PREMIERE: Cross London In A Hurry With Antonio Lulic's Beckoning Drum Video

Ed Sheeran’s verdict on Antonio Lulic? “Sick tunes.”

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 15 April 2015

PREMIERE: Ralegh Long Starts Fresh With Gulls Hovering

‘Hoverance’, Ralegh Long’s debut, exists in quiet, reflective spaces.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 13 April 2015

No Back Up Plans: Hanging On With The Leisure Society

We rely on certain things. For fans of sprightly folk and well-placed pop jangle, The Leisure Society have been one of them for the best part of a decade, with Nick Hemming’s deft weaving of confessional lyrics and polyphonic arrangements making the band a byword for songwriting nous. But what happens when that equilibrium is upset?

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 09 April 2015

PREMIERE: John Garcia Teams Up With The Doors' Robby Krieger For Her Bullets' Energy

John Garcia and the desert go together. It’s fitting, then, that the former Kyuss frontman’s new video for Her Bullets’ Energy begins and ends under an open sky, with notes ringing out from the guitar of Robby Krieger.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 07 April 2015

PREMIERE: Tigercats Spin A Little Mystery With Wheezer

London pop sophisticates Tigercats recently returned with ‘Mysteries’, placing a full stop on a couple of years on the road in the wake of their debut, ‘Isle of Dogs’.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 01 April 2015

Noise Not Music #9: Liturgy, Lightning Bolt, Dodheimsgard And More

Photo: Liturgy by Erez Avissar It’s been a terrific start to the year for extreme music of all forms. So good, in fact, that this edition of Noise Not Music must begin with an apology to the various artists’ whose albums couldn’t be squeezed in. New releases from Ghold, Halshug, Sannhet and Zu are all worthy of your attention and narrowly missed the cut this time around, while Mastery and Unrest sadly arrived on my radar slightly too late in the day to knock out some some more established records. All these albums deserve at least a cursory listen.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 30 March 2015

Stereoboard Session: Four Year Strong Unplug One Step At A Time And Stuck In The Middle

Four Year Strong are currently winding their way across the UK as headliners of the Pure Noise Records tour and we were lucky enough to sit in as they ran through a few choice cuts from their back catalogue prior to a massive set at Cardiff University’s Y Plas.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 25 March 2015

PREMIERE: M-1 And Bonnot Hit Hard On Offense Defense

In their new video for Offense Defense, M-1 and Bonnot bind a call to action with the confrontational world of Gridiron.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Depeche Mode: Many Happy Returns To 'Violator'

If they really only expected 30 people to show up, then the surprise must have run very deep. Twenty five years ago, a line snaked away from the Wherehouse record shop in Los Angeles, where Depeche Mode were booked to sign copies of their new record, ‘Violator’. By the time police drew a line under things, over 10,000 fans were massed at the scene.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Friday, 20 March 2015

PREMIERE: Dodge Bouncers With The Wave Pictures In Their Video For The Fire Alarm

The Wave Pictures’ return earlier this year was a case of old meeting new. ‘Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon’ delivered yet more idiosyncratic, hook-rich indie-pop but arrived co-written and recorded with one of the band’s heroes: the prolific, utterly individual Billy Childish.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 19 March 2015

Different Shade Of Blues: The Songwriting Evolution Of Joe Bonamassa

Photo: Christie Goodwin He may cast a spell with his guitar pyrotechnics and blistering cover versions, but Joe Bonamassa's growing skill as a composer shouldn't be overlooked. With the American hotshot currently playing four nights at London's Hammersmith Apollo, we’ve trace the key stages of the man's songwriting development, from his early days as a solo artist, to the crafting of his first album of almost-all original material in over a decade, last year’s 'Different Shades Of Blue'.  

