The Best Of The Fests: Stereoboard's Summer Festival Guide
td#right {display:none !important;} SUMMER. IS. FINALLY. HERE. Festival season is now upon us: the bumbags have been fished from the back of the wardrobe, the wellies have been scrubbed clean of two year’s worth of forgotten Glastonbury mud and you’ve stocked up on various colours of glitter from the craft shop. You discerning music fanatics now have an important choice to make: “Which festivals should you go to?” Stereoboard know your pain. Every year we’re faced with the same dilemma, and with the UK festival scene growing faster than you can count your ever-growing collection of wristbands, it’s never been harder to decide. If only there were some sort of guide to help you through… Here we are then. The best of the fests, organised by where you might be in the country. Because you’re never too far from a weekend of music and merriment. Let’s get started then, shall we?
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Thursday, 23 May 2019
Less Matrix, More Truman Show: Inside the Sci-Fi Hardcore of We Never Learned to Live
It’s two hours until We Never Learned to Live are set to take the stage for the release show of their second album, ‘The Sleepwalk Transmissions’. The doors to the Black Heart—one of London’s most iconic metal venues—are about to open. A small group of fans have already amassed outside, braving the elements on a harsh, drizzly evening in order to rush in and headbang the cold away.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Time Ticks By: Madonna's Iconic Career From Holiday to 'Madame X'
In case you hadn’t heard, or if Eurovision isn’t your bag, Madonna is back. The Queen of Pop’s new album, ‘Madame X’, is set to land on June 14 and bring with it the latest in a long line of live extravaganzas, including a huge run at the London Palladium. As we prepare for what’s doubtless going to be a quiet, reserved affair, we thought it wise to wind back the clock and take a look at some of the songs that helped make her one of the most iconic pop artists of them all. Spanning a teetering stack of hits, this is Madonna’s legendary career in 10 foundational moves.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 20 May 2019
The Importance Of Being Honest: Alex Lahey Talks 'The Best Of Luck Club'
Photo: Callum Preston “My problems are so miniscule in terms of the big picture,” sings Alex Lahey on Interior Demeanour, the third track from her second album, ‘The Best Of Luck Club’. It’s this modest outlook that makes the Melbourne native so relatable, but she’s possibly more shrewd and sharp-witted than even she realises.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 16 May 2019
Friendship, Los Angeles and Turkey Dinners: Introducing Pinky Pinky
Our childhood friends occupy a special place in our hearts for a whole host of reasons, but perhaps chief among them is the fact that they knew us when we were alternately useless, directionless, and maybe even fun in a carefree sort of way.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 09 May 2019
Harsh Truth: Employed to Serve Voice the Millennial Condition on 'Eternal Forward Motion'
“In 2017, 5,821 suicides were registered in the UK. This makes it the second-leading cause of death among 15-to-29-year-olds.”
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Your Legend Gathers Around You: John Darnielle Talks The Mountain Goats' 'In League With Dragons'
Photo: Jeremy Lange You don’t just walk up to the mound with a baseball in your hand and throw a good pitch. First there’s the matter of a technique honed through years of graft, then some tactical decisions in the moment, and then the resulting mechanical adjustments—by the time you’ve nodded to the catcher and drawn back your arm you’re firmly in the realm of physics.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 25 April 2019
We All Suffer, We're All In This Together: Craig Finn Talks 'I Need A New War'
Photo: Shervin Lainez Back in the day, if you pulled up a chair at the kitchen table with the punk kids and hoodrats who ran riot in Craig Finn’s songs then your elbows had to settle for the gaps between empty beer cans and little bags of powder. To your left and right everyone was tired and wired—perpetual motion, with hearts set on the top but heads sweating rock bottom and the latest killer party. That was the way of things in the bloody, ugly, triumphant tales that defined the early years of the Hold Steady.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Crazy For K-Pop: A Snapshot Look At The Phenomenon Taking Over The World
