In 2015, the European Union faced rising figures of people seeking refuge in Europe in an attempt to escape war, poverty and persecution. Images and accounts of families and children fleeing their homes in cramped and dangerous conditions across the Mediterranean put an increasing amount of pressure on governments and the EU to act fast […]
‘Wrong then, and wrong now’ – The Legacy of Britain’s Anti-Gay Laws in the Commonwealth
After winning gold in the 10m synchronised diving event at Australia’s Commonwealth Games last month, diver Tom Daley took the opportunity to bring to light the fact that homosexuality is still illegal in nearly forty Commonwealth countries. Though he has been criticised for speaking out against countries formally under British rule whilst competing for Britain, […]
‘I just can’t wait for the next year of my life’: An Interview With Emma Blackery
Five EPs, two headline tours and one tour supporting Busted later, Basildon-born rising pop act Emma Blackery has been catapulted into international fame over the past year, and has recently released her first track of 2018, ‘Dirt’, which has already racked up nearly 400,000 views on YouTube since its release and has been met with […]
Album Review: Lo Moon – Lo Moon
At a time where alternative and indie acts are in abundance, Los Angeles trio Lo Moon are one who attempt to stand out from the others with their dreamy, cinematic 80s pop vibes. Blending the artistry of a variety of influential predecessors and at times America’s answer to the likes of Oh Wonder and London Grammar […]
Album Review: Courtney Marie Andrews – May Your Kindness Remain
For some, being rated as ‘midway between Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston’ by the NME might be a little daunting, but bohemian Arizona singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews seems to take it in her stride. With her fourth record recorded in just eight days and released today, May Your Kindness Remain is an album countless fans […]
Album Review: Fickle Friends – You Are Someone Else
Among the cache of rising young artists bringing wistful indie pop out of the 1980s and into the late 2010s (Shura, MUNA, and more) stand Brighton quintet Fickle Friends. After two years touring without a label, 2018 has now seen the release of the group’s highly anticipated debut record, You Are Someone Else. Having accumulated […]
Throwing Ourselves In: An Interview With Marsicans’ Rob Brander
Amidst the many others across the nation eagerly keeping an eye on the weather forecast as the snow hit Britain last week were Marsicans, a rising indie four-piece hailing from Leeds whose harmony-led melodic tracks have launched them onto the ever-growing British music scene, who just so happened to be on the eve of setting […]
The Berlin Wall – Down for Longer Than It Stood
For those who realised, as there had been arguably little media coverage of it, there’s an aspect of poignancy in the European headlines this week. Whilst the announcement was made earlier in the week that Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union have reached a deal to form a coalition with the Social Democratic Party six months […]
The CDU and Who: Is The Search For a German Coalition Over?
On the same day it was announced in December that Brexit talks were ready to move into the second phase, German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed her party allies at a Brussels summit and spoke of Europe needing a strong German government, more than ever before. Seven months since the Merkel-led Christian Democratic Union (CDU) failed […]
How Does It Feel: An Interview with Bright Light Bright Light
From growing up in a small village in the south of Wales to preparing for an upcoming tour with pop icons Erasure, Rod Thomas (also known under the stage moniker Bright Light Bright Light) has had a busy few years releasing sparkling genre-blending records of his own, starring in The League of Gentlemen and touring […]