Named after a French football team, Saint Etienne have been the darlings of indie-pop, dance, and kitchen-sink storytelling since the 1990s. Few bands have captured everyday life with such charm, always anchoring their songs in […]
Manchester indie-rock outfit Rosellas have been grafting hard since their first gig in July 2019. Through lockdown, COVID, and relentless touring, they’ve steadily built their reputation, selling out increasingly bigger venues and earning a loyal […]
The Crystal Teardrop may have only been together for two years, but they’ve already carved out a significant following in the psychedelic and underground music scenes. Now, all their creative momentum has crystallised (pun intended) […]
Mandrake Handshake is a dynamic, shape-shifting collective from Oxford. Its members range from seven to ten. Their lineup includes Row Janjuah (lead guitar/vocals), Trinity Oksana (lead vocals), Elvis Thirlwell (percussion), Joe Bourdier (drums), Rudy Mae […]
When I think of British trio Saint Etienne, I’m transported to the 90s: a blend of indie-dance tracks infused with 60s influences like “Nothing Can Stop Us.” Their music conjures images of kitchen-sink dramas, green […]
Gruff Rhys releases his new album Sadness Sets Me Free on Rough Trade Records. Amazingly, this is the 25th album he has released in his 35-year career, individually and collaboratively, and as a member of […]
Nicky Wire, bassist and lyricist for Welsh band Manic Street Preachers, has released a solo album as a follow-up to his 2006 debut, I Killed the Zeitgeist. Intimism is 12 songs released on Bandcamp, produced by […]
In 1962, a record was created, through a spur-of-the-moment jam, of four musicians in Memphis, Tennessee. That record, ‘Green Onions’, went on to become the most popular instrumental ever recorded. Released in the summer of […]
Manchester quartet, The Slow Readers Club are back with their sixth studio album Knowledge Freedom Power. Following on from their 2020 Top 10 album The Joy of the Return which was released around the time […]
Ah, Voice of the Beehive, that takes me back. They first came into my existence somewhere back in 1987 with their video “I Say Nothing”, a dayglo, kickass ‘indie’ record that went straight for the […]
First conceived in 2017, a year in which King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the Australian psychedelic six, released five new albums, it’s only just arriving now. Band member Stu Mackenzie states: “I think of […]
I Don’t Belong Anywhere is October Drift’s follow-up to their debut album Forever Whatever in 2020. The Taunton quartet have been playing most of their lives (since age 13) and are Alex Bispham (bass), Chris […]
Arthur Brown is back! The original God of Hellfire releases his new album Long Long Road this week, on his 80th birthday, featuring multi-instrumentalist Rik Patten. Arthur Brown released the pulsating, career-defining track, Fire, in 1968, […]
‘I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you…!’ The people of Sale, Manchester, were treated to a visual/aural experience this Friday evening. Arthur Brown, rock legend of the mesmerizing 60s track Fire, is […]
Vocalist and guitarist Brian Molko and bassist Stefan Olsdal who make up Placebo, return, this time as a duo, following the departure of drummer Steve Forrest in 2015. It’s been almost nine years since they […]
Richard Ashcroft releases his new album Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1 on October 29th. It contains 12 newly recorded acoustic versions of songs from his time in The Verve (including the classic Urban Hymns album) and […]
James releases their 16th studio album on June 4th, All The Colours Of You. Recorded partly before the pandemic, it’s produced by Jacknife Lee, the Grammy award-winning producer for U2, REM and The Killers, to […]
October Drift returns with their acoustic EP Naked released on Physical Education Records on 6th November. This follows on from the success of their debut album Forever Whatever, released earlier this year, which received critical […]
Back in March, I reviewed the fourth studio album by The Slow Readers Club The Joy of the Return. I hardly expected, seven months later, to be reviewing a follow-up but then we’ve had a […]
Manchester trio Doves return with their fifth studio album, The Universal Want, released on September 11, 2020. Comprising Jimi Goodwin (vocals, bass, guitar), Jez Williams (guitar, vocals), and Andy Williams (drums, vocals), with unofficial fourth […]