Rae Morris: Clarity, Tour Identity And The Unique Loveliness Of 'Unguarded'

Singing with wisdom and maturity about her complex understanding of self, discovered through real life and loves, Rae Morris reflects a unique loveliness.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 27 October 2015

Collaborate/Experiment: Anderson .Paak Jumps From 'Venice' To Dre's Boot Camp And Beyond

There is a strong argument to be made that the digital age is over, at least in a musical context. We live at a time when young artists have infinite access to libraries and catalogues and genres, to the point where, theoretically, anyone can at least attempt to call up the ghosts of music past. Where new electronic sounds once bore a mystical appeal, many artists now use technology to discover and create music that is ‘classically human’.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Stereoboard Talks 'P.H.U.Q', Fans And The Future With Ginger Wildheart

There’s a “Wildy fest” going on in the World’s End. The place is packed with Wildhearts tour t-shirts, slapped across the backs of the young and, well, not so young. The band still has die hard fans and they are out in force to see their talisman, Ginger, play a career-spanning acoustic set as part of Camden Rocks.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Wednesday, 09 September 2015

Society: Do It Yourself, Do It With Style

Composing commanding music that takes itself seriously requires confidence and watertight musical prowess.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 08 September 2015

Lose Your Mind: Against Me! And The Road To '23 Live Sex Acts'

When I was 21, I worked in a joke shop in one of Cardiff’s arcades. I was hungover and reliving the night before when Thrash Unreal began to bellow out of the shop’s stereo. The verse - “She’s going ‘til the house lights come up, or her stomach spills on to the floor.” - seemed to speak directly to me, and I was hooked. My mate told me I could have the CD as the band had “sold out” and “were shit now, anyway”. What the fuck did he know?

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 04 September 2015

Ghost: Top The Charts, Hail Satan

Amid the hustle, bustle and occasional rustle of Space Raiders crisp packets, a gaunt figure stands alone. Clad in black and sporting a mask Doctor Doom would wear if he went to Hell, a Nameless Ghoul lingers in the Reading press tent. His band, Ghost, will headline The Pit stage later in the evening, treading the boards at the same time as Metallica and, er, the Wombats.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 02 September 2015

Recreation, Regeneration, Innovation: Radkey Talk 'Dark Black Makeup'

Bands change. It's inevitable. Even AC/DC's style has slightly shifted over the years. You must, or you run the risk of becoming Motörhead. And only Motörhead can get away with that.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 17 August 2015

Begin Again: Cyril Hahn And Music As Meditation

Photo: Evaan Kheraj After tentatively opening a sleepy eye, Cyril Hahn’s mind immediately switches to coffee and breakfast. Pulling on his standard day to day uniform- black t-shirt, jeans and white socks - he peers out of the window at the concrete Berlin landscape beyond.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Thursday, 06 August 2015

'Everything Falls On Me': Dan Andriano Returns To The Emergency Room

td#right {display:none !important;} “I hope the devil’s not waiting for me. I’ve got some shit to figure out before he and I speak.”

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 15 July 2015

'Throw In Some Acrylic With That Oil Paint': Oscar On 'Beautiful Words' And Embracing Eclecticism

Discovering good, honest character in a commercial artist is unicorn, pot-of-gold-at-the end-of-the-rainbow rare. But, like a reassuring phoenix rising from the ashes, the melancholy manchild Oscar shuffles unassumingly forward, flanked by a full, anthemic summer sound.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 07 July 2015

Stage Wounds: Rolo Tomassi's 10 Year Journey To 'Grievances'

td#right {display:none !important;} Photography: Jake Lewis Leg three of Rolo Tomassi’s ‘Grievances’ release celebration is in merciless swing. Eva and James Spence are in the crowd, their bodies further stoking a pit that might have received pass marks at a CBGB matinee 30 years ago. The song is The Embers, a snotty, explosive cut from the top end of the new album that is greeted like an old, if unpredictable, friend by those packed inside the subterranean Waiting Room in Stoke Newington. At the start of the year, the band turned 10. They look good on it.  

