Ten reviews you might have missed

Reviews from Thursday 21 May 2026

The Howling – ‘SALVO’

Style is everything. Bowie constantly reinvented himself, Creeper burned their stage costumes after their album tour, and The Black Parade is as much about the uniforms as the music. When creating theatrical music you can embody it, you can live it and you can make it an

Wednesday 20 May 2026

Wrex – ‘SADWORLD’

Mental health problems are confusing. The sorrow can be consuming. Maybe voices are vying for your attention, they don’t seem to agree. Anger and sadness snake between each other. Perhaps there’s a spark fizzling and crackling. Perhaps something feels wrong, like your body doesn’t quite fit properly.

Tuesday 19 May 2026

A – ‘PRANG’

If there was a competition for the least Google-friendly name in history, A would score pretty highly. Back in 1993, it wouldn’t have been a problem but subsequently searching for ‘A Band’ proved futile. So what happened? It went like this; Back in 2002 there was a

Friday 15 May 2026

Daisy Grenade – ‘SO MUCH TO SAY’

Sooner or later you have to grow up. No avoiding it. No other option. The only choice is how. Daisy Grenade have released an impressive number of singles since 2022. Fittingly their third EP is called ‘So Much To Say’ and, for them, it’s time to make

Thursday 14 May 2026

Dead Pony – ‘EAT MY DUST!’

Names are important. To name something is to define it. Doing so gives you power. And for years it felt like Dead Pony’s name was all too fitting. They were going nowhere, not fulfilling their potential, never catching a break; flogging, as the saying goes, a Dead

Friday 08 May 2026

LIVE: Creeper @ Islington Assembly Hall, London

Islington Assembly Hall hasn’t been this packed since the last local elections, or perhaps a wedding between two people with very large families. It’s an odd choice of venue for modern vampires Creeper to finish the UK leg of their Sangui-Tour in support of their Lost Boys-esque duo of

Thursday 07 May 2026

The Flatliners – ‘Cold World’

Sometimes you just need a break, a rock to clamber onto in the middle of a raging river, and that’s exactly what The Flatliners have provided in the form of ‘Cold World’. By their standards, the Canadians’ seventh outing is a very calm record, but it’s what we’re craving

Wednesday 06 May 2026

Basement – ‘WIRED’

Eight years ago, Basement released ‘Beside Myself’. The band took a break after this release, extended into uncertainty by successive lockdowns. In one world, this could have been the last anyone ever heard of Basement. Thankfully, driven by renewed perseverance and creativity, Basement have now found themselves reborn with

Tuesday 05 May 2026

Frozen Soul – ‘No Place Of Warmth’

“I invoke war” roars Frozen Soul’s powerhouse vocalist Chad Green on the second track of ‘No Place Of Warmth’, the band’s mammoth third full-length album. One can’t help but hear it as a battle cry, a statement of intent, one that aims to

Wednesday 29 April 2026

LIVE: Supersonic Festival 2026, Birmingham

Hidden within the increasingly gentrified confines of Digbeth, Birmingham, Supersonic Festival has been a sanctuary for underground and experimental music for over two decades. Now earlier in the year than usual and scaled-back to two days, the festival nonetheless continues to champion music and culture indiscriminately. It’s for this reason

Friday 24 April 2026

Portrayal Of Guilt – ‘…The Beginning Of The End’

Trying to pigeonhole Portrayal Of Guilt’s sound has always been a fruitless task. The Austin threepiece have been releasing their own brand of twisted darkness for nearly a decade now, effortlessly fusing influences as broad as black metal, death metal and noise rock to create their own

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Knife Bride – ‘SORRY ABOUT THE PLAGUE’

When the black death struck Europe in the mid-1300’s it was devastating. Maybe there was something in the air. Maybe it was punishment from an angry God. People died. They weren’t ready. They tried to protect themselves with sweet-smelling herbs, they held up charms, and they called

Friday 17 April 2026

Skindred – ‘You Got This’

A new Skindred record is always a cause for celebration, and doubly so when it’s as crammed with as much self-belief as ‘You Got This’. While their sound has mellowed of late, like on 2023’s ‘Smile’, their latest offering is somewhat of a return to fiery form: just as

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Teen Suicide – ‘Nude Descending A Staircase Headless’

The most immediately notable aspect of Teen Suicide’s latest offering – ‘Nude Descending A Staircase Headless’ – is that the production value is great. This is worth pointing out as the band initially made a name for themselves as a lo-fi project; ‘NDASH’ is the first time that Teen

Tuesday 14 April 2026

Tired Of Fighting – ‘AND THEN SUDDENLY IT HITS YOU’

You’re tired. We’re tired. Everyone is tired. Reading the news or comments from writers can make you ask yourself: Where did the malaise come from? Is it even real? Was everyone always this tired? Is now actually the tiredest part of history or have we just worn

Friday 10 April 2026

Palette Knife – ‘KEYFRAME’

Imagine an artist. A painter. Their work, their art, isn’t just about ideas. It’s about expression, the form, the way they paint the picture. Maybe they choose water colours, they might choose to work with oils or acrylic. They might use a brush to apply paint to

Love Rarely – ‘Pain Travels’

Covering themes of generational trauma and toxic familial relationships, ‘Pain Travels’ seems a particularly apt title for the debut album of Leeds-based mathcore/post-hardcore quintet Love Rarely. Written and recorded by the band over the course of a year, Love Rarely admit themselves that the album took a

Thursday 09 April 2026

Sugar Horse – ‘NOT A SOUND IN HEAVEN’

It’s time. That slow, creeping sense of dread. The feeling that plans were being made, that schemes were being hatched, and that something evil is brewing in the depths of Brighton. Yes, Sugar Horse are back with their third full-length record. If you’ve followed their career, you’ll

Wednesday 08 April 2026

As Everything Unfolds – ‘DID YOU ASK TO BE SET FREE?’

Take the time to reflect. Sit a moment with your sadness. Watch a drop of condensation snake its way down a window pane. Imagine the route it will take, the direction it will travel, and observe its path. It seems to be going where you hoped. Until

Tuesday 07 April 2026

LIVE: Grade 2 @ O2 Islington Academy 2

Sandwiched between a Wagamamas and a Uniqlo is a little slice of old school punk heaven. It’s Grade 2’s album launch show and we’re here to celebrate the music of 1977 with the future of the old school scene. As a crowd, we’re a tight fit into the venue,