'We Just Love It': San Cisco Get Under The Skin Of Their New Music

Photo: Pooneh Ghana The October return of San Cisco was a suitably smooth affair. The Australian indie-pop band’s comeback single, Skin, strolled into our lives with a hook that wouldn’t quit and the sort of sunny disposition that has long characterised their output. But lurking at the margins were open wounds, broken promises and the remnants of a busted relationship. That unrefined darkness was new.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 26 November 2019

Sonic Alchemists: How Judah & The Lion Turned Suffering Towards Salvation

You haven’t truly lived until you’ve heard someone rapping over the bluegrass strains of a banjo.  Or until you’ve experienced the sound of a band who smash together folk, hip hop, EDM, and punk beneath stirring lyrics that make you feel 10 feet tall. Luckily, Judah & the Lion are the wildly talented and eclectic US trio who do all the above and much more.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 25 November 2019

All This or Bust: Band of Skulls Reflect on 'Baby Darling Doll Face Honey'

To outsiders, it often seems that any fresh faced group who ‘suddenly’ arrive on the scene with a bang, and subsequently reap the rewards their newfound status commands, have had it easy and somehow fluked their way out of obscurity. But before hit singles and worldwide tours, there often lies a story of hard graft, setbacks and intense frustration, making that eventual breakthrough taste even sweeter.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 22 November 2019

What Comes Naturally: Pigs x7 Talk Following Up 'King Of Cowards'

Newcastle, a city perched on the Tyne river in the north east of England, is a relatively small place. A 10 minute taxi journey is all it takes to get from one end of the centre to the other, and Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs vocalist Matt Baty and guitarist Adam Ian Sykes credit those intimate surroundings with helping to usher along the assembly of the uncompromising band, who take an alternative, almost noise-rock, approach to metal.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 14 November 2019

The Magic and the Mundane: Earth Moves Discuss the Enigmatic 'Human Intricacy'

Photo: Leo Solti “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is a phrase so old and frequently utilised that it’s basically become a cliché. However, for Earth Moves, its repeated usage doesn’t make it any less true. On their second album, ‘Human Intricacy’, the noisy wrecking crew create music that’s intentionally ambiguous, designed to draw wildly different reactions from different people.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 13 November 2019

Exorcise Your Demons: False Advertising On The Communal Spirit Behind The Abrasive 'Brainfreeze'

Something that binds together those clustered on stage and those massed in front is the fact that music is an outlet: a mechanism to help us face or forget our problems. “It’s the equivalent of a punchbag,” is how False Advertising’s Jen Hingley puts it.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 08 November 2019

Tomboy To Tear Jerker: Growing Up With Avril Lavigne

Growing up is a process that everyone must endure, whether we like it or not. Some of us change radically, while others change in more subtle ways. Over 17 years since her debut release Avril Lavigne is back, and the one-time pop-punk icon has completed the latest in a long series of stylistic shifts with her new album, 'Head Above Water'.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Thursday, 07 November 2019

Not Quite Hella Mega: How 'Warning:' Quietly Set The Table For Green Day's Blockbuster Era

When the Hella Mega tour rolls into stadiums next summer, Green Day will be right at home. From its name on down the trek—which will find the pop-punk veterans joined by emo survivors Fall Out Boy and alt-rock provocateurs Weezer—is poised to embrace spectacle at each turn, wringing every available drop of goofy grandeur from the headliners’ latter day sense of pomp and circumstance.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 05 November 2019

Past Meets Present: Inside The Glorious Return of Alphabeat

Just over a decade ago, Alphabeat’s trend-defying brand of classic pop lit up the indie world like an explosion of neon rainbows across a dreary winter sky.  And now, history looks set to repeat itself. After a five year hiatus that followed a painful decline in their fortunes, ‘Don’t Know What’s Cool Anymore’ is a luminous comeback record overflowing with the purest gloss you’ll hear this side of the ‘80s. As well as hooks. Lots and lots of sparkling hooks.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 31 October 2019

That's The Deal: The Emotional Pact Nick Cave Makes With His Audience

Photo: Matthew Thorne Glastonbury, 2013. Nick Cave feels compelled to meet his public.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 30 October 2019

The Long Road: Daughters Unravel The History Of Their Intense Live Shows

Photo: A.F. Cortes “I don’t normally do anything on Halloween. I don’t get dressed up or anything like that. I have kids, so I try to take them out, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. It’s just a day.”