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 12 June 2015

Black Stone Cherry: First Download, Then The Carnival Of Madness

Photos: Craig Thomas/Tallboy Images In an unusual twist of fate, Scotland is sweltering in the summer heat. Black Stone Cherry have arrived to play a show at the Garage in Glasgow which, by their standards, is something like plugging in at an intimate get together with your nearest and dearest.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Friday, 12 June 2015

Explaining 'The Ark Work': Liturgy's Hunter Hunt-Hendrix Interviewed

Photo: Liturgy by Erez Avissar Liturgy are, without doubt, one of the most talked about “black metal” bands of our time. Since Hunter Hunt-Hendrix started the project, initially as a solo venture just under a decade ago, they have released three records, all of them largely genre-less. For Hunt-Hendrix, black metal is as much a philosophy as a sound, and Liturgy’s music has flowed from his ideas on “transcendental black metal”, rather than from specific tropes of the style.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 08 June 2015

Old Dogs, New Tricks: The Continued Resurgence Of FM

We may be living in a 'golden­oldie­age', where countless bands reform for one last hurrah, but few of those venerable acts have returned with the creative potency and commercial impact of Britain's finest AOR group, FM.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 07 May 2015

Down The Rabbit Hole: James Wolf And Electronic Music's Limitless Form

After we disturb James Wolf from the recovery position, the Dublin-born, London-based party player cracks one weary eye open. Hidden away from Monday morning’s unforgiving rays, he slowly remembers tales of last night’s antics, spent lost in Bethnal Green’s infamous stripping super club, Metropolis.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Thursday, 07 May 2015

The Toi: The Best Kept Secret In Rock?

Releasing a smoking hot debut album should guarantee fame and fortune beyond a band's wildest dreams, but the music business is rarely that fair and rewarding. Just ask The Toi, a superb rock outfit from Glasgow who, in spite of recently delivering a widely lauded bow 'Water Into Wine', are still fighting for that elusive big break.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 30 April 2015

Living For The Moment: Frank Iero's Journey Post My Chemical Romance

You know Frank Iero from his time with My Chemical Romance, the band he made music with, toured the world with and donned a bulletproof vest and eyeliner for. But, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that his story is one with plenty of twists and turns still to come.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 28 April 2015

Dodheimsgard: Architects Of Darkness

With their new album, ‘A Umbra Omega', arriving eight years after its predecessor, ‘Supervillain Outcast’, and 16 after the band’s most infamous record, ‘666 International’, opportunities to talk to Dødheimsgard about new music are rare.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 24 April 2015

'We Do Things A Little Differently Now': Frost On Satyricon's Night At The Opera

The sunlight mercilessly slashes at King's Cross, the first shards of spring cutting through as builders puff on cigarettes and make an awful racket with some power tools. A man sits on the pavement and devours a Sainsbury's meal deal. The scene isn’t very black metal at all.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Thursday, 16 April 2015

Live From Uncharted Territory: Halestorm Return With 'Into The Wild Life'

Being stood up isn't great for anyone's self esteem, but when Lzzy Hale was forced to rest her voice during Halestorm’s UK tour last month, her stand in did just fine.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 14 April 2015

Only Human: The Spirit Of Niall Galvin And Only Real

Being young today is complicated. Coming of age requires the navigation of a precarious pathway, one built upon life-changing, mind-expanding, heart-breaking twists and turns. No one person’s direction is comparable to another's, but we all endeavour to walk the same distance.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Monday, 13 April 2015

'We Are What We Are': Steve Lukather On The Return Of Toto

There are few better surprises than a beloved band getting back together to make a new album, with the possible exception of that release turning out to be something of a masterpiece.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 23 March 2015

Unity Through Music: The Return Of Awolnation

On a cliff edge, contemplating the release of his sophomore album with Awolnation, 'Run', Aaron Bruno is feeling reflective. Peering across the infinite Pacific landscape, as if from a cloud buffered high point, the scene is a fitting metaphor for his career to date.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 18 March 2015

The Gentle Storm: Love Songs And History Lessons

Prog has never really been cool. In the last few years Periphery have made it just a tad more accessible and Devin Townsend has added a dose of the ridiculous, but the genre is still largely dismissed as little more than a sea of bassoon solos and lyrics about goblins.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 18 March 2015

