Going Overboard: Palm Reader On Following Up 'Braille' and Their Split Covers EP With Conjurer

At the end of this year Palm Reader will wind up the touring cycle for their 2018 album ‘Braille’. The hardcore band plan to celebrate by playing the record in its entirety during a hometown show at Nottingham’s Rough Trade in December, also known as “the place that welcomed us with open arms when we started to write it” according to drummer Dan Olds. 

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 25 October 2019

'It Feels Very Fierce To Me And Very Open': Common Holly Talks 'When I Say To You Black Lightning'

Photo: Alex Apostolidis The soothing tones of Common Holly’s instrumentals dance innocently alongside the singer’s unfailingly pretty vocals. The accomplished, creative Montreal native Brigitte Naggar trades in thought-provoking music for anxious lovers.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 22 October 2019

They Never Rest: Cultdreams Talk 10 Years Together

“Neither of us are the same people, are we?” Cultdreams vocalist and guitarist Lucinda Livingstone says to drummer Conor Dawson. “Both of our lives have changed so drastically from what they were. When we met I was 17, and then when we started a band together we were 18 or 19. Think how much you change from being a teenager to then being...I don’t know if I would call either of us an adult, but when you think about it, it’s mad.”

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Wednesday, 16 October 2019

Between Two Worlds: Alcest Discuss The Psychic Crisis of 'Spiritual Instinct'

“I had some flashes and visions of a place that didn’t look anywhere close to something real. I have no idea why I had this, or where it came from. It was somewhere very magical—the most beautiful thing you could ever think about. I don’t know what to call it, I don’t know what it is. I just know it has transformed me.”

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Monday, 14 October 2019

'We Just Want To Be Bigger Than Oasis': Heavy Lungs Talk Self-Worth And New EP 'Measure'

Thanks to their explosive live set, storming singles and kinship with Idles, things are as exciting for Bristol-based band Heavy Lungs as they are for the noise-driven post-punk scene that’s thriving across the UK at the moment: very.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Wednesday, 09 October 2019

'It's What You Do Going Forward': Everclear's Art Alexakis is Singing in the Sun on His Solo Debut

In many ways, Everclear frontman Art Alexakis is the walking, talking, rock ‘n’ roll-loving embodiment of the American Dream. The idea that success and prosperity can be attained by anyone, regardless of their background, is certainly a wonderful ideal. But it can only be achieved through serious hard graft, a fierce sense of determination and the ability to get back up and keep fighting. 

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 09 October 2019

Days of Misfortune: We Lost The Sea Discuss The Pressure and Depression Behind 'Triumph & Disaster'

On their new album, ‘Triumph & Disaster’, Sydney post-rockers We Lost The Sea tell the story of a world past the brink of collapse. The six-piece use their emotive, ever-building and ultimately climactic compositions to illustrate dystopian landscapes, where climate change and depleting natural resources have finally caught up with us, rendering humanity’s days numbered.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Friday, 27 September 2019

Risk and Reward: Laurence Jones Talks Musical Evolution and Defying the Blues Police

Photo: Rob Blackham It’s well known that if certain sharks stop moving they’ll swiftly meet their maker. Laurence Jones’s desire to continually improve and expand his musical game suggests he feels much the same way about his career. Now 27, and with over a decade’s experience under his belt, the calibre of the guitar prodigy’s material has grown stronger, and stylistically more bold, with each record he’s released. His excellent new album hasn’t bucked that particular trend.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 26 September 2019

Rock 'n' Roll is Philosophy and This is Ours: Introducing Dreamers

Let’s say you’re in the market for a new favourite band and have your checklist at the ready. You want to hear a group who effortlessly incorporate classic rock ‘n’ roll, grunge, electronica, psychedelia, hip hop and power-pop into a shimmering skyline of modern delights. A collective that boast hooks the size of asteroids, indie dancefloor grooves and lyrics that offer a little more intellectual depth than your average pop clone. If that’s the case, Dreamers may be the band you’re looking for. 

