London Archives - Backseat Mafia

Album Review : Huw Marc Bennett – ‘Heol Las’: re-imagining bygone songs through a unique folktronica gaze.

Over the last few years producer and multi-instrumentalist Huw Marc Bennett’s solo releases has traced his deepening fascination in the music of his home-land, Wales. In 2020 the ‘Tresilian Bay’…

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Album Review: Jesse Hackett – ‘Nocturnes’ : An electro-acoustic tapestry with heart-felt depth.

Keyboardist, producer, songwriter, vocalist and sonic explorer, Jesse Hackett is a name you think you’ve seen on some record sleeve before and most likely have. An illusive but prolific genre…

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Album Review: Levitation Orchestra – ‘Sanctuary’: Another expansive, spiritual jazz epic from the London collective.

UK jazz collective Levitation Orchestra show that the creative possibilities of the large ensemble can endure. Lead by trumpeter Axel Kaner-Lidstrom who first brought this group of young, scene-busting players…

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Album Review: Emma Rawicz –‘Inkyra’: Bold, widescreen, dynamic jazz from the irrepressible saxophonist and her explosive band.

You could say prestigious young saxophonist Emma Rawicz is on a roll right now. Just a few months ago she was turning jazz-heads with her exquisite and sumptuous ‘Big Visit’,…

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Album Review: Joe Harvey-Whyte & Paul Cousins – ‘In A Fugue State’: A contemplative dreamscape of pedal steel and tape loop alchemy.

Joe Harvey-Whyte may be a go-to pedal steel player (Liam Gallagher, Billy Bragg, Josephine Foster, Nilüfer Yanya and more) but as a multi-instrumentalist and solo artist he’s been calmly extending…

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Album Review: Lophae –‘Imagine More’: Another instalment of lyrical, melodic, shape-shifting jazz from the London quartet.

Now here’s something to hunker down with, ‘Imagine More’, a second instalment from new(ish) London jazz quartet Lophae. That’s a logical title for a follow up to the combo’s acclaimed…

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Album Review: Reginald Omas Mamode IV – ‘Rivière’ Noire’: Forward-thinking lo-fi funk and hip hop with a bold, direct message.

Dalliance or daring, ‘Rivière’ Noire’ the fourth album from singer, producer and beats aficionado Reginald Omas Mamode IV is, whichever way you look at it, a bit of a leap.…

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Track: Following rave reviews for their recent Glastonbury set, Wolf Alice are lying on ‘The Sofa’ in a delicate reverie, ahead of new album ‘The Clearing’.

Following up on their earlier visceral single ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ (see my review here), Wolf Alice put on display their versatility with the more restrained but just as anthemic single…

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News: Wolf Alice announce new album ‘The Clearing’ and lead off with explosive single ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’.

Driven by hands claps and a rolling piano, the new single ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ from north London band Wolf Alice is a driving, vibrant track with singer Ellie Rowsell’s vocals…

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EP Review: ‘Is It Really Goodnight?’: Celeste Madden’s Introspective and Evocative New Release

Key to London-based singer-songwriter Celeste Madden’s new EP, Is It Really Goodnight?, is its dense atmosphere. It’s not foreboding or oppressive, but rather a sleepless sheen that coats the tracklist…

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