Interview: John Joseph Brill. Pieced Together.
Later this week, Liverpool-based John Joseph Brill – born Henry Brill – will celebrate the launch of his new EP, Pieces, by playing a sold-out show at the Islington in London. It should be a triumphant occasion, but the background to the Pieces EP is less celebratory....
Live: OK GO @ KOKO
Los Angeles based OK Go are at least as well known for their innovative and technically grand music videos as they are for their eccentric brand of alternative pop/rock. The videos, always visually spectacular and often hewn from a single shot, are a viral phenomenon:...
Live: Mariachi El Bronx @ Brooklyn Bowl
It’s St Valentine’s Day and London is awash with people looking for appropriate ways to either publicly display their passion or, alternatively, to reject the commercial love circus in a defiant act of single status celebration. I may just have found the perfect band...
Live: The Waterboys @ Roundhouse
I’m not sure I can remember the last time I saw a band open with not one, not two, but three consecutive songs taken from an album released just a couple of weeks before. What might be deemed a fatally optimistic move for some bands, manages to work for Mike Scott and...
Interview: H Hawkline. An Ear For A Melody.
Welsh singer/songwriter H Hawkline – otherwise known as Huw Evans – has a knack for creating strange, and sometimes bilingual, pop reminiscent of fellow countrymen Gruff Rhys and Euros Childs. Signed to Heavenly Recordings, he’s just released In The Pink Of Condition,...
LIve: Afghan Whigs @ Koko.
After a recording break of some 16 years, the Ohioan men of Afghan Whigs returned with their 7th studio album Do to the Beast in 2014, quickly followed by the 21st anniversary remastered reissue of their major-label debut, Gentlemen. Being one of few non-Pacific...
Live: White Fence @ 100 Club
Tonight's White Fence show at the 100 Club reminds us how 60's music will always be re-interpreted in new and interesting ways. Support bands Family and Ultimate Painting bring a Velvet Underground and The Byrds tinged vibe to the proceedings. Ultimate Painting...
Live: Katzenjammer @ The Lexington.
With eclectic, folk-driven, collective groups making their mark on the British music scene for some time, it’s a wonder why Norwegian folk-rockers Katzenjammer weren't leading the wave rather than seemingly following it as they release their third studio album...
Live Review: Waxahatchee @ St Pancras Old Church.
St Pancras Old Church is a beautiful place to experience live music – described as “London’s most spectacular intimate live music venue”, it really does justify that assessment. It’s toasty within; convection heaters blast warm air up the walls and make for the...
Nils Lofgren @ Tunbridge Wells Assembly.
It seems the good people of Tunbridge Wells are well informed. Nils Lofgren played to a packed hall at the Assembly Theatre. I had seen a version of this show a few years ago and it was good then. Tonight Nils blows the socks off that. The sound, electronics and most...
LIve: Chrissie Hynde @ Koko
Chrissie Hynde takes to the stage of London’s Koko to bring us a pre-Christmas blast of old hits and new songs, from her first solo album, Stockholm. Strikingly, she has retained the look, demeanor and attitude that has characterised her position at the helm of the...
Interview: Eric Lilavois. On Both Sides Of The Tracks.
Eric Lilavois has produced countless bands and artists, including Saint Motel, Atlas Genius and My Chemical Romance. He owns Crown City Studios in Pasadena, California, and co-owns the legendary London Bridge Studios in Seattle, where some of the most influential...
Live: Ellie Goulding & Friends @ Streets Of London.
English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ellie Goulding hosted a unique evening of acoustic music at West London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire, sharing the stage with a host of acts from rockers Band Of Skulls to the delicate-voiced Birdy in aid of the homeless...
Live: John Garcia @ Islington Academy.
The evening promised the best of the stoner rock, and even before John Garcia and band entered the local quartet, Steak, came into action with the best of their repertoire. The band, which became one of the leading bands of the Desert / Stoner Rock scene in UK,...
Interview: The New Pornographers: We’re Sort Of A Super Group.
The New Pornographers released their sixth studio album, Brill Bruisers, in August and it was packed with the kind of infectious, uplifting indie-power pop that made their debut album Mass Romantic an instant classic. While many of The New Pornographers have released...