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 17 March 2015

PREMIERE: Zefur Wolves Head Back To California On Sin Fronteras

Zefur Wolves are the latest diversion in one of pop’s greatest quests into the unknown. Led by Cian Ciaran, of the Super Furry Animals, and Estelle Ios, their debut arrives inspired by a stay in Mendocino, Northern California and by rough-around-the-edges west coast melodies.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 16 March 2015

PREMIERE: Tom Williams Returns With Stripped Back 'New Guitar' Cut Oh Boy

You may have stumbled across Tom Williams before. Probably with his band, The Boat, where his rough-edged folk has traditionally found a home. But, inspired by a new guitar, the singer-songwriter’s latest project is a stripped-back affair that finds him going it alone for a while.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 06 March 2015

No Guilty Pleasures #5: Iron Maiden's 'No Prayer For The Dying'

I fucking love Iron Maiden. They are the quintessential metal band: epic tales of Byronic scope, dual-guitar harmonies and, of course, Bruce Dickinson's immortal Air Raid Siren operatics. For good measure and back-patch readiness, they also have a gigantic zombie as a mascot.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 27 February 2015

PREMIERE: TenFiveSixty Quietly Thrill With The Slow Burn Copy.Over.Out

TenFiveSixty recently returned with Dashboard Light, a darkly romantic tale of escape and the latest in run of alluring outsider narratives from the Manchester duo, Jen Bailey and Rick Hornby.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 26 February 2015

Tears For Fears: Many Happy Returns To 'Songs From The Big Chair'

There is one hurdle that many British bands - including several with iron-clad claims to legendary status - never manage to clear: breaking the States.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Noise Not Music #8: The Body & Thou, Napalm Death And More

Happy New Year noise nerds! There’s a lot to get through this month and, alongside the usual dose of vicious extreme metal, we have top-notch new efforts from the worlds of field recording, jazz, techno and power electronics – enjoy.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 24 February 2015

PREMIERE: Vienna Ditto Get Weird And Wonderful With Hammer And A Nail

It’s Monday, but that’s no excuse not to get a little weird. Vienna Ditto - the duo of Hatty Taylor and Nigel Firth - have handed us the delightfully surreal video for their new single, Hammer and a Nail, which finds the pair confronted by a series of carnival-esque oddities.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 16 February 2015

PREMIERE: Adelphia Crank Up The Drama On If I Fall

Adelphia have gone big. Go hard or go home, right? If I Fall is an unashamedly ambitious slice of alt-rock from the Nottingham quartet, who have their sights set on perches currently occupied by You Me At Six and Don Broco.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 09 February 2015

PREMIERE: Houdini Dax Pack Harmonies And Hooks On Apple Tree

You’ve either seen them live, or will soon be told to see them live. Houdini Dax are poised to return later this year with a crowd-funded new record, ‘Naughty Nation’, delivering more hook-happy psych-pop and doubtless sweating up as many venues as will have them.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 05 February 2015

Dream Koala: 'It's Beautiful To Make An Everlasting Movie'

Photo: Enora Jung “I’ve just come back from India, where I played Magnetic Fields festival. It took place close to Delhi, but was still in the middle of nowhere. We drove six hours from the airport to stay and play in a palace. It was crazy, there were camels. Different from anything I’ve ever seen before.”

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 04 February 2015

Cover Me: Dawn Landes Takes On The Classics And Wins

“Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself.” - Bruce Springsteen, Dancing In The Dark

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 02 February 2015

Greetings From The Beast Coast: Why The Past May Point To Hip Hop's Future

Hip hop isn’t dead. It’s bored. Dramatic as the statement sounds, it’s more accurate than the oft-repeated mantra of old-school heads: that rap has lost its essence.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 29 January 2015

Simon And Garfunkel: Many Happy Returns To 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'

Simon and Garfunkel’s 1970 collection, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, is more than just a classic; it’s a milestone in the history of popular music. But one that came at a huge price.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Staying (sic): Inside The Mind Of Slipknot's Chris Fehn

Somewhere in the bowels of Nottingham’s Capital FM arena, Chris Fehn and I are introduced. Lovely, jovial, friendly Chris. He lounges on a sofa and casually rests his arm on the back. They must have sent in the wrong guy.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Queen: A Hidden Kind Of Magic

