alternative
Live Review & Gallery: The Timeless New Order Takes On The Grand Sydney Opera House Forecourt – Eora Land/Sydney, 14.03.25
A full moon ballooned over the Opera House Forecourt, reflecting off the iconic sails as thousands of fans pushed through Sydney’s typical public transport chaos and signature late-summer humidity. The Forecourt is one of the most spectacular stages in the world, watching the sun dip behind the city while the skyline flickers to life is …
Live Review: Antony Szmierek – Leeds, 07.03.25
Antony Szmierek brings poetry and beats to Leeds, in support of his new album
Track/Video: Maud The Moth previews new album ‘The Distaff’ with the cathartic ‘Siphonophores’.
Celestial, ethereal , bestial and brutal, woven with beauty and darker mysteries, you need a tapestry of adjectives to describe the music of Maud the moth. The project of Spanish-born / Scotland-based pianist and singer-songwriter Amaya López-Carromero, each Maud the moth album has been unapologetically ambitious but not at the expense of connectivity. Her songs …
News: Tasmanian post-punk duo, Mankind, release latest single, the deeply reflective ‘Home’
Enigmatic Tasmanian goth-rock/post-punk duo, Mankind, has unleashed their latest sonic creation – the brooding single ‘Home‘. With a sound characterized by sometimes-dark, yet melodic basslines and hypnotic drum beats, Mankind explores the profound human quest for identity and belonging in their newest release. ‘Home‘ serves as a poignant ode to the essence of humanity, delving …
Album Review : Forest Law –‘Zero’ : Bossa beats, international grooves and so much more on this globetrotting musician’s debut.
Sonic explorer, creative adventurer, soundscape navigator are all phrases you could apply to Alexander Burke a.k.a Forest Law. Romford born, now London based he’s taken a globetrotting route to the release of his debut album ‘Zero’, available now courtesy of a Bongo Joe/ Total Refreshment Centre collaboration. Coming through Giles Peterson’s ‘Future Bubblers ‘unsigned artists’ …
Album Review : Scott Lavene – ‘Disneyland in Dagenham’ : More alt-songs of wit, wisdom, life, love and laughs from the Essex story-teller.
Steve Earle coined the phrase ‘Hard-core Troubadour’ probably with one eye on himself and the other on Townes Van Zandt but it’s a tag you could easily stick into Scott Lavene’s bio. Yes he’s from Essex not Texas but there are plenty of trucks around Tilbury docks and his story in its own way fits …
Meet: Lovely Egg Holly Ross talks albums, Music Co-ops and scratchcards
It’s mid-afternoon as I call Holly Ross, charismatic singer and songwriter for The Lovely Eggs. The phone rings out for a while, and just as I’m about to hang up, a slightly breathless Holly picks up. “Oh, we’ve just had 1,000 record mailers turn up at our house,” she explains in her dulcet Lancastrian tone, …
Gallery: Rosali/ Verity Den at Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, 14.04.2024
Rosali’s close ties with Philadelphia were evident in the packed Johnny Brenda’s venue. A crowd of close friends, family and complete strangers combined for a magical yet comfortable atmosphere, complemented by the soothing voice of Rosali. Support came from the four-piece North Carolina natives, Verity Den. Rosali’s new record, Bite Down, is available now.
Track/ Video : Avant pop experimentalist Kee Avil previews gripping new album ‘Spine’ with the tense and tactile ‘Felt’.
Two years ago Montreal producer Kee Avil’s debut for Constellation ‘Crease’ caused quite a rumpus with its avant-pop mosaicism, all intricate vocal, sound and instrument patterns set within an experimental glue and deceptive song structure. Bandcamp made ‘Crease’ album of the day and year-end lister, Mojo pinned on four-star acclaim and The Quietus were rightly …
Album Review: Meril Wubslin – Faire Ça : Bluesy drones, alt-rock crunch and a world of rhythms make this band unique.
Does Bongo Joe Records have a signature sound? Well listen through the bulging rosta of releases since the label first output way back in 2015 and the conclusion would probably be a resolute ‘No’. But it does have a mission to give a platform to the extraordinary and less conventional, whether from the Swiss underground …