sun 12/01/2025

New Music Reviews

Reissue CDs Weekly: The London American Label – 1966

Kieron Tyler

 

the london american label year by year 1966Various Artists: The London American Label Year by Year – 1966

Read more...

Heartless Bastards, Borderline

Russ Coffey

Some consider Heartless Bastards to be the best band you’ve probably never heard of – albeit blighted by an awful name. Others say the Texas-based four-piece are merely a jumped-up garage band. Wherever you stand, though, one thing is beyond dispute – the awesome power of Erika Wennerstrom’s voice. For much of last night she sounded like the love child of Robert Plant and Janis Joplin.

Read more...

Reissue CDs Weekly: The Isley Brothers

Kieron Tyler


Read more...

theartsdesk at Green Man 2015

Barney Harsent

Sunday. Brecon Beacons. Very early in the morning. I am woken, as I have been every 20 minutes or so since falling asleep, by water dripping on my head. So far, I’ve been able to ignore it, the pain of sitting upright outweighing the inconvenience of a wet head by a factor I can’t begin to fathom. Now, however, the hangover has lifted slightly and the need to piss is so painful I can no longer ignore it.

Read more...

Reissue CDs Weekly: Julian Cope

Kieron Tyler


Julian Cope: World Shut Your MouthJulian Cope: World Shut Your Mouth, Fried

Read more...

Just in From Scandinavia: Nordic Music Round-Up 14

Kieron Tyler

Don’t be fooled by the header picture. Despite the relaxed poses, Iceland’s Pink Street Boys are amongst the angriest, loudest, most unhinged bands on the planet right now. Hits #1, their debut vinyl album – which follows distorted-sounding, lower-than-lo-fi cassette and digital-only releases – is so impolite and wild that once the rest of the world gets the message the story of what constitutes the current-day music of their home country will have to be rewritten.

Read more...

Reissue CDs Weekly: Stax Soul Sensations

Kieron Tyler

 

Ian Levine’s Stax Soul Sensations Various Artists: Ian Levine’s Stax Soul Sensations

Read more...

theartsdesk on Vinyl: Volume 8 - Björk, Joy Division and more

Thomas H Green

In October a special tribute will be paid to the late great DJ Frankie Knuckles, the man who defined house music in the 1980s. A former bank In Chicago, now known as the Stony Island Arts Bank, which houses an archive relating to black culture, will be showcasing his gigantic record collection.

Read more...

theartsdesk at Forgotten Fields 2015

Thomas H Green

A person with any sense of outdoor adventure can enjoy a camping trip with friends, especially when the skies are clear blue and blazing, the booze is decent and flowing, and the barbecue is tasty and sauced. Thus was the case with my trip to Eridge Park, in the northern reaches of Sussex, for a new festival from the team behind the Lake District’s successful, decade-old Kendal Calling. How much the festival itself contributed to the good times, however, is debatable.

Read more...

Reissue CDs Weekly: America

Kieron Tyler

 

AMERICA THE WARNER BROS YEARSAmerica: The Warner Bros. Years 1971–1977

Read more...

Pages

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?

latest in today

Help to give theartsdesk a future!

It all started on 09/09/09. That memorable date, September 9 2009, marked the debut of theartsdesk.com.

It followed some...

Music Reissues Weekly: Celebrate Yourself! The Sonic Cathedr...

Yeti Lane’s second album The Echo Show was released in March 2012. The Paris-based duo’s LP was stunning: holding together overall, as...

Album: Lambrini Girls - Who Let the Dogs Out

Phoebe Lunny and Lilly Macieira are furious. Livid with the rapist...

Maria review - Pablo Larraín's haunting portrait of an...

As Bono once commented about Luciano Pavarotti, “the opera follows him off stage”. Legendary...

Titanique, Criterion Theatre review - musical parody sinks d...

This Celine Dion jukebox musical has been a big hit in New York, but...

Album: Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear

Travel back in time to the mid 2000s and you would be hard pressed to escape "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand on the air waves. On the radio,...

Babygirl review - would-be steamy drama that only flirts wit...

Babygirl starts with the sound of sex, piped in over the credits. There's a lot of it on our screens at the moment, from ...

It's Raining Men review - frothy French comedy avoids d...

Iris (Laure Calamy) and her husband Stéphane (Vincent Elbaz) haven’t had sex for four years. Waiting at school for the parent-teacher conference (...

Album: Bridget Hayden and The Apparitions - Cold Blows The R...

The title Cold Blows The Rain encapsulates it. A mournful, unembellished female voice sings of loss. The musical backing is sparse....