Born To Do It: Skindred Frontman Benji Webbe's Top Tips For A Rocking Live Show

“You’re either born to do it or you’re not, and I guess I was born to do it,” Benji Webbe says, a few hours before hitting the stage at Cardiff’s Tramshed with his band, Skindred. “The whole stage performance thing, I fell in love with it from a very early age—I loved putting on the clothes for the Christmas play in Junior School.” When he says early he means early, then. Start as you mean to go on.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 27 November 2018

Driven By Honesty: Barry Dolan Discusses Oxygen Thief's 'Confusion Species'

Photo: Chris Taylor When Bristol-based songwriter Barry Dolan released 'Destroy It Yourself', the first Oxygen Thief album, in 2011, he stood out for his entirely acoustic take on melodic hardcore if not the subjects he explored. Dolan conveyed ruminations on love, loss and hypocrisy through cryptic metaphors and sharp turns of phrase, complemented by fitful riffing without a backdrop.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 22 November 2018

Nice Electricity: Inside Jawbone's Sizzling Old School Debut

Photo: Rob Blackham Sometimes an album arrives from out of nowhere and knocks you off your feet. There’s something new, yet familiar, about its melodies, its heart-warming immediacy and the effortless chemistry that oozes from the bewitching songs within. We’re basically talking the musical equivalent of love at first sight, which is exactly what fans of bluesy rock ‘n’ roll and American roots music will doubtless feel after hearing Jawbone’s quietly magnificent self-titled bow.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 14 November 2018

'We Wanted To Reach People on a Personal Level': Pijn Discuss The Genre-Defying Power Of 'Loss'

A striking development in the past decade or so has been the extent to which people discover music through mood as opposed to genre. Streaming services have adapted to perceived consumer demand by releasing reams of playlists tailored to every emotion or context imaginable, from deeply depressed to “songs to sing to in the car”. This has its upsides and downsides for a band like Pijn.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Monday, 12 November 2018

Still Evil After All These Years: Bidding Farewell With 10 Of The Best From Thrash Idols Slayer

Photo: Gene Ambo When it was announced back in January that Slayer would pack it in after one final world tour, metalheads across the globe lost the plot for a little while as anticipation swelled ahead of a historic send off. The most evil band of all time are currently packing out arenas in the UK and Ireland, providing a thrash metal experience like no other group can thanks to their ferocious reputation, a stack of crushing guitar riffs, breakneck tempo changes and Tom Araya’s grizzled vocals.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Wednesday, 07 November 2018

Unheavenly Creatures: Coheed and Cambria Turn A New Page

Concept is sometimes a dirty word in rock ‘n’ roll but it’s one that’s impossible to avoid when you’re talking about New York prog heroes Coheed and Cambria, who have crafted a rich catalogue set against the science-fiction backdrop of The Amory Wars, a comic book written by frontman Claudio Sanchez.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Monday, 05 November 2018

If You Have Ghost: The Evolution of Metal's Satanic Disco Showstoppers

Illustration: Sam Davies There is a world of difference between Ghost today and the dark, shadowy group that emerged from an occult realm with the release of ‘Opus Eponymous’ at the turn of the decade. Once a band that disgorged Sabbathian doom metal splattered with gothic horror imagery, they have evolved into a rock spectacle that’s part pantomime, part musical and part Satanic disco.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Friday, 26 October 2018

Antarctigo Vespucci Rides Again: Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock Get The Band Back Together

Photo: Andy De Santis I know Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock are friends. You know Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock are friends. But do Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock know that Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock are friends? “Hey,” Farren says from the stage at Bristol’s Exchange. “If you’re excited for Jeff Rosenstock, let me hear you say...‘CHRIS FARREN!’” When Rosenstock’s guitar packs up mid-set, his attempts to borrow Farren’s are met with silence until a member of his band suggests Tweeting him. Yeah, that’d probably do it, Jeff nods.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 24 October 2018

The Importance of Growth: Soccer Mommy Talks Life Leading Up To 'Clean'

Photo: Natalia Mantini At Thekla, Bristol’s famous floating venue, Soccer Mommy’s Your Dog gets the best reaction from the crowd. Its sentiments reach further than its three minutes of poppy guitar licks as Sophie Allison tells us: “I don't wanna be your fucking dog.”

