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  • Placebo Share Reworked ‘Lady of the Flowers’ From Forthcoming Album Placebo Re:Created
  • Peter Gabriel Shares New Track ‘Won’t Stand Down’ From Forthcoming Album o\i
  • ALBUM REVIEW: Foo Fighters – Your Favorite Toy
  • Glen Hansard on ‘Transmissions East’, Bob Dylan and a Record That Isn’t Looking Back | XS Noize Podcast #282
  • Natalie Imbruglia announces new album ‘Algorithm’ and shares new single ‘Upside Down’
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  • News
        • Placebo
          News

          Placebo Share Reworked ‘Lady of the Flowers’ From Forthcoming Album Placebo Re:Created

          May 1, 2026

          Today, Placebo release the newly reworked version of Lady of the Flowers, the second track to be shared from their forthcoming new album Placebo Re:Created, set for release 19th June 2026 via Elevator Lady Ltd through AWAL. Listen to Lady of the Flowers […]

          Peter Gabriel
          News

          Peter Gabriel Shares New Track ‘Won’t Stand Down’ From Forthcoming Album o\i

          May 1, 2026

          The flower moon of 1 May, 2026 is the first of two full moons in the month, and with it comes the release of the fifth song from Peter Gabriel’s forthcoming album o\i. Won’t Stand […]

          Natalia Imbruglia
          News

          Natalie Imbruglia announces new album ‘Algorithm’ and shares new single ‘Upside Down’

          April 29, 2026

          Natalia Imbruglia is known to millions as the star behind the global hit ‘Torn’ which remains one of the defining songs of the nineties. It started a phenomenal run of success which has included two BRIT Awards, three Grammy nominations, a Silver […]

  • Reviews
        • Album Reviews

          ALBUM REVIEW: Foo Fighters - Your Favourite Toy
          Album Reviews

          ALBUM REVIEW: Foo Fighters – Your Favorite Toy

          April 30, 2026

          If But Here We Are was the funeral, Your Favorite Toy is the violent, jagged intake of breath that follows – a resurrection that is dangerously alive. On their twelfth studio outing, Dave Grohl and gang […]

          ALBUM REVIEW: Stuck - Optimizer
          Album Reviews

          ALBUM REVIEW: Stuck – Optimizer

          April 21, 2026

          The dormant gears of Chicago’s post-punk stalwarts have finally ground back into motion. Following a three-year break, Stuck return with Optimizer, a record that suggests the only way to navigate a collapsing world is to […]

        • Book Reviews

          BOOK REVIEW: Y/N - Esther Yi
          Book Reviews

          BOOK REVIEW: Y/N – Esther Yi

          October 30, 2023

          K-Pop has reached an international audience. This year, BLACKPINK made history as the first K-pop band to headline a major UK festival at Hyde Park. The media’s coverage of BTS member’s enlistment into compulsory military […]

          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 […]

        • 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

          IN FOCUS: Survivalist Bring the Thunder to Limelight 2, Belfast (with Foetal Juice, Existentialist & Suffer) Credit: Marc Leach
          IN FOCUS

          IN FOCUS: Survivalist Bring the Thunder to Limelight 2, Belfast (with Foetal Juice, Existentialist & Suffer)

          April 5, 2026

          As Storm Dave closed in on Northern Ireland, another storm was already gathering. Inside Limelight 2, Belfast, local metal titans Survivalist unleashed thunder of their own — a fitting backdrop for the release of their […]

          LIVE REVIEW: Gorillaz bring 'The Mountain' to Belfast — no nostalgia at the SSE Arena debut Credit: Luke Dyson
          Live Reviews

          LIVE REVIEW: Gorillaz bring ‘The Mountain’ to Belfast — no nostalgia at the SSE Arena debut

          April 1, 2026

          Gorillaz finally made it to Belfast — and instead of rolling out a greatest hits set, they came in with something very different. Support came from Argentine rapper, singer and songwriter Trueno, and I’ve never […]

        • 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: Survivalist Bring the Thunder to Limelight 2, Belfast (with Foetal Juice, Existentialist & Suffer) Credit: Marc Leach
          IN FOCUS

          IN FOCUS: Survivalist Bring the Thunder to Limelight 2, Belfast (with Foetal Juice, Existentialist & Suffer)

