National Album Day 2019: Ten by Pearl Jam

I was 12 and a half years old when Pearl Jam’s Ten album came out.
It had a huge effect on me and my life.
The thundering rawness of it.
It’s lyrics screamed right to me, pushing through into my young tormented world.
You might wonder why would a 12yr old need to hear a voice like that?

Eddie Vedder’s deep voice emulated the perfect amount of anger, frustration and desperation I was seeking. Paired with Stone Gossard and Mike McCready‘s beautifully heavy, melodic, sliding, wailing guitars, Jeff Ament‘s dynamic thundering bass and Dave Krusen‘s bashing drums, Pearl Jam’s debut LP Ten was the perfect soundtrack to the cells splitting within me. Puberty was smashing through my young body into my mind and it made me much more aware of the how messed up the adult world really was.

I still remember seeing the album cover for Ten and thinking, ‘Woahhh who are these long haired guys? Where are they with all their arms up reaching to a point in his red room of bricks?’ They looked so cool as if they were reaching upwards, banding together, trying to make something matter.

To me, the whole album sounded like it was made to release an ever building angst towards adults like our parents and even teachers (Baby Boomers) that left us to grow up in their wake of abuse, divorce, alcoholism and neglect.

The song Why Go, along with Alive and Jeremy are perfect examples of the angst that needed to burst out after the 80s glitz and pomp was over. Here is a sample of the blistering lyrics from Why Go about a daughter being locked up in a psychiatric institution:

She scratches a letter
Into a wall, made of stone
Maybe someday
Another child
Won’t feel as alone as she does
It’s been two years
And counting
Since they put her in this place
She’s been diagnosed
By some stupid fuck
And mommy agrees

Why go home?

Teenagers of the 90s were not happy with the cards they’d been dealt and Pearl Jam came along at the right time to encapsulate that frustration with their brilliant music. Amazing lyrics matched with the heavy melodic rock rhythms made perfect anthems for crowds of thousands at their concerts. I believe Pearl Jam truly helped join millions of youth all around the world and let them share in the commiserations at how shit things were, while at the same time allowing them to release that pain by having fun moshing and stage diving the madness out.

Ten by Pearl Jam, 1991, chosen by web designer, DJ and photographer Belle Piec

Jinjer @ O2 Forum Kentish Town (Daniel Caceiro)

Jinjer Command O2 Forum Kentish Town With Relentless Precision And Power

With modern metal heavyweights Jinjer returning to London, O2 Forum Kentish Town became the setting for a night built on precision, power and carefully controlled chaos. Supported by the forward-thinking technical edge of Unprocessed and the long-awaited return of prog-metal veterans Textures, the bill promised intensity from start to finish — and delivered on every front.

Liam Price @ Water Rats (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Liam Price Stakes His Claim At London’s Water Rats

For an artist stepping out under his own name for the first time in the capital, expectations were high at The Water Rats. With a reputation already built through tribute work and years of live performance, Liam Price arrived at this London headline show carrying both momentum and curiosity. What followed was a night that felt less like a tentative introduction and more like a defining moment — a confident step forward that suggested this chapter of Price’s career is only just beginning.

Scouting For Girls @ Latitude Festival 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Scouting For Girls Share New Single ‘Don’t You Go Solo’ Ahead Of Album ‘These Are The Good Days’

Scouting For Girls have launched 2026 with the release of their brand new single Don’t You Go Solo, offering another taste of their forthcoming album These Are The Good Days, due out on 27th March. The single arrives as the chart-topping trio continue to enjoy huge demand for their upcoming UK and Ireland headline tour, with the majority of dates already sold out.

The Great Emu War Casualties Announce Debut Album ‘Public Sweetheart No.1’ And Share New Single ‘Donut’

Australian art-rock risers The Great Emu War Casualties have announced their debut album Public Sweetheart No.1, set for release on 27th March, alongside the arrival of its latest single Donut.

Lily Allen @ Mighty Hoopla Festival 2018 (Kalpesh Patel)

Boardmasters 2026 Complete As Lily Allen Announced As Final Headliner In Major Wave 2 Reveal

Boardmasters has unveiled Lily Allen as its final headliner for 2026, completing a huge second wave announcement for the Cornish festival’s return to Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach, Newquay, from 5th–9th August 2026.

The Blow Monkeys Announce ‘Birdsong’ UK Tour For Autumn 2026

British pop-soul favourites The Blow Monkeys have announced an extensive UK & Ireland tour for September and October 2026, marking the next chapter in a career that now spans more than four decades. The run of dates follows the release of their 13th studio album, Birdsong, which is out now.

Michael Cloud Duguay and Mathias Kom (Noah Bender)

Michael Cloud Duguay And Mathias Kom Announce New Collaborative Album ‘Closed City’ and Share Debut Single ‘Ice Fog – No Exit’

Canadian producer and composer Michael Cloud Duguay and songwriter Mathias Kom have unveiled details of a striking new collaborative project, Closed City, set for release on 27th March. Alongside the announcement, the duo have shared the project’s debut single, Ice Fog – No Exit, offering a first immersive glimpse into the album’s stark and carefully constructed world.

The XCERTS Return With Ferocious New Single ‘Do It To Myself’

Scottish alt-rock mainstays The XCERTS are back. Today sees the Aberdeen-formed, Brighton-based trio unveil Do It To Myself, their first original material since 2023 and their debut release on new label FLG Records.