Life, Love and Loss: Taylor Momsen on the Rebirth of The Pretty Reckless

​ If it’s true that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, The Pretty Reckless vocalist Taylor Momsen could probably bench press a herd of elephants. Much like the band she’s fronted for the past 13 years, the former child actor turned rock ‘n’ roll force of nature has repeatedly shown how the resilience of the human spirit can triumph over all forms of adversity.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 25 October 2022

Parkway Drive's UK Tour Underlines Their Readiness as Festival Headliners

Many metalheads may think Iron Maiden and Metallica are what make our world go round, but the anthems and stage shows from the revered OGs have become aged, tired and bloated in recent times. In a scene where most of the commercial success is still being hoarded by older icons, is it time for festivals to listen to the clamour for a fresh new headliner to be elevated to the major leagues?

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Friday, 14 October 2022

'The New Move Was Less is More': Myles Kennedy on Alter Bridge's 'Pawns & Kings'

Photo: Chuck Brueckmann Many of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll groups were founded on a scintillating partnership between an iconic vocalist and the guitar god blazing away by their side. In recent times, that unwaveringly cool axis has been reimagined by Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti, a refreshingly grounded duo whose combined magic is as spellbinding as ever on the band’s epic new record ‘Pawns & Kings’.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 12 October 2022

New Chapter: The Coronas Discuss Their Sonic Reinvention on 'Time Stopped'

It’s often said that a change is as good as a rest. In recent years Irish indie-rockers The Coronas more than proved the validity of the proverb, having come through an eventful period that saw them split with a key band member and temporarily lose the ability to tour. Using those situations to their advantage, both 2021’s ‘True Love Waits’ and this year’s ‘Time Stopped’ have seen the now three-piece outfit boldly leap into fresh pastures with excellent results.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 07 October 2022

The Next World: Krystal Versace Talks New Solo Show, RuPaul's Drag Race UK And Tour Life

Imagine reaching one of the biggest milestones of your career at 19. While many that age were navigating their first year of university, Krystal Versace, the drag queen created by Luke Fenn, was busy being crowned the winner of the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, making them the youngest competitor to snatch the crown in the show’s history.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 06 October 2022

Permanent and Infinite: Counting Crows' Adam Duritz on Making Music That Lasts

Photo: Mark Seliger The best songwriters refuse to compromise themselves for anyone or anything.  Such a strong,  unwavering commitment to artistic integrity, though, renders them immune to outside pressures—they are unmoved by those who don’t understand their process and unapologetic about the time it takes to craft their music. If ever a songsmith embodied those ideals, it’s Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 05 October 2022

Feel Something: A.A. Williams On Writing As Therapy and 'As The Moon Rests'

A.A Williams’ music is heavy. Not in a crushing, noisy sense, but in terms of the emotional currents that run through it. It’s heavy. Speaking a few days after her headline show at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, though, she’s decidedly warm and upbeat, and with good reason.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Tuesday, 04 October 2022

Good Grief: Titus Andronicus Frontman Patrick Stickles on Love, Loss and 'The Will To Live'

It doesn't take long sitting with Patrick Stickles, the black-clad, heavily bearded and wildly literate frontman of New Jersey's finest punk band, Titus Andronicus, to notice that a new found contentment and happiness appears to be radiating from him. And the reasons are made almost immediately clear. “I’m married and I take my medication,” he beams, flashing his wedding ring at the screen.

Written by: Craig Howieson | Date: Wednesday, 28 September 2022

'We've Still Got Something To Say': The Return of Hard-Fi

Everything’s gone to shit. Politicians can’t be trusted. Society’s increasingly polarised.  We’re on the cusp of an unprecedented financial crisis. Youngs people are more disenfranchised than ever. The state of play in 2005, when socio-political indie-rockers Hard-Fi erupted onto the scene with their chart topping debut ‘Stars Of CCTV’, remains painfully on point today. Which is why, after an eight year hiatus, it feels like the perfect time for the Staines quartet to re-emerge from hibernation.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 27 September 2022

Finding Your Tribe: Lady Camden Talks Touring, Ballet And The Road To RuPaul's Drag Race

Lady Camden is a London-born drag queen who named herself after the borough she grew up in. Born Rex Wheeler, her formative years were spent running around the venue her father managed, the renowned Electric Ballroom, which can be found between a food stall and souvenir shop on the bustling Camden High Street.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 20 September 2022

Big Loops vs Feeling Naked: Newton Faulkner On Stripping Things Back

If he’d been alive when it first entered the popular lexicon, it’s highly likely the phrase ‘One Man Band’ would have been coined to describe Newton Faulkner. A sonic wizard who combines rootsy, eclectic songwriting with a mastery of technical equipment, whenever this multi-instrumentalist hits the stage on his lonesome, you’re guaranteed a thrilling experience that, depending on the night, could either be bombastic and boisterous or intimate and tender. 

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 15 September 2022

Making Hitsville: Charlotte Hatherley on the Alchemy of Ash's 'Free All Angels'

Music often plays a pivotal role in our formative experiences. Just one listen to certain songs can instantly stir up a whirlwind of memories and emotions, transporting us back to a time when anything and everything seemed possible. For former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, that perfectly sums up the making and subsequent success of the band’s chart-topping masterpiece ‘Free All Angels'.  

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 13 September 2022

Inside the Mad, Mad World of Metal's Rising Stars The Callous Daoboys

Skim the track listing of The Callous Daoboys’ new album and you’ll feel like you’re reading the scrawlings of a lunatic. There are songs on ‘Celebrity Therapist’ called The Elephant Man in the Room and What is Delicious? Who Swarms?. It doesn’t have a title track, but it does have a song dubbed Title Track.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 06 September 2022

Love Unlimited: Nina Nesbitt Explores the Heart on 'Älskar'

Photo: Natalie Sakstrup  They say it’s what makes life worth living, and what makes the world go round. Yet, unless your name is Richard Curtis, it can also be seen as a scourge that exists to torment. Unravelling all the complex threads of love’s bittersweet tapestry, Nina Nesbitt’s ‘Älskar’ is a beautifully balanced album that, flush with contagious pop songs, delicate balladry and nuanced storytelling, paints a relatable portrait of her most important relationships.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 30 August 2022

'It's A Shame Collaboration Isn't Embraced in Rock': Holding Absence on 'The Lost & the Longing'

It’s amazing that Lucas Woodland isn’t a dick. Since they formed in 2015, the singer’s band, Holding Absence, have been among the British rock scene’s most beloved youngsters. They signed to an international label off the back of one song. And, in barely seven years, they’ve made two albums and two EPs while sharing stages with everybody from Funeral For A Friend to Metallica.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 23 August 2022

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