In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a craze going on. A global frenzy for Korean pop music, or, as the kids are calling it these days, K-Pop. There’s a seemingly infinite number of K-Pop groups around at the moment, with millions of loyal fans all over the globe — the most obsessive of which are called Sasaengs. They're known for their extreme behaviour, with some breaking into group member’s houses, carrying secret recording devices, crashing weddings, that sort of thing.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Monday, 15 April 2019
Wet Plate Portraits: Idles At The Tramshed Cardiff
td#right {display:none !important;} Photograph: Gareth Jarvis Sweat is dripping from the ceiling, and there’s nowhere for it to fall except on the sea of bodies packed shoulder to shoulder at the Tramshed in Cardiff. Everyone is saturated, and it’s all Idles’ fault. The Bristol post-punks sold out the venue in under an hour when tickets went on sale back in November, and it seems the audience’s enthusiasm hasn’t waned since then.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 04 April 2019
There Is Fun Stuff and Cool Stuff and There Can Be Resistance: Martha Talk 'Love Keeps Kicking'
One of life’s dirtiest tricks is the way it slowly erodes the time we have to do the things we love. In response we have nights spent on either side of a low stage, sweat flying and words being wrenched from hoarse throats. “When we’re on tour and playing shows I’m like: ‘This is me’. And then I quickly get back into normal, boring work,” Martha bassist Naomi Griffin says.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2019
'Life is Chaos, But I Won't Give Up if You Don't': Devin Townsend on the Life-Affirming 'Empath'
Photo: Tanya Ghosh Murphy, the patterdale terrier, just barked inside. He’s a good dog, but he knows he shouldn’t bark inside.
Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 25 March 2019
Dual Lead Action: Ex Hex Discuss The Mighty Retro-Rock Power of 'It's Real'
Photo: Michael Lavine Millions of words are spilled every year in the hope of capturing something profound or true, or profoundly true, about music, or movies, or books. But, at least part of the time, it’s all a ruse designed to dress up the most basic tenets of fandom: I hate this or this rules so fucking hard.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 20 March 2019
That Feeling: Meet The International Women of The Franklys
Photo: Derek Bremner The Franklys are a Swedish-British garage-rock quartet you should be paying attention to. The band, singer and guitarist Jen Ahlkvist, guitarist Fanny Broberg, bassist Zoe Biggs and drummer Lexi Clark, are on the road showcasing their fizzing new EP, ‘Framed’.
Written by: Anna Ghislena | Date: Monday, 18 March 2019
Pity The Nameless: Venom Prison Discuss The Egalitarian Brutality of 'Samsara'
“It doesn’t matter how bright we shine, the darkness always takes over,” begins guitarist Ash Gray, whose band, Venom Prison, are one of the bleakest in modern death metal. That said, after analysing the state of contemporary society on their new album ‘Samsara’, their nihilistic outlook is justified.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Morbid Fascination: How Billie Eilish Put Us Under Her Spell
Billie Eilish is everywhere at the moment. Armed with bewilderingly catchy pop hooks and a distinctly magnetic voice, the American artist is a force to be reckoned with.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Friday, 08 March 2019
The Light and Dark Inside: Holding Absence Talk Fusing Pop and Hardcore on Their Self-Titled Debut
It’s taken Holding Absence a little over two years to go from freshly-formed newcomers in the Cardiff underground to one of the hottest acts in all of British hardcore. The youngsters have been cultivating their fanbase at a rapid pace, drawing new faces in with their infusion of heavy music’s shotgun-blast rhythms into what are otherwise emotional, melodic pop songs.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 07 March 2019
'Being In A Band is a Dumb Idea': Pkew Pkew Pkew Keep Things Honest on 'Optimal Lifestyles'
There is no other strain of self-analysis quite like the one that begins with a hangover placing its foot on your throat—that sweaty, heaving mass of bad decisions, good decisions that now feel like bad decisions, and inconvenient black spots.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 25 February 2019
There Can Never Be Too Many Guitar Solos: Du Blonde On Creative Control and 'Lung Bread For Daddy'
“The ‘60s and ‘70s are where the majority of my music taste lies,” Du Blonde, aka Beth Jeans Houghton, says when asked about the vintage tones written all over her new record, ‘Lung Bread For Daddy’. “There can never be too many guitar solos. I’m surprised by how many people don’t love a good rock opera.”
