Music
Not Forgotten: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Hard Promises
For reasons that have never been explained to my satisfaction, the majority of rock fans this side of the pond never embraced Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in the same way they did Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for this, both are acts steeped in …
News: Sworn In Unleash Album Details
Metalcore masters Sworn In have announced details on their new album The Lovers/The Devil which is set for release on April 7th via Razor & Tie. The album will be the follow up to their 2013 debut Death Card. Be sure to check out the tracklisting and artwork below. Track listing: 1. Sweetheart 2. Sugar …
Meet: A Conversation With Jon Kennedy
Being a music writer, I get the chance to hear and meet some pretty amazing artists. Just when I think I’ve heard it all here comes five other musicians that blow me away. Artists doing their own thing in a unique way. And not only that, but my eyes are opened to music and music …
Album Review: Ibeyi – Ibeyi
There’s been a fair bit of fuss about Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Díaz, known to us as Ibeyi and to some as daughters of famed percussionist Anga Díaz. Their first album, a self-titled affair is out today (February 16th) on the XL label and is a joyous mix of their own roots – the French Cuban …
Live: Crown The Empire, Set It Off, Dangerkids and Alive Like Me: Leeds Mine, 8.02.15
The Mine venue, right in the bowels of the Leeds University Student Union, is the ideal place for an intimate show. Amongst the warren of different sized venues in the same building, this is the smallest with wood panelled low ceilings and a barrier within jumping distance of the stage. It’s perfect for tonight’s plethora …
News: Tramlines 2015 Line Up Announced
For one weekend every year the streets of Sheffield fill up as it turns in to the venue for one of the UK’s most exciting music festivals. As well as the outdoor stages, pretty much every pub and club has a live act to be seen. And that’s not to mention the performers on the …
Not Forgotten: Teenage Fanclub – Songs from Northern Britain
Having carved a career critically acclaimed career during the peak years of BritPop, by all rights Scottish power-pop guitar-slingers Teenage Fanclub should have been huge and the fact that they have achieved one solitary top 20 single in the UK (the utterly lovely “Ain’t That Enough”) and a trio of top 20 albums, including the …
Classic Compilation: A Testimonial Dinner – The Songs of XTC
By the mid 90s XTC must have felt distinctly unloved. Neither critical darlings, nor a massive commercial success, they’d had a career-stalling set-to with their record label and had no choice but to down-tools and go one strike. What Virgin records didn’t take into account was the fact that although XTC’s fanbase was small, it …
Live review: King Charles, Hebden Bridge Trades Club. 13/2/15
It might have been Friday the 13th, but for King Charles’ hardcore band of fans it wasn’t unlucky as he turned in a powerful greatest hits set with some new tracks thrown in. There’s some serious money behind Charles Costa – who has one minor hit behind him – as there is a double decker …
Album Review: The Dodos : Individ
The Dodos have been doing their thing now for a few years. It seems like we’ve gone from their 2008 album Visiter to their new album Individ in the blink of an eye. I know that’s not the case, as Meric Long and Logan Kroeber have put out some truly great music in the years that followed that defining 2008 …