What Really Makes A Hardworking Band? (PRS For Music, JLS, Westlife, Cancer Bats Feature)

By this point, it seems almost old news that JLS were titled the hardest working band of 2012 by the PRS For Music with a staggering 34 shows across twelve months - yes, that is less than one a week. So it does beg the question - what exactly constitutes a hard working band, in their minds at least?

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 28 January 2013

Stereoboard's Soundtrack For The UK's Big Freeze (Black Sabbath, Immortal, Lordi Feature)

Speaking on behalf of the entire British public: We do moan a fair bit about the snow, don’t we? I mean, I know that it severely disrupts travel plans and provides to be a bit of a nightmare on occasions, but the chaos should be embraced! Personally I love hurling snowballs at unsuspecting children. Anybody else? Okay, just me. Anyway, there are thousands of songs out there that will remind you of warmer, fairer times (if you fancy braving the new Bruno Mars album). But here, on this page, I have compiled a list of 5 songs relating to this perilously chilly weather we’re having. So enjoy it, you grim, frostbitten miseries.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 21 January 2013

Stereoboard List 5 New Acts To Watch Out For In 2013 (New Music Feature)

As time tells us, we can't and won't rely on our chart hitters to produce different and good music every single time. But if Mercury Prize winning Alt-J have anything to show us, it's that there's still new and impressive sound to discover and creative territory to gain. Championing the great and obscure, Stereoboard has compiled a list of 5 acts for you to keep your beady eye's on over the coming year.

Written by: Josh Adams | Date: Monday, 21 January 2013

Tour Of The Week - The Black Crowes - Tickets On Sale Now

The Black Crowes have announced dates for their 'Lay Down With Number 13' world tour. The Black Crowes Tickets are ON SALE NOW.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Monday, 14 January 2013

Stereoboard Looks At The Most Likely And Most Anticipated Tour Announcements Of The Coming Year

With it being the start of a brand new year, we at Stereoboard thought it would be a cool idea to delve into the crystal ball and see what UK tour announcements could be coming our way in 2013.

Written by: Elliott Batte | Date: Sunday, 13 January 2013

Where Should The Fandom Line Be Drawn? (#CutForBieber, All Time Low, John Lennon, Dimebag Feature)

Obsessive fandom. I get it. I've been there. I've loved a band more than I thought humanly possible and I thought nothing could compare to what I felt for them. I lived and breathed their music, their news updates, their new releases. As a teenager I had plans to cover myself in tattoos dedicated to them, I even flew to America for as little as 24 hours just to see them live - though, more often than not, I made more of a holiday of these such occasions.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Thursday, 10 January 2013

Bands To Watch Out For In 2013 (King Krule, Savages, Solange, Splashh, AlunaGeorge, Haim Feature)

With the final days of 2012 trickling away alarmingly quickly, and the festive haze still upon us, it feels an appropriate time to look back fondly on an incredibly exciting year of music. To say this has been a remarkable one in terms of new musical talent would be an understatement, with 2012 marking the release of hordes of very special, innovative albums, and some of the most perfect pop songs of the decade. It is almost even more exciting though, to take a look forward, and consider how the musical landscape of 2013 might take shape. It is so difficult to imagine which musicians will have made the biggest marks this time next year, all there really is to go on is who deserves to do really well for themselves, and with the artists below emerging, the future looks bright.

Written by: Ellen Davies | Date: Thursday, 27 December 2012

Stereoboard's Top 5 Metal Albums Of 2012 (Gojira, Cradle Of Filth, Devin Townsend, Kreator Feature)

“No, I won’t put The Darkness in it!” This is an excerpt from the internal struggle I experienced as I was putting this list together. It was ridiculously hard to narrow it down to just 5 albums, and whilst I really loved The Darkness’s new album, I refused to include it here. Because this is for metal albums. Monstrous, raucous, wonderfully nasty albums. 2012 has been a superb year for metal music, so before I delve into my top 5; I’d like to shower honourable mentions upon artists who just missed out: Ihsahn, Soulfly, Converge, Deftones, Cancer Bats, Deadly Circus Fire and God Seed. You really should listen to these too, but I can’t really explain why, as that would defeat the purpose of creating a top 5. So, as I sit here roasting chestnuts on an open fire and scaring off carol singers with the latest Cannibal Corpse CD, here you go. Drum roll, please?

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Sunday, 23 December 2012

Gaz Coombes, Paul Weller, Deftones & More Included In Stereoboard's Top 10 Albums Of 2012 (Feature)

There have been some true revolutions in music the past year. Despite the decline in sales of the guitar band, bands across the globe are still penning some truly remarkable music using a cacophony of different styles, techniques and influences to evolve and refine their sound. Some of the acts featured here have been around for a small eternity, but still managed to release a record in the last twelve months that could, quite possibly, change your life. Some of them have hit the charts running. Some of them you may never have heard of. But I promise you, if you have interest in music, real music, you should go out and obtain a copy of all of these because not doing so means you miss out.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Friday, 21 December 2012

Stereoboard's Apocalyptic Playlist - Listen Now (End Of The World Feature)

December 21st 2012 has been a predicted doomsday for quite some time now, and as our pending apocalypse is just around the corner - i.e. it's tomorrow - it seems only appropriate to offer a soundtrack to such an event. Everything has to have a soundtrack these days, you know.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Thursday, 20 December 2012

Robbie Williams Returns To The Top Of Stereoboard's Top 10 Hot Tickets Chart

English pop singer-songwriter and Take That star Robbie Williams has topped the Stereoboard Hot Tickets chart once again this week, with tickets for his summer 2013 UK stadium tour still flying out - taking him from the #3 spot back to #1.