Although some dislike Brian May and Roger Taylor using the Queen moniker when the late Freddie Mercury and former bassist John Deacon aren't involved, many of their songs remain timeless classics that demand to be played live.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 15 January 2015

Air Guitars At The Ready: Why 2015 Will Rock

The hangovers have departed and the last strains of Auld Lang Syne have drifted away on a frosty breeze, so now we're left with the inevitable realisation that a change of year doesn’t guarantee everlasting happiness. Don't despair though, because this particular fresh start promises great new music for those of you who kneel at the altar of rock 'n' roll. So, without further ado, here are albums and tours to banish those blues and make 2015 a killer 12 months.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 13 January 2015

No Guilty Pleasures #4: Marilyn Manson's 'Eat Me, Drink Me'

Oh, Brian. How the mighty fall. From America's most hated man to Alan Rickman lookalike, Marilyn Manson has, in the eyes of the many, spent himself. Having bequeathed a large chunk of his recent time to a role on Sons Of Anarchy and making pervy art films instead of being the Antichrist Superstar of yore, many see 2000's 'Holy Wood' as his last potent dose of poison.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 12 January 2015

Ten From 2014 #8: Hip Hop

If 2013 was the call, then 2014 was to be the response. But, after Kendrick Lamar spent last year trying to “push forward the competitive element of hip hop”, it seems that his memorable Control verse fell on deaf ears. J. Cole missed the point, while legendary artists stepped back in the ring only to fall far short of their former glories. Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep just sound bored at this point in their careers.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 18 December 2014

Ten From 2014 #7: Pop

Pop is a big word, and one that tends to offend as much as it excites these days, but that’s part of the fun, isn’t it? Here are 10 records that fitted the bill for us in 2014, ranging from piano confessionals to the glitziest Polaroid collection in history.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 17 December 2014

Ten (+10) From 2014 #6: The Best Of Noise Not Music

Photo: YOB/James Rexroad As you may have gathered from the packed, if not exactly consistently available (my apologies, readers) Noise Not Music column over the last 12 months, it's been a brilliant year for all forms of sonic violence. This top 20 is far from definitive, and the rankings are largely arbitrary, but may it serve as an introductory guide to some of the year's very finest releases. See you in 2015…

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 16 December 2014

Ten From 2014 #5: Punk

It’s perhaps easier to judge how good a year’s been by what doesn’t make your top 10 at the end of it. In another time, Apologies I Have None, Chumped, Punch, Andrew Jackson Jihad, La Dispute, I Am The Avalanche or a different Joanna Gruesome release could have made the cut for this punk countdown, but instead they have to make do with standing outside making obscene gestures at the bands on the other side of the rope. Or something like that.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 15 December 2014

Ten From 2014 #4: Rock

Picking the best rock albums of 2014 has been about as easy as threading a zeppelin through the eye of a particularly small needle.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 12 December 2014

Ten From 2014 #3: Indie/Electronica

Twelve months on from a list that doffed its cap to some of indie’s true heavyweights,the rundown for 2014 has a slightly more grubby, DIY feel. It’s home to a couple of notable bows, the odd comeback and a few bands finding their feet and flourishing.

Written by: Tom Seymour | Date: Thursday, 11 December 2014

Ten From 2014 #2: Metal

The year's been mighty kind to us headbanging folk, hasn't it? Almost all of the big hitters have delivered, with Slipknot and Machine Head unleashing neck-threateningly brilliant records and bands like Septicflesh, Nightbringer and Voices doing a superb job of keeping the cult alive.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 10 December 2014

Ten From 2014 #1: Labels

Great labels often go under-appreciated at this time of year as countless records are arranged into lists, debated and rearranged, so in the first part of our year in review series we’ve picked out 10 that have excelled in the last 12 months, outlined their best releases and delved into why they deserve their place in the mix…

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 09 December 2014

Pink Floyd: Many Happy Returns To 'The Wall'

‘The Wall’ is a cultural giant, but a record that’s often overshadowed by a couple of Pink Floyd’s mid-’70s masterworks, ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Thursday, 04 December 2014