          April 5, 2026

          As Storm Dave closed in on Northern Ireland, another storm was already gathering. Inside Limelight 2, Belfast, local metal titans Survivalist unleashed thunder of their own — a fitting backdrop for the release of their […]

          IN FOCUS// Ash ignite La Scala with career-spanning London show Credit: Denise Esposito
          IN FOCUS

          IN FOCUS// Ash ignite La Scala with career-spanning London show

          February 6, 2026

          On 3 February, Ash returned to La Scala for a blistering, high-energy London show. Packed wall to wall, the venue buzzed as the trio tore through a career-spanning set, seamlessly weaving in new material from […]

  • Gigs
        • December 10
          Gigs

          December 10 announce Ulster Hall, Belfast show for July 20th 2026

          April 2, 2026

          Britain’s brand-new boyband December 10 today announce December 10: The Next Step– kicking off in Edinburgh on Friday 10 July and wrapping in Dublin on Tuesday 21 July. “We loved our Introducing! run of shows […]

          White Denim
          Gigs

          White Denim set for Belfast return with Limelight 2 headline show on August 27th 2026

          March 30, 2026

          Formed in 2006, for approaching 20 years White Denim has been celebrated for their fearless blend of garage rock, soul, jazz fusion, psychedelia, and experimental improvisation. Based for much of that time in Austin, though […]

          Tom Jones
          Gigs

          Tom Jones to Play Dublin & Belfast Headline Shows This August 2026

          March 30, 2026

          Legendary Welsh singer and performer Tom Jones has announced a return to Ireland with a headline show within the idyllic grounds of Palmerstown House Estate, just 20 minutes from Dublin City Centre on Sunday 09th […]

  • Interviews
        • Col Gerrard
          Interviews

          INTERVIEW: Col Gerrard on his self-titled debut, touring with Boyzlife and what comes next

          April 20, 2026

          London-born singer-songwriter Col Gerrard has loved music from an early age, and that passion shines throughout his self-titled debut album. Drawing on a range of influences, the record takes listeners on an emotional journey, with […]

          Ganser
          Interviews

          INTERVIEW: Alicia Gaines on the Architecture of Ganser and Discomfort by Design

          April 12, 2026

          Chicago’s underground has always thrived in the margins, and few bands embody that restless, art-driven spirit quite like Ganser. Formed in the city’s DIY circuit, the group have carved out a reputation for wiry, confrontational […]

          Elles Bailey
          Interviews

          INTERVIEW: Elles Bailey on the Story Behind ‘Can’t Take My Story Away’

          March 9, 2026

          Singer-songwriter Elles Bailey released her latest album, Can’t Take My Story Away, at the beginning of this year. Produced by Luke Potashnick, the album is deeply personal and quietly powerful—rooted in resilience, reflection, and self-ownership. […]

  • Podcast
        • Glen Hansard on ‘Transmissions East’, Bob Dylan and a Record That Isn’t Looking Back | XS Noize Podcast #282
          Podcast

          Glen Hansard on ‘Transmissions East’, Bob Dylan and a Record That Isn’t Looking Back | XS Noize Podcast #282

          April 29, 2026

          In the latest episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar is joined by Glen Hansard for a warm, honest and deeply reflective conversation about his new live/studio album, Don+t Settle – (Vol 1 Transmissions […]

          Miles Hunt on 40 years of The Wonder Stuff, burnout, Vent 414 and starting over | XS Noize Podcast #281
          Podcast

          Miles Hunt on 40 years of The Wonder Stuff, burnout, Vent 414 and starting over | XS Noize Podcast #281

          April 22, 2026

          In the latest episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar is joined by Miles Hunt for a candid, funny and reflective conversation marking 40 years of The Wonder Stuff. You can watch the full […]

          Carol Decker on success, heartbreak, and finding her way back with T’Pau | XS Noize Podcast #280
          Podcast

          Carol Decker on success, heartbreak, and finding her way back with T’Pau | XS Noize Podcast #280

          April 14, 2026

          In the latest episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar is joined by Carol Decker for a candid, funny and revealing conversation about T’Pau’s return with the new album Be Wonderful. You can watch […]