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Monday, 22 October 2018

Standing Out From The Crowd: Introducing Adwaith And Their Debut Album 'Melyn'

Photo: The Shoot Adwaith have one of the most streamed Welsh language songs of all time, and Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield recently remixed one of their tracks. But there are still way too many people out there who’ve never heard of the Carmarthen trio. Why is that?

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Wednesday, 17 October 2018

One Step Back, Two Steps Forward: Mike Lindsay On Rekindling the Magic of Tunng

“Progressive folk… acid wonk pop?"

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Wednesday, 17 October 2018

Safe Hands: Cardiff's Sŵn Festival Starts Over With An Exciting Bill

Cardiff mainstay Sŵn Festival is back, so get ready to flex your musical muscles during four riotous days of gigs across various venues in the Welsh capital.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Tuesday, 16 October 2018

Technical And Topical: Black Peaks' Guitarist Joe Gosney Discusses 'All That Divides'

Music critics are often guilty of presenting rock's history as linear. Progressive rock emerged out of pop music and psychedelia in the late 1960s but was ultimately killed off by punk in the late 1970s, so the narrative goes. Punk, with its raw sound and DIY ethic, was also a better vehicle for voicing social and political issues than prog, which was considered more escapist and lyrically concerned with “high culture”.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Friday, 12 October 2018

Boygenius: The Badass Supergroup We've All Been Waiting For

Photo: Lera Pentelute Earlier this summer, three like-minded indie-rock musicians began teasing their fans. Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus were pictured together, draped moodily on a sofa. Looking suspiciously like the sleeve image from Crosby, Stills and Nash’s self-titled bow, the word ‘Boygenius’ ran below them, as well as that all-important stamp of approval from Matador Records. Speculation bubbled. Rumours were whispered.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Wednesday, 10 October 2018

Shameless Outsiders: El Ten Eleven's Tim Fogarty Talks 'Banker's Hill'

El Ten Eleven have never quite garnered the adulation they deserve, despite emerging from the noughties instrumental boom that spawned Explosions in the Sky, Russian Circles and countless others. It's a shame as their ambitious arrangements and daring songwriting approach have always marked them out as an interesting proposition. While other post-rockers focus on linear guitar progressions and reverb-driven crescendos, El Ten Eleven construct their unpredictable yet atmospheric sound with copious loops, vamps and pedal-led effects.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Monday, 08 October 2018

Poetry Versus Precision: Estrons Talk 'You Say I'm Too Much, I Say You're Not Enough'

Photo: Imogen Forte When Estrons vocalist Tali Källström played a test pressing of the band’s debut album to a friend, their response was easy to remember. “It sounds like you’ve dipped in and had sex with every genre,” they said. Well, they’re not wrong.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 05 October 2018

Cool With The Bargain Bin: Mike Pace Investigates The Pop Form On 'Smooth Sailing'

A few weekends ago there was a sale at a record shop in the next town over. Their stock list had ballooned, taking over a small warehouse space on a suburban street. Pretty much everything had to go, and it was going cheap. The bargain bin has no respect for reputation, so nestled among the trashy cock rock LPs were rough diamonds and certified gems; ambitious works that shifted serious units and ambitious works that were chalked up to folly back when labels were paying for things like that.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 04 October 2018

I Hope That People Can Find Catharsis In It: Tim Kasher Discusses Cursive's Powerful 'Vitriola'

Photo: Tony Bonacci “The United States President is currently buddying up with every dictator and shooing away anyone who looks remotely democratic and globalist. That’s weird. That’s weird and it’s upsetting,” Tim Kasher says, discussing the inspiration behind Cursive’s first album in six years, ‘Vitriola’.

Written by: Jennifer Geddes | Date: Wednesday, 03 October 2018

We Got Lucky: Kevin Devine And Petal's Kiley Lotz Sculpt A Perfect Tribute To Tom Petty

It’s one year since we said we’d see Tom Petty somewhere along the road, and it’s still a bitter one to swallow. We’ve had time to accept that there’s a full stop to his story, and to understand our relationship with his music in a new context, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 02 October 2018

This Is Death Of The Ego: Dabbla Talks The Ambitious Cross Pollination of 'Death Moves'

The hip-hop industry can be pretty cut-throat at the best of times and it's a challenge for artists to keep the fires burning past a certain age, let alone remain at the top of their game. And yet, as he edges closer to 40, Dabbla is running rings around rappers half his age with swagger and conviction. Hailing from London, he has long held a reputation for being your favourite rapper's favourite rapper and in the last 12 months alone he's been endorsed by comedian Romesh Ranganathan and actor Ed Skrein, among others.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Tuesday, 02 October 2018

