Chvrches performing at Barrowland Ballroom in June 2023

Chvrches shared chilling visions with a killer synth-pop soundtrack to a reverent Glasgow congregation as their Screen Violence World Tour reached its climax. Barrowlands buzzed with anticipation, as an eerie electro intro with more than a hint of Vangelis rang out from an empty stage. It was sweating room only for the first of a …

Del Amitri performing live

Following the release of their seventh studio album Fatal Mistakes last year, Del Amitri performed the perfect playlist of new material and nostalgia to a grateful Glasgow crowd. Del Amitri’s three-night run of sell-out shows at the iconic Barrowland Ballroom in December, including a night just for NHS workers, had to be postponed due to …

Album artwork for 30lbs of Air by Aliens

Aliens have dodged a bullet with 30lbs of Air – a “concept album” that captures the essence of war while escaping the clichés. The term “concept album” tends to send a shiver down my spine. This turned into a shudder when I heard that the concept of this particular album was the ordinary men and …

Black and white photo of the band Desperate Journalist

Desperate Journalist return with the brutal beauty of new single ‘Fault’.  London-based quartet Desperate Journalist (Jo Bevan, Simon Drowner, Rob Hardy and Caz Hellbent) have announced the release of their fourth album, ‘Maximum Sorrow!’ (out on 2 July via Fierce Panda Records), which was recorded entirely in Crouch End in lockdown. Visceral new single ‘Fault’ …

Photo of the band CHVRCHES

CHVRCHES use the powerful punch of their unique brand of electro-pop to address men’s attitudes towards women in hard-hitting new single ‘He Said She Said’. “Being a woman is fucking exhausting and it felt better to scream it into a pop song than scream it into the void”, says CHVRCHES frontwoman Lauren Mayberry of new …

Image showing ShakePoe wearing Santa hats with the text "Happy holidays from the ShakePoe family"

2020 has put the brakes on for so many artists, but Larkin Poe haven’t slowed down at all. In June the Atlanta-born Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist sister duo Rebecca and Megan Lovell released their fifth studio album, Self Made Man, which combined their full-throttle roots-rock with a refreshing positivity. Barely pausing for breath, last month they released …

Promo image of Larkin Poe, photographed by Bree Marie Fish

A couple of weeks ago Larkin Poe released their fifth studio album Self Made Man. The Atlanta-born Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist sister duo Rebecca and Megan Lovell have spent the last ten years on a journey from folky acoustic roots to their current mix of barnstorming blues and classic rock. We think Self Made Man is Larkin …

Photo of Hinds band

We adore Hinds’ third album The Prettiest Curse. The Madrid-based quartet (Carlotta Cosials, Ana Perrote, Ade Martin and Amber Grimbergen) have released their most complex and candid work to date, while retaining the grin-inducing exuberance that has become synonymous with this band. It has also come at a perfect time – just when we all …

Album artwork for Self Made Man by Larkin Poe

Larkin Poe take us on a joyride with the full-throttle roots-rock of fifth album Self Made Man. Larkin Poe, aka Atlanta-born Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist sister duo Rebecca and Megan Lovell, have spent the last ten years releasing the crossover music of my dreams. They’ve journeyed from folky acoustic roots to their current mix of barnstorming blues …

Album artwork for 'The Prettiest Curse' by Hinds

Hinds take us from bad times to great times with exhilarating new album The Prettiest Curse. The third album from the Madrid-based quartet (Carlotta Cosials, Ana Perrote, Ade Martin and Amber Grimbergen) couldn’t have come at a better time. As we tentatively take our baby steps into the “new normal”, Hinds are there to hold …