In which we discover how Ash went from being a twelve year old Iron Maiden tribute act to world domination, well, almost.
Indie
New Music, New Battles
One of the juiciest new sounds of 2019 comes from quite an unexpected source… Drummer John Stanier used to be in a nineties metal band called Helmet. Remarkably, the name was a blessing, given one alternative band name given serious… Read More ›
“He got stabbed and didn’t know it!” – The Making Of Primal Scream’s Give Out But Don’t Give Up
“We recorded a couple of demos, but most of the time we got wasted, you know…” Primal Scream lead singer Bobby Gillespie on the initial recording sessions of “Give Out But Don’t Give Up” To understand just how hard drinking… Read More ›
Meet Your IDLES…
If pithy song titles and smart lyrics were all the five-piece Bristol punk band IDLES had, they would still be a very good band indeed. You have to love an album with a song title as good as “Never Fight… Read More ›
Arcade Fire: So Good, They Can Make Even Wembley Arena Shake
Arcade Fire have overcome many obstacles in their path over the years. Grabbing the attention of the world through their indie-released debut LP Funeral; delivering credible follow ups to one of the decade’s most critically acclaimed albums, and then dealing… Read More ›
Jen Cloher: An Album Of The Year…
Album of the year lists are both a blessing and curse. As a way to demonstrate your discerning taste there are few better ways to impress your friends. On the other hand, there are fewer more effective ways for your… Read More ›
Can Dream Wife Hit The Top 40 UK Album Charts?
There are many plagues of the modern world. Internet passwords. Staying over at a friend’s house and waking up first. The shrinking of the Toblerone bar. But most of all, Dry January. If ever there was a miserable, overly-long, grim,… Read More ›
Can You Really Improve Your Hotel’s TripAdvisor Rating By Having The Libertines Run It?
The first big name casualty of the Music Industry’s collapse in revenues has been revealed. Instead of retiring into a life of tripping over supermodels on Caribbean beaches, The Libertines are having to make ends meet by moving into the… Read More ›
Belle & Sebastian And The Horror Of Spotify Playlists.
In a world where people consume music through pre-determined streaming service playlists with grim titles such as “Cinematic Chillout”, “Music for Concentration” and “Songs for Sleeping”, how does a band that is already nine albums into a career spanning over… Read More ›
A New Year, A New Band: Shame
2018. A new year, a fresh start. A chance to shed the winter coat that you unwittingly piled on when you bought, and then consumed, those second and third tubs of Heroes and Quality Street over the festive season. It’s… Read More ›
New Sounds From This Is The Kit: at Rough Trade East
There are many things to like about This Is The Kit. There’s the relaxed and easy way singer and songwriter Kate Stables has with the audience and her band members, typified by the way she walks onstage in a Jeremy… Read More ›
A Ray of Sunshine Pop: The Junipers
Leicester has had a pretty good run of it of late. It had previously been a source of fun for Londoners being asked for directions by tourists trying to pronounce the famous London square of that name (“Can you tell… Read More ›
Why A Record Company Destroyed (Almost) Every Copy Of One Of 2016’s Best Albums (Or, The Story of Car Seat Headrest)
You know those people who effortlessly appear to be on top of the music scene? You’ve probably met one… “The Brilldeloes? Yeah – great band from South Wisconsin – like a young Lou Reed mixed with Jess Glynne and early… Read More ›
How Asylums and South Record Shop Are Making Southend Rock
On a day when that august (and indeed August) celebration of the best albums of the year, the Mercury Prize nominations list, was released, a small part of Southend-on-Sea was showing what a bit of DIY spirit and grit and… Read More ›
Parquet Courts – Human Performance at Rough Trade East
It was in the sedate-sounding surroundings of The University of North Texas at a record listening club that one of New York’s noisiest exports was first spawned. Andrew Savage was the host at the grandly titled “Knights of the Round… Read More ›