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 21 February 2019
Evil Never Dies: Overkill Discuss 40 Years of Thrash Metal and 'The Wings of War'
“I’ve been everywhere but it’s never like home,” Overkill singer Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth wails on Welcome to the Garden State, the seventh song on the thrash metal stalwarts’ new album, ‘The Wings of War’.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 20 February 2019
The Friction of Molecules: Maxïmo Park's Paul Smith Talks 'As Long As We Keep Moving'
Time is constant, but it rarely seems to be on our side. That’s particularly the case for a lot of bands, who are under pressure to maintain standards as their careers progress and, from certain quarters, to keep doing the same thing in perpetuity. Maxïmo Park’s ‘As Long As We Keep Moving’ is an attempt to reckon with that.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 19 February 2019
Still Pioneers After All These Years: Millencolin Return With 'SOS'
Sometimes things just click. A band will figure out how they work at the right moment, release the right record on the right label at the right time, and find the right audience waiting. A little under two decades ago that happened to Millencolin when they sent ‘Pennybridge Pioneers’ into the world.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
New Year, New Music: Stereoboard's Pick Of 2019's Best Gigs
td#right {display:none !important;} A brand new year has rolled around, January is finally behind us and with a new month comes a huge number of opportunities to shuffle your feet on down to a gig. Get that ugly diary your nan got you for Christmas out from the back of the cupboard, it’s time to pencil in some of the best gigs to look forward to in 2019. Think you want cheesy pop? Prefer something more alternative? For the rest of 2019 we’ve utilised the powers that be to collate the biggest artist playing the UK that month, and one act that may have slipped under the radar. So, if you’ll pardon the cliche, there really is something for everyone.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Wednesday, 06 February 2019
Mired in Darkness: Unpacking the Raging Metal Riffs of Conjurer
Conjurer are a great anomaly within British heavy metal. In a genre where everything is divided into subsects—from glam to deathcore—these fresh-faced aggressors are all about demolishing boundaries and simply smacking the listener in the face with guitar-driven brutality.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 31 January 2019
A Couple Power Chords Go A Long Way: Mike Krol On Going Back To Basics
“With a couple power chords, I’m gonna let you know...” One line. Five decades of music history.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 23 January 2019
'I Feel Stronger Than Ever': The Return of Chlöe Howl
Back in 2013, Chlöe Howl seemed set to take the world by storm. Her early singles, including the killer kiss-off No Strings, arrived accompanied by industry hype and a mounting sense of next big thing momentum, but in short order she was stepping away from music to take stock.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 22 January 2019
Big Four Meets Big Star: Puppy On Their Genre-Mashing Debut 'The Goat'
Photo: Georgia Rawson There are plenty of music fans out there who would happily hype the battle between pop and rock for the rest of time: the dark side versus the light, Ivan Drago versus Rocky Balboa, John Travolta versus Nicolas Cage, Nicolas Cage versus John Travolta. But then we also have bands like Puppy, who are able to cast that whole argument in the comic light it often deserves.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 21 January 2019
We Got You Babe: The History Of Cher
What a world we’d live in if everyone was as amazing as Cher. With a six-decade strong career tucked firmly under her sparkly belt, she truly is one of those pop icons we love to love. The singer has continually reinvented herself - from the hippy early days of the 1960s to her most recent emergence in the Mamma Mia! sequel, Here We Go Again. She has done it all, seen it all and worn it all.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Thursday, 17 January 2019
'Dadcore', Mixtapes and More: Meet Mozes and the Firstborn
Photo: Nick Helderman It all started with clothes. Specifically, it all started with Melle Dielesen’s clothes.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 15 January 2019
Metal Moments: A Look Back Through Mastodon's 10 Best Tracks
Mastodon are good, aren't they? So damn good! With a career spanning nearly two decades and seven albums, the Atlanta Grammy Award-winning metal monsters have stood toe to toe with grief, despair, addiction and death to give the world a vast, genre-defying body of work.
Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Monday, 14 January 2019
Now And Next: Stereoboard's Ones To Watch In 2019
td#right {display:none !important;} A new year brings with it the chance to look ahead after a few weeks of looking back over our shoulders. In musical terms, we can start to think about the artists who’ll capture our attention on summer festival stages, or during opening slots for existing favourites. We can ponder the singles that’ll leap from radio waves or playlists into the fabric of our day-to-day. Here we’ve assembled 10 artists we believe will make 2019 one to remember—some of them are about to release debut records, others are starting to pound the pavement in support of music that deserve time to shine.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 08 January 2019
The List: Stereoboard's Top Tickets Of 2018
td#right {display:none !important;} td#right {display:none !important;} The way we listen to music may have changed throughout the decades but one thing remains a constant: we always want to see the real thing. We want to stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow fans as our favourite artists captivate us for an evening, taking us out of ourselves for a few hours as we sway to the beat and sing along until we’re hoarse. The statistics back up that the sentiment. This year has been another massive one on the live music front, and here we take a look at which tickets were the most sought-after in 2018.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 21 December 2018
A Grande Evolution: From Child Star To Dangerous Woman
With the announcement of a world tour in support of her new album 'Sweetener’, there’s no better time to get to know the real Ariana Grande. If puppy dog eyes and pleasing R&B-influenced pop songs are anything to go by, she couldn’t be sweeter—see what we did there? Let us take you on a trip down memory lane to see what made the singer the woman she is today, and the path that led to the release of what could be her most successful album to date.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Friday, 21 December 2018
The List: Stereoboard's Best Albums Of 2018
td#right {display:none !important;} So, there's another one ready for the history books. This year has been a weird, often depressing ride, but the tunes have been great. So we have that at least. Scroll down for the albums we believe deserve mention as the best of the year, from across the genre spectrum. Hopefully you'll find a few gems you don't know among the ones you think should be recognised. Thanks for reading, we'll see you next year.
Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Monday, 17 December 2018
I Feel Like We Only Just Got Here: How Hop Along Fell Into Place On 'Bark Your Head Off, Dog'
td#right {display:none !important;} Illustration: Sam Davies The train is late. The trains are always late. Table the lost minutes. I absent-mindedly scroll Twitter in a glass shelter as the December cold gets its claws in. Before skipping over a review of the latest Jungle Book remake I’m stopped mid-feed by an autoplay video. Julia Roberts dances in a subway carriage for the New York Times. She grins, the plastic chairs smile back with yellow and orange teeth. The sound is off—my headphones are still playing Hop Along’s Not Abel. The weird thing is, that song won’t yield the floor. Instead it steps in to lead.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 14 December 2018
The Greatest Showman: The Theatrical Rise Of Hugh Jackman
td#right {display:none !important;} Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've been waiting for! Hugh Jackman has announced a worldwide arena tour, where he’ll perform hits from The Greatest Showman, Les Misérables and other film and Broadway favourites. The Man. The Music. The Show has seen incredible demand for tickets, with more and more extra dates getting announced across the UK and Ireland. So why all the fuss? Find out by getting to know more about the man, the music and, you guessed it, the show.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Thursday, 13 December 2018
A Lot Of Love In The Room: How Turnstile's Big-Hearted 'Time & Space' Made Its Mark on 2018
td#right {display:none !important;} Illustration: Tom Norton Turnstile vocalist Brendan Yates—shirtless, slick with sweat and shredded beneath a surfer’s tangle of curls—is standing on top of a speaker stack at the Globe in Cardiff. “No future!” he yells as his bandmates’ guitars churn and howl. Arms reach towards him from the morass below, and then he’s gone. One front flip later he’s part of the crowd, thrashing his way to the end of Drop just like everyone else.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
What Comes Next? Doe Talk Blood Pacts and Tour Plans For 2019
Photo: Andrew Northrop Over the last year we’ve been fortunate enough to speak with some awesome up and coming bands about some of our favourite albums of the year. But we wanted more. MORE!
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
What Comes Next? The Beths On Touring, Touring, Touring and Summer Swims in 2019
Over the last year we’ve been fortunate enough to speak with some awesome up and coming bands about some of our favourite albums of the year. But we wanted more. MORE!
