Amanda Shires on Marriage, Vulnerability and 'Take it Like a Man'

It’s unlikely that you’ll hear another record quite like Amanda Shires’ candid,  fearless and sensual ‘Take It Like A Man’ this year. Weaving together dark Americana, jazz, soul and folk, the Texan songwriter dissects marital strife and issues of self worth through bracing honesty and painfully resonant, refreshingly unsentimental storytelling.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 03 August 2022

'This Is Who We Are': Ithaca on Making Heavy Music Challenging Again

Ithaca’s 2019 debut ‘The Language of Injury’ caused plenty of people’s ears to prick up. Fusing chaotic metalcore with experimental impulses, it was a shot in the arm the UK scene sorely needed, bringing with it equal parts scathing social commentary and scabrous riffs. But, like so many of their peers, the past few years haven’t been easy.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Thursday, 28 July 2022

'I Feel I Have a Story to Tell': Inside Róisín O's pop-heartbreak masterpiece

For all the joy, wonder and pleasure love can bring, it often culminates in the kind of crushing heartache we spend years trying to get over, with little success. That’s where music comes into the equation. When done right, there’s nothing as reassuring, comforting and uplifting as a collection of lovelorn pop songs that speak to all those shattered parts of a broken heart.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 08 July 2022

Gimme Fire: Rammstein Redefine The Stadium Show

Photos: Paul Harries Along with thousands of others drawn to loud noises and explosions, I went to the Rammstein show in Cardiff last week. And now, thanks to the pyro-obsessed Berliners' massive, cudgelling riffs, I go about my life in a perpetual state of headbanging—headbanging while having a shower, headbanging while walking to the shop, headbanging while I drive to work, headbanging while I brush my teeth. It’s debilitating. Please, rock gods, I have a family to feed.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Tuesday, 05 July 2022

Perfecting Suffering: Conjurer On Crafting 'Páthos' and Writing Harder, Not Smarter

Photo: Joe Guppy ​Conjurer are one of the leading lights of the UK’s extreme metal scene—not that they ever expected to be in this position, and certainly not with only one album to their name. “We’ve ended up being able to do far more off ‘Mire’ than we anticipated ever being able to do as a band in general,” bassist Conor Marshall reveals. But from only a cursory listen to their hotly-anticipated second album ‘Páthos’, it becomes clear that the band are refusing to rest on their laurels by simply making ‘Mire’ part two. 

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Wednesday, 29 June 2022

'I'm Just Trying to Be True': Morgan Wade on Subverting Expectations on 'Reckless' and Beyond

Aspiring musicians who feel they don’t fit into a certain mould, or live up to long held industry standards, could do a lot worse than adopting singer-songwriter Morgan Wade as their role model. A sterling example of how to remain authentic and let all aspects of your  uniqueness pave the way forwards, there’s nothing conventional about this 27-year-old rough diamond, who shot to fame on the back of last year’s highly acclaimed debut album ‘Reckless’.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 27 June 2022

Time to Shine: Malevolence's Alex Taylor on Bringing Positivity to 'Malicious Intent'

It’s been a long time coming. Malevolence, Sheffield’s self-proclaimed “kings of the underground” are on the cusp of releasing their hotly-anticipated new album  ‘Malicious Intent’ and, when we speak, are currently enjoying a run of support shows with metalcore giants Architects in sold out arenas across the country.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Wednesday, 18 May 2022

Looking For Meaning: Sunflower Bean Deliver Sugar and Substance

Photo: Driely S If the world ends tomorrow, will your life have been a fulfilling one? Were purposeful connections made and experiences savoured? Or did you fall prey to the less digestible side of a capitalist society that delivers short-term fixes over long-lasting satisfaction? These questions and more are tackled on ‘Headful 0f Sugar,’ the atmospheric third record from genre-smashing American trio Sunflower Bean.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 04 May 2022

As Raw As It Gets: How William DuVall Bared His Soul

Having walked plenty of musical miles in a variety of shoes, in 2019 Alice In Chains singer William DuVall finally took the solo plunge courtesy of ‘One Alone.’  With only his acoustic guitar for company, and without a thought for unnecessary embellishments such as backing vocals, it’s a disarmingly frank affair full of bare-boned, gripping and expressive confessionals that are unlike anything he’d done in his previous three decades as a dedicated ‘band guy’.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 29 April 2022

'It's the Show of Your Life': Heriot on 'Profound Morality' and Playing Download Festival

Cast your mind back to late February. Everything’s a bit shit, isn’t it? Covid-19 cases are back on the rise, Omicron’s refusing to piss off, and gigs are being cancelled left, right and centre.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 26 April 2022

