PREMIERE: Dodge Bouncers With The Wave Pictures In Their Video For The Fire Alarm

The Wave Pictures’ return earlier this year was a case of old meeting new. ‘Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon’ delivered yet more idiosyncratic, hook-rich indie-pop but arrived co-written and recorded with one of the band’s heroes: the prolific, utterly individual Billy Childish.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 19 March 2015

Different Shade Of Blues: The Songwriting Evolution Of Joe Bonamassa

Photo: Christie Goodwin He may cast a spell with his guitar pyrotechnics and blistering cover versions, but Joe Bonamassa's growing skill as a composer shouldn't be overlooked. With the American hotshot currently playing four nights at London's Hammersmith Apollo, we’ve trace the key stages of the man's songwriting development, from his early days as a solo artist, to the crafting of his first album of almost-all original material in over a decade, last year’s 'Different Shades Of Blue'.  

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 17 March 2015

PREMIERE: Zefur Wolves Head Back To California On Sin Fronteras

Zefur Wolves are the latest diversion in one of pop’s greatest quests into the unknown. Led by Cian Ciaran, of the Super Furry Animals, and Estelle Ios, their debut arrives inspired by a stay in Mendocino, Northern California and by rough-around-the-edges west coast melodies.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 16 March 2015

PREMIERE: Tom Williams Returns With Stripped Back 'New Guitar' Cut Oh Boy

You may have stumbled across Tom Williams before. Probably with his band, The Boat, where his rough-edged folk has traditionally found a home. But, inspired by a new guitar, the singer-songwriter’s latest project is a stripped-back affair that finds him going it alone for a while.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 06 March 2015

No Guilty Pleasures #5: Iron Maiden's 'No Prayer For The Dying'

I fucking love Iron Maiden. They are the quintessential metal band: epic tales of Byronic scope, dual-guitar harmonies and, of course, Bruce Dickinson's immortal Air Raid Siren operatics. For good measure and back-patch readiness, they also have a gigantic zombie as a mascot.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 27 February 2015

PREMIERE: TenFiveSixty Quietly Thrill With The Slow Burn Copy.Over.Out

TenFiveSixty recently returned with Dashboard Light, a darkly romantic tale of escape and the latest in run of alluring outsider narratives from the Manchester duo, Jen Bailey and Rick Hornby.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 26 February 2015

Tears For Fears: Many Happy Returns To 'Songs From The Big Chair'

There is one hurdle that many British bands - including several with iron-clad claims to legendary status - never manage to clear: breaking the States.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Noise Not Music #8: The Body & Thou, Napalm Death And More

Happy New Year noise nerds! There’s a lot to get through this month and, alongside the usual dose of vicious extreme metal, we have top-notch new efforts from the worlds of field recording, jazz, techno and power electronics – enjoy.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 24 February 2015

PREMIERE: Vienna Ditto Get Weird And Wonderful With Hammer And A Nail

It’s Monday, but that’s no excuse not to get a little weird. Vienna Ditto - the duo of Hatty Taylor and Nigel Firth - have handed us the delightfully surreal video for their new single, Hammer and a Nail, which finds the pair confronted by a series of carnival-esque oddities.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 16 February 2015

PREMIERE: Adelphia Crank Up The Drama On If I Fall

Adelphia have gone big. Go hard or go home, right? If I Fall is an unashamedly ambitious slice of alt-rock from the Nottingham quartet, who have their sights set on perches currently occupied by You Me At Six and Don Broco.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 09 February 2015

PREMIERE: Houdini Dax Pack Harmonies And Hooks On Apple Tree

You’ve either seen them live, or will soon be told to see them live. Houdini Dax are poised to return later this year with a crowd-funded new record, ‘Naughty Nation’, delivering more hook-happy psych-pop and doubtless sweating up as many venues as will have them.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 05 February 2015

Dream Koala: 'It's Beautiful To Make An Everlasting Movie'

Photo: Enora Jung “I’ve just come back from India, where I played Magnetic Fields festival. It took place close to Delhi, but was still in the middle of nowhere. We drove six hours from the airport to stay and play in a palace. It was crazy, there were camels. Different from anything I’ve ever seen before.”

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 04 February 2015

Cover Me: Dawn Landes Takes On The Classics And Wins

“Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself.” - Bruce Springsteen, Dancing In The Dark

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 02 February 2015

Greetings From The Beast Coast: Why The Past May Point To Hip Hop's Future

Hip hop isn’t dead. It’s bored. Dramatic as the statement sounds, it’s more accurate than the oft-repeated mantra of old-school heads: that rap has lost its essence.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 29 January 2015

Simon And Garfunkel: Many Happy Returns To 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'

Simon and Garfunkel’s 1970 collection, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, is more than just a classic; it’s a milestone in the history of popular music. But one that came at a huge price.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Staying (sic): Inside The Mind Of Slipknot's Chris Fehn

Somewhere in the bowels of Nottingham’s Capital FM arena, Chris Fehn and I are introduced. Lovely, jovial, friendly Chris. He lounges on a sofa and casually rests his arm on the back. They must have sent in the wrong guy.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Queen: A Hidden Kind Of Magic

Although some dislike Brian May and Roger Taylor using the Queen moniker when the late Freddie Mercury and former bassist John Deacon aren't involved, many of their songs remain timeless classics that demand to be played live.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 15 January 2015

Air Guitars At The Ready: Why 2015 Will Rock

The hangovers have departed and the last strains of Auld Lang Syne have drifted away on a frosty breeze, so now we're left with the inevitable realisation that a change of year doesn’t guarantee everlasting happiness. Don't despair though, because this particular fresh start promises great new music for those of you who kneel at the altar of rock 'n' roll. So, without further ado, here are albums and tours to banish those blues and make 2015 a killer 12 months.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 13 January 2015

No Guilty Pleasures #4: Marilyn Manson's 'Eat Me, Drink Me'

Oh, Brian. How the mighty fall. From America's most hated man to Alan Rickman lookalike, Marilyn Manson has, in the eyes of the many, spent himself. Having bequeathed a large chunk of his recent time to a role on Sons Of Anarchy and making pervy art films instead of being the Antichrist Superstar of yore, many see 2000's 'Holy Wood' as his last potent dose of poison.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 12 January 2015

Ten From 2014 #8: Hip Hop

If 2013 was the call, then 2014 was to be the response. But, after Kendrick Lamar spent last year trying to “push forward the competitive element of hip hop”, it seems that his memorable Control verse fell on deaf ears. J. Cole missed the point, while legendary artists stepped back in the ring only to fall far short of their former glories. Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep just sound bored at this point in their careers.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 18 December 2014