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Nice Guys Finish First: Inside Boy Azooga's Whirlwind Year
td#right {display:none !important;} Photos: Liam Taylor/Solidlight On Quay Street, a dogleg corner away from Womanby Street, Cardiff’s live music hub, sits the Blue Honey Night Café. During the day it’s a hard hat-friendly, bacon and eggs greasy spoon called Sully’s, but come five pm it’s a fried chicken and beer hangout spot. Directly opposite there’s an alcove that smokers use to hide from the rain when the building’s awning is packed with a motley crew of punters, and it’s here in the spring of 2017 that a local musician called Davey Newington set up his guitar and a kick drum to play some songs.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Monday, 10 December 2018
Beyond The Hits, Beneath The Surface: How 'An American Treasure' Re-Shaped Our View Of Tom Petty
td#right {display:none !important;} Illustration: Sam Davies Whether it’s through their work, the magazine articles we devour or—these days—social media accounts that bombard us with the daily minutiae of their lives, it’s very easy to form the belief that we know everything about our favourite artists. But, while the mediums might be ever-changing, that’s nothing new. Released earlier this year to commemorate the first anniversary of Tom Petty’s death, ‘An American Treasure’ was a bountiful box set that delved deep into the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s work, revealing a journey where the musical and personal were forever intertwined.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 10 December 2018
What Comes Next? Psych-pop Heroes HMS Morris Plot A Future In Immersive Theatre
You Want To Be Able To Belong: Kevin Devine On The Thrills and Challenges Of Devinyl Splits
td#right {display:none !important;} Illustration: Tom Norton “If you’re a basketball player you don’t get better by playing people you can beat easily. You get better by playing people you might lose to.”
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 07 December 2018
What Comes Next? Lice Talk Plans To Make Their First Masterpiece In 2019
Photo: Lindsay Melbourne Over the last year we’ve been fortunate enough to speak with some awesome up and coming bands about some of our favourite albums of the year. But we wanted more. MORE!
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 07 December 2018
'It Seemed To Come From Somewhere Outside of Us': Jonathan Meiburg Talks Loma's Sublime Debut
td#right {display:none !important;} Photo: Bryan C. Parker We’re rarely short of a collaboration to get excited about, but 2018 nevertheless stands out as a banner year. Whether they were born out of a desire for blockbuster streaming figures, an attempt to reinvent an artist’s image, or simply the itch to work with one of your closest musical mates, this year’s best and worst tie ups spanned genres, countries and cultures. At the time of writing, nine of the top 20 songs on the Billboard chart are collabs. Working together, it seems, has never been so fruitful.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Thursday, 06 December 2018
What Comes Next? Goat Girl Talk Sold Out Shows, Staying Creative And Plans For 2019
Photo: Holly Whitaker Over the last year we’ve been fortunate enough to speak with some awesome up and coming bands about some of our favourite albums of the year. But we wanted more. MORE!
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 06 December 2018
What Comes Next? Estrons Discuss Their Next Move After A Breakthrough Year
Photo: Imogen Forte Over the last year we’ve been fortunate enough to speak with some awesome up and coming bands about some of our favourite new albums. But we wanted more. MORE!
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Star Wars For The Ears: Def Leppard's Phil Collen On 'Hysteria' and Beyond
For the last five years Def Leppard fans, those without money to burn, may have feared the old saying ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ would prove depressingly true for them. After all, it was 2013 when the Sheffield quintet performed their 1987 masterpiece ‘Hysteria’ in its entirety during a residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Nevada.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 30 November 2018
Born To Do It: Skindred Frontman Benji Webbe's Top Tips For A Rocking Live Show
“You’re either born to do it or you’re not, and I guess I was born to do it,” Benji Webbe says, a few hours before hitting the stage at Cardiff’s Tramshed with his band, Skindred. “The whole stage performance thing, I fell in love with it from a very early age—I loved putting on the clothes for the Christmas play in Junior School.” When he says early he means early, then. Start as you mean to go on.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Driven By Honesty: Barry Dolan Discusses Oxygen Thief's 'Confusion Species'
Photo: Chris Taylor When Bristol-based songwriter Barry Dolan released 'Destroy It Yourself', the first Oxygen Thief album, in 2011, he stood out for his entirely acoustic take on melodic hardcore if not the subjects he explored. Dolan conveyed ruminations on love, loss and hypocrisy through cryptic metaphors and sharp turns of phrase, complemented by fitful riffing without a backdrop.
Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 22 November 2018
