New Music Reviews
Charli XCX, SWG3, Glasgow - stripped of the gimmicks, but still the whole packageMonday, 28 October 2019
Considered logically, releasing an album as heavy on guest features as Charli XCX’s newest should present particular logistical problems when it comes to recreating the tracks on tour. Charli’s approach is the opposite: no gimmicks or trickery, just minimalist techno hedonism powered by nothing but strobe lights and sheer charisma. Read more... |
Sunn O))), The Crossing, Birmingham review – ambient metallists bring the noiseMonday, 28 October 2019
Sunn O))) must have been on stage at The Crossing for a fair few minutes before anyone from the capacity audience realised they were there. Bathed in a thick fog of dry ice, initially all that could be seen were the power-on lights of the band’s impressive mountain of amplifiers and speakers. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: The RaincoatsSunday, 27 October 2019
Rough Trade’s first album was Stiff Little Fingers’s Inflammable Material. Read more... |
Kiefer Sutherland, Shepherd's Bush Empire review - actor totally convinces as country rockerWednesday, 23 October 2019
There’s no getting around it – it’s very surreal indeed to be in the Shepherd’s Bush Empire and see an eye-wateringly famous movie and TV star rocking out on stage. Read more... |
Hot Chip, Barrowland, Glasgow review - dancefloor kings keep the party goingSunday, 20 October 2019
Familiarity evidently does not breed contempt, at least in the case of Hot Chip and Glasgow. This was the band’s third appearance on Glaswegian soil since April, and what a glorious, life-affirming evening it was. |
Reissue CDs Weekly: The Kinks - Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British EmpireSunday, 20 October 2019
Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire hasn’t had the stratospheric levels of praise as the preceding Kinks album, 1968’s The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. Read more... |
The Struts, O2 Forum Kentish Town review - a masterclass in pleasing an audienceThursday, 17 October 2019
Having exploded on to the scene like a cross between Queen and My Chemical Romance, Derby’s young glam-rock upstarts the Struts are on top of the world. They've cracked America, supported the Rolling Stones, the Who, Mötley Crüe, Foo Fighters and Guns N’Roses and delighted a home crowd at 2018's Download festival, and are currently thrilling audiences on their own ludicrously entertaining headline tour. Read more... |
Richard Hawley, Barrowland, Glasgow - black clad crooner's songs remain full of atmosphere and heartThursday, 17 October 2019
When Richard Hawley arrived onstage, he had a confession to make. “I like to talk”, he declared, before adding “and play rock n’ roll”. Both were delivered in ample supply during the ensuing performance, the black clad quiff wearing troubadour a natural fit for one of Scotland’s most famed rock n’ roll locations. Read more... |
Bill Frisell's Harmony, Cadogan Hall review – superb AmericanaWednesday, 16 October 2019
“Bill Frisell is all about sound and melody and enhancing whatever context he is in.” That quote, which defines both the American guitarist’s gentle and benign nature and his huge level of musicianship, is from Emma Franz, who recently directed and produced a film portrait of him. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Dip - Ḣ-Camp Meets Lo-FiSunday, 13 October 2019
The temptation with the 20th anniversary reissue of Ḣ-Camp Meets Lo-Fi (Explosion Picture Score) is to look for traces of what came earlier and pointers towards what would come in Iceland’s music. The album was credited to Dip, a collaboration between former Sugarcubes drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson and the on-the-up Jóhann Jóhannsson. Read more... |
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