Somewhere there should be a study of how the members of successful musical partnerships get together. Some may meet at school, some may be related or even share the same tastes in confectionary. As Pete Fij said in his introduction to Parallel Girl: “I went in for a doughnut, and came out with Terry Bickers” […]

Every so often some pundit or other starts a mild controversy in the blogosphere by commenting that a band gets the audience it deserves. That may well be the case but does it get the audience it expects? Tame Impala, purveyors of psychedelic walls of sound, set against a groovy projected backdrop of fractals and […]

Wireless Festival has had such a prestigious reputation since it started in London. It’s been a place where the biggest names in the world are proud to play. But it’s always been too far to travel to or too expensive to book the accommodation at. So this year, for the first time in 10 years, […]

In 2014 there are plenty of bands pushing the boundaries and the limits when it comes to extreme music but few have managed to match the furious fusion of hardcore, D-Beat, grindcore and death metal found in the music of California four-piece, Nails. Having recently signed to Nuclear Blast, and with consistent critical acclaim, this […]

We have a real quality and value for money bill at The Institute tonight, with not only wonderful off-the-wall headliners Parquet Courts, but also up-and-coming The Wytches and talented new boys Ultimate Painting. An evening of guitar heaven awaits. Ultimate Painting are led by James Hoare (Veronica Falls) and Jack Cooper (Mazes). I’ve not heard […]

You would struggle to find someone who didn’t know who Dolly Parton is and when you see her 41 album covers projected on the big screen and hear a medley of her biggest hits, it is clear why she holds this iconic status. As she enters the stage she is literally and figuratively a ray […]

Möngöl Hörde is a side project….or is it a super group? I’m unsure. Either way, it’s a hardcore punk outfit made up of members of other bands, both current and defunct. They’re mates and I get the impression they’re having a laugh whilst writing, recording and performing together. The band is fronted by punk/folk singer-songwriter […]

Friday. Arriving at Donington Park to the sun beaming down and the heat into the mid-twenties, the omens all point towards a great weekend of music spanning a huge variety of genres and eras. Miss May I Open up the Main Stage for the weekend and by this stage the temperature is leaning towards the […]

Peter Shoulder is one talented man. Having already fronted the brilliant grunge-tinged rockers Winterville and then moving onto forming the equally excellent The Union – winners of Classic Rock magazine’s ‘best new band’ award in 2010 -with Thunder’s Luke Morley, this gravel-throated north easterner now has a solo album to launch and tour, starting with […]

Support tonight comes from Jaye Bartell. Bartell released a band-backed album, ‘Loyalty’, in 2013, but tonight he performs a stripped down, no-nonsense solo acoustic set. And very good it was too. Live, with his acoustic guitar, he sounds (and even looks) a little like the young Leonard Cohen on his first album – plus a […]