Live Review: Extreme – Manchester Academy 30.11.23
“We’ve got no business putting out an album at this stage in our career”. So says legendary guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, part way through Extreme’s Manchester Academy show. Indeed, they are out in support of a new record, Six, their first studio album in 15 years. Maybe that’s how they feel as a band, 30-something years …
Live Review: CMAT – Leeds Stylus, 21.11.23
Sometimes you go to gigs and you come away feeling happy but not blown away. You saw what you expected and all was fine. Then other times you come away with a sense that you’ve witnessed something more transformative. A performance that you can’t quite believe was in a room of that size. That you’ve …
Live Music: Becky Hill confirmed for Hardwick Festival
Pop royalty Becky Hill is the first headliner confirmed for next year’s Hardwick festival in County Durham. Hardwick 2024 is gearing up for it’s 10th anniversary celebrations, and this is a great way to kick things off, with one of the most exciting music talents the UK has produced in a long time. You can …
Live Review: Teenage Fanclub – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds. 08.11.23
Teenage Fanclub have consistently toured over the last few years, and have maintained a strong fan base, nowhere more so, it seems, than this Wednesday evening in Leeds. This time around, the Scottish alternative rock band are supporting their latest album Nothing Lasts Forever, a title somewhat belied by their continued presence on the road, …
Live Review: Piri – Project House, Leeds 08.11.23
As part of a 6-date Extra Hot tour, Piri is showing just how far she has come in the last 12 months, touring pretty much non stop, travelling the world and growing in confidence all the time. With a minimal stage set to work with, Piri and her 2 dancers (Ines Galnares and Millie Gallimore) …
Live Review: FIZZ – Jumbo Records In-Store 28.10.23
FIZZ is the tantalising combination of dodie, Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac and Martin Luke Brown, all outstanding artists in their own right, creating a whole greater than the sum of even the most illustrious parts. There are top 10 solo albums between them (dodie’s Build A Problem, and Gartland’s Woman on the Internet) and Isaac …
Meet: Tony Wright talks to us about 30 years of Terrorvision ahead of anniversary tour
It’s a bright morning as I cross the road to Bloomfield Square. As I open the door and step inside, I’m greeted by the moustache, baseball cap and avuncular demeanour of the proprietor. “Great timing” he says to me, as he finishes cooing over one of the regular’s babies. The proprietor is one Tony Wright, …
Live Review: Skinny Pelembe – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds. 08.10.23
If you’ve not come across Skinny Pelembe before, and asked me to describe what you will get, you’ll be setting a difficult task. His background and heritage instill within him a versatility that renders him impossible to pigeon hole. Drifting through hip hop rhythms, laid back indie, electro-rock in the course of his set, it’s …
News: CMAT drops new album ‘Crazymad, for me’ tomorrow
Following the critical acclaim for her single Stay for Something, CMAT drops her new collection of songs tomorrow, October 13. It was a great teaser to her highly-anticipated sophomore album, which promises to be full of the angst and anger that she delivers so skillfully through her writing and performance. CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson in …
Live Review: Girl Scout – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 06.10.23
When you think about Swedish music, where does your mind go? Sure, there’s the rich heritage of pop (think Abba, Ace of Base) and EDM (Avicii, Swedish House Mafia). Metal too – with Sweden apparently being second only to Finland for the number of heavy metal bands per capita. What about indie-rock though? Not so …