Ten reviews you might have missed

Reviews from Thursday 23 December 2021

LIVE: Black Foxxes @ The Portland Arms, Cambridge

There’s truly nothing more exciting than watching something so undeniably extraordinary unfurl before your eyes, and tonight’s show at this local pub venue in Cambridge offers exactly that. From the moment they take to the stage, Mark Holley and his friends are not just performing – they’re

Monday 20 December 2021

LIVE: Palm Reader @ The Garage, London

Palm Reader are a special band for so many reasons but their performance of critically acclaimed album ‘Sleepless’ at The Garage in London made one of those reasons so much clearer. To really understand why, I’ve got to do a little scene painting for you, so clear your

Wednesday 15 December 2021

LIVE: Enter Shikari / Trash Boat / Nova Twins @ Alexandra Palace, London

It’s been quite the week for Enter Shikari. The tour they’ve been holding out for is finally set to kick off but of course what’s a tour without a few hiccups, right? Tonight, not only have main support acts Dinosaur Pile-Up had to pull out due to

Monday 13 December 2021

Kid Dad – ‘Bloom’

We’re currently in a musical period where bands tend to reinvent themselves into a more brash, heavier, thrash embracing version of their previous selves. Germany’s Kid Dad, however, appear to have taken a different approach; releasing on a more stripped and nuanced sound for their latest EP, ‘Bloom’, the

Tuesday 07 December 2021

Like Pacific – ‘Control My Sanity’

Going in to ‘Control My Sanity’, the third album from Ontario’s Like Pacific, was an odd experience. As someone who grew up through the Myspace and Tumblr years, it was instantly familiar. Familiar in a nostalgic way, of course, but also in such a way that it struggled to

Tuesday 30 November 2021

LIVE: Rise Against @ PRYZM, Kingston

When you think ‘Rise Against’, it’s impossible not to think of their aggressive, politically charged lyrics and the carnage their music ordinarily provokes in a live environment. Tonight’s set is an entirely different atmosphere, however, as just half of the band – vocalist Tim McIlrath and

LIVE: Sleep Token @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London

In the current rock & metal scene, there has been a rise in the amount of bands who are marrying a look and mythos with their music. Creeper, for example, created a story for the release of their first record – their very own version of the famous David

Friday 26 November 2021

Pass Away – ‘Thirty Nine’

By and large, punk has connotations of being an aggressive, reactionary and often political genre of music. Conversely, pop-punk has a reputation of being whiny and overly emotional, lacking the edge of its parent. Recent years, however, have seen a middle ground emerge that’s equally as emotional as it

Thursday 25 November 2021

WARS – ‘A Hundred Shivers’

Back in the early 2000s screaming burst into the mainstream; labels like Drive-Thru Records made a name for themselves signing bands with dual identities – a screaming vocalist for the verses and a clean vocalist for the choruses. Over time this trend gave birth to bands like Alexisonfire whose

Tuesday 23 November 2021

Orchards – ‘Trust Issues’

As the days continue to grow shorter and the dark of night creeps in ever earlier, many will be doting for a bit of brightness right about now. Right on cue, Orchards have arrived with a gorgeous ray of sonic sunshine in the form of their brand

Monday 22 November 2021

Zebrahead – ‘III’

Legends of the pop-punk movement Zebrahead return not only with a new EP, but with a brand new member, too. Following the exit of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Matty Lewis, the band have regrouped, adding old friend Adrian Estrella to the fold, giving them a new lease of

Volumes – ‘Happier?’

If you like your metal heavy and with grooves so irresistible they make your limbs move before your brain can process it, then you’re probably already very aware of Volumes. First emerging with their dark 2010 EP ‘The Concept Of Dreaming’ and then their stunning debut album ‘Via’

Friday 19 November 2021

LIVE: Holding Absence / Yours Truly / As Everything Unfolds @ Electric Ballroom, London

If you take a second to consider the most exciting alternative bands in 2021, Holding Absence will undoubtedly be at (or at least near) the top of your list. This is a band that have taken every curveball thrown at them and turned them into opportunities, never

Thursday 18 November 2021

Maybeshewill – ‘No Feeling is Final’

In September 2015, Leicester quintet Maybeshewill announced that their time as a band would be coming to an end, with a final tour scheduled for 2016. In a post on their website entitled “The Last Tour”, they wrote “We don’t see another Maybeshewill record in our futures right now,

LIVE: Don Broco / Noisy @ O2 Academy Brixton, London

Don Broco have put in the hard miles throughout their career. From playing the now defunct Camden Barfly all the way to headlining Wembley Arena and Slam Dunk Festival, they have worked their way up. In support of their latest record ‘Amazing Things’, they have embarked on

Wednesday 17 November 2021

LIVE: Biffy Clyro / Bob Vylan @ The Forum, London

There is a moment during Biffy Clyro’s headline set that collectively makes the crowd lose their minds; ‘Mountains’ is arguably the biggest commercial single the band have ever had, and they dropped it ninth in their set, of twenty three songs. The audacity! Thankfully, their back catalogue boasts some

Black Coast – ‘Outworld’

Once upon a time, nu-metal was everywhere. Everyone wanted a piece of it (go back and there are some really embarrassing entries in many established metal band’s catalogues) but it was a passing trend, the market was oversaturated, and the proliferation of bands who were style over substance started

Monday 15 November 2021

Kills Birds – ‘Married’

Every band has a story. Every record is a rich melting pot of ideas, inspirations and tales. Each time you listen, you’re not just hearing a song, but the journey to its creation. Kills Birds’ story begins with the meeting of Jacob Loeb from Golden Daze and filmmaker Nina

Friday 12 November 2021

Kanaan- ‘Earthbound’

Departing from much of the freeform, jazz-tinged rock foundations of their first three records, the fast-rising Norwegian instrumental band Kanaan have moved in a surprisingly heavy direction with their latest outing, ‘Earthbound’. For a band with such an experimental nature behind them, a stylistic change may be

LIVE: Trash Boat @ Electric Ballroom, London

Fresh from supporting Skindred on a couple of dates on their recent UK tour, along with appearances at the Download Pilot and rescheduled Slam Dunk festivals, Trash Boat have had more practice than most in putting on a show this year. This is clear as they take to the