new music reviews, news & interviews
Peter Culshaw |
Squint and you could be in 1968 - although this lot are rather better dressed and healthier than most hippies. I did see a bumper sticker “The Hippies Were Right”. But though it seems retro, actually many here see this festival as a catalyst of an idealistic loved up eco friendly future.
Adam Sweeting |
Exactly how Ronnie Wood has reached the age of 79, after decades of rock’n’roll debauchery with the Faces and the Rolling Stones and surviving cancer twice, passeth all understanding. He even seems to have managed to hang on to a full head of hair, though advanced tonsorial technology may have had a part to play here.
Guy Oddy
Mastodon, to those who are unaware of these US rock behemoths, fill a similar musical space to Iron Maiden or perhaps Rush, if they had louder…
Kieron Tyler
“The Laughing Gnome” was David Bowie’s second single for the Deram label. It was released on 14 April 1967. That same day, he was on stage at the…
Thomas H. Green
At the Dot To Dot Festival in Nottingham, back in May, I noticed some of the most exciting bands I caught were marinated in grunge. One of them was…
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Sebastian Scotney
Glorious soundpainting from Ambrose Akinmusire and arrangements by Miho Hazama
Joe Muggs
The deep blues of Black British soundsystem music explored in elegant ways
Thomas H. Green
Enlivened analogue synth-centred set that has its moments
Kieron Tyler
When a new album is an adjunct of an old one
Peter Culshaw
On the origins of WOMAD, music documentaries and Tarot
Thomas H. Green
Super-pummelling metal that's been assembled with a refreshing sense of imagination
Jonathan Geddes
30 years into their career, Idlewild were on snappy form in Glasgow
Kieron Tyler
Hitherto unknown tracks from the totemic British punks' earliest days with Stiff Records
Katie Colombus
A father mourned and a lover found, all in one extraordinary breath
Joe Muggs
A subtle, potent raging against the dying of the light from a low key great
Kieron Tyler
The US singer-songwriter offsets glacial shimmer with a dive into electric-guitar freakiness
Tim Cumming
The genre-crossing musician brings a New Age sheen to his solo piano tribute
Joe Muggs
The London trio add toilet bowls and ugly crying to the hedonistic glamour
Kieron Tyler
New York band’s blend of folk rock and psychedelia grabs attention
Thomas H. Green
Northern indie four-piece offer a vim-laden snapshot of disenfranchised Britain
Sebastian Scotney
Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Laura Mvula shine
Thomas H. Green
The most epic regular record reviews in the galaxy
Ibi Keita
Garage, French House and feeling collide in latest release
Camp Bestival 2026, Lulworth Castle review - where the daytime magic still outshines everything else
Katie Colombus
A creative, inclusive, endlessly imaginative festival for families
Guy Oddy
Prolific Aussie psychedelicists marry dance and prog sounds
Mark Kidel
Fiery crowd-pleasing jazz marred by excess
Ellie Roberts
A soaring fusion of atmospheric melancholy and energetic punk
Kieron Tyler
A hymn to when driving was an end in itself
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