New music
CD: Liam Payne - LP1Friday, 06 December 2019
Liam Payne is a Simon Cowell-manufactured pop star worth tens of millions off the back of music that’ll be regarded in a few years’ time much as the Bay City Rollers or Curiosity Killed The Cat are regarded now. Aesthetically an easy target, then,... Read more... |
IDLES, Barrowland, Glasgow review - rowdy and raucous, but with heartThursday, 05 December 2019
As the number of sweaty bodies increased towards the front of the Barrowland stage, IDLES singer Joe Talbot had a direct message. “Keep safe” he implored on several occasions, like a concerned dad warning his kids, or perhaps a shepherd guiding his... Read more... |
CD: Gang Starr - One of the Best YetThursday, 05 December 2019
Before the days of stardom on Jay-Z and Kanye’s scale, before Brooklyn became a millionaire’s playground, Gang Starr were deeply influential in hip hop and became pioneers of jazz rap. However, Guru disassociated himself from long-term partner DJ... Read more... |
CD: The Who - WHOWednesday, 04 December 2019
From the off, with a bellicose Daltrey declaring “I don’t care, I know you’re going to hate this song,” on the opener “This Music Must Fade” to the ferocious vocal hitched up to a careering chariot of a riff that drives “Ball and Chain”, and the... Read more... |
The Chemical Brothers, O2 review - eye-boggling monster rave-upMonday, 02 December 2019
The O2 is usually a bright, sterile space before the bands come on. Its starkly lit US sports event ambience is accentuated by humanity milling around layered plastic seating clutching giant tubs of soft drink. Not so tonight. The venue has been... Read more... |
Bat for Lashes, St Bartholomew’s Church, Brighton review – a heartfelt homecomingMonday, 02 December 2019
Natasha Khan is ending this intimate UK tour where her dreams first took shape. Study at the University of Brighton began 12 years in the bohemian town, and her twice Mercury-nominated, mythology-minded pop life. She could sometimes be found here in... Read more... |
CD: U-Bahn - U-BahnMonday, 02 December 2019
Despite their name, U-Bahn are from Melbourne. Instead of looking to Germany for their musical inspiration, their minds are on a vintage band from Ohio. “Beta Boyz”, the first track on their eponymous debut album, reassembles the key elements of... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Mercury Rev - All is DreamSunday, 01 December 2019
In the liner notes to the new reissue of 2001’s All is Dream, Mercury Rev’s Jonathan Donahue says it is “a weird astral album musically, and yes the symbolism lyrically runs many layers down and deep – different coloured layers of rock, soil and ash... Read more... |
Amon Amarth, O2 Academy Brixton review – London welcomes its new Viking overlordsSaturday, 30 November 2019
“Are you ready to do battle with us?” bellows Johan Hegg, Amon Amarth’s imposing yet cheery frontman, immediately prompting an enthusiastic roar from the packed-out Brixton crowd. “GOOOOOOD!” He’s the most genial Viking you could imagine - six-foot... Read more... |
CD: 10.000 Russos - KompromatSaturday, 30 November 2019
It’s seven years since Portugal’s muscular psychedelicists, 10.000 Russos got together and five since they released their barnstorming, self-titled EP. In that time, they’ve put out numerous other EPs, singles, appearances on compilation discs and... Read more... |
CD: Function - ExistenzFriday, 29 November 2019
There couldn't be much that's more techno than for a musician to have had a quarter-century career, only just be releasing his second solo album, and making it a quadruple. David Sumner aka Function is a true scene trouper: starting out in New York... Read more... |
CD: Pete Tong & HER-O - Chilled ClassicsThursday, 28 November 2019
Ever since rock’n’roll began, the orchestral cover version has played a contentious role in popular music. It has sometimes signified a revision of raw musical styles for those who prefer being spoon-fed; it has sometimes represented aspirations to... Read more... |
