rock/metal
live review: the wildhearts, jim jones allstars, dirt box disco. the leadmill, sheffield. 07/03/2025
Unfortunately due to an epic equipment failure I came away from tonight’s gig without any salvageable shots but, as the old saying goes, the show must go on. So sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy these words which I’ve put together to try and encapsulate the absolutely energetic carnage that Ginger et al …
Track: Cwfen Announce Debut Album ‘Sorrows’ Via New Heavy Sounds; Listen To New Single ‘Wolfsbane’
There are two kinds of heavy bands: the ones that make a lot of noise and the ones that drag you somewhere you didn’t know you needed to go. Cwfen (pronounced ‘Coven’) are the latter, and Sorrows is a record that doesn’t just crush – it haunts long after the final note. The allure of Cwfen’s sound lies …
Track: Thornhill Share Final Preview of New Album ‘Bodies’ with Single ‘Tongues’
Thornhill Set for North American Tour Following ‘Bodies’ Release
Live Review & Gallery: Nine Bands, One Unrelenting Day at New Bloom Festival – Roundhouse, Eora Land/Sydney, 09.03.25
Nine bands and thousands of punters, all more than willing to throw (nay, hurl) themselves headfirst into a day of hardcore goodness. From the jump, the crowd was locked in, staking claim at the barricade and backing our local openers without hesitation. Newcastle’s Feel the Pain set the tone with metallic hardcore that didn’t so …
Track: Daybreakers – Turn Up The Silence
The Daybreakers were formed in during lockdown by Irish /Jamaican producer and songwriter Aidan Connell; who’s skills have been sought by artists such as Gary Clark Jr, Mazzy Star and Seasick Steve among many others. The band’s latest offering, ‘Turn Up The Silence,’ takes a knowing side swipe at blind conformity and unjust accepted norms. The narrative, vocals, infectious guitar riff, and thundering …
News: Dying Wish – I Brought You My Soul (Your World Brought Me Despair)
Portland’s Dying Wish are blowing the door off 2025’s hinges with the explosive video for the standalone new single ‘I Brought You My Soul (Your World Brought Me Despair)’, produced by Will Putney. The song is truly next level for the band, as it finds singer Emma Boster reaching new melodic heights, while delivering screams that sound as if they scaled the depths …
Meet: Merseyside’s New Guitar Band DBA!
Formed in Merseyside in 2024, and consisting of Sam Warren (vox & guitar), Jamie Lindberg (bass & backing vocals) and Josh Grant (lead guitar), DBA! have emerged as an urgent guitar band noted for their unique chemistry and influences such as Eels, Beck, and Elastica. After sharing their debut single ‘sink or swim’ late last …
Live Review: Mandrake Handshake – No.90, Hackney Wick, London 28.02.2025
There’s that scene in the film High Fidelity when record shop owner Rob boldly claims he’ll now flog some records as he pops a Beta Band EP on the turntable. We watch in wonder as the vinyl heads become entranced by the music. These days that plot would surely feature a Mandrake Handshake record. So …
Live Review: Circa Waves / Peace / Corella – O2 Academy, Leeds 25.02.2025
Words and photos by Alfie Dook Things have been ramping up for music in 2025, and while there are many great tours to come in the summer, some bands haven’t waited around to treat us, most noticeably for me personally and a lot of people, has been the Circa Waves Death and Love 2025 tour. …
Track: Mulga Bore Hard Rock’s “Sweet Home Mulga Bore” Is the Desert Anthem You Didn’t Know You Needed
Mulga Bore Hard Rock Unleash Their Explosive Second Single