Live: Blues Pills @ The Dome
Blues and Psychedelic Rock is still alive and kicking and very well represented by the band that triumphs today, Blues Pills. Going back to the 70's with long haired folk, wah-wah pedals all over the place and psychedelic posters on the walls is the vibe of The Dome,...
Live: Augustines @ Roundhouse
Brooklyn-based indie rockers Augustines, formally We Are Augustines, played their final show of a short European tour at Camden’s Roundhouse in support of their eponymous second studio album. Starting the show with tracks from their debut Rise Ye Sunken Ships, the...
Live: Roddy Frame @ The Barbican.
Roddy Frame is back in the limelight. After bringing the High Land Hard Rain album to stages last year he has continued to develop a slick and down right witty show. His natural humour, quick retorts to the crowd and abundant self confidence are a strange...
Live: The New Pornographers @ The Empire.
A lot of bands could take a cue from The New Pornographers regarding style over substance. At their recent show at Shepherd's Bush Empire, we see the Canadians showcase their talents with a minimum of fuss. Sprinkling old favourites The Laws Have Changed, Testament to...
Live: Steve Hackett @ Birmingham Symphony Hall
Steve Hackett selected the Symphony Hall Birmingham to be the final date of his third year of Genesis tours, all sold out, time and time again. The bar area of the hall pre-show featured a mature and pleasant audience with an expectant buzz in the air, many are here...
Live: The Specials @ The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is heaving with those ready to skank. It’s the first of three nights that The Specials are playing at London’s venerable circular venue, as part of the band’s ongoing reunion tour. The surprising opener is the cool chill of Ghost Town, their number one...
Interview: Difford & Tilbrook. Squeezing In The Hits.
Squeeze frontmen Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook are mid-way through their retrospective acoustic tour of song and conversation entitled The At Odds Couple. Masters of the quintessential British pop song, their 40 year friendship and songwriting partnership may have...
LIve: Difford & Tilbrook @ Union Chapel.
Two rock stars tumble out of bed, before finding themselves a cup of tea and gazing around at a packed room of spectators. Not something you often witness in a church and no ordinary start to a gig. Tonight, however, Union Chapel hosts a rare treat of Squeeze...
Interview: Mick Rock. Shooting Stars
Mick Rock has already done six interviews today and is about to start packing for a morning flight out of London. One of the biggest names in music photography in the last four decades, Rock is on a whirlwind media tour to support a newly published paperback...
Live. The Handsome Family @ Assembly Hall.
The Handsome Family may have been around for nearly 20 years but they are still very much in demand. Tonight they perform a sold out concert at Islington Assembly Hall. Sara Jenkins photographs and reviews. The venue has a real village hall feel about it tonight and...
Interview: John J Presley. Benevolent Dictator, Nascent Hit Maker
There’s the air of the inevitable about John J Presley. His fuzzy, yet refined form of garage blues has been compared with Nick Cave and Jack White, while his last two singles – both released by Killing Moon Records – wouldn’t sound out of place being pounded out by...
Live: Laura Doggett @ Brixton Academy
Singer songwriter Laura Doggett opened as John Newman’s support act for his second London Brixton Academy date. You might be forgiven for not knowing who Laura is but you would certainly remember her afterwards. She is fast making an impression on us with her...
Live: Nerina Pallot @ Union Chapel
During the summer months this year, Nerina Pallot’s first two albums held a significant space in the musical landscape of my car, having discovered that they are perfect ‘windows down, driving along the motorway, singing your heart out’ music. During these moments of...
Interview: TedZed. Something Wizard.
Strolling down Wigmore Street, London in the sweet September rain Sara Jenkins met up with electronic wiz-kid TedZed. Causing something of a stir in certain circles he is a man of many talents and his songwriting is described as having a touch of Bolan, Rundgren and...
LIve Review: OFF! @ Oslo.
The annual Rockshot party at Oslo got off to a bad start, illness, flooded flats and literally a lack of spark. Those of us that did make it were in for a real experience. OFF! are one of those bands who have to be tried out at least once in a lifetime, just so you...
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