"I See Stuff For What It Really Is, And That's A Curse": Doe Discuss Second LP 'Grow Into It'

Photo: Andrew Northrop Earlier this year Doe celebrated their fifth birthday, while all three members of the London indie-rock band are either in their early 30s or about to step across the precipice. On their second LP, ‘Grow Into It’, they appropriately find themselves taking stock.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Monday, 01 October 2018

Light, Love and Lineage: Amy Helm Keeps Her Family's Fire Burning

Photo: Ebru Yildiz To some people music is much more than just a form of entertainment or artistic expression. On her latest solo album ‘This Too Shall Light’ Amy Helm, daughter of the Band’s legendary singing drummer Levon Helm and singer-songwriter Libby Titus, has not only crafted a beautiful collection of gospel-infused Americana gems, but also a record with a rich sense of heritage dripping from every note.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 27 September 2018

Making A Big Noise Is Fun: Inside The Weird And Wonderful World Of HMS Morris

Let’s start with some advice from Heledd Watkins and Sam Roberts, who are the backbone of the Welsh-speaking, genre-melding psych-pop band HMS Morris: “Expect the unexpected.”

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Wednesday, 26 September 2018

True Rockers Take Risks: Why Monster Truck Are Set To Explode

Armed with a bulldozing brand of stoner-infused, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll, Canada’s Monster Truck have steadily established themselves as a must see live act over the last decade. Having battered more and more eardrums into submission at progressively larger venues, particularly as a support act to Deep Purple, Alter Bridge and Black Stone Cherry, arena headlining status has increasingly seemed like it’s theirs for the taking. And if their relentlessly anthemic third album ‘True Rockers’ is anything to go by, heaven help anyone who tries to stop them.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 25 September 2018

It's Important To Put Back Into The Scene: Introducing The Jazz-Flecked Style of Oscar Jerome

Photo: Dashti Jafar “I am a strong believer that if you go into making art with a predefined idea of what you want it to be,” Oscar Jerome says. “Your art will never achieve its full potential.”

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Monday, 24 September 2018

New Faces, New Sound: How Federal Charm Moved Forwards on 'Passenger'

Imagine being in a rock ‘n’ roll band with two albums under your belt and a fistful of big-name support slots in the bank. Imagine you spent the best part of a decade building a fanbase. Then, just as you’re preparing to make that all important third album, imagine waving goodbye to half the group. Do you wallow in self-pity? Wave the white flag and call it quits? Or recruit two new members and bounce back with your strongest album to date.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 18 September 2018

Stop Standing Still: The Goon Sax Evolve On The Rich, Ambitious 'We're Not Talking'

Photo: Ben O'Connor Louis Forster keeps forgetting something. He’s at his band’s rehearsal room picking up some gear. They’re going on tour; landing in London and moving on to an opening night in Glasgow after the long trip over from Brisbane. They’re pretty much good to go.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 17 September 2018

Grin Through The Dark Stuff: The Dirty Nil Return With The Mighty 'Master Volume'

Towards the end of Pain of Infinity, one of the singles from the Dirty Nil’s new record ‘Master Volume’, Luke Bentham drawls “and another thing, baby...” before ripping a guitar solo. He gets back to the microphone in time to yell: “I never loved you and I hate your friends.” The frontman is inconsiderately handsome, and has been known to play a Gibson Les Paul mid-knee slide while chewing bubblegum and wearing a star-spangled denim cowboy shirt.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 11 September 2018

Living Their Best Lives: Idles' Joe Talbot Talks Their New Album 'Joy As An Act Of Resistance'

Crackling through a speakerphone, Joe Talbot’s voice is calm and level. “I don’t feel any pressure to do anything,” he says. “It’s up to me. I genuinely don’t care what anyone else makes of what I do. It’s up to me to be as honest to myself, and truthful to the band and our art, as possible. The rest is up to you.”