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Articles by Michael Barron

Xsnoize Author
Michael Barron
Michael first began writing whilst studying at university; reviewing the latest releases and live gigs. He has since contributed to the Fortean Times as well as other publications. Michael’s musical tastes vary from Indie to psychedelic, folk and dubstep.
Website
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Paul Draper talks new solo tour, beards + Mansun reissues
Live Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Paul Draper – Rough Trade East, London

June 13, 2018 Michael Barron

In 1997, Paul Draper, with his band Mansun, released their debut album, Attack of the Grey Lantern. XS Noize recently reviewed the twenty-first-anniversary re-issue, finding that this Mansun debut had stood the test of time, […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Hilary Woods - Colt
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Hilary Woods – Colt

June 12, 2018 Michael Barron

What a stroke of luck, Hilary’s first teenage band experience was practically an overnight success, resulting in a stint international acclaim, two top twenty albums, four top forty singles (one of which would be named […]

HERE LIES MAN to release new album 'You Will Know Nothing' June 15th, via RidingEasy Records
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Here Lies Man – You Will Know Nothing

May 31, 2018 Michael Barron

Following their 2017 self-titled debut album which earned this LA band acclaim from BBC 6 & Classic Rock Magazine, Here Lies Man return with a sound which appears both highly scientific and mathematical; yet goes […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Mansun - Attack Of The Grey Lantern (21st Anniversary Remastered Edition)
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Mansun – Attack Of The Grey Lantern (21st Anniversary Remastered Edition)

May 17, 2018 Michael Barron

George Orwell once told the story about A Clergyman’s Daughter, Mansun tells the story about a Clergyman’s son: Paul Draper (the bands’ leader and frontman) and his bandmates Dominic Chad (guitar), Stove King (bass) and […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Owl John - 'Owl John' 1
Features

Obituary: Scott Hutchison – musician and founder of Frightened Rabbit

May 14, 2018 Michael Barron

On Wednesday 9th May 2018, it was revealed to the press that Scott Hutchison, lead singer for and founder of Frightened Rabbit had been reported missing. On 10th May 2018, it was confirmed that Scott […]

Irish three-piece Ash announce Autumn UK shows
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: ASH – ‘Islands’

May 8, 2018 Michael Barron

Although she was not a founding member, every teenage boy who was an Ash fan in the late nineties is still mourning the departure of Charlotte Hatherley (rhythm guitar, piano, backing vocals) when she left […]

GOMEZ announce 20th anniversary edition of Mercury Music Prize winning debut album 'Bring It On' + UK tour dates 3
Live Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Gomez – Royal Albert Hall, London

May 4, 2018 Michael Barron

The twentieth-anniversary celebrations of Gomez’s Mercury Award-winning debut album almost never got off the ground. When acclaimed support artist John Smith (having previously supported Richard Hawley) took to the stage, a pleasant folk guitar could […]

INTERVIEW: London-based indie band - USELESS CITIES discuss their sound, tour and festival dates 1
Interviews

INTERVIEW: London-based indie band – USELESS CITIES discuss their sound, tour and festival dates

May 1, 2018 Michael Barron

Following the premiere of their second EP ‘New Feelings’ on XS Noize in March 2017, Useless Cities are currently touring a string of national headline shows. Despite their demanding schedule, all four members have taken […]

Two Temple Place and The Roaring 2.0s to present: 100 Years of Jazz at Troxy, London on Friday 27th April 2018 1
Live Reviews

Two Temple Place and the Roaring 2.0s present 100 years of Jazz, Troxy, London

April 30, 2018 Michael Barron

To mark 100 years since Jazz reached Britain, Two Temple Place reopened to the public with its seventh annual winter exhibition, Rhythm & Reaction: The Age of Jazz in Britain which ran until 22nd April […]

LIVE REVIEW: Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, Cecil Sharp House, London
Live Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, Cecil Sharp House, London

April 23, 2018 Michael Barron

Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman go back a long way, to 1995, where they were part of the “unsung supergroup”, Equation, alongside Seth Lakeman and Kate Rusby. In the early noughties, the couple toured a […]

Two Temple Place and The Roaring 2.0s to present: 100 Years of Jazz at Troxy, London on Friday 27th April 2018 1
Gigs

Two Temple Place and The Roaring 2.0s to present: 100 Years of Jazz at Troxy, London on Friday 27th April 2018

