Reviews

A lot has changed since Black Grape released their last LP, Pop Voodoo. Shaun Ryder was diagnosed with ADHD in 2020 and lost his brother Paul, and Kermit (Paul Leveridge) lost his father just days […]

In a year brimming with musical innovation and emotional resonance, the XS Noize 2023 Albums of the Year list reflects the diverse tapestry of sounds that have left an indelible mark on the music landscape. […]

With six LPs under his belt and having proved himself a master of rearrangements, Wolf, aka Patrick Denis Apps, had more than enough material to make his electro-pop folk and Baroque chamber music sound new […]

For too long now, a trend has emerged where people pay no interest to the support act or acts opening the leading performer. Venues are often barely a third packed within the first half an […]

Having performed at Glastonbury and opened for Blur, Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye, being Guildhall School of Music graduates, were ready to take on the two-night Barbican Centre residency. Jockstrap, nominated for the Mercury Prize, […]

Despite initially splitting up after just five years in 1998, with several extended hiatus’, Black Grape turned 30 this year. While there was no mention of this anniversary, new material debuted from their forthcoming fourth […]

Established artists and their managers over the last five years or so have agonised about how they will introduce new material live and build up enough nerve to avoid playing essential classic tracks. Van Morrison […]

The year is 2002. BBC 6 Music takes its first steps into the musical cosmos. In this cosmos, a star ceases to sparkle as we mourn the passing of Joe Strummer. Demonstrating the unpredictable aspects […]

The revered cult status of Bob Mould is, in many respects, an enigma. Mould is best known for his work in Hüsker Dü, which had modest commercial success. His biggest-selling LP, Copper Blue, was with […]

When you review an album, you usually get a bit of spiel from the PR company telling you a bit about the background of the artist and some details about their new release. The second […]

I recall watching an interview with Madness frontman Suggs in 2009 as he discussed their 9th studio album (10th if you count The Madness), The Liberty of Norton Folgate. He remarked how if you had […]

Alt-folk duo Smoke Fairies, aka Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies, release their sixth studio album, Carried in Sound, an album confronting the loss and grief of the intimate and challenging emotions that have on a […]

Diving Into the Arms of the Divine, the debut album from indie-pop/dream-pop duo SPELLES is a mystical, cinematic exploration of our inner worlds and the private hells therein. Made up of Luc Laurent and Kathryn […]

The Brand New Heavies began life in 1985 as an instrumental acid jazz group called Brothers International and changed their name once they signed their first record contract. When any band is still going strong […]

Hot Mulligan has had a busy, busy year. After completing a European tour, the group kicked off their North American tour on the 8th of November to a sold-out crowd. The entry queue stretched down […]

In 2002, L.S. Dunes vocalist Anthony Green, guitarist Frank Iero, drummer Tucker Rule, bassist Tim Payne and guitarist Travis Stever released their debut album, Past Lives, a post-hardcore, punk, boundary-pushing record which went on to […]

After almost a decade away from music, Grammy award-winning indie singer-songwriter Rob Giles releases his new album, Meditation Drive-Thru. At a sold-out show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, Giles walked off stage and stopped. […]

Micky Dolenz has been there and done that. From massive success with The Monkees to being a star of stage and screen (actor, writer, director, producer), he has earned his right to a relaxing retirement. […]