'You Don't Know What's Coming Next': The Snuts on Album Two and Their Biggest Shows to Date

Photo: @jjjacobcampbell Rock ‘n’ roll’s graveyard is littered with young bands who suddenly perished after early success went to their heads. Thankfully, The Snuts are unlikely to join all those flash-in-the-pan groups six feet under. The Scottish quartet may have bested a global superstar to land the UK’s number one spot with last year’s debut record ‘W.L’, but they’re a dedicated and ambitious gang of grafters who won’t be taking their feet off the pedal any time soon.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 25 April 2022

Brave, Daring and Audacious: Corinne Bailey Rae on Embracing Creative Freedom

You can’t please everyone all of the time. Sure, fans of Corinne Bailey Rae would certainly like her to release more music, a desire that’s echoed by the singer herself, but every artist has their own unique process when it comes to creating the kind of magic they hope will enrich the lives of their listeners. As she moves into the next phase of her career, Rae has plenty of enchanting treats in store for everyone who values her thoughtful, heartfelt songs.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 20 April 2022

This Is How It Should Be: Devin Townsend on Getting Serious for the Royal Albert Hall

Devin Townsend has just landed in Ireland. He’s jetlagged and he feels like shit. “If you’re looking at it from a ‘glass half full’ perspective, I always feel like shit,” the prog-metal master tells Stereoboard on a phone call from his Dublin hotel. “It’s just that jetlag is a different flavour of feeling like shit. I guess I welcome the variation.”

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 14 April 2022

Still Inspired: Feeder's Grant Nicholas on Hope, Relief and 'Torpedo'

Photo: Steve Gullick When Grant Nicholas sang ‘scream in, scream out, time for healing’ back in 2002, he had no idea those rousing words of self-encouragement would become so resonant two decades later. As society emerges from an unprecedented period of confusion, division and grief, such sentiments have never sounded more apt or necessary.  Full of that trademark ability to mine hope from adversity, Feeder’s ‘Torpedo’ is the sort of anthemic rallying cry the world needs right now.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 17 March 2022

Evolution, Escapism, Entertainment: The Blinders Reveal Their 'Electric Kool-Aid' Cocktail

Thanks to a dramatic combination of in-your-face power and visceral socio-political statements, ‘Columbia’ and ‘Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath’ marked The Blinders out as one of Britain’s most exciting, literate and thought-provoking young groups. Well, you ain’t seen—or heard—nothing yet.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 14 March 2022

Light at the End of the Tunnel: Svalbard on Returning to the Road

Photo: Tony Fenn It’s really, really easy for a metal band to point at something and go, “That’s bad.” It’s been a cornerstone of the genre since Black Sabbath lamented the Vietnam war during War Pigs and Iron Maiden killed Margaret Thatcher on their artwork in the early ‘80s. It’s much more special for a metal band to point at something and go, “That’s bad—how do we make it better?”

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 09 March 2022

Back at it: Stereoboard's Pick Of 2022's Best Events

td#right {display:none !important;} It’s not really been wise to make plans for quite a while now. But with Covid restrictions easing and a whole host of shows scattered across the rest of the year, it’s perhaps time to dig out the diary and get booking. Here we take a look at just some of the tours set to light up the rest of 2022, from pop giants and fashion icons to thunderous metal gods and goth legends. See you at the front.  

Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Wednesday, 02 March 2022

'You've Got to Be Pissed Off': Rage and Reverence in Beth Hart's Take on Led Zeppelin

Some albums require all kinds of spin to generate interest. Others do not. So when you hear that one of the greatest vocalists of her generation has paid tribute to possibly the most influential rock band of all time, any additional hype is completely unnecessary. Luckily, Beth Hart’s powerhouse Led Zeppelin covers album more than does justice to the groundbreaking source material.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 25 February 2022

Musical Photographs: James Morrison Reflects on the Road to His Greatest Hits

If a picture can tell a thousand words, a song can conjure a vault’s worth of memories. Just ask James Morrison, who recently embarked on a rewarding, flashback-filled trip through his catalogue when he re-recorded some of his best-loved tunes for a ‘Greatest Hits’ collection with a twist. Emotionally vibrant and wonderfully performed, without jettisoning what fans love about the originals, these  versions feel like the work of a seasoned musician who’s finally at home in his skin.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 14 February 2022

Always Innovative, Never Imitated: Rolo Tomassi on Pushing Creative Boundaries

Nobody makes music quite like Rolo Tomassi. Since forming in Sheffield in 2005, they have morphed from kids playing glitchy mathcore to where they are now: a band trading in heavy music free from the constraints we might usually expect.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Monday, 31 January 2022