Radio Songs: White Reaper And Punk's Pop Sensibility

Strip away the flags and bunting and it often boils down to a desire to play fast and loud. Since Dee Dee Ramone started belting out the 1234s that base punk urge has warped and mutated, but in White Reaper we have a band who get the idea on a basic level.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 15 September 2015

It Either Gets Better Or It Doesn't: FIDLAR Ride Again With 'Too'

td#right {display:none !important;} Illustration: Tom Norton The wheels might fall off at any moment. Things shake and roll before crashing to an unexpected halt. There’s almost a pause for breath, but then it starts again. FIDLAR’s first record was nothing if not honest about its intentions. Fuck it, dog. Life’s a risk.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 04 September 2015

Blood Brothers: Clarence Clemons And The Soul Of 'Born To Run'

Described by Bruce Springsteen as “the biggest man you ever seen”, the late Clarence Clemons left behind a legacy as large as his frame. While the beloved E Street Band saxophonist achieved success as a solo artist, actor and collaborator with Aretha Franklin and Lady Gaga, it was his work on 'Born To Run' - currently celebrating its 40th anniversary - that set the Big Man and the Boss on the road to musical immortality.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 02 September 2015

Reading Festival: The Power Of Hetfield And The Endless Crisp Debate

td#right {display:none !important;} Photo: Reading Main Stage by Jen O'Neill/Reading Festival Rain pours. The old man snores. But he's woken by the clanging death knell of the summer festival season: Reading and Leeds. In the deepest, darkest recesses of the M4 corridor, hardened veterans roll in the mud, newbies anxiously sip from paper goblets of overpriced beer and swarms of gurning GCSE graduates fancy themselves as the successors to Johnny Knoxville and his roving band of Jackass clowns. Let's have you, Reading.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 01 September 2015

Bring Me The Horizon: Anatomy Of A Future Festival Headliner

People have been calling it for years, but few really believed. Cynics scoffed as fans valiantly denied that their band could succumb to such mainstream pandering. But, in 2015, Bring Me The Horizon are in the box seat as future headliners of some of the world’s biggest festivals.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 25 August 2015

Bloodstock 2015: Brutality And Brioche Rolls

Out in the campsite wilderness, there’s a man dressed as a tube of toothpaste and the bin-jousting tournaments are already in full swing. It’s only Thursday night. Hello again, Bloodstock, you many-headed metal beast.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 11 August 2015

Sweet Baboo: The Singer, Changing Perceptions And 'The Boombox Ballads'

td#right {display:none !important;} Image: Tom Norton/Kirsten McTernan ​​The idea that pop is a multi-purpose, one-size-fits-all commodity is a popular one. It’s the backbone of the snobs’ charter and the reason that so many music fans feel compelled to mount the ‘anything but the top 40’ defence. In its purest form, though, pop is what makes us tick. It’s where our greatest loves and losses find purpose, where communication is prized and where three minute songs become epics in the hands of the right performer. It can be transformative, surprising and, above all else, fun.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 07 August 2015

Misfits: Live In London And Living Forever

Photo: Jessica Wollstein Photography To describe the Misfits' Crimson Ghost simply as a band logo would be to do it a great disservice. It's not just a logo. The cadaverous ghoul, nicked from a mid ‘40s film serial of the same name, appears everywhere: t-shirts, skateboards, flip-flops, pants, bath curtains. It's invaded all corners of modern society. It comes as something of a shock, then, to hear Jerry Only say: “Even to this day, the band still isn't commercially successful.”

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 03 August 2015

PREMIERE: We're No Heroes Want You To Dance Like Nobody's Watching With Voodoo

As the UK summer continues to battle against its built-in desire to self destruct, We’re No Heroes have unveiled Voodoo, the sort of indie-pop song designed to rattle around countless late afternoon singalongs and the accompanying lost nights.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 27 July 2015

Noise Not Music #12: Mutoid Man, The Clearing Path And More

This month’s Noise Not Music is brought to you by huge, all-encompassing drones. They have emanated partly from some of the releases reviewed here (Dead Neanderthals, Locrian, Ommadon), but also from a rediscovery of the potential of Sunn O))) as working music. So, with ‘Dømkirke’ still ringing in my ears, here’s the July edition…enjoy!

