New Music Reviews
Supersonic Festival 2024, Birmingham review - another fine musical celebration far away from the mainstreamTuesday, 03 September 2024
I’ve been a regular attender of the Supersonic Festival for about 15 years and much has changed in that time. When I first rocked up to see Swans, Stinky Wizzleteat, PCM and other sonic treats, the event was a bit of a white boys’ club, both in terms of the artists and the audience, despite being put together and curated by a couple of women. Read more... |
Music Reissues Weekly: Peter Baumann - Phase by Phase: The Virgin AlbumsSunday, 01 September 2024
When the first solo album by Tangerines Dream’s Peter Baumann was released in the US in 1977, its promotion was striking. Press advertising (pictured below left) said “he possesses the infinite vision that has made his group one of the most important contributors to mystagogic lore.” Read more... |
Album: Mercury Rev - Born HorsesFriday, 30 August 2024
After the client has settled on the analyst’s couch, the lights are dimmed. Music sets the mood. A wordless vocal is accompanied by chimes. Cool saxophone breezes in. Sparse piano lines ripple like heat haze. Drums are understated, yet oddly insistent. The atmosphere is mysterious. Increasingly enflamed. Read more... |
Reading Festival 2024, Day Two review - Fontaines DC, Raye and Lana del ReyTuesday, 27 August 2024
The sun coming out for our festival-organised boat shuttle down the Thames was relief indeed, as we ditched the wellies and reached for the Crocs on our way into the arena. Read more... |
Reading Festival 2024, Day One review - an eclectic line up and a perfect headline setMonday, 26 August 2024
Reading Festival’s 2024 line up was the embodiment of playlist culture. Once a key contender in the UK’s Rock and Alternative market, then a rite of passage for students partying their way into their first year of university, it’s fair to say that the festival has experienced some uncertainty in its identity in recent years. Read more... |
We Out Here Festival 2024 review - generations of weirdness and wonderSunday, 25 August 2024
I won’t give it loads about the atmosphere and attendees at We Out Here – suffice to say that in its fifth edition, it has maintained all the strengths I mentioned last year, with the added benefit of slicker-operating infrastructure having ironed out any remaining wrinkles in its new Dorset site. The navigability, sound levels, smooth running bars etc were all just a little better, which only added to the good vibes that have been there from the start. Read more... |
Music Reissues Weekly: Shadowplay - Touch and Glow, Eggs & PopSunday, 25 August 2024
Some pointers suggest how Finland’s Shadowplay might sound. They took their name from a Joy Division song. Their key founder member was Brandi Ifgray – born Visa Ruokonen. He had been in the final line-up of first-generation Finnish punk band Ratsia. Add in Shadowplay’s 1988 first album Touch and Glow’s cover version of Gang Of Four’s “Damaged Goods” and that would seem to nail it. Dark then, with the edge of punk. Read more... |
Medicine Festival review - sound and music healing in the depths of BerkshireFriday, 23 August 2024
I had been softened up for the Medicine Festival by a recent visit to the global music extravaganza WOMAD – a trio of us met a guy called Paul aka SpriITman – an ex-IT expert who after a health crisis realised he was a healer. Bear with me on this. Read more... |
Stowaway Festival, Buckinghamshire review - old ravers and their kids get on oneWednesday, 21 August 2024
The UK festival scene has been going through a bit of a difficult time in the last couple of years, with a number of events closing down due to financial problems. This has obviously hit the “boutique” end of the marketing hardest, with several smaller capacity, specialist weekends going to the wall. Stowaway Festival seems to be bucking this trend, however, and opened for its third year of business last weekend. Read more... |
Music Reissues Weekly: Having a Rave-Up! - The British R&B Sounds of 1964Sunday, 18 August 2024
“The Rollin' Stones are probably destined to be the biggest group in the R&B scene if it continues to flourish. They aren't the jazzmen who were doing trad 18 months back and who have converted their act to keep up with the times. They are genuine R&B fanatics.” Read more... |
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