'We've Still Got Something To Say': The Return of Hard-Fi

Everything’s gone to shit. Politicians can’t be trusted. Society’s increasingly polarised.  We’re on the cusp of an unprecedented financial crisis. Youngs people are more disenfranchised than ever. The state of play in 2005, when socio-political indie-rockers Hard-Fi erupted onto the scene with their chart topping debut ‘Stars Of CCTV’, remains painfully on point today. Which is why, after an eight year hiatus, it feels like the perfect time for the Staines quartet to re-emerge from hibernation.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 27 September 2022

Finding Your Tribe: Lady Camden Talks Touring, Ballet And The Road To RuPaul's Drag Race

Lady Camden is a London-born drag queen who named herself after the borough she grew up in. Born Rex Wheeler, her formative years were spent running around the venue her father managed, the renowned Electric Ballroom, which can be found between a food stall and souvenir shop on the bustling Camden High Street.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 20 September 2022

Big Loops vs Feeling Naked: Newton Faulkner On Stripping Things Back

If he’d been alive when it first entered the popular lexicon, it’s highly likely the phrase ‘One Man Band’ would have been coined to describe Newton Faulkner. A sonic wizard who combines rootsy, eclectic songwriting with a mastery of technical equipment, whenever this multi-instrumentalist hits the stage on his lonesome, you’re guaranteed a thrilling experience that, depending on the night, could either be bombastic and boisterous or intimate and tender. 

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 15 September 2022

Making Hitsville: Charlotte Hatherley on the Alchemy of Ash's 'Free All Angels'

Music often plays a pivotal role in our formative experiences. Just one listen to certain songs can instantly stir up a whirlwind of memories and emotions, transporting us back to a time when anything and everything seemed possible. For former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, that perfectly sums up the making and subsequent success of the band’s chart-topping masterpiece ‘Free All Angels'.  

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 13 September 2022

Inside the Mad, Mad World of Metal's Rising Stars The Callous Daoboys

Skim the track listing of The Callous Daoboys’ new album and you’ll feel like you’re reading the scrawlings of a lunatic. There are songs on ‘Celebrity Therapist’ called The Elephant Man in the Room and What is Delicious? Who Swarms?. It doesn’t have a title track, but it does have a song dubbed Title Track.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 06 September 2022

Love Unlimited: Nina Nesbitt Explores the Heart on 'Älskar'

Photo: Natalie Sakstrup  They say it’s what makes life worth living, and what makes the world go round. Yet, unless your name is Richard Curtis, it can also be seen as a scourge that exists to torment. Unravelling all the complex threads of love’s bittersweet tapestry, Nina Nesbitt’s ‘Älskar’ is a beautifully balanced album that, flush with contagious pop songs, delicate balladry and nuanced storytelling, paints a relatable portrait of her most important relationships.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 30 August 2022

'It's A Shame Collaboration Isn't Embraced in Rock': Holding Absence on 'The Lost & the Longing'

It’s amazing that Lucas Woodland isn’t a dick. Since they formed in 2015, the singer’s band, Holding Absence, have been among the British rock scene’s most beloved youngsters. They signed to an international label off the back of one song. And, in barely seven years, they’ve made two albums and two EPs while sharing stages with everybody from Funeral For A Friend to Metallica.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 23 August 2022

Amanda Shires on Marriage, Vulnerability and 'Take it Like a Man'

It’s unlikely that you’ll hear another record quite like Amanda Shires’ candid,  fearless and sensual ‘Take It Like A Man’ this year. Weaving together dark Americana, jazz, soul and folk, the Texan songwriter dissects marital strife and issues of self worth through bracing honesty and painfully resonant, refreshingly unsentimental storytelling.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 03 August 2022

'This Is Who We Are': Ithaca on Making Heavy Music Challenging Again

Ithaca’s 2019 debut ‘The Language of Injury’ caused plenty of people’s ears to prick up. Fusing chaotic metalcore with experimental impulses, it was a shot in the arm the UK scene sorely needed, bringing with it equal parts scathing social commentary and scabrous riffs. But, like so many of their peers, the past few years haven’t been easy.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Thursday, 28 July 2022

'I Feel I Have a Story to Tell': Inside Róisín O's pop-heartbreak masterpiece

For all the joy, wonder and pleasure love can bring, it often culminates in the kind of crushing heartache we spend years trying to get over, with little success. That’s where music comes into the equation. When done right, there’s nothing as reassuring, comforting and uplifting as a collection of lovelorn pop songs that speak to all those shattered parts of a broken heart.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 08 July 2022