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 30 August 2018

Green Man: We All Had A Lovely Time (Again)

According to the weather forecast, we’re getting lows of 12 degrees and frequent showers, which isn’t what anyone wants to hear in the days running up to a festival. Particularly as we’ve just sweated through the hottest summer since 1976. Mac and wellies at the ready (with the suncream left at home in protest), stepping through the door was an exercise in mentally preparing for a long weekend of feeling soaked to the bone. But Green Man doesn’t allow for moping.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Friday, 24 August 2018

From Blues Boy To Next Big Thing: The Making of Dan Owen

It’s easy to question the authenticity of any young musician who stirs up a super-sized buzz. Are they merely a record company’s latest marionette? Yet another superficial media darling destined for 15 minutes of fame? Dan Owen certainly generated significant plaudits before his debut album, ‘Stay Awake With Me’, had even been released, but the finished product revealed a special singer-songwriter who, after years of grafting for his shot at the big time, is being lauded for all the right reasons.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 23 August 2018

I Guess I'm Dying Old: Twenty Years In A Day With The Lawrence Arms, The Menzingers and Lagwagon

td#right {display:none !important;} Illustration: Samuel Davies There’s this great indie-rock song going around called Hope You Like Getting Old. It’s by the Seattle band Subways on the Sun and its video is full of stuff that used to clutter my shelves when I was a kid - a VHS copy of The Empire Strikes Back, an Optimus Prime figure, a lava lamp like the one my girlfriend got me for my 17th birthday. Watching it is to submit to that addictive, rose-tinted sadness that’s so hot right now. It’s Proust with power chords.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 22 August 2018

Staying High and Staying Focused: Fliptrix Talks 'Inexhale'

When we last spoke to Fliptrix nearly two years ago, he described the UK hip hop scene as being “in the best place it's ever been”. It was obvious why he was in a buoyant mood: in the space of 12 months, he'd worked with legendary producer DJ Premier on a track for his Four Owls project and signed chart-busting up-and-comer Ocean Wisdom to High Focus, the underground label he runs from London. But having released six stellar LPs over 10 years, the one thing he deserved more recognition for was his own music.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Tuesday, 21 August 2018

Life In A Whirlwind: Mt. Joy Discuss Their Startling Rise

Until a certain streaming service turned their lifelong musical fantasies into a reality, the members of folky Americana quintet Mt. Joy were on a very different path indeed. To retool an old saying, life as they know it happened while they were busy living other best laid plans.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 15 August 2018

Beginning, Middle and End: Ash's Tim Wheeler On Crafting 'Islands'

Once we had survived a punishing winter that would have made even your average White Walker cling to their hot water bottle, it came time to talk ‘soundtrack to the summer’. As ever, the conversation pretty much started and finished with Ash. Possessing a typically enchanting feelgood factor that belied the heartache at its core, the Northern Irish trio’s new album ‘Islands’ was tailor made to accompany bright blue skies and long lazy days topping up your tan.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 14 August 2018

'It Feels Like A Landmark Album For Us': Delta Sleep Discuss The Expansive 'Ghost City'

Photo: Paola Baltazar​ Much like prog before it, math-rock hasn't always appeared the most accessible of genres. As a form, it's designed to keep listeners on their toes, directing and misdirecting with syncopated rhythms, jagged melodic progressions and non-standard time signatures. That might not seem like a recipe for commercial success, but if there's one thing Brits can get behind it's art that's awkward, intelligent and self aware.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Friday, 10 August 2018

'I'm A Boy Staring Up Into Space': Jay Forrest Talks The Return Of Hopesfall

Photo: Natalie Bisignano Few bands have enjoyed a career as varied and colourful as Hopesfall's. Forming 20 years ago in North Carolina, they emerged just as metalcore and other forms of moody hard rock were beginning to take off. However, they aren't remembered for their contributions to the scene as much as how they subverted its tropes. Drawing from screamo and psychedelic space rock in equal measures, their releases 'No Wings to Speak Of' and 'The Satellite Years' to this day stand up as classics of the genre.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Wednesday, 08 August 2018

Birds of a Feather: How The Magpie Salute Flocked Together

Throughout our lives the majority of us will make meaningful and lasting connections, forging relationships that, at their most natural, seem impervious to time and distance. Paths can diverge and years fly by, but once we’re back in each other’s orbits the old rapport immediately returns. That’s something Rich Robinson, formerly of the Black Crowes, will certainly attest to after a one-off gig with some former collaborators swiftly turned into a brand new band with over 30 years of shared history.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 07 August 2018

Fresh Start Fever: The Evolution Of You Me At Six

A decade ago you couldn’t spend a night in a rock club without hearing Save It For The Bedroom. You Me At Six’s breakthrough hit arrived when UK pop-punk was about to crest its mainstream peak, with its bands sharing sweeping fringes and lofty ambitions with the emo groups who were also making their way onto the radio.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 02 August 2018

It's About Being Strong For Everyone Around You: Kyle Fasel Talks Real Friends' 'Composure'

Kyle Fasel chooses his words carefully. As well he might, because that’s how he makes a living. He plays bass and writes lyrics for Real Friends, the Illinois pop-punk-emo band who are helping close out Warped Tour for the final time.