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 24 September 2019

Wet Plate Portraits: Camp Cope At Clwb Ifor Bach

td#right {display:none !important;} Photo: Gareth Jarvis As Camp Cope rattle towards the end of The Opener, the capper to their set at a packed Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff, vocalist and guitarist Georgia “Maq” McDonald yells into the mic: “Yeah, tell me again how there just aren’t that many girls in the music scene!”

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 20 September 2019

A Very British Sort of Americana: Introducing Ferris & Sylvester

Home-grown, organic. Find something stamped with words as wholesome as these and watch as it quickly leaves the shelves. By British standards, blues-folk duo Ferris & Sylvester could wear this label very comfortably.

Written by: Anna Ghislena | Date: Thursday, 19 September 2019

Rock 'n' Roll Star: Liam Gallagher's Commitment To Being Liam Gallagher

There’s a line in the film version of High Fidelity, delivered by John Cusack’s sad sack music nerd/primo arsehole Rob Gordon about one of his many exes: “Some people never got over Vietnam or the night their band opened for Nirvana. I guess I never got over Charlie.”

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 19 September 2019

This Is Just The Start: Spielbergs Talk 'Running All The Way Home' And Life On The Road

Regrets, like inches around your gut or degrees of despair behind your eyes, tend to stack up as you get older. That Frank Sinatra’s full of shit, man.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 17 September 2019

Less Than Jake: Ska-Punk Greats Still Fired Up After All These Years

Take it from Garth Algar: we fear change. We all do. It’s something that makes the longevity of a band like Less Than Jake deeply comforting. For almost 30 years the Gainesville outfit have been racking up the miles playing ska-punk tunes that have ricocheted from the heart of the zeitgeist to the outer rim of cultural relevance—and they don’t give a shit how anyone sees them.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 03 September 2019

Politely Taking Over The World: Gender Roles Talk Debut Album 'Prang' And Living For Live Shows

Most bands don’t set out with a grand plan in mind, and Brighton’s Gender Roles were no different. “We’ve never had a mission,” guitarist and vocalist Tom Bennett says. “We just wanted to start playing music, and we really wanted to play shows because all our mates were doing it. 

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 29 August 2019

What's Your First Line Going To Be? The Futureheads Discuss Their Long-Awaited Return With 'Powers'

The stars of mid-2000s indie discos are frozen in time in the memories of a lot of people—their music might as well be an advert for sticky floors and test tube shots. And that’s where the Futureheads, who had a couple of songs that were students’ union staples, might still reside in the eyes of some.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 27 August 2019

If You Know, You Know: ArcTanGent Festival Proves Bigger Isn't Always Better

Photo: Coheed and Cambria by Sam Lees We’ve all had one of those chats over a beer, where we put the world to rights and share plans for our latest pipe dream. The difference between us and Goc O’Callaghan? She actually went out and did it, creating one of the world’s best small festivals for fans of math-rock, post-rock, noise-rock, and all you find in between. 

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 22 August 2019

Everything Considered: The Murder Capital Talk Debut Album 'When I Have Fears'

“It’s about a fear of life and an acceptance of maybe not being able to finish everything you wanted to do. We thought that was a really beautiful statement. It worked with our mentality. So we thought we’d move forward with that and we put that as the pillar for writing songs.”

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Wednesday, 14 August 2019

Foo Fighters: How 'There is Nothing Left to Lose' Changed Dave Grohl's Fortunes

The end of any decade is, essentially, meaningless. We attach poignancy to it because we’re all narcissists in some way—we want this decade, our decade, to stand for something. Musically, the ‘90s did a better job than some of its peers in allowing us to think that: young people were swept up by grunge, or the gloss of modern R&B, or punk’s chart explosion, or the battle between the east and west coasts.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 13 August 2019

How To Make A Sadcore Hit: A Lana Del Rey Recipe

Lana Del Rey really has nailed her hazy, retro vibe and a nostalgic sense of sadness. Far from the usual feel-good factor of pop hits, the New York vocalist and songwriter has carved a niche for herself in the shimmery, summery genre of luxurious, melancholic songs that we like to call sadcore.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Friday, 09 August 2019