Ten reviews you might have missed

Reviews from Thursday 13 December 2018

All Ears Avow – ‘Skin & Bones’

Only two EPs in, All Ears Avow were already well on their way to creating stadium-filling rock music. Their most recent EP ‘Skin & Bones’ makes this a concrete statement, with wall-to-wall funky riffs and pop-hooks that will be winding around your ears for a long time.

LIVE: Deaf Havana / iDKHOW @ O2 Academy Brixton

Despite releasing what might objectively be their best album yet earlier this year, Deaf Havana have had a limited public profile in 2018, playing just a handful of shows in the past six months. With that being the case, the anticipation leading up to their massive

Tuesday 11 December 2018

LIVE: Basement / Joyce Manor @ O2 Forum, London

It’s almost been 10 years since Basement formed from the ashes of teenage easycore band In This For Fun and, despite their hiatus in 2012, they have kept the torch burning for modern emo consistently. Their latest effort ‘Beside Myself’ was mixed by Rich Costey – who’s

AFI – ‘The Missing Man’

The release of 2017’s self-titled, or ‘The Blood Album’, was heralded as the comeback critics and fans had been waiting for from AFI. It was a return to the post-hardcore sound that began with ‘Sing the Sorrow’ and coursed through ‘Decemberunderground’, and it felt like a band

Monday 10 December 2018

Grains – ‘Play Loud’

EPs are quite tricky to get right, especially if you’ve not got any full albums under your belt. You somehow must set out your entire mission statement over three or four tracks and give the listener a proper picture of who you are as a band. On the first

Monday 03 December 2018

LIVE: Tonight Alive “Fully Plugged” @ O2 Academy Islington, London

It’s no secret that Tonight Alive adore London – often describing it as their second home after Sydney, Australia – and on this particular evening, London showed up in full force, ready to prove just how welcome this four piece is in our city. It was

LIVE: Tonight Alive “Unplugged” @ Bush Hall, London

In stark contrast to the hectic fierceness that defined the previous night, the set up for Tonight Alive’s acoustic performance at Bush Hall was soft and gentle. Fairy lights dressed up the instruments and sound equipment on the small stage, creating an intimate atmosphere strengthened by the

LIVE: Dashboard Confessional / Black Foxxes @ Academy 2, Manchester

Ten years is… well, it’s a long time. If you were to suggest that an artist could essentially disappear for the best part of that time and still maintain a fan base, few would believe you – and for the first fifteen minutes or so after doors opened to

Friday 30 November 2018

LIVE: Nervus / Worriers @ The Parish, Huddersfield

The playlist at The Parish throws up The Lawrence Arms’ eloquently dark ‘The Slowest Drink at the Saddest Bar on the Snowiest Day in the Greatest City’, a tale which depicts battling through the elements and noise to find something better. While one of Chicago’s finest acts–

Tuesday 27 November 2018

LIVE: RVIVR / Happy Accidents / Hurry @ Wharf Chambers, Leeds

Every now and then, life throws up those unexpected surprises that make you think “hey, that’s pretty good”. Tonight’s entertainment in the homely DIY aesthetics of Leeds’ Wharf Chambers is a prime example. Originally billed as a headline show for London three-piece Happy Accidents, a couple

Friday 23 November 2018

Alkahest – ‘2’

2018 has been so stacked with fantastic new releases that you’d be forgiven for switching off your release radar as we drift towards year end. It would be a crying shame however, as you’d be missing out on this fantastic EP. Alkahest is the brainchild of Amelia Pereira, who

Thursday 22 November 2018

LIVE: grandson / JUDAS @ Electrowerkz, London

As support act JUDAS played the last notes of their final song of the night, no one could evade the stench of sweat that filled the tiny venue. The band had put on an opening performance to be proud of, successfully amping up the crowd and having us dripping

Wednesday 21 November 2018

LIVE: Less Than Jake / Reel Big Fish @ O2 Ritz, Manchester

Lie me on the bed, hook me up to an IV drip and pump me full of early-2000s nostalgia – Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish are in town. It’s time dust off your trilby, fish out that checkerboard studded belt and see if your Airwalks

Tuesday 20 November 2018

LIVE: Damnation Fest @ Leeds University Student’s Union

It’s November, the days are getting shorter, and the cold weather is starting to creep in. You know what that means? Goth Christmas, AKA Damnation Festival! Every year the death knell of the festival season is sounded by this spectacularly bleak event, which sees the best and brightest names

King Nun – ‘I Have Love’

There’s a certain sort of sound that permeates from specific record labels. From Fat Wreck, it’s that classic 90s skate punk sound. From Holy Roar, you’ve got a plethora of well-established hardcore bands. And while there may not be one specific genre from Dirty Hit – the home of

Friday 16 November 2018

Memphis May Fire – ‘Broken’

Memphis May Fire are an important band for this generation. They are unafraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves, giving their already powerful music more depth – and that depth is something that their fans revel in, as the majority are able to relate to the issues and struggles

LIVE: Slayer / Lamb of God @ Manchester Arena, Manchester

In the rustic surroundings of The Beer House pub in Manchester Victoria station, a heavily tattooed gentleman places one biker boot on the table to create his podium. Sporting a sleeveless denim jacket and adorning a patch of Metallica’s ‘Kill ‘Em All’ album artwork, he takes a

LIVE: Rolo Tomassi / Blood Command / Cassus / Bone Cult @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

It’s almost a tradition in alternative music to put on shows that fall on Halloween. Bands treat it a bit like a rite of passage – like you can’t call yourself a heavy band if you haven’t played a Halloween show. Rolo Tomassi aren’t strangers to hosting events on

Thursday 15 November 2018

itoldyouiwouldeatyou – ‘Oh Dearism’

Emo. It’s a dirty word amongst music fans. A sound and style that’s largely dissipated over the years, some would say for the better. There’s always been a stigma around it, despite its huge popularity in the mid-late 00’s – a house party wasn’t a house party unless someone

Tuesday 13 November 2018

LIVE: Anti-Flag / Cancer Bats @ Academy 2, Manchester

Navigating Manchester on a Friday night is one of the most hellish things you can imagine, as drunk students and office workers clog the streets and everyone tries to drive around the city like the layout makes any sort of sense whatsoever. Unfortunately this combination of traffic issues and