Gimme Fire: Rammstein Redefine The Stadium Show

Photos: Paul Harries Along with thousands of others drawn to loud noises and explosions, I went to the Rammstein show in Cardiff last week. And now, thanks to the pyro-obsessed Berliners' massive, cudgelling riffs, I go about my life in a perpetual state of headbanging—headbanging while having a shower, headbanging while walking to the shop, headbanging while I drive to work, headbanging while I brush my teeth. It’s debilitating. Please, rock gods, I have a family to feed.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Tuesday, 05 July 2022

Perfecting Suffering: Conjurer On Crafting 'Páthos' and Writing Harder, Not Smarter

Photo: Joe Guppy ​Conjurer are one of the leading lights of the UK’s extreme metal scene—not that they ever expected to be in this position, and certainly not with only one album to their name. “We’ve ended up being able to do far more off ‘Mire’ than we anticipated ever being able to do as a band in general,” bassist Conor Marshall reveals. But from only a cursory listen to their hotly-anticipated second album ‘Páthos’, it becomes clear that the band are refusing to rest on their laurels by simply making ‘Mire’ part two. 

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Wednesday, 29 June 2022

'I'm Just Trying to Be True': Morgan Wade on Subverting Expectations on 'Reckless' and Beyond

Aspiring musicians who feel they don’t fit into a certain mould, or live up to long held industry standards, could do a lot worse than adopting singer-songwriter Morgan Wade as their role model. A sterling example of how to remain authentic and let all aspects of your  uniqueness pave the way forwards, there’s nothing conventional about this 27-year-old rough diamond, who shot to fame on the back of last year’s highly acclaimed debut album ‘Reckless’.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 27 June 2022

Time to Shine: Malevolence's Alex Taylor on Bringing Positivity to 'Malicious Intent'

It’s been a long time coming. Malevolence, Sheffield’s self-proclaimed “kings of the underground” are on the cusp of releasing their hotly-anticipated new album  ‘Malicious Intent’ and, when we speak, are currently enjoying a run of support shows with metalcore giants Architects in sold out arenas across the country.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Wednesday, 18 May 2022

Looking For Meaning: Sunflower Bean Deliver Sugar and Substance

Photo: Driely S If the world ends tomorrow, will your life have been a fulfilling one? Were purposeful connections made and experiences savoured? Or did you fall prey to the less digestible side of a capitalist society that delivers short-term fixes over long-lasting satisfaction? These questions and more are tackled on ‘Headful 0f Sugar,’ the atmospheric third record from genre-smashing American trio Sunflower Bean.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 04 May 2022

As Raw As It Gets: How William DuVall Bared His Soul

Having walked plenty of musical miles in a variety of shoes, in 2019 Alice In Chains singer William DuVall finally took the solo plunge courtesy of ‘One Alone.’  With only his acoustic guitar for company, and without a thought for unnecessary embellishments such as backing vocals, it’s a disarmingly frank affair full of bare-boned, gripping and expressive confessionals that are unlike anything he’d done in his previous three decades as a dedicated ‘band guy’.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 29 April 2022

'It's the Show of Your Life': Heriot on 'Profound Morality' and Playing Download Festival

Cast your mind back to late February. Everything’s a bit shit, isn’t it? Covid-19 cases are back on the rise, Omicron’s refusing to piss off, and gigs are being cancelled left, right and centre.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 26 April 2022

'You Don't Know What's Coming Next': The Snuts on Album Two and Their Biggest Shows to Date

Photo: @jjjacobcampbell Rock ‘n’ roll’s graveyard is littered with young bands who suddenly perished after early success went to their heads. Thankfully, The Snuts are unlikely to join all those flash-in-the-pan groups six feet under. The Scottish quartet may have bested a global superstar to land the UK’s number one spot with last year’s debut record ‘W.L’, but they’re a dedicated and ambitious gang of grafters who won’t be taking their feet off the pedal any time soon.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 25 April 2022

Brave, Daring and Audacious: Corinne Bailey Rae on Embracing Creative Freedom

You can’t please everyone all of the time. Sure, fans of Corinne Bailey Rae would certainly like her to release more music, a desire that’s echoed by the singer herself, but every artist has their own unique process when it comes to creating the kind of magic they hope will enrich the lives of their listeners. As she moves into the next phase of her career, Rae has plenty of enchanting treats in store for everyone who values her thoughtful, heartfelt songs.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 20 April 2022

This Is How It Should Be: Devin Townsend on Getting Serious for the Royal Albert Hall

Devin Townsend has just landed in Ireland. He’s jetlagged and he feels like shit. “If you’re looking at it from a ‘glass half full’ perspective, I always feel like shit,” the prog-metal master tells Stereoboard on a phone call from his Dublin hotel. “It’s just that jetlag is a different flavour of feeling like shit. I guess I welcome the variation.”

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 14 April 2022