Written by: Jennifer Geddes | Date: Thursday, 26 July 2018

There's Something About You: The Beths Strike Pop Gold on 'Future Me Hates Me'

The Beths are learning Welsh. It’s a little after 10 at Le Pub in Newport, and the New Zealand indie-pop band are parroting back a few reliable words and phrases shouted from the crowd. They try cwtch and iechyd da on for size before Elizabeth Stokes draws a line under it. “We’re butchering this,” she says. “Let’s do a song.”

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 18 July 2018

On Writing: Ellis Jones Takes Trust Fund Into Reflective Waters With 'Bringing The Backline'

History tells us that writers love to write about writers, and writing, and cafés, and corner tables in dive bars, and coffee and whiskey, and notebooks and typewriters, and muses and boyfriends and girlfriends and crushes.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 26 June 2018

Download Festival 2018: Ageless Anthems And ​Stunning Sunshine At The Ultimate Metal Party

Photo: Matt Eachus So, Download is over for another year. After days of glorious sunshine (!), 100,000 people are now slowly readjusting to life outside the hallowed gates of Donington Park following another edition of one of the biggest rock, metal and punk parties in the world. Until we do it all again next summer, all that’s left to do is talk about the memories.

Written by: Jon Stickler and Dave Ball | Date: Wednesday, 20 June 2018

'It's About Departure; Burning Bridges And Not Regretting It': Zeal & Ardor On 'Stranger Fruit'

Photo: Manuel Gagneux A crow caws. There’s the sound of crunching and snapping. “I’m in a graaaaveyard,” says Manuel Gagneux. But he isn't really in a graveyard.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 13 June 2018

Can't Help Falling in Love: Patti Smith Captivates At Cardiff's Festival of Voice

Photos: Janire Najera It took almost 50 years to build St. John the Evangelist in Canton, a mile or so from the centre of Cardiff. Some parts of the church came together relatively quickly, including the nave and the aisles, but others took time.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 12 June 2018

New Kid On The Block: All Points East Enjoys A Winning Start

Photo: Rory Marcham The first staging of All Points East had a lot riding on it. A new London festival with a stellar line up, plus several similarly star-studded sideshows, it had to overcome an already stacked calendar of competitors and some inevitable teething problems. And it did. Helen Payne found some awkward stage timings to navigate during an otherwise perfect, if excessive, few days.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Friday, 08 June 2018

Hip-hop, Not Easy Listening: Lewis Parker On 20 Years of 'Masquerades & Silhouettes'

For people of a certain generation, English producer Lewis Parker is best known for working with Ghostface Killah and being sampled by Joey Bada$$. Flitting between London and New York, Parker has made his name as one of hip-hop's most respected underground heads, renowned for his impeccable groove-based beats.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 07 June 2018

Timing Is Everything: Davey Newington Talks Boy Azooga's Debut LP '1,2 Kung Fu!'

Photo: Stella Gelardi Malfilatre More haste, less speed. It’s a lesson a lot of us learn the hard way, and one that has shaped Davey Newington’s trajectory with his latest musical project, Boy Azooga.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Wednesday, 06 June 2018

Enjoy the Balance: Collective Soul's Will Turpin Shines on 'Serengeti Drivers'

Every now and then an album arrives from out of nowhere and instantly brightens up your day. Like rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds, ‘Serengeti Drivers’ – the debut solo album from Collective Soul bassist Will Turpin – is quite simply an unexpected treat. Bursting to the brim with a melodious mix of pop, rock, Americana, funk, soul and AOR, it’s the kind of record summer was invented for.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 05 June 2018

Loneliness and The Solo Artist: Jess Abbott Talks Tancred's 'Nightstand'

Photo: Shervin Lainez One of the enduring challenges facing any writer is making people feel as though they’re in the room, and experiencing things in real time. On ‘Nightstand’, the new Tancred album, Jess Abbott’s solution is to load up on specifics.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 31 May 2018