Album Review: JOHN – A Life Diagrammatic sees London punks hone their craft into one of the albums of 2023
Out right now on the Brace Yourself imprint is the fourth album from South London punks JOHN, called A Life Diagrammatic. It’s a follow up to 2021s Nocturnal Manoeuvres, a record which saw the band move from perennial cult touring band to, well if not the mainstream then pretty close to it. A Life Diagrammatic …
News: Queenz Sounds festival announces line up for its second outing, and first in Glasgow this October
Queenz Sounds, the festival whose goals are to promote minorities in the music industry, as well as encouraging diversity and inclusivity. The organise it will be a fun night of unique acts taken from the women and LGBTQIA community featuring drag queens, dancing and much more. It’s the second time the festival has taken place …
Meet: Grimsby new indie kids on the block, Shines
We’re on the button with Shines, the project featuring two of Grimsby finest songwriters, Rob Cross and Richard Dutton, joined by Marc Poole on bass and Chris Day on drums. Not even at the stage of their first gigs release yet, but the buzz around them is building already. We jumped on this, and got …
Album Review: David Jaycock’s Hold. Star. Return is a glorious slice of 80s infused Synthpop that sparkles throughout
Let’s get this straight from the start, to quote Kevin Rowland – whatever musical hat he’s wearing, David Jaycock writes fantastic songs and tunes. In the guise he’s adopted for his latest album Hold. Star. Return, he’s buried himself in analogue synths to make a delightful record of 80s flecked synthpop. Taking influences from across …
Track: Soft Science release the brilliant new single True, along with accompanying video – watch here
Northern California dreampop/ shoegaze outfit Soft Science have returned with a new single and accompanying video ‘True’. It’s taken from their recent album ‘Lines’ which dropped earlier in the month on Shelflife (US) and Spinout Nuggets (UK). The band was forme in 2009 by longtime collaborators Katie Haley (Holiday Flyer, California Oranges) and brothers Ross and …
EP Review: Various Artists – Planet Socool
Curated by Andy ‘Epicentre The Dragon’ and Emily Socool, and out on the formers Dragon Trax imprint is a compilation of some of the best in new liquid drum & bass, featuring artists from Sheffield, Vancouver and Edinburgh. Vancouvers Socool is joined by fellow Canadian DJ Soo for the EP opener Yay Baby, and it’s …
Track: Devendra Banhart releases new song, Nun, taken from forthcoming Flying Wig album; plus World Tour dates
In the run up to his Flying Wig album, due out on September 22nd on one of our favourite labels here at Backseat Mafia, Mexican Summer, Devendra Banhart has released a new single, Nun. Recorded in Topanga Canyon, Southern California with acclaimed Welsh musician Cate Le Bon as producer, it’s a perfect marriage of their psych folk stylings, …
Track: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs release live version of Big Rig ahead of Live In New York album release
We’ve long been fans of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs here at Backseat Mafia. The Newcastle behemoths seems to be winning the world over, one huge riff at a time, and preparing for the release of their new live album, Live In New York, is out on October 27th on Missing Piece Records. …
Live Review: Badly Drawn Boy / Liam Frost – Sheffield Memorial Hall 12.05.2023
Sometimes beautiful things are difficult to get to. Often though, when you take the trouble to search through the things obscuring it, getting in the way of it even, it makes it even more worthwhile. That was the case on Tuesday night in the back of Sheffields City Hall, the Memorial Hall, when’s couple of …
Track: Black Grape return with a new single Milk ahead of tour and new album later in the year
Black Grape, the swaggering Manchester band headed up by Shaun Ryder and Kermit (aka Paul Leveridge) return with a new album ‘Orange Head’ out on November 3rd via DGAFF Recordings. It’s preceded by a rinew single ‘Milk’ thats out now. Right from the off Black Grape we’re a no brainier for me. I’d loved the …