April 13, 2018 Michael Barron

On Friday 27th April 2018, to commemorate Two Temple Place’s Rhythm & Reaction: The Age of Jazz in Britain 2018 exhibition, celebrating the age of Jazz in Britain (running until Sunday 22nd April 2018 ), […]

REVIEW: GANG OF FOUR - 'Complicit' EP
Album Reviews

REVIEW: GANG OF FOUR – ‘Complicit’ EP

April 10, 2018 Michael Barron

From their inception in 1977, taking their name from a Chinese Communist political faction associated with Mao Zedong’s widow, Andy Gill and his band Gang of Four have shown that they will not compromise the […]

MASTERSYSTEM reveal 'Enlightenment' – new single out today
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Mastersystem – Dance Music

March 29, 2018 Michael Barron

The story of Mastersystem began when Scottish band Frightened Rabbit recruited a couple filmmakers: The Lockey brothers (Justin Lockey (Editors lead guitar since 2012) and James Lockey (Minor Victories bass) to follow them around whilst […]

ALBUM REVIEW: The Levellers - 'We the Collective'
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: The Levellers – ‘We the Collective’

March 23, 2018 Michael Barron

When the Levellers announced that they were going to release a new acoustic album and that eight of these songs would be reinterpretations of their hit singles including One Way, Exodus and Hope Street, several […]

ALBUM REVIEW: DMA's - 'For Now'
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: DMA’s – ‘For Now’

March 19, 2018 Michael Barron

When Oasis was cited as a key influence on this trio’s sound; it became yet another issue that would divide the Gallagher brothers. Liam, after seeing them live sung DMA’s praises saying “I like what […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Cabbage - 'Post Nihilistic Glamour Shots'
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Cabbage – ‘Post Nihilistic Glamour Shots’

March 15, 2018 Michael Barron

Despite self-describing their sound as “Indie rock’s lowest common denominator”, in their short existence, Cabbage became the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition winners in 2016. They have released thirty-six singles and played over two hundred gigs. […]

ALBUM REVIEW: The Boxer Rebellion - Ghost Alive
Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: The Boxer Rebellion – Ghost Alive

March 11, 2018 Michael Barron

Whilst The Boxer Rebellion is correctly defined as an “international” indie alternative rock band; there are many things which make the Tennessee-native vocalist Nathan Nicholson distinctly British. Growing up, Nicholson recalled being “into a lot […]

THE BOXER REBELLION Announce New Album 'Ghost Alive' + UK Tour Dates 1
Live Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: The Boxer Rebellion, Islington Assembly Hall, London

March 1, 2018 Michael Barron

Black turtlenecks and black t-shirts were the chosen attire for this alternative rock band; though their attire was not what gave The Boxer Rebellion their own justly earned chapter in the modern history of music. […]

INTERVIEW: Jeremy Cunningham (The Levellers)
Interviews

INTERVIEW: Jeremy Cunningham (The Levellers)

February 20, 2018 Michael Barron

Michael Barron talks to Jeremy Cunningham about upcoming album ‘We The Collective’, released on March 9th. The album features a string section and the talents of legendary producer John Leckie (Radiohead, Stone Roses), the album contains new acoustic […]

LIVE REVIEW: The Levellers - Camden Roundhouse, London
Live Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: The Levellers – Camden Roundhouse, London

February 6, 2018 Michael Barron

In 2017, The Telegraph included The Levellers 1994 Glastonbury performance in the “top 50 best Glastonbury performances ever”. This performance drew the biggest crowd the Pyramid Stage ever saw with up to “300,000 people” seeing […]

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LATEST PODCASTS

  • Glen Hansard on ‘Transmissions East’, Bob Dylan and a Record That Isn’t Looking Back | XS Noize Podcast #282
    Glen Hansard on ‘Transmissions East’, Bob Dylan and a Record That Isn’t Looking Back | XS Noize Podcast #282
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  • Miles Hunt on 40 years of The Wonder Stuff, burnout, Vent 414 and starting over | XS Noize Podcast #281
    Miles Hunt on 40 years of The Wonder Stuff, burnout, Vent 414 and starting over | XS Noize Podcast #281
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  • Carol Decker on success, heartbreak, and finding her way back with T’Pau | XS Noize Podcast #280
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