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

Journey of a Wild Heart: Introducing Kashena Sampson

She may have been mentioned by Rolling Stone magazine in the same breath as Stevie Nicks, and already had her music compared to Linda Ronstadt, Bobbie Gentry and Jim Croce, but Kashena Sampson is capable of standing on her own two feet. Her debut album, ‘Wild Heart’, showcases a singer-songwriter whose artistic authenticity and integrity is increasingly rare in Nashville these days.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 31 May 2018

'It's Like It Was When Korn Started': Jonathan Davis Strikes Out On His Own With 'Black Labyrinth'

Photo: J Weiner Photography “Boom na da noom na na nema, da boom na da noom na namena.” Twenty years ago, Jonathan Davis’s vocal breakdown in Freak on a Leash made perfect sense. Nu metal had almost reached its commercial peak and Korn were shitting out hits, blowing up cars in their music videos and always staying ahead of their imitators – so brashly that their 1998 album was named ‘Follow The Leader’.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 25 May 2018

Did You Hear The '59 Sound? The Gaslight Anthem and a Grand Rock Tradition

Illustration: Thomas Norton “Is Brian around?”  Bruce Springsteen has just pulled a cardboard sign from the Hyde Park crowd and flashed it around E-Street. A moment later Brian Fallon walks out from the wings, having opened the show with his band, the Gaslight Anthem. He embraces Springsteen before Max Weinberg’s kick drum counts in No Surrender.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 24 May 2018

Forget The Barriers: Goat Girl And The Power of Subverting Expectations

Photo: Holly Whitaker Expectations are constantly being placed on Goat Girl, and they just keep quietly subverting them. The band were hyped by London’s music press before they had released their debut single, while a narrative grew around them as a political garage-rock band that was part of a growing scene in south London. They then signed to Rough Trade, and 18 months later their self-titled debut album was released. Here they finally have an opportunity to let the music speak for itself.

Written by: Jennifer Geddes | Date: Tuesday, 22 May 2018

It's Loud And Wild, But I Swear It Feels Soft: Beach Slang's James Alex Talks Quiet Slang

When we think of Beach Slang, we think of screaming our lungs out with our best friends, t-shirts soaked with sweat and beer, as a man in a crushed velvet jacket leads a dive bar chorus. We certainly do not envision being brought to the brink of tears by the gentle melodies of the same songs after they have been recast with a hauntingly beautiful orchestral backdrop. But that’s the alchemy at the heart of James Alex’s Quiet Slang experiment.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 17 May 2018

How To Be a Real Adult: Common Holly on 'Playing House' and Finding Your Place

Photo: Sean Mundy  “We’re all pretending to be adults on a fairly constant basis.” Brigitte Naggar tells it like it is. Her thoughtful, considered debut album as Common Holly, ‘Playing House’, was released in October last year, and although it jogs down the well-trodden break up path, she covers the difficult ground through sparse guitar textures, unexpected math-rock production and truly relatable twentysomething lyricism.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Tuesday, 15 May 2018

Rock The House 'Til Its Closing: Nils Lofgren Discusses 50 Years On Stage

Photo: Cristina Arrigoni Rock ‘n’ roll would be nothing without a little mythmaking, and Nils Lofgren’s career lends itself to it.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 08 May 2018

Music Is Meant To Inspire: How Brothers Osborne Created The Sprawling 'Port Saint Joe'

The notion of genre as insular and self-contained is eroding. In a way that reflects our increasingly interconnected global community, exposure to a wider variety of influences means that fewer artists will stick devoutly to one style. Stuffy traditionalists will complain, but on their sophomore record ‘Port Saint Joe’ the Brothers Osborne show exactly why such an eclectic approach can reboot venerable musical forms in a fresh and exciting way.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 04 May 2018

Music Was Always There: Jake Ewald Talks Starting Again With Slaughter Beach, Dog

Photo: Jess Flynn Back in February of last year, Jake Ewald had to find a new job. After several years spent writing records and touring with Modern Baseball, the band went on indefinite hiatus. The statement they released referred to the fact that they had been “championing the importance of mental health” and that the band had become a source of anxiety that they could no longer ignore.

Written by: Jennifer Geddes | Date: Friday, 04 May 2018

A Different Perspective: TesseracT On 'Sonder' and The Quest To Keep Moving Forward

They started life as the bedroom project and Myspace page of guitarist Acle Kahney, but now Tesseract are credited with pioneering the madly expansive djent genre, have a intercontinental following, and can be safely regarded as one of the UK’s biggest names and exports in prog metal.

Written by: Guy Hirst | Date: Friday, 27 April 2018

Weed, Riffs And Prog: Boss Keloid Head Into The Unknown

In a little under a decade together, Boss Keloid have earned a good deal of support from the metal community. Having risen up from the scene in the north-west of England, the Wigan five piece have performed at Bloodstock and been hotly tipped by Metal Hammer, Kerrang, and Terrorizer. Much of this acclaim is owed to their killer sophomore album, ‘Herb Your Enthusiasm’, which, understandably, turned the heads of stoner-doom enthusiasts across the weedesphere back in 2016.

Written by: Guy Hirst | Date: Thursday, 26 April 2018

The More You Make, The Better You Get: The Prolific Jay Watson of GUM on 'The Underdog'

Jay Watson is the epitome of chill. His voice crackles through the phone from 10,000 miles away, where he’s in the pub. “The kitchen closes at 9, so I’m just getting some food,” he says. The Tame Impala-via-Pond multi-instrumentalist has just touched down in Melbourne, where he’s due to to play a sold out show at the intimate Yah Yah's club. There’s also the small matter of his new solo record, ‘The Underdog’.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Monday, 23 April 2018

Faith In The Future: Trivium Oversee The Passing Of Metal's Torch

Something brutal this way comes. Venom Prison, Power Trip and Code Orange are leading a new wave of young, forward-thinking bands that are tearing up the blueprints when it comes to creating heavy music. If you have any affinity for loud noises at all and haven’t heard them yet, you really haven’t been paying attention.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Friday, 20 April 2018

'Hate Is A Really Rich Well To Draw From': Lice Talk 'It All Worked Out Great'

“Support us? We’re gonna be supporting you, mate. You come to this city you’re gonna learn the meaning of support.” That’s what Joe Talbot told Alastair Shuttleworth when they first met in Bristol three years ago. Shuttleworth, an English student moonlighting as a music writer, had interviewed the Idles frontman earlier in the evening and now, with a few beers in his belly at an afterparty, was asking whether his band, Lice, could open one of their shows.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 06 April 2018

'We Just Get Our Heads Down and Create': Halo Tora Discuss 'Man of Stone: Chapter One'

A decade ago, there were few places more exciting than the Scottish rock scene. Biffy Clyro had demonstrated that bands north of the border playing heavy off-kilter music could break out and get radio play. The likes of Sucioperro, Twin Atlantic, the Xcerts and Flood of Red duly followed suit, creating a network of like-minded artists who would invariably play each other's shows.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 05 April 2018

Mid 30s Angst: Mastersystem's Scott Hutchison on Using The Past To Undersand The Present

Sega started phasing out the Master System in the late ‘80s. That’s just how it goes with consoles. It’s always about what’s new and next. But you can still find them, knocking about under a film of dust in an attic or perched next to an ancient Nintendo on a completist’s shelf.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 05 April 2018