The current British indie scene resembles something close to a barren musical wasteland of copycats, wannabe’s and has-beens. Only last week Leicester-based rockers Kasabian declared guitar music as ‘dead’. With the red-haired, corporate people pleaser Ed Sheeran standing aloft the charts and breaking records left, right and centre there has been little to no reaction […]
Rory Marcham
Top of the League? You’re having a laugh!
If you had told a Liverpool fan on the date of Klopp’s appointment as Liverpool manager that “just over a year from now Liverpool would be sitting atop the Premier League” they would’ve laughed at you. To most, just securing Champions League football with a top 4 finish would have been more than enough. Particularly […]
Protest music and walking tours: an interview with Will Varley
Meeting in one of the backrooms of Exeter’s Phoenix a few hours prior to his gig, Will Varley appeared in typically high spirits. Touring his latest album, Postcards from Minor Ursa, in his own words “probably bit a late” after supporting Frank Turner on a UK tour, the Kentish troubadour was highly anticipating a sold-out […]
Six Nations team of the week 1
The RBS Six Nations is back and following the poor showing in last years World Cup from the northern hemisphere nations, reputations are at stake. With Ireland trailing their third successive Six Nations title and England looking to begin their first major tournament under new head coach Eddie Jones, the trophy is very much for […]
Album Review: Bloc Party – Hymns
Bloc Party Hymns 29 January 2016; Infectious From the opening drum fill of debut single ‘She’s Hearing Voices’, you knew Bloc Party were something different. Melding elements of electronica and house music with the typical rock setup of guitar, bass and drums, they quickly won the approval of both critics and audiences, earning themselves the […]
Britpop via Australia: An Interview with DMA’s
Hype can kill a band, particularly after releasing a successful single or two. There are those who use it to thrive, just take someone like Arctic Monkeys, who back in 2005 rode a wave of online exposure, ultimately landing them with the fastest-selling debut album of all time in Britain. However, there are dozens that […]
When rock returns: an interview with VANT
Guitar music is on the rise; 2015 has already seen a host of young bands starting to break through into the big time, including London’s VANT. With airplay from the likes of Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 and a number of festival appearances over summer, we expect big things from the garage rock four-piece. […]
The show still goes on: Queen to headline Isle of Wight Festival 2016
Festival season has long come to a close, but the lengthy build up to next year’s festivities has started, with a few of the first headliners being announced months in advance in an attempt to stimulate early ticket sales. We’ve got The Stone Roses playing Scotland’s T in the Park, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath playing prestigious hard […]
XFM: an obituary
On 14 September this year, alternative music station XFM finally closed its doors after 23 years on the airwaves, to be rebranded as Radio X. A sad moment for myself, and thousands of other music lovers across the country. XFM was a stalwart in the alternative music community and played host to top class comedy […]