Written by: Elliott Batte | Date: Thursday, 20 December 2012

Stereoboard's Alternative Christmas Song Playlist (The Hives, EELS, The Wombats Feature)

Christmas is an excellent time for mince pies. For Toy manufacturers, Santa impersonators and pantomimes there is no month that compares to December. It is an awesome time of year for over sugared children, so awesome that there is a small chance that they might literally explode with excitement for Christmas day. It's an even better time of year for guaranteeing you will hear the same songs you've heard every year, every day from mid September. The 'Christmas Classics'. Quickly what started as festive fun can lead to you buying a megaphone, tracking down Noddy Holder and shouting into his ear "I KNOW!?! I'VE KNOWN FOR MONTHS, IT HAPPENS THE SAME DAY EVERY (expletive of your choice) YEAR.... EVEN IF I DIDN'T KNOW, HEARING SONGS WHICH HAVE BECOME FAMOUS DESPITE BEING TERRIBLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE WORD 'CHRISTMAS' IN THEM IS NOT A PLESANT REMINDER!". Before bursting into tears and spending Christmas day quietly sat in the corner, gently rocking backward and forwards, cradling the uncooked turkey and waiting for January to come round.

Written by: Luke Bailey | Date: Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Stereoboard Speak To Canadian Electronic Dance Duo Zeds Dead Ahead Of Their Recent London Show

Firstly, saw you guys briefly in TomorrowLand, and it was pretty sick and very intense – in a positive manner of course.

Written by: Adam Holden | Date: Tuesday, 18 December 2012

Stereoboard's Top 10 Alternative Albums Of 2012 (Deftones, Soundgarden, Don Broco, Slash Feature)

Annually, we music fans are spoiled by bands worldwide. As it draws to a close, we look back on the year as a whole and attempt to pick out our favourite offerings the last twelve months have given us. More often than not there comes an addition feeling - "Next year's got a lot to beat!" And, as each that came before it has done, 2012 has given us countless alternative albums to revel in and, accordingly, here are ten alternative records that come highly recommended.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 17 December 2012

Stereoboard's Christmas List: Merchandise Ranging From The Weird And Wonderful

Christmas is the time of year where we consumers go crazy. Your brother might just want a crate of beer, but you don't think that's quite enough. Your mum may have been hinting at this really nice set she saw on TV, but then again - you might not be the only one to have picked up on her hints. So what do we do? We turn to the internet - the home of the weird and wonderful, the obscure and the downright awesome.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 17 December 2012

Stereoboard Chat To Stone Sour About The UK Tour, The Latest Record & The Pending Second Instalment

Stone Sour have pulled quite a blinder. Where many struggle to pull off one concept record, they've opted for two - and part one is a pretty solid start. Bringing their promotion to the UK for two headline London shows before continuing around the country, Josh took some time out to talk about their current tour, their latest record and that pending second instalment.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 17 December 2012

Stereoboard Talk To Guitar Legend Michael Schenker About New 'Temple Of Rock' Live Album/DVD

What do the late great Randy Rhoads, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden and Slash all have in common? Aside from being iconic exponents of hard rock guitar playing they've all been inspired and influenced by the exceptional German guitarist Michael Schenker, whose breathtaking work with The Scorpions, UFO and the Michael Schenker Group (MSG) stamped a distinctive mark on the hard rock landscape of the 1970's and 80's, as well as shaping the scene that followed as aspiring axe men the world over studied (and nicked) his techniques. No wonder The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne all wanted him to join them. Unfortunately, like most people imbued with God given genius Michael had a self destructive side and was known for being erratic and temperamental, regularly disappearing before gigs without explanation. For a long time his life was blighted by dangerous addictions to pills and booze that derailed his career and left him a shadow of his former self, often turning up to concerts too paralytic to play.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 14 December 2012

Bruce Springsteen Hits #1 Spot On Stereoboard's Hot Tickets Chart

American rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bruce Springsteen has reminded us why he’s known as The Boss this week, after topping the Stereoboard Hot Tickets chart - leaving last week’s leader Robbie Williams behind at #3.

Written by: Elliott Batte | Date: Thursday, 13 December 2012

Tour Of The Week - Bruce Springsteen - Tickets On Sale Now

'Wrecking Ball' rocker Bruce Springsteen has unveiled dates for a string of outdoor UK shows for summer 2013. In addition to the UK dates, Bruce and his E Street Band will also visit Ireland for shows in Limerick, Cork and Belfast. Bruce Springsteen Tickets are ON SALE NOW.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Stereoboard Talk To Miss May I's Levi Benton About Their Current UK Tour And Latest Album 'At Heart'

I was given the opportunity to have a chat with Levi Benton, vocalist of Miss May I, at the Cardiff date on their headline UK tour. We talked about the current tour, plans for 2013 and the reception of their latest album 'At Heart'.

Written by: Matt Turner | Date: Tuesday, 11 December 2012