The 10 Acts You HAVE To See At All Points East 2023

All Points East is poised to return for six more eclectic days of music, covering a huge range of genres while offering plenty of star-wattage at the top of the bill. With headline performances incoming from Aphex Twin, The Strokes, Haim, Dermot Kennedy, Jungle and Stormzy (who caps his own specially-curated ‘This Is What We Mean’ day), there's going to be something for everyone at Victoria Park in London. Looking beyond those essential acts, we've selected our top 10 artists you simply have to see to help you plan your days.

Written by: Jack Terry | Date: Tuesday, 15 August 2023

Beauty in the Darkness: The Xcerts on 'Learning How To Live And Let Go'

Photo: Zak Pinchin “I’ve stayed strong in my belief that this is our best work yet,” a beaming Murray Macleod tells us just a few days after The Xcerts’ momentous festival set at 2000trees. The frontman is discussing their comeback record ‘Learning How To Live And Let Go’, which is set to emerge after a yawning gap since the release of their last full-length ‘Hold On to Your Heart’ in 2018.

Written by: Rishi Shah | Date: Wednesday, 09 August 2023

Follow Your Gut: Introducing South Wales Noisemakers Inerrant

There was no escape. As limbs flew and people young and almost-old barrelled into each other in the tight confines of the Cab in Newport, a one-year-old venue that has quickly become a hub for the local hardcore scene, a single can of beer met its end. Crushed between bodies, its final act was a spray of lukewarm liquid as Inerrant threatened to tear the roof off the place.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 08 August 2023

On The Cool Side of Rock: The Sherlocks Talk 'People Like Me & You'

Refusing to kick back and rest on their laurels, The Sherlocks have truly hit their stride over the past couple of years. Blasting back in double-quick time following 2022’s top 10-crashing ‘World I Understand,’ the band’s anthemic fourth record ‘People Like Me & You’ is the work of a  collective primed for the big time.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 03 August 2023

Death, Injury and a Global Pandemic: How Mutoid Man Made the Metal Album of the Year

“It’s like the radio edit of all things heavy music,” Stephen Brodsky says with a laugh. The singer and guitarist of Mutoid Man is reviewing his band’s new album and has instantly hit the nail on the head. ‘Mutants’ is a whirlwind of sludge, stoner, thrash and progressive metal that rages for only 38 minutes but leaves you feeling wrecked for much, much longer. For acolytes of all caps METAL, it’s an obnoxious, mangled, hideous must-listen that’ll cement itself as the album of the summer, if not the year.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 26 July 2023

'This is How I Feel, Take it or Leave it': Alicia Bognanno Talks Bully's New Album 'Lucky For You'

With ‘Lucky For You’, Alicia Bognanno has made the most powerful Bully record to date. Self-assured without being self-indulgent, it finds the Nashville-based singer, songwriter and producer operating with obvious confidence while remaining emotionally candid in a heartbreakingly matter-of-fact way. “I'm living in the same black hole, but there's flowers on your grave that grow,” she sings during one of the LP’s many highlights, Days Move Slow, a fizzing ‘90s radio-rocker with a poignant sting. “Something's gotta change, I know.”

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 11 July 2023

Nita Strauss on Alice Cooper, Demi Lovato and Taking The Next Step on 'The Call of the Void'

Try as you might, you won’t find a more appropriate title for guitarist Nita Strauss’s exhilarating new solo record than ‘The Call of the Void’. Referencing a scary concept known as ‘high place phenomenon’, where someone stands on top of a tall building and, for a brief second, wonders about jumping, it actually represents a subconscious decision to step back from the ledge, and take control of your life.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 05 July 2023

Written in the Stars: Rob Thomas on Matchbox Twenty's Illuminating Return

The old saying goes that, when one door closes, another opens. In the case of Matchbox Twenty, no sooner had their best laid touring plans been put on hold by the pandemic that a fresh chance presented itself. After over a decade without any new music from the US pop-rockers, and with both fans and band alike fearing that would remain the case, it took a confluence of events to finally end their prolonged recording hiatus.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 28 June 2023

The 10 Songs We Need to Hear on Incubus's Summer Tour

Californian alt-rockers Incubus are back in the UK for a pair of special headline shows this month at London's Eventim Apollo and Cornwall's Eden Project, before heading out on a massive North American tour. With almost 30 years of material and a slew of anthems to pick from, their setlists are full of genre-bending classics and must be no easy feat to select. So we thought we'd lend a hand and put forward 10 songs we NEED to hear over the summer.

