new music reviews, news & interviews
Carsie Blanton & the Burning Hell, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham review - a fine revolutionary singalong
Guy Oddy |
In these times of genocide, illegal invasions and a class war which the ultra-rich are emphatically winning, we clearly need a woman to point out the nonsense that we have just come to accept as the way things are meant to be. That woman is Carsie Blanton.
Thomas H. Green |
Record Store Day 2026 is this Saturday! At theartsdesk on Vinyl we’ve been playing through exclusive RSD goodies. Check the reviews. Then check head to your local record shop! See you amongst it.
Liz Thomson
It’s 15 years since Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, two boys from Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, let slip their debut album. “Released” is not the right…
Guy Oddy
It’s ten years since Tiga’s last solo album, the slightly tepid No Fantasy Required was released. So, it is something of a relief to discover that…
Kieron Tyler
Blues? Maybe, in atmospheric terms. But not in the 12-bar, blues-rock or Delta blues sense. Or most other senses. The album title is a play on Miles…
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
Thomas H. Green
A 13-track set that channels raunchy 1970s excess with aplomb
Kieron Tyler
When a narrative becomes more complicated than the one delineated by the hit singles
Guy Oddy
A set that is short on hits but that keeps the fans more than happy
Thomas H. Green
A stunning set, rife with wild vocals and explosive electronics
Thomas H. Green
Lyrically chewy, youthful, indie-tinted, and mostly likeable
Tom Carr
Angsty yet immediate, powerful dose of alternative rock
Sebastian Scotney
World-weariness sets in
Joe Muggs
The New Yorker's first UK show with full band shows nerdy personality and grand vision
Ellie Roberts
Another entry into the pop punk scene that would make for a great live set
Kieron Tyler
Eye-opening tribute to BBC Radio 2’s riposte to Radio’s 1’s allegiance to the charts
Sebastian Scotney
Justice done to the co-founder of Weather Report
Jonathan Geddes
Despite a mostly seated venue, the dance veterans got fans on their feet with ease
Guy Oddy
Extreme noise terrorists double up their fire power to great effect
Joe Muggs
The quietly poetic singer-songwriter finds an impressive way to get louder
Thomas H. Green
The last great bastion of regular international vinyl record reviewing
Tim Cumming
Third album from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and friends is propelled by cosmic as well as worldly themes
Thomas H. Green
With a line-up that includes Exodus and Carcass, a top-notch night of the heaviest metal
Mark Kidel
Leading Kurdish vocalist takes tradition on an adventure
Tom Carr
Gloomy yet brooding and compelling human
Ibi Keita
A well-crafted sound that plays it a little too safe
Jonathan Geddes
Damon Albarn's animated outfit featured dazzling visuals and constant guests
Tom Carr
A meaningful reiteration and next step of their sonic journey
Joe Muggs
While some synth pop queens fade, the Swede seems to burn ever brighter
the future of arts journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
latest in today
Carsie Blanton & the Burning Hell, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham review - a fine revolutionary singalong
In these times of genocide, illegal invasions and a class war which the ultra-rich are emphatically winning, we clearly need a woman to…
Returning to the West End to celebrate two decades since those strange muppetty posters went up on London buses, I’m still laughing along…
The Southbank Centre’s second Multitudes festival – which commissions artists ranging from filmmakers to acrobats to shine new light onto…
Antonio Pappano’s pairing for last night’s Barbican concert intrigued – and, initially, baffled – me. Shostakovich’s Fifth: a clear choice…
Across seven decades, Alan Bennett has revealed a great deal of himself through plays and screenplays. In 1994, with the publication…
“Since when was getting older an honour?” asks Tereza, rightly suspicious when she finds officials nailing up a cheap garland around her…
Record Store Day 2026 is this Saturday! At theartsdesk on Vinyl we’ve been playing through exclusive RSD goodies. Check the reviews. Then…
One of the most resonant contemporary slogans is “Build bridges not walls”. Because it applies to the personal as well the political, it…
This entertaining, gorgeous-looking film within a film, directed and written by multi-talented Turkish-Italian Ferzan Özpetek (he’s also…
It’s 15 years since Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, two boys from Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, let slip their debut album. “Released” is not…
Most read
Now we know who sent Jonas Kaufmann the Union Jack boxer shorts for the Last Night of the Proms. Whether the sender’s identity is the…
It was back in 2019 when The Capture made its debut on BBC One, with writer Ben Chanan skilfully exploiting the sinister potential of deep-…
The Southbank Centre’s second Multitudes festival – which commissions artists ranging from filmmakers to acrobats to shine new light onto…
Antonio Pappano’s pairing for last night’s Barbican concert intrigued – and, initially, baffled – me. Shostakovich’s Fifth: a clear choice…
It’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that Tori Amos might inhabit a music genre populated by one artist. That doesn’t make her tunes…
Record Store Day 2026 is this Saturday! At theartsdesk on Vinyl we’ve been playing through exclusive RSD goodies. Check the reviews. Then…
The baldness of the titles the writer-director Stefan Golaszewski gives his TV series — Him & Her, Mum, Marriage and now Babies — is a…
The pairing of Chemical Brother Tom Rowlands and Norwegian pop star Aurora sounds interesting but not, on paper, like the formula for…
Returning to the West End to celebrate two decades since those strange muppetty posters went up on London buses, I’m still laughing along…
It was something of a miracle how long They Might Be Giants managed to preserve their trademark madcap optimism intact. It lasted right…