A Ride on the Boardwalk: Inside Nicole Atkins' Eclectic New LP 'Italian Ice'

Photo: Barbara FG After absorbing Nicole Atkins’ eclectic new album ‘Italian Ice’, you might wonder if the New Jersey songwriter possesses psychic abilities. And it’s not just that the material boasts some eerily prescient lines that resonate with the current pandemic crisis despite being penned over a year ago. It’s also down to the way she assembled a seemingly incompatible group of musicians in order to craft a boundary-pushing, timeless sound with foresight that indicates an almost prophetic vision guided her creative hand.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 04 June 2020

Farewell The Old: Caligula's Horse Discuss the Vibrant, Introspective Metal of 'Rise Radiant'

Photo: Rachel Graham It’s 6:30p.m. in Brisbane, Australia, and, for Sam Vallen’s baby boy, it’s showertime. He doesn’t seem to like showertime. “Excuse him, he’s having a bit of a cry,” the youngster’s father apologises, safely sealed away in his home studio the next room over. “Whenever he’s having a shower, it’s a very crazy and chaotic time.”

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 21 May 2020

Tragic Idols: Paradise Lost On Encapsulating Three Decades Of Doom With 'Obsidian'

Photo: Anne C. Swallow This year has been shit. From COVID-19 to the Australian wildfires to ‘murder hornets’, it seems the only thing 2020 has wanted to do is spread panic and hopelessness worldwide. People are scared. Nick Holmes is also grimly fascinated.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 12 May 2020

Introducing The Hirsch Effekt: The Eclectic Metal Trio That Can't Be Pigeonholed

Photo: Christoph Eisenmenger For over 50 years, the key appeal of heavy metal has been its grassroots aggression. Early progenitors such as Black Sabbath, and even blues-adjacent rock bands including Led Zeppelin and Cream, connected with their audiences not because of their technical ability, but rather their gloomy yet exciting approach resonating with the angst of the working class.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 06 May 2020

Surrounded By Music: Introducing Garage-Rockers Cruel Hearts Club

"Artists who are mothers used to be a minority, a novelty and a rarity. It's just not that way anymore. We want to be represented as prevalently as male bands."

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Monday, 04 May 2020

Band Together: How The Music Industry Is Reacting to Covid-19

Photo: Craig Thomas/TallBoy Images It would be an understatement to say that the impact of the coronavirus on the music industry has been swift and devastating. As more and more gigs, festivals and album releases get postponed or cancelled by the day, many of us have had to cut our losses and realise that this escalating situation is ever-changing, with no real end in sight.

Written by: Sophie Williams | Date: Friday, 24 April 2020

Introducing Irist: The Ambitious Crew Out To Push Metal Forward

Photo: Susy Irais Reyes “Ultimately, I want our legacy to be that we pushed the heavy metal genre forward,” Irist frontman Rodrigo Carvalho says, laying out his band’s mission statement in one simple sentence.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Monday, 30 March 2020

The Best Buzz: Leif Erikson Pose Some Serious Questions

London-based guitar outfit Leif Erikson have made a habit of creating elegant sounds. On their latest EP 'Question Time', the band explore the current socio-environmental climate, discussing the changes to our planet and the responsibility we have in seeking a halt to the destructive curve we are riding.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 18 March 2020

Some Very Good Years: Getting Reflective With The Shires

When poised to move forwards and embrace exciting new opportunities, it’s often worthwhile to look back and take stock first. We have to know where we’ve been to appreciate where we’re going. Following a short hiatus that saw them recharge and reflect, the Shires are set to return with ‘Good Years’, an album that meditates on their journey so far while also being tailor made to catapult the duo to even greater heights in future.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 10 March 2020

Sonic Architects: Introducing Haunt The Woods

Haunt The Woods are ready and willing to treat lovers of progressive, folk-flavoured rock with a gift basket of epic emotional and textural vistas. The Cornish four-piece arrive armed with a grandiose sound that’s as pensive and melancholic as it is raging and explosive.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 09 March 2020