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 27 July 2015

Wet Plate Portraits: Nick Oliveri

​ Photograph: Gareth Jarvis Nick Oliveri, if you aren’t already aware, has spent the last two decades cultivating a near iconic beard and grinding out low end grooves for Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age, as well as thrashing through the hits with Dwarves. He’s also fronted his own project, Mondo Generator, and more recently opted to strip things back and hit the road with his Death Acoustic tour, on which he is armed with just an acoustic guitar and a sinister grin.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 23 July 2015

Korn: 20 Years Going Blind

Korn are the ultimate party band. They've got the tunes and on stage, they bring it. Did you see them support Slipknot earlier this year? Well, then you know all about it. And, to celebrate the 20th birthday of their ground-breaking self-titled debut, the Bakersfield behemoths have of late been playing their mightiest slice of musical midnight in its entirety. It's a clash between darkness and light that works.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 20 July 2015

Bloodstock 2015: Bin Jousting, Blast Beats And Burgerkill Await

The internet can be wonderful. It reunites long-lost friends, it has the power to spread music with one simple click and it allows uniform fetish websites to flounder and flourish in abundance.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 10 July 2015

Long Distance Runners: Her Name Is Calla Mark 10 Years And Meditate On Life As An Independent Band

td#right {display:none !important;} Since the turn of the century, the music industry has faced more challenges than at any other time in its history. The last decade and a half has seen the internet radically alter the landscape, and that of independent scenes in particular. On one hand, new technology has provided artists with a potential reach larger than any they would have had access to in years gone by. On the other side of the equation, though, is illegal downloading and streaming.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 02 July 2015

Stereoboard Sessions: The Sidekicks

The Sidekicks are full of surprises. Each of their records has represented a change in approach from its predecessor while remaining, thanks to an almost indefinable charm and Steve Ciolek’s way with a melody, unmistakably them.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 25 June 2015

Noise Not Music #11: False, Abyssal, Pale Chalice And More

Photo: Josh Martines If you thought last month’s Noise Not Music was packed to the rafters with amazing records then you’ll be delighted to hear that there’s just as much quality to get through this month. Due to limited space I have had to miss out two excellent records on the basis that the artists behind them are probably a little too well known to merit inclusion. The two in question are the exceptional new album, ‘Grievances’, by Sheffield progressive hardcore quintet (and long-term Stereoboard favourites) Rolo Tomassi, and the rip-roaring newbie from Matt Pike-led stoner doom trio High on Fire, ‘Luminiferous’.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Hindsight In 20/20: Torres' 'Sprinter' And Understanding The Past

td#right {display:none !important;} Photos: Shawn Brackbill Mackenzie Scott, framed alone on the high stage at Rough Trade East, stops tampering with a pedal for a moment as shouts from outside echo between racks of records. “Someone's gotta be a cheerleader,” she laughs before unfurling Cowboy Guilt’s syncopated riff. “Someone's gotta counteract this sad music.”

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 23 June 2015

Be Yourself, Be Positive: DJ Fresh On Believer, Club Culture And Remixes

DJ Fresh is a commercial dance institution and entirely owns his distinctive spot in electronic music. He intuitively crafts fast-moving breakbeats to spark outrageous reactions en masse, from optimistic good vibe chasers to cocktails of courage, defiance and determination.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Monday, 22 June 2015

Fleetwood Mac: Return Of The Songbird

They say good things come to those who wait, and Fleetwood Mac fans will certainly testify to that after years spent praying for Christine McVie's return to the band. Their patience was finally rewarded when the beloved songstress rejoined the group last year and with the legendary outfit's On With The Show tour currently slaloming around the UK and Ireland, it’s a fine time to delve into just how McVie's songwriting helped turn a fading British blues act into iconic superstars.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Download Festival: Fear, Loathing And Phantom Lemonade Stands

td#right {display:none !important;} Photograph: Slipknot by Gobinder Jhitta/Download 2015 The sun is shining, the drinks are flowing and there’s an elderly woman drunkenly wrestling with a teenager. She’s winning. Welcome back, Download. We’ve missed you.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 16 June 2015