Ten reviews you might have missed

Reviews from Friday 23 June 2017

LIVE: Rise Against / Milk Teeth @ The Garage, London

Chicago punk rock heroes Rise Against return to London for the smallest show they have played here in a long, long time. Having recently been playing a number of very small club shows over in the US prior to the release of their eight studio album ‘Wolves’ the guys

Wednesday 21 June 2017

LIVE: Citizen / Turnover / Sorority Noise @ The Underworld, London

Given the immense amount of love and attention we show the American emo scene over here, shows for bands on the Run For Cover and Big Scary Monsters labels manage to sell out quickly. While each group has enjoyed individual success from numerous returns to the UK, tonight unites

James Leese – ‘(I Have A…) RomComplex’

Now that it’s summer and the days are longer, there’s something so satisfying about listening to beautifully chilled out music whilst sipping a cold drink. If, however, you’re struggling to find that certain artist to complete the summer picture that’s just been painted, look no further than James Leese

Tuesday 20 June 2017

Flogging Molly – ‘Life Is Good’

Step into a modern pub and archetypes are likely to await you: the boozed-up Fred Perry fanboy fiddling with the pinball machine, the off-duty policewoman slumped by the pool table and the motley gang of withered regulars perched at the bar. Amongst the latter is usually a slender old

Monday 19 June 2017

Fort Hope – ‘The Flood Flowers, Vol. 1’

Since forming in 2013 from the ashes of My Passion, Fort Hope have quickly made their way to the top of the crowded and competitive UK alternative music scene. On the way they’ve been rewarded for their hard work with an ever growing fan base and a

Sunday 18 June 2017

Carpets – ‘Carpets’

Not to be confused with Inspiral Carpets, who are also from Manchester, the group originated in Lincoln before venturing up north to chase the dream. Despite being a three piece, their sound is expansive and manages to build on foundations of post-punk, shoegaze and noise rock and make it

Friday 16 June 2017

Rancid – ‘Trouble Maker’

Legacy is a poisoned chalice. To some you’ll always be their favourite band, no matter how many records you’ve put out. But to others you will “never be as good as the first 3 track demo that was given out on CD-Rs during your shows in the basement of

Broadside – ‘Paradise’

Pop punk needs a new name to show off. The genre isn’t doing too well right now and negative opinions are, rightfully, casting a shadow over a field that claims itself to be upbeat and inclusive but, at the moment, feels stagnant. Broadside’s new release ‘Paradise’ isn’t quite as

Carach Angren – ‘Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten’

Like many styles of music, black metal has itself spawned multiple further sub-genres that are now a far cry from what it was in the early 1990s. Many bands were heavily criticised for their use of keyboards and higher quality of production on the recordings. Twenty years later and

Thursday 15 June 2017

CHON – ‘Homey’

If you could bottle CHON, it would taste like beach side cocktails and feel like warm sun sliding down your throat. With ‘Homey’, CHON have developed on their first album ‘Grow’ substantially, both in terms of aural soundscapes and delivery. The album has allowed the band to reach out to

Color Film – ‘Living Arrangements’

Daryl Palumbo is a man of many hats. So many, in fact, that you have to believe his wardrobe is full of them. From changing the landscape of post hardcore with Glassjaw, bringing hip-shaking rock to Head Automatica, and flirting with dark hip hop as part of House Of

Wednesday 14 June 2017

LIVE: Minus The Bear / Joan Of Arc @ Gorilla, Manchester

Openers Joan Of Arc have been around the block for a long time (their debut album is 20 years old!) and there are clearly some die-hard fans in the crowd, but their set feels a little bit disjointed at first and struggles to find pace. Legendary emo lifer Tim

INVSN – ‘The Beautiful Stories’

Dennis Lyxzén is a man who doesn’t do things by half. Not content to just front Refused, one of the most groundbreaking post-hardcore punk bands of the last twenty years, he also led the garage rock revivalists of (The) International Noise Conspiracy to

Bad Cop / Bad Cop – ‘Warriors’

When America went loco and elected a burnt pig in a suit as their almighty lord, a flood of interchangeable mainstream think-pieces tried unsuccessfully to see the bright side. Everyone’s favourite headline was something along the lines of ‘well at least blank will get better now’ and low and

Tuesday 13 June 2017

CKY – ‘The Phoenix’

Maintaining a career that spans almost two decades, CKY are a band that need little to no introduction. Over the course of their time together they’ve sold upwards of a million albums and have performed and toured with some of the biggest names in alternative music. That said, it

LIVE: Descendents / Abrasive Wheels @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London

They’re the proud, and they may indeed be the few, but Descendents are far from being alone tonight. The godfathers of pop punk and hardcore capitalized on their nerdy aesthetic early on their career, which has proven to be globally influential. Last time they come to London in 2011,

Hundredth – ‘Rare’

Doing a complete U-turn on your sound is a very bold move for any band. Some simply incorporate new elements with each record before making a grand change, easing their devoted fan base in slowly, but Hundredth have decided to go against the grain on ‘Rare’. So much so,

Monday 12 June 2017

LIVE: Julien Baker / Lauren Denitzio @ Bush Hall, London

It’s a miserable evening but in Bush Hall, the room is slowly getting warmer as more and more people pack into this sold-out show. It’s been nearly a year since Julien Baker has graced the shores of the UK and with the outstanding reception she received after releasing her

Sunday 11 June 2017

Seether – ‘Poison The Parish’

Seether’s much anticipated ‘Poison The Parish’ has caused excitement between fans for good reason, delivering something different to their 2014 album, ‘Isolate and Medicate’, which was much grungier

Friday 09 June 2017

The One Hundred – ‘Chaos & Bliss’

Sometimes you’ll sit down to listen to a record and on the first play you’re not keen. Then sometimes, by the third or fourth listen you might find yourself coming round to it. This is commonly known as a ‘grower’. The question is, does anyone know what the opposite