Tired of Tears: How My Dying Bride Overcame Adversity to Make 'The Ghost of Orion'

If their name doesn’t give the game away, My Dying Bride are an extremely miserable bunch. As of 2020, they’ve been peddling depressive doom metal for exactly 30 years, and are responsible for 13 albums packed to the brim with melancholia.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 05 March 2020

With The Force Of A Thousand Guns: Inside The Night Sabaton Seized Command of Wembley

td#right {display:none !important;} Photo: Hannah C - @wtchfndr Sat in his band’s dressing room at London’s Wembley Arena, Sabaton frontman Joakim Brodén looks oddly…normal. Over the past 15 years, the singer has worn onstage attire that's become iconic among his fans: aviator sunglasses, loose urban-camo trousers and a black battle vest, complete with steel abs and pectoral muscles.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 03 March 2020

Wet Plate Portraits: Chris Farren at Le Pub

td#right {display:none !important;} Photo: Gareth Jarvis People make important breakthroughs every day. Using a process that dates back 150 years, photographer Gareth Jarvis captured this shot of Chris Farren at Newport’s Le Pub midway through his UK tour, answering one of life’s most pressing questions: would Chris Farren have been hot in cowboy times? To repurpose his stage patter: hell yeah, baby. Chris Farren: born hot in 1986. Chris Farren: born hot in 1886.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 02 March 2020

Music, Energy, Vision: Jared James Nichols Sets His Sights On The Top

It’s by no means unreasonable to declare that any fan of great blues-rock who isn’t mesmerised by the firebrand axe work, and high voltage energy, of Jared James Nichols is either a complete charlatan or the victim of an undiagnosed hearing condition. As passionate about his own work as he is the wider world of classic blues-rock, this guitar god in the making is on a mission to bring his music to the people and make an asteroid-sized impression on the genre he worships.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 24 February 2020

City of Gold: Marcus King on the Road to 'El Dorado'

​ In the life of every ambitious musician there comes a time to take leave of the mother ship and boldly head for unexplored space. Unlike Marcus King, though, most of those pilgrims don’t venture into new territory before they hit their mid-20s. Yet such a bold move only highlights how, in conjunction with his recently released autonomous bow ‘El Dorado’, this singer, songwriter and guitar prodigy from South Carolina is anything but an ordinary young man.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2020

A Career Less Ordinary: Ash Reflect on Their Crazy 25 Year Odyssey

The clear standout on Ash’s potentially disastrous second album ‘Nu-Clear Sounds’, Wildsurf is a title that perfectly encapsulates the band’s 25 year sojourn through the highs and lows of the music business. Since crashing the mid-'90s Britpop scene as fresh-faced teenagers who sounded like, to paraphrase Bono, ‘Brian Wilson in a punk band,’ the Northern Irish trio have been on a non-stop sinusoidal thrill ride.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 14 February 2020

A Connection Just Out Of Reach: Bambara Return With 'Stray'

Bambara’s monumental third album ‘Stray’ is a black-hearted work of art; a sinister cacophony of post-punk instrumentals with death on its mind. Constructing an orchestra of sounds around its expansive skeleton, blending ethereal and baritone vocals, it is a challenging piece of work that rewards those who tap into its wavelength.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 12 February 2020

Something Bigger Than Ourselves: The Lone Bellow Return With 'Half Moon Light'

Photo: Shervain Lainez Life is virtually unliveable without hope. In our darkest days, even the merest chink of light can provide an all important spark to keep on fighting. Just ask the Lone Bellow, a three piece Americana outfit born from the ashes of tragedy and its damn near miraculous resolution. They may know all about trying times, but with spiritually resonant harmonies and impassioned empathy to the fore, the trio’s existential songs consistently make an optimistic stand.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 11 February 2020

'I'm Happiest on Stage': Introducing Jazz-Pop Star of the Future Reuben James

“I’m happiest on stage. When I'm performing that’s the only place that I truly feel like I belong. That feels most like home.”

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 04 February 2020

Think Happy Thoughts: The Return Of My Chemical Romance

Think happy thoughts.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 23 January 2020