Ten reviews you might have missed

Reviews from Friday 15 June 2018

Blue Heaven – ‘Volume One’

Spawned from the ashes of their previous bands, Maryland natives Blue Heaven have traded the pounding sound of hardcore and punk to become a more delicate and polished band. Bordering between jangle-pop and surf rock, there is a freeing, laid-back element to the record that settles nicely within the

LIVE: You Me At Six @ Keele SU

It may have been their first live show since November last year, but for the duration of the 90-minute pre-Download Festival set, You Me At Six were anything but rusty. Supported by Bath-based band Decade, the room was thick with moisture long before YMAS took to the stage, a great

LIVE: Camden Rocks Festival 2018

For the 7th year of Camden Rocks, the organisers pulled out all the stops to curate a diverse and impressive line-up that was sure to please rock fans of all ages. Whether you were there for punk, classic rock, or alternative there was something for everyone. The Punktastic team

Monday 11 June 2018

Mayday Parade – ‘Sunnyland’

When bands release outstanding debut albums, there’s always a concern that they’ll spend the rest of their careers struggling to top it. If you ask any fan of Mayday Parade what their favourite album is, they will in all likelihood respond with ‘A Lesson In Romantics’, the band’s very

Sunday 10 June 2018

Tremonti – A Dying Machine

Over the course of the last two decades, Mark Tremonti has created no less than thirteen albums. His talent as a songwriter and guitarist is without question, and his work with both Creed and Alter Bridge has put him at the top of the pile of contemporary

Wednesday 06 June 2018

LIVE: Twin Atlantic @ The Waterfront, Norwich

If you’ve never experienced a Twin Atlantic headline show then it’s time to rectify the situation. The Norwich crowd was sufficiently warmed up by the time both supporting acts Bellevue Days and The Pale White had finished their sets, and yet nothing could have prepared anyone in the packed

Tuesday 05 June 2018

Haggard Cat – ‘Challenger’

If you don’t support the things you love, they will inevitably disappear. The music industry has undertaken a terrible sea change in recent years, with even the bands on the major labels struggling to make ends meet. The stories of Deaf Havana’s guitarist still working at the

Monday 04 June 2018

LIVE: PVMNTS / The Faim @ Night People, Manchester

PVMNTS? Who are PVMNTS? With only one demo available on the usual streaming services and a relative dearth of information online, no one could be blamed for being surprised that the three-piece band from the States were heading out on a (sold out and upgraded) four date headlining tour

LIVE: The Spook School / Peaness @ Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds

Have you ever taken a moment to truly appreciate the beauty of Linda McCartney sausages? Have you ever noticed how they effortlessly balance out a delicious vegetarian full English breakfast? Have you ever been amazed at just how utterly delicious they are in a sandwich bathed in

Thursday 31 May 2018

LIVE: Machine Head @ The Roundhouse, London

Machine Head are one of the bands that truly define heavy metal. Their continued influence of the genre is still felt to this day, with many modern bands struggling to play catch-up to their recorded output and ferocious live shows. Their latest record ‘Catharsis’ divided opinion amongst their

LIVE: Employed To Serve / Conjurer / God Complex / Hundred Year Old Man @ The Parish, Huddersfield

The heavy music scene in the UK is extremely healthy right now, and tonight is a showcase of some of the most exciting young bands our nation currently has to offer. Leeds post-metal sextet Hundred Year Old Man are gathering attention at a rate of knots, and from the intensity

LIVE: Desertfest 2018: Sunday

Sunday sees us being primarily two things – too fucking hot, and too fucking tired. It’s a long trek to the Roundhouse, but one that’s worth it to catch Swedish doomsters Monolord. The massive backdrop of latest album ‘Rust’ gives a clue as to what the set list will

LIVE: The Great Escape 2018 @ Brighton

When the snow was still falling at the start of April, the British summer season seemed a very long way off, but we’re now in the middle of May and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to get the festival season off with a bang, courtesy of

Friday 25 May 2018

LIVE: Frank Turner / The Subways @ The Roundhouse

Last year, Punk-Troubadour Frank Turner took a bold step in curating his own festival. Four nights in a row, at the Camden Roundhouse, 8000 people would be watching a festival he chose. The risk was great but the reward was incredible, with it proving to be a massive success.

LIVE: Desertfest 2018: Saturday

Saturday kicks off with The Dev full to the brim, latecomers disappointed when they realise they won’t even get a glimpse of Falmouth two piece Monolithian. Those who stay are treated to the infectious bounce of a massive ‘Mantis Rider’, the dreamy drift of ‘Nyarlathotep’ and Shannon Green’s pummelling

Thursday 24 May 2018

At The Gates – ‘To Drink From The Night Itself’

On the list of bands who you’d be fairly confident would never get back together, At The Gates used to be pretty high. Following a rigorous and destructive tour on the back of their masterpiece album, ‘Slaughter Of The Soul’, the band fell to pieces quite spectacularly,

Tuesday 22 May 2018

Royal Mob – ‘Cinematic’

It’s understandable that the current reaction to any sentence featuring the word “Royal” is rapid recoil, or at least indulgence in some serious eyerolling. Don’t disappear yet, though – this Royal isn’t followed by “Wedding”… Instead, we have Royal Mob; a four-piece Danish band inspired by Brit bands like

Thursday 17 May 2018

I, The Mapmaker – ‘Searching’

Debut EPs almost always seem to represent an unfettered opportunity. I, The Mapmaker, a melodic hardcore quintet, present with their debut ‘Searching’, an ambitious effort, rich with complexity and dynamism. Opener ‘Ghostwalker’ floods the listener with mesmerising harmonies, abound with fluid and

Wednesday 16 May 2018

LIVE: Cancer Bats / Death By Stereo / Funeral Shakes @ The Underworld, Camden.

Whenever a band announce a tour to celebrate the anniversary of a record, it always seems to take you back in time. Trying to remember where you were or what you were doing the first time you heard it. Or which of the tracks from the record you may

Tuesday 15 May 2018

illuminati hotties – ‘Kiss Yr Frenemies’

Some bands create noise. Others create music. A minor few create art. And for Sarah Tudzin, the engineer, producer, and mastermind behind illuminati hotties, she’s firmly in the last category. Despite being a pluralised nom de plume, illuminati hotties is a creative outlet for Tudzin, the self-proclaimed burrito-aficionado. Having roped