No Guilty Pleasures #3: Electric Six's 'Senor Smoke'

Everybody knows Danger! High Voltage and everybody knows Gay Bar. They are two songs that have been rubber stamped as pop culture curios thanks to radio overkill, bad karaoke and those music videos. What most people haven’t noticed, though, is that since releasing 'Fire' back in 2003, Electric Six have bashed out a further nine (yes, nine) studio albums.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Left Turn Ahead: Gaslight Anthem's 'Get Hurt' Reinvention Continues A Rock Tradition

It takes a brave rock band to change their sound, especially when it's endeared them to legions of fans around the world. While some acts elicit a flair for sonic reinvention, others have fallen flat on their faces and swiftly retreated to familiar territory.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 17 November 2014

Bryan Adams: Still Reckless After All These Years

Long before Bryan Adams drove everyone insane with his ubiquitous chart topper Everything I Do (I Do It For You), he unleashed a premium-grade, denim-clad rock ‘n' roll record that catapulted him towards fame, fortune and a credibility sapping date with Robin Hood. The year was 1984 and, should you need reminding, the album was 'Reckless'.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 14 November 2014

PREMIERE: Honeymilk Dial Up The Fuzz On A Scene In Between

Honeymilk are a band weaned on rock classics old and new. The Swedish power trio wear influences from the Strokes and the Velvet Underground on their collective sleeve, with their sound neatly wrapped up in a psych-rock bow.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 12 November 2014

Time And Place: A Summer Spent Waiting And Live's 'Throwing Copper'

As Live prepare to hit the UK for a show at London's KOKO - with new vocalist Chris Shinn in tow - Simon Ramsay rewinds the clock to a time when he was wrapped up in the band's 'Throwing Copper' album, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 04 November 2014

No Guilty Pleasures #2: Machine Head's 'Supercharger'

In part two of No Guilty Pleasures, our feature celebrating records maligned by the masses, Alec Chillingworth takes a look at Machine Head's post-millennial stumble, 'Supercharger'.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 04 November 2014

Suede: Many Happy Returns To 'Dog Man Star'

While Oasis and Blur publicly battled it out at the height of Britpop in 1995, the foundation stones became harder to make out as the music was overtaken by the cultural flood.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Thursday, 30 October 2014

Support Network: The Power Of A Killer Opening Band

Support bands are, broadly speaking, there to get a crowd warmed up, provide extra value for money and, occasionally, even bore the audience to the point where they're salivating for the main attraction.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 28 October 2014

Interrogating Devin Townsend Part 2: The Return Of Ziltoid

Part one of this interrogation found Devin Townsend spilling his guts about 'Sky Blue', the 'nice' side of his new double album, 'Z²'. In the second half of our glimpse inside the progmeister's brain, we scoop information from his skull on the return of Ziltoid for 'Dark Matters'.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 24 October 2014

Farewell To Firefest: The Bands To Carry The AOR Torch

It's set to be a bittersweet occasion at Nottingham's Rock City this weekend when cult melodic rock show Firefest bows out after almost a decade at the forefront of a forgotten genre.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 22 October 2014

PREMIERE: AvaGrace Shoot For The Stars With II Years

There’s nothing easy about forcing your way into a crowded scene, but that’s just what Kent quintet AvaGrace are backing themselves to do in the next few months.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 20 October 2014

PREMIERE: Joey Fourr Teams Up With Plastic Fish Records For Boyz II Girlz

Plastic Fish have been delivering the indie goods for a couple of years now and the label will return on October 27 with a new compilation, the aptly-titled ‘American Sole’.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 16 October 2014

Green Day: Many Happy Returns To...'American Idiot'

When Californian punks Green Day released 'American Idiot' in 2004, their popularity was on the wane. The biggest success in their catalogue to date had been ‘Dookie’, released a decade earlier and a triumph in snotty-nosed, ‘new punks on the block’ angst. It sold over 10 million copies.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Friday, 26 September 2014

Joanne Shaw Taylor Gets Back To Basics On 'The Dirty Truth'

Photo: Rob Monk Since being discovered by Eurythmics man Dave Stewart at the tender age of 16, Joanne Shaw Taylor's cracking guitar skills, husky vocals and impressive songwriting have marked her out as one of the best blues artists of the current generation.  

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 26 September 2014

No Guilty Pleasures #1: Alice Cooper's 'Muscle Of Love'

In part one of No Guilty Pleasures, a new feature celebrating records maligned by the masses, Alec Chillingworth takes a look at Alice Cooper at their most Spinal Tap on ‘Muscle Of Love’.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 22 September 2014

Go Somewhere And Then Come Back: Adam Duritz On Counting Crows' 'Somewhere Under Wonderland'

They may have crafted a wonderful catalogue of material and been an exceptional touring outfit for over two decades, but Counting Crows have always struggled to match the critical acclaim afforded to their 1993 debut, 'August And Everything After'. Until now.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 19 September 2014

Sing With Me: Slash And His Frontmen

He may be a global icon and the leading guitar hero of his generation, but you have to feel a bit sorry for Slash. Why, you ask? Well, although he's able to unleash rock ‘n' roll gold from his fingertips, he hates singing. Hates it. Over the years, this has meant that collaborating with pesky vocalists has been an occupational necessity.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Fast And Heavy: Wrongstock Set To Take Over The Underworld

“Mostly it's death metal, grindcore, hardcore. Basically it's all fucking fast and fucking heavy.” - A charming quote from the Camden Underworld's Facebook page.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Noise Not Music #7: YOB, Earth, Lussuria And More

Photo: YOB/James Rexroad ​Welcome to the latest edition of Noise Not Music on Stereoboard, the finest repository for all your extreme musical needs. From black metal, to drone, to grindcore, to power electronics, this column welcomes music usually forced to survive far out in the musical wilderness. Listeners of a more circumspect nature are advised read on with caution…

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 12 September 2014

Winter Is Coming: The Metal Gigs Still Left To Savour In 2014

This year has been – no hyperbole intended – one of the healthiest for heavy metal this side of the millennium. A slew of bands have released career-bests and there are still more on the horizon as Bay Area heavyweights Machine Head and gods of the genre Slipknot are both due to unleash new creations in the next few months. October, meanwhile, will be dominated by the latest effort from renowned genius/puppet enthusiast Devin Townsend.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 08 September 2014