The Answer: Rebooted, Reborn And Raising A Little Hell

Since exploding onto the scene in 2005 it's been a topsy turvy ride for Northern Irish blues-rockers The Answer. The success many predicted for them never materialised, and over the last few years it felt like they'd run out of steam. 'Raise A Little Hell', their brand new studio album, is powerful proof to the contrary.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 12 March 2015

Dance Like Never Before: The Wonderful World Of Petite Meller

True eccentricity is god-given. Laughing in the face of a testosterone-fuelled music industry, the pale, wiry Parisian songstress Petite Meller is a new force to be reckoned with.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 11 March 2015

The Used: Anniversaries And Broken Bones

The Used wrapped their UK tour at the O2 Academy Bristol last week, rolling into town with songs from ‘Imaginary Enemy’ in hand after laying waste to KOKO in Camden the previous evening.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Monday, 23 February 2015

Lay Your Soul Bare: Talking Folk With Nick And The Sun Machine

Stripped back to basics and boasting lyrics from the heart, today’s young folk musicians are reaching out to a new generation of fans.

Written by: Anna Ghislena | Date: Tuesday, 17 February 2015

'I'm Just Gonna Do Me': Fwdslxsh On Plotting His Own Route

“I wanna work with some of my favourite artists. I just wanna make tracks that those artists never thought they would make, put artists on one of my beats that initially they would never think to ever go on. I'd love to work with Pharrell, Frank Ocean, Tyler The Creator, Chance the Rapper..."

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Still Fuzzy: Telling The Story Of The Super Furry Animals

One of the most creative forces in ‘90s music, which is all too often remembered solely for Britpop, Super Furry Animals were a band who always managed to maintain an air of mystique and curiosity: just what would they do next?

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Thursday, 12 February 2015

Boiling Point: Jeff Scott Soto Lets It All Out On 'Inside The Vertigo'

We all need to let off steam sometimes, right? That's certainly what Jeff Scott Soto does on 'Into The Vertigo'. The AOR hero and his new band have whipped up a barrage of bastardised contemporary metal, while venting deep seated anger and frustration that's been building for the best part of a decade.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 09 February 2015

Through The Dark: Munky Reflects On Two Decades Of Korn

Korn are survivors. They endure. You know their stuff, I know their stuff and they emerged from the messy death of nu-metal still standing. James 'Munky' Shaffer, their axeman since the very beginning, has now been laying down earth-shattering grooves for over two decades.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 30 January 2015

'A Sort Of Chaotic Beauty': Dreams Is Rising Fast And Breaking Rules

“Los Angeles is a great place to make tracks because it allows you to disappear, if you want to.”

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Thursday, 08 January 2015

Night At The Mausoleum: Wednesday 13 Raises The Dead

“Comparing this record to 'The Dixie Dead'...I just made the sound heavier. I wanted to revamp and recharge everything I think I've become over the years. It was a conscious decision to make a really heavy, balls-out, different kinda record.”

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 06 January 2015

Spread The Word: First You Don't Have The Right To Cry, Then The World For Kristina Maria

Canadian songstress Kristina Maria is already being hailed in certain circles as a modern twist on Celine Dion, and it’s not hard to join the dots and see why.

Written by: Katie Territt | Date: Tuesday, 02 December 2014

Don't Die In Your Hometown: Chris Farren On Staying Idealistic And Antarctigo Vespucci

Hat pulled low and hands thrust into his sleeves to combat a cold, damp night outside Newport's Le Pub, Chris Farren looks just about as far removed from the warm of Naples, Florida as it’s possible to be. Which is fine by him.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 28 November 2014

Shaking In The Water: The Xcerts On Hope, Inner Goths And 'There Is Only You'

Four years on from the brilliantly dark ‘Scatterbrain’, the Xcerts have returned with the excellent ‘There is Only You’, their third full-length, and a fresh batch of UK shows.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 27 November 2014

Fifteen Years In The Atmosphere: Ufomammut Interviewed

It’s often noted when discussing Ufomammut that Italy isn’t where you might expect to find an ultra-heavy psychedelic sludge band. After 15 years circling the outer limits of the atmosphere, however, their spacey sounds seem to have changed that. With releases like 2004’s ‘Snailking’ and 2012’s ‘Oro’, Ufomammut have become one of the most respected names in the world of contemporary underground heavy metal.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 24 November 2014

Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds: The End Is Just The Beginning

Jeff Wayne’s 'War of the Worlds' means different things to different people. To some, it’s a prog landscape that they’ve revisited time and time again, to others it’s a cassette that clattered around the glovebox of dad’s Montego. For one university friend, it was the only album he saw fit to bring with him when he left home.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 20 November 2014

'It's One Of Our Favourite Places In The World To Play': Daughtry On UK Fans And Tour Life

Daughtry have spent a large chunk of the year on tour, promoting their fourth studio record, ‘Baptized’. Having played a huge UK show at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire back in March, the band took a slight detour from their current dates to enjoy another stop over here earlier this month, tackling a sold out Roundhouse in Camden.

Written by: Katie Territt | Date: Monday, 27 October 2014

Interrogating Devin Townsend Part 1: The Road To 'Sky Blue'

The bane of prog purists the world over and a totem for the bizarre, Devin Townsend has enjoyed a career brimming with variety. After all, who else could release a country album and a space opera about farts and aliens within five months of one another?

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Thursday, 23 October 2014

The Next Chapter: Deafheaven Preparing For Life After 'Sunbather'

It’s almost 2pm and it’s hot. The violent electrical storm that will interrupt a headline set by Jack White at Mexico City’s Corona Capital festival is hours away and Deafheaven are opening the main stage. A teenager in a Kings of Leon cap slumps against the barrier, its peak barely concealing the look of bemusement plastered across her face.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Progressive Nation: Haken, Leprous And Maschine Prepare For UK And Ireland Trek

While progressive music is largely viewed as the nerdy, under-appreciated brainiac in the corner of the room, it remains an undying force in the metal genre. Whether you’re talking Opeth entrenching themselves in the UK Top 40, Devin Townsend selling out the Royal Albert Hall or Rush just going about their day-to-day lives, there remains a huge demand for concept albums and funny time signatures.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 20 October 2014

Strong Together And Apart: The Sirens Unite

Solo careers are tricky. In the overlapping worlds of rock and metal, for every Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper there are 10 copies of Scott Weiland's Christmas album knocking around.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 17 October 2014

Comeback Kids: Finch Are Settled And Firing On 'Back To Oblivion'

‘Back To Oblivion’ ended a long wait. Finch’s third album followed nine years after their second and emerged from the wake of their ‘What It is To Burn’ reunion tour, burying a few ghosts and marking the band out as a force to be reckoned with once again in the process.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Army Of Three: Virgil And The Accelerators Back For Round Two

Photo: Martin Lewis Even though they were still teenagers when it was recorded, Virgil and The Accelerators’ 2011 debut, 'The Radium', was a mature record that put them on the musical map.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 08 October 2014

The Red In The Sky Is Theirs: The Triumphant Return Of At The Gates

Sometimes, good things are just best left alone. Remember System Of A Down's so-called comeback? Or how about Axl Rose murdering his own songs alongside a revolving line-up of hired hands? Too many times immaculate works of art have been despoiled and to see such a thing happen short-changes fans and leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 07 October 2014

'Maybe Someday They'll Get It': King 810's David Gunn Talks 'Memoirs Of A Murderer'

Hot shit. The next big thing. Plenty of bands have been called it, but very few have actually packed the requisite punch to back it up. King 810, currently at the centre of storm in the metal world, certainly appear to possess that star quality, those ripples of innovation and natural power that can't just be squeezed out of a larynx by Simon Cowell.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 01 October 2014

Dreaming Big: James Bay's Star Is On The Rise

If you don’t know the name James Bay and haven’t yet been charmed by his recent ‘Let It Go’ EP, chances are your education isn’t too far around the corner.

Written by: Katie Territt | Date: Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Plot Your Escape: Billy The Kid Traverses Hope And Desperation On 'Horseshoes & Hand Grenades'

Billy The Kid’s new record is about hope, but not the sort that gets smeared across greetings cards. It’s about the glimmers that surround broken scenes, finding a way to escape and wearing your scars. As the saying goes: “Almost only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades.”

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 09 September 2014