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 →

GALLERY: Black Foxxes, Neve @ The Joiners, Southampton

GALLERY: Palm Reader @ The Garage, London

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 →

GALLERY: Enter Shikari, Trash Boat @ Alexandra Palace, London

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 →

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 →

Top 25 Albums of the Year

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GALLERY: Sleep Token @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London

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 →

GALLERY: Rise Against @ Pryzm, Kingston

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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’ →

GALLERY: Holding Absence / Yours Truly @ Electric Ballroom, London

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 →