No Guilty Pleasures #3: Electric Six's 'Senor Smoke'

Everybody knows Danger! High Voltage and everybody knows Gay Bar. They are two songs that have been rubber stamped as pop culture curios thanks to radio overkill, bad karaoke and those music videos. What most people haven’t noticed, though, is that since releasing 'Fire' back in 2003, Electric Six have bashed out a further nine (yes, nine) studio albums.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Left Turn Ahead: Gaslight Anthem's 'Get Hurt' Reinvention Continues A Rock Tradition

It takes a brave rock band to change their sound, especially when it's endeared them to legions of fans around the world. While some acts elicit a flair for sonic reinvention, others have fallen flat on their faces and swiftly retreated to familiar territory.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 17 November 2014

Bryan Adams: Still Reckless After All These Years

Long before Bryan Adams drove everyone insane with his ubiquitous chart topper Everything I Do (I Do It For You), he unleashed a premium-grade, denim-clad rock ‘n' roll record that catapulted him towards fame, fortune and a credibility sapping date with Robin Hood. The year was 1984 and, should you need reminding, the album was 'Reckless'.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 14 November 2014

PREMIERE: Honeymilk Dial Up The Fuzz On A Scene In Between

Honeymilk are a band weaned on rock classics old and new. The Swedish power trio wear influences from the Strokes and the Velvet Underground on their collective sleeve, with their sound neatly wrapped up in a psych-rock bow.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 12 November 2014

Time And Place: A Summer Spent Waiting And Live's 'Throwing Copper'

As Live prepare to hit the UK for a show at London's KOKO - with new vocalist Chris Shinn in tow - Simon Ramsay rewinds the clock to a time when he was wrapped up in the band's 'Throwing Copper' album, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 04 November 2014

No Guilty Pleasures #2: Machine Head's 'Supercharger'

In part two of No Guilty Pleasures, our feature celebrating records maligned by the masses, Alec Chillingworth takes a look at Machine Head's post-millennial stumble, 'Supercharger'.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 04 November 2014

Suede: Many Happy Returns To 'Dog Man Star'

While Oasis and Blur publicly battled it out at the height of Britpop in 1995, the foundation stones became harder to make out as the music was overtaken by the cultural flood.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Thursday, 30 October 2014

Support Network: The Power Of A Killer Opening Band

Support bands are, broadly speaking, there to get a crowd warmed up, provide extra value for money and, occasionally, even bore the audience to the point where they're salivating for the main attraction.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 28 October 2014

Interrogating Devin Townsend Part 2: The Return Of Ziltoid

Part one of this interrogation found Devin Townsend spilling his guts about 'Sky Blue', the 'nice' side of his new double album, 'Z²'. In the second half of our glimpse inside the progmeister's brain, we scoop information from his skull on the return of Ziltoid for 'Dark Matters'.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 24 October 2014

Farewell To Firefest: The Bands To Carry The AOR Torch

It's set to be a bittersweet occasion at Nottingham's Rock City this weekend when cult melodic rock show Firefest bows out after almost a decade at the forefront of a forgotten genre.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 22 October 2014

PREMIERE: AvaGrace Shoot For The Stars With II Years

There’s nothing easy about forcing your way into a crowded scene, but that’s just what Kent quintet AvaGrace are backing themselves to do in the next few months.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 20 October 2014

PREMIERE: Joey Fourr Teams Up With Plastic Fish Records For Boyz II Girlz

Plastic Fish have been delivering the indie goods for a couple of years now and the label will return on October 27 with a new compilation, the aptly-titled ‘American Sole’.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 16 October 2014

Green Day: Many Happy Returns To...'American Idiot'

When Californian punks Green Day released 'American Idiot' in 2004, their popularity was on the wane. The biggest success in their catalogue to date had been ‘Dookie’, released a decade earlier and a triumph in snotty-nosed, ‘new punks on the block’ angst. It sold over 10 million copies.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Friday, 26 September 2014