Written by: Jack Terry | Date: Friday, 23 June 2023

'There Was A Connection': How Far From Saints Crafted an Album of Struggle and Beauty

He may have departed this mortal plane a number of years back, but Tom Petty is still bringing people together through the timeless power of his music. When American roots act The Wind + The Wave, comprising Patty Lynn and Dwight Baker, first supported Stereophonics in 2013, the Welsh rockers’ singer Kelly Jones was immediately taken by Lynn’s extraordinary voice. Yet it wasn’t until many years later, when the duo supported Jones on a solo tour that, courtesy of Mr Petty playing musical cupid, a wonderful collaboration was born.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 20 June 2023

'We Want To Be The Biggest Band In The World': Meet Stylish Punks Spiritual Cramp

“It’s weird, for a long time our band played either Oi! or indie-rock shows, but I guess now we play all types,” Spiritual Cramp’s Michael Bingham says, reflecting on his band’s recent (and judging by this video, absolutely killer) set at Punk Rock Bowling’s 2023 festival in Las Vegas. “Going out there, you’re playing to people who listen to Rancid and Pennywise. We’d never done anything fully in that lane before, but we played a 500 cap room and it was sold out.”

Written by: Tom Morgan | Date: Monday, 19 June 2023

It's Boss Time: 10 Hidden Gems Bruce Springsteen Needs to Perform Live

Photo: Press/Provided by PR We might picture him as some kind of immortal titan, but Bruce Springsteen is, sadly, just as susceptible to father time’s inescapable march as the rest of us. As he succinctly ruminated on ‘Letter To You’, his most recent album with the E-Street Band, “One minute you’re here, next minute you’re gone.”

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 15 June 2023

'I Love Being a Songwriter': Goo Goo Dolls' John Rzeznik On What Keeps Their Creative Fires Burning

​ Photo: Maxine Evans It’s always heartbreaking when our most cherished bands lose their creative drive and, effectively, retire into the role of a touring outfit content to feed off past glories. Fortunately, fans of the Goo Goo Dolls will likely never have to experience such grief. The US rockers are one of the hardest working live acts around, with their latest UK and Ireland tour about to get underway, but as last year’s ‘Chaos In Bloom’ affirmed, not at the expense of vibrant new music.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 13 June 2023

Fighting Darkness, Bringing Light: The Return of Rival Sons

Photo: Pamela Littky After a four year gap that felt like an age, the only thing that could be better than one new album from Rival Sons would be, you guessed it, a pair of stunning new offerings courtesy of the Californian quartet. Forged in the uncertain fires of the pandemic, ‘Darkfighter’ and ‘Lightbringer’ are, quite simply, epic. Delivering fearless personal storytelling and thrilling sonic dynamism, the band have more than made good on their desire to craft “a larger artistic statement”.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 05 June 2023

Tents and Tunes: Stereoboard's Ultimate Guide To Festival Season 2023

If you’re young (curse you, your time will come) then festival season might present itself as a wonderful unknown, full of days that might become the best days of your life. If you’re old (be honest, how are the knees today?) then it might awaken the grizzled warrior inside you, steeling you for one more warm beer under the summer sun (or summer rain) as human waste simmers (or dilutes) in an adjoining field.

Written by: Maddy Howell and Emma Wilkes | Date: Wednesday, 24 May 2023

'It's the Rawest I've Ever Been': Inside Brandy Clark's Personal New Record

Photo: Victoria Stevens The creation of great art might seem like the mystical result of sorcery, yet the truth is much more human and grounded. Hard graft and natural talent are crucial elements in such an equation but, for any artist trying to wrestle their muse into life, finding exactly the right collaborators, at exactly the right time, is equally pivotal.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 23 May 2023

Beyoncé's Most Iconic Live Moments

Photo: Beyoncé opens the Renaissance World Tour at Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden / Andrew White After half a decade away, Beyoncé is back in the UK, bringing her Renaissance World Tour to stadiums and arenas up and down the country, beginning with a night at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on May 17.

Written by: Jack Terry | Date: Tuesday, 16 May 2023

Sounds of Melancholic Wonder: The Lemon Twigs on Their Path to 'Everything Harmony'

Photo: Eva Chambers Anyone who’s experienced The Lemon Twigs’ flamboyant retro-theatrical-pop stylings will already know that Brian and Michael D’Addario love to reinvent themselves on every record. But even fans who’ve become accustomed to the New York siblings’ convention-defying music might be taken aback by how sweet and vulnerable they sound on the sophisticated folk-rock of ‘Everything Harmony’. 

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 09 May 2023

OK, Time For Plan B: Enter Shikari on Starting Again With 'A Kiss For The Whole World'

Photo: Lukasz Palka "It was like we witnessed the death of the band," Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds says, looking away as he reflects on Covid’s impact on a band with a prolific workrate and fearsome live reputation. "We had a year and half of not playing any shows and not writing. That hadn’t happened throughout our whole adult life, it was a scary time being disconnected from the fanbase. For the first time it didn’t feel like a pause, it felt like the end of something. We didn’t know if we would play again." 

Written by: Jack Terry | Date: Wednesday, 03 May 2023

Moment In Time: The Lottery Winners On Strength, Unity, Defiance and 'Anxiety Replacement Therapy'

In recent years, The Lottery Winners have become something of an underdog success story. Releasing their self-titled debut album into a country freshly headed into lockdown, in 2020 indie fans across the UK were captivated by the distinctly positive sound of the presumed newcomers. But by then the band were already a decade into a career of hard-fought optimism.

Written by: Maddy Howell | Date: Monday, 24 April 2023