New music
CD: Bad Religion - Age of UnreasonWednesday, 24 April 2019
Bad Religion have been making politically aware, high-speed, melodic punk rock for throwing yourself around with glorious abandon for nigh on 40 years now. As anyone who saw them at last year's Download Festival will be aware, however, their... Read more... |
DVD/Blu-ray: Pet Shop Boys - Inner SanctumTuesday, 23 April 2019
Pet Shop Boys are never shy of producing stylishly conceived fan mementos. Coming not long after Faber & Faber’s hardback collection of Neil Tennant’s lyrics, this four-disc set is just such a slice of lovingly rendered memorabilia. After well... Read more... |
Sleaford Mods, Dreamland, Margate review - musical news from broken Brexit landMonday, 22 April 2019
Sleaford Mods are livid. About everything. But then, aren’t we all? If any single voice could represent this particularly bewildering era, it would be Jason Williamson’s. Outraged, marginalised, furious, he’s determinedly (with the help of henchman... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Terry AllenSunday, 21 April 2019
Torso Hell tells the story of an American soldier whose limbs were blown off in Vietnam. Amazingly, he and his buddies survived, and in the ensuing medical chaos his arms and legs were re-attached to them rather than him. The narrator says “At the... Read more... |
CD: The Cranberries – In the EndSunday, 21 April 2019
In the End, the final album by Limerick band the Cranberries arrives three decades after they first formed and just over a year after Dolores O’Riordan’s unexpected death. As a full-stop to their career, it therefore also marks something of a legacy... Read more... |
CD: Catfish and the Bottlemen - The BalanceFriday, 19 April 2019
Indie-rock sure ain't what it used to be. These days boys-with-guitars sound no less manufactured than actual boy bands. And, of all these generic outfits, few appear to have less musical substance than Welsh four-piece Catfish and... Read more... |
Take That, SSE Hydro, Glasgow review - capes and cameos in 30th anniversary spectacularFriday, 19 April 2019
This year, says Gary Barlow, marks 30 years since five boys walked into a room in Manchester and auditioned for what would turn out to be the UK’s most successful pop act. It is fitting, then, that what they are billing as the Odyssey tour features... Read more... |
CD: Rodrigo y Gabriela - MettavolutionFriday, 19 April 2019
There aren’t many musicians to catch the ear of a substantial community of music lovers that includes both metalheads and world music fans, as well as having been invited to play the White House – especially when playing only instrumental tunes on... Read more... |
Get The Blessing, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham review – West Country cats lay down some jazzy soundsFriday, 19 April 2019
Get The Blessing are a band whose music never fails to conjure up images of someone like Steve McQueen driving along a coastal Californian road, looking cool as you like in very dark shades, sat in an open-top sports car from a seriously stylish... Read more... |
theartsdesk Q&A: BananaramaThursday, 18 April 2019
Bananarama are one of the most successful girl groups of all time. Consisting of Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward, the band’s third original member Siobhan Fahey left in 1988 to form Shakespears Sister. The trio reunited in 2017 for a tour but new... Read more... |
CD: The O'Jays - The Last WordThursday, 18 April 2019
How to put a full-stop on an over 50 year recording career? For multiple Music Hall of Fame-rs The O’Jays, the answer includes a party track penned by Bruno Mars, a reworked 60s single and a final chance to ruminate on the state of the world. The... Read more... |
John Mayall, Ronnie Scott's review – the legend on his own termsWednesday, 17 April 2019
John Mayall keeps up one hell of a touring schedule for an 85-year-old. Last night's early set at Ronnie Scott's was the first of a three-night, two-houses-per-night stint at the club. And these performances come on the tail-end of around 35... Read more... |
