Carrying The Torch: Vintage Trouble And The Battle For Rock 'N' Roll

There's something refreshingly old-fashioned about Vintage Trouble, and it's not just the name. A stripped-back rhythm and blues four-piece, their blueprint – rock-solid rhythm section, slick guitarist and a showman out front – has been around since the earliest knockings of rock 'n' roll. 

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 28 June 2013

Ponchos And Pocket Pints: The Stereoboard Festival Checklist

Festival season is well and truly upon us and with some of the summer's biggest hitters rapidly approaching, it's time to get prepared for whatever the elements may throw at us. Tent - check. Wellies - check. The basics are second nature, but there is a market out there for more niche products to make your festival experience better and, at times, more practical. So, festival types, here are a few suggestions.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Thursday, 27 June 2013

Icons, Upstarts And Metallers: The Ultimate Summer Festival

This summer's festival schedule truly does offer something for everyone. From rock icons, to dance royalty, via hairy metal and hip hop's biggest names, there's almost too much choice to handle.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Wednesday, 26 June 2013

Summer Nights: Stereoboard's Ultimate Festival Moments

Festivals are a unique proposition for music fans. Life-changing moments can occur in the midst of a sea of humanity in front of Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage, nestled in a tent at Reading or Leeds, alongside flailing arms at Global Gathering or sat on a bank at Download watching the mayhem unfold below. 

Written by: Stereoboard.com | Date: Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Taste The Difference: Stereoboard's Glastonbury Setlist

Glastonbury is pretty big. It's got more stages than an Ikea instruction booklet, and a bill so diverse that there really is something for everyone. Presiding over things this year are the Rolling Stones, who will turn in one of the most-anticipated headline sets in recent memory on Saturday night.

Written by: Sam Jones | Date: Monday, 24 June 2013

Youth Of Today: Radkey's Defence Of Cool Music

On Cat & Mouse, the title track of Radkey's debut EP, Dee Radke drawls: “You better run, he's coming for you. Nowhere to hide, he's going to take your life.” His brothers, Isaiah and Solomon, lay down a driving rhythm straight out of the '80s hardcore playbook. Their brooding take on punk recalls early Black Flag, T.S.O.L and Misfits, bands whose peaks arrived before the brothers were born. They're kids making hardcore for the modern world, but they've got one foot firmly in the past.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 20 June 2013

Behind The Music: The Nyco Project's Bold New Step

In 1964, Bob Dylan told us that “the times they are a-changin'”. Back then, his take on the social change sweeping America was a dropped needle away. Later it would be burned onto CD, downloaded as an MP3 file and streamed online. Music has always been inextricably linked to the technology of its time, and one London-based band has some big ideas about where to take it next.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Small And Perfectly Formed: The Alternative Festival Experience

Festival season is a very evocative time for any music fan. A moment's daydreaming can easily conjure images of majesty and mudslides at Glastonbury, metal horns at Download or thousands of arms aloft in front of the main stages at Reading and Leeds. But in recent years, the scene has grown. For every Glasto, there are now five or six small, independent events offering music fans the chance to broaden their festival horizons.

Written by: Sam Jones | Date: Monday, 17 June 2013

A Quiet Night Out (Download Festival Feature)

Download has, since its first staging back in 2003, become a byword for everything loud, hairy and metal. On June 14, Iron Maiden, Slipknot and Rammstein will descend on Donington Park to headline another weekend of guttural roars, blastbeats, flame-throwers and good times.

Written by: Sam Jones | Date: Thursday, 13 June 2013

In With The Old, In With The New (Download Festival Feature)

Many festivals grow beyond their initial boundaries to become iconic. It's not surprising, then, that bills around the world are packed out by the giants of the music world. On June 14, Download gets underway at Donington Park, and this year's line up is diverse and exciting, with bands old and new set to complement each other perfectly.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Wild Nights: Five Classic Download Sets (Download Festival Feature)

On June 14, Download gets underway. Iron Maiden, Rammstein and Slipknot will headline the 11th edition of the festival, a descendant of the legendary Monsters of Rock event held on the same hallowed ground at Donington Park.

Written by: Sam Jones | Date: Tuesday, 11 June 2013

The New Breed: 10 To Watch At Download 2013 (Download Festival Feature)

On June 14, the great and good of the metal world will descend on Donington for the latest edition of Download. The UK's biggest festival for fans off all things fast, loud and hairy, this year's line-up offers a little something for everyone.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 10 June 2013

The New Beat (Blood Command Feature)

With one foot on a monitor, Silje Tombre screams: “We are here to claim the throne”. It's 10.30 on a Thursday night and Blood Command are tearing through Cult Of The New Beat, the centrepiece of a thrilling, brutal set at Cardiff's Clwb Ifor Bach.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 10 June 2013

Winter Songs (Children Of Bodom Feature)

Children of Bodom have been around the block a few times. Now in their 20th year, the Finnish metallers will release their eighth full-length, 'Halo of Blood', in the UK on June 10, and once again they have turned in a diverse collection that flits between the genre's various extremes.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 06 June 2013

Talking Music (Scott Ian Feature)

With festival season almost upon us and summer doing its best, June through to August can be a dry spell for gig-goers not keen on fields. There's a warm-up show here and there, and the occasional blinding tour to keep non-festival goers satisfied, but it's a time crying out for something different.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 03 June 2013

Is It Time To Ditch The 'Face Value' On Concert Tickets? (Ticketing Feature)

You wake up bright and early, you log on to the page to buy your tickets and you nervously glance at the clock counting down the seconds until 9am.

Written by: Owen Sheppard | Date: Tuesday, 30 April 2013

Stereoboard Look At The Biggest YouTube Sensations (Psy, Justin Bieber, Boyce Avenue Feature)

In the last few days, Youtube sensation Psy - the man behind famed 'Gangnam Style' - was confirmed for Capital FM's Summertime Ball. It just seems like yesterday when we first saw Psy and his friends dancing and thrusting their way through some strange choreography on course for e-world domination. But, it begs the question - how far can a Youtube sensation go? 

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Tuesday, 30 April 2013

New Jersey: A Mecca Of Rock ’N’ Roll (My Chemical Romance, The Gaslight Anthem, Springsteen Feature)

Two recent events have drawn my thoughts towards New Jersey of late. First, the band who formed my teenage years and fuelled my passion for music split up. That would be New Jersey's own My Chemical Romance. Then, while being freakishly organised, I found a review I wrote regarding The Gaslight Anthem, noting that they hailed from what seemed to be 'a Mecca of rock 'n' roll'. Ever since I read that, I've been unable to shake that New Jersey feeling, because - truthfully - that state's track record is pretty spectacular. 

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 22 April 2013

Stereoboard Look At The Best Smart Phone Music Apps

Although there are lots of music apps available for downloading to a mobile phone, this doesn’t mean that they are all the same. Gaining more and more popularity – music apps are on a par with gaming ones for mobile devices. The most common type of music app is one that enables the user to download music onto their mobile device, but there are also other kinds available as well, and the sheer number of music apps can make finding what you want a little tricky.

Written by: Brad Norris | Date: Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Gig Of The Week: Win Two Tickets To See Counting Crows At London’s Hammersmith Apollo (Competition)

San Francisco rockers Counting Crows return this week for their first UK tour in over 4 years. In association with Eventim, Stereoboard are giving away a pair of tickets to see Counting Crows perform live at London's Hammersmith Apollo on Tuesday 23rd April - see our new competition below for details.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Monday, 15 April 2013