Music

Say Psych: Album Review – Sky Is Hell Black by Has A Shadow (Captcha Records/ Fuzz Club Records)
In the past musical trends have tended to be broadly geographical: the Merseybeat scene, West Coast Flower Power, German Krautrock, NY Punk, Coventry’s Two Tone, Madchester – I could go on. One of the amazing things about the current psychedelic scene, however, is that it is truly global. Facilitated by social networking and the digital …
Live: London Grammar, Say Lou Lou & Kyan. O2 Academy Sheffield. 08/02/2014
It’s Saturday night, there’s a relentless squall of rain and me and my girlfriend are stood in an optimistic and good-natured queue that stretches down to High Street. Of course, if that row of shops on Arundel Gate hadn’t provided appropriate shelter, we’d probably all be considerably less good natured, but the majority of the …

New Music: Hudson Taylor – Weapons
It seems there is a wealth of acts coming out of Ireland, with people like Kodaline and Gavin James leading the charge in 2013. This year though, it might be Hudson Taylor, a pair of brothers from the suburbs of Dublin, that could be coming to the fore. We’ve written about them before, but they …
Meet: Angelspit
With a new album imminent Zoog from Electro-punk riot squad Angelspit took some time out to answer a few questions about crowd funding, the new album and having such a talented fanbase. Regular partner in crime and disorder Destroy X might be focussing on other projects for the time being but this hasn’t stopped him …

A Buyers Guide to The Wonder Stuff 1988 – 1994
Few acts split opinion like The Wonder Stuff over the years, on one hand their detractors are plentiful and vocal, yet their fans have been loyal and passionate. Rising to prominence in the late 80s when being a guitar band usually meant you were heavy metal, arena rock, The Pixies or The Smiths, they offered …

See: Black Submarine release “Here So Rain” video
This was a very, very nice surprise. Black Submarine, previously known as The Black Ships until mid-2012, were formed in November 2008 by former Verve members Nick McCabe and Simon Jones, Coldplay/Goldfrapp collaborator Davide Rossi, singer Amelia Tucker and drummer Mig Schillace. Quite an illustrious lineage. And does the sum total of the parts amount …

Track: The Preatures “Better Than It Could Ever Be”
The Preatures are the latest indie darlings from Sydney, graced with the imprimatur of the very hard to please Pitchfork, which lauded their single “Is This How You Feel”, naming it single of the week. We reviewed their EP “Manic Baby” and noted a very 70s and 80’s old school rock vibe (think Fleetwood …

Track: Screaming Maldini release new single, ‘Soweto’
Screaming Maldini are starting their year off in the best possible way by releasing their new single ‘Soweto’. It’s fair to say that we’re fans of Maldini at Backseat Mafia, but hearing this new single is just like falling in love with their music all over again. And yes all the members are absolutely fantastic …

Live Review: Lloyd Cole & the Leopards, Holmfirth Picturedrome30.01.2014
Thursday night saw us carefully picking our way through dense fog along the old Manchester Road to Holmfirth. Destination, one of my all-time favourite venues, The Picturedrome, to see an act we last saw well over 20 years ago. Lloyd Cole was the first ‘proper’ gig I took our lass to see. The gig was …