Ten reviews you might have missed

Reviews from 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

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

Thursday 11 November 2021

Silent Planet – ‘Iridescent’

Silent Planet are a band whose searing honesty and emotional intensity has transformed them from a good band into a great one. Melding the crushing musical fluidity of their ranks with a gut-wrenchingly candid lyrical approach creates not only an impact but also a feeling, and it’s powerful

Wednesday 10 November 2021

LIVE: The Hunna / Idolising Nova / Kelsey Karter @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London

Tonight marks something special for The Hunna – a tour that never was has finally come into fruition and as we stand eagerly waiting, we can barely believe that we’re here. This Watford four-piece usually leave their London show until last, but today we’re kicking off the

Tuesday 09 November 2021

GILT – ‘In Windows, Through Mirrors’

Picture the scene; you’re browsing through upcoming releases and you notice an EP called ‘In Windows, Through Mirrors’. It comes recommended for fans of Spiritbox and La Dispute, and the band’s name is GILT. This strikes you as strange, as there’s a Florida emo band with that name and

Thursday 04 November 2021

Bullet For My Valentine – ‘Bullet For My Valentine’

Wales has provided some of the brightest bands of our scene in recent times. From Funeral for a Friend in the early noughties through to Holding Absence in the current year, Wales has been a hot bed for alternative music . Bullet For My Valentine have endured through multiple

Wednesday 03 November 2021

MØL – ‘Diorama’

At this point, mixing shoegaze / post-rock with black metal isn’t exactly breaking ground. The most casual fans of either genre know of bands like Deafheaven and Alcest, but even those titans have never really managed to capture the expansive beauty of the former without at least slightly compromising

Friday 29 October 2021

M(h)aol – ‘Gender Studies’

To the outside world, Ireland often has something of an idyllic image to it but there’s as much of an unspoken side to this country as anywhere – in its history and in the present day. For M(h)aol, their first debut EP provides ample opportunity to explore