under the title of Door to the River feature, to use laypeople’s terms, […]

The Divine Comedy’s five-night residency at the Barbican was initially billed for October 2020 to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary. The Irish chamber pop band would chronologically play their first ten LPs back to back. […]

All Points East opened with Gorillaz headlining. Eight days in XS Noize caught up with The National, who were joined on stage by Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold. XS Noize also returned with headliners Nick […]