Ahead of their monumental regional tour, I caught up with Dec Hart, the bassist of the well-established Watford four-piece Lower Than Atlantis. With ten years under their belt as a band, we discussed their history, evolution and how “time heals all wounds”. Continue reading
I got my hands on an early copy of Technology, the highly anticipated third album from boisterous alternative rock ensemble Don Broco. With 2017 seeing the Bedford born four-piece sell out a headline show at iconic London venue Alexandra Palace, and this February boasting a UK tour dropping into many respectable regional venues on their travels, followed by spate of North American shows and supporting Our Last Night across the pond, this year is set to take them from strength to strength. Despite their last album receiving some ‘mainstream’ (at the risk of sounding arrogant) air-play and introducing perhaps more pop-inclined listeners to their work, Don Broco did not shy away from experimenting with heavier, punk-influenced sounds with Technology. The album is interwoven with sounds reminiscent of the bands they credit for the member’s introduction, such as Glassjaw and Biffy Clyro. Continue reading
Paramore have held an enduring spot in my top most listened to bands, so expectations were high as we descended upon London to hear the pop rock icons in the flesh, on their first headline UK tour since 2013. With 14 years’ experience as a band, Hayley Williams has led the established rock legends from her early teens through an impressive, 5 LP strong discography. From their emo-punk debut All We Know Is Falling maturing steadily into their most recent release, After Laughter, an album experimenting with fizzy, 80’s inspired rock whilst still incorporating the familiar melancholy lyrical themes Paramore have come to be to known for. Continue reading
Coasts rounded off their extensive UK tour, which boasted 38 nights and 12 sold out venues, at York’s very own Fibbers; a high-energy night of electro-indie rock. The tour came after the release of their second full length album This Life, Vol 1, which charted at number 17 in the UK, meaning that both long standing and newly established fans flocked to catch the five-piece. Continue reading
Thursday evening saw Palace take on the O2 Academy Leeds in support of Public Service Broadcasting’s tour. Describing themselves as an alternative blues/rock band hailing from London that combines laid back guitars with brooding vocals, it wasn’t an obvious choice to support Public Service Broadcasting, a genre defying group, with the key characteristic being their sampling of old public information films and archive material. Despite this they certainly held their own when opening the show. Succeeding the release of their first EP in 2014, Palace have spent the past three years steadily releasing new tracks and building up a firm cult following.
I watched Lorde kick off the proceedings of her Melodrama world tour at the O2 Apollo Manchester. The string of concerts would be her first time touring in the UK since her 2013 mega-hit ‘Royals’, a song that at just seventeen earned her the title of the youngest artist to have achieved a number-one single since 1987. Now, aged twenty, she is sharing her second EP. I was excited to see how the slightly matured Lorde entertained the crowd; it is safe to say that I was not disappointed.
Last week the dreams of 12 year old me came true, in the shape of Kate Nash’s 10 year ‘Made Of Bricks’ anniversary tour. Despite being a huge fan in my early teens, I never got to see Kate Nash perform, so finally age 20 I watched her enthusiastic show and it did not disappoint!
Sorry for the lack of posting, I’ve been kind of out of the loop but I am planning to make time for it in between work and get back into the swing of things. Anyway, apologies aside I am coming at you with a brand new gig review! Last night, well early evening, my sister and I travelled into the depths of Kingston on Thames to watch Declan McKenna play a show to celebrate the release of his debut album ‘What Do You Think About The New Car?’. After a last minutes venue change and the addition of a full band, an intimate in store signing/gig morphed into an almost complete show at The Hippodrome. Tickets only came to £11 with a CD each, there wasn’t much to lose but it’s safe to say that Declan surpassed our expectations. Continue reading
On Monday night, I ventured from my room and for one night left my assessments behind me. My friend Hayley and I made our way to the gig, we first bonded over our mutual Blossoms love. She introduced me to The Sherlocks music, how could I not like a northern band with a Courteneers persuasion? With tickets for £9 and an excuse for a night out, we headed to Fibbers. A venue near uni in York that we usually associate with clubbing, it is only the second gig I’ve managed to go to in York during uni time, so it was a bit of a treat. It was quite a surreal experience going into a ‘club’ stone cold sober and being surrounded by underage teenager on the pull, I’ll get back to that later. I really enjoyed their set and I am definitely looking forward to hearing more stuff from them, certainly one to watch! Continue reading
In the midst of essay procrastination I found myself trawling through the Billy Bragg merch website, I’m not really sure what I was looking for but I’m glad I did. Intrigued by a book section on a singer’s website I had to have a look, one book drew my attention. So I bought ‘A Lover Sings – Selected Lyrics’, I liked the idea of having a physical copy of his favourite lyrics, as his songs have a poetic nature it makes sense to collect them in an anthology. Continue reading
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