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 29 October 2019

Going Overboard: Palm Reader On Following Up 'Braille' and Their Split Covers EP With Conjurer

At the end of this year Palm Reader will wind up the touring cycle for their 2018 album ‘Braille’. The hardcore band plan to celebrate by playing the record in its entirety during a hometown show at Nottingham’s Rough Trade in December, also known as “the place that welcomed us with open arms when we started to write it” according to drummer Dan Olds. 

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 25 October 2019

'It Feels Very Fierce To Me And Very Open': Common Holly Talks 'When I Say To You Black Lightning'

Photo: Alex Apostolidis The soothing tones of Common Holly’s instrumentals dance innocently alongside the singer’s unfailingly pretty vocals. The accomplished, creative Montreal native Brigitte Naggar trades in thought-provoking music for anxious lovers.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 22 October 2019

They Never Rest: Cultdreams Talk 10 Years Together

“Neither of us are the same people, are we?” Cultdreams vocalist and guitarist Lucinda Livingstone says to drummer Conor Dawson. “Both of our lives have changed so drastically from what they were. When we met I was 17, and then when we started a band together we were 18 or 19. Think how much you change from being a teenager to then being...I don’t know if I would call either of us an adult, but when you think about it, it’s mad.”

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Wednesday, 16 October 2019

Between Two Worlds: Alcest Discuss The Psychic Crisis of 'Spiritual Instinct'

“I had some flashes and visions of a place that didn’t look anywhere close to something real. I have no idea why I had this, or where it came from. It was somewhere very magical—the most beautiful thing you could ever think about. I don’t know what to call it, I don’t know what it is. I just know it has transformed me.”

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Monday, 14 October 2019

'We Just Want To Be Bigger Than Oasis': Heavy Lungs Talk Self-Worth And New EP 'Measure'

Thanks to their explosive live set, storming singles and kinship with Idles, things are as exciting for Bristol-based band Heavy Lungs as they are for the noise-driven post-punk scene that’s thriving across the UK at the moment: very.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Wednesday, 09 October 2019

'It's What You Do Going Forward': Everclear's Art Alexakis is Singing in the Sun on His Solo Debut

In many ways, Everclear frontman Art Alexakis is the walking, talking, rock ‘n’ roll-loving embodiment of the American Dream. The idea that success and prosperity can be attained by anyone, regardless of their background, is certainly a wonderful ideal. But it can only be achieved through serious hard graft, a fierce sense of determination and the ability to get back up and keep fighting. 

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 09 October 2019

Days of Misfortune: We Lost The Sea Discuss The Pressure and Depression Behind 'Triumph & Disaster'

On their new album, ‘Triumph & Disaster’, Sydney post-rockers We Lost The Sea tell the story of a world past the brink of collapse. The six-piece use their emotive, ever-building and ultimately climactic compositions to illustrate dystopian landscapes, where climate change and depleting natural resources have finally caught up with us, rendering humanity’s days numbered.

Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Friday, 27 September 2019

Risk and Reward: Laurence Jones Talks Musical Evolution and Defying the Blues Police

Photo: Rob Blackham It’s well known that if certain sharks stop moving they’ll swiftly meet their maker. Laurence Jones’s desire to continually improve and expand his musical game suggests he feels much the same way about his career. Now 27, and with over a decade’s experience under his belt, the calibre of the guitar prodigy’s material has grown stronger, and stylistically more bold, with each record he’s released. His excellent new album hasn’t bucked that particular trend.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 26 September 2019

Rock 'n' Roll is Philosophy and This is Ours: Introducing Dreamers

Let’s say you’re in the market for a new favourite band and have your checklist at the ready. You want to hear a group who effortlessly incorporate classic rock ‘n’ roll, grunge, electronica, psychedelia, hip hop and power-pop into a shimmering skyline of modern delights. A collective that boast hooks the size of asteroids, indie dancefloor grooves and lyrics that offer a little more intellectual depth than your average pop clone. If that’s the case, Dreamers may be the band you’re looking for. 

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 24 September 2019