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documenting music culture

Reviews

Filtering through the noise with reviews that are candid in voice and careful in thought.

Klang, Berlin band

EARLY ACCESS

Klang - People Underground: lots of great ideas but a diluted end product

Alex Cooper

Tuesday, 5 May 2026

Klang, formerly known as The Usual Boys, are back - but their early effort doesn't establish a clear direction

Fire Dancers

EVENT

Samyama Jam, Bali – Where Rhythm Meets Fire

Stelf

Tuesday, 14 April 2026

Samyama Jam in Bali, blends traditional African drumming, organic electronic rhythms, and fire flow arts into a fluid, communal experience.

Big Thief performing live at Sentrum Scene, Oslo on Wednesday, April 8

REVIEW

Big Thief open EU tour in Oslo with song written just two days before and debut new material

Alex Cooper

Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Ahead of their shows in London, Manchester and Glasgow, Big Thief opened their EU run at Sentrum Scene with a Norway-penned song.

Raye at the O2 Arena, March 2, 2026

REVIEW

Raye sets and breaks all expectations at knockout London O2 Arena show

Imogen Mingos

Wednesday, 4 March 2026

The critically revered Raye has rebuilt her career to soaring heights independently and on her own terms. Imogen Mingos went to witness the star with the highest stock at London's O2 Arena.

Alt country band Wednesday on stage at O2 Academy Leeds in February 2026

REVIEW

Wednesday play biggest Europe headline show at Leeds O2 Academy

Alex Cooper

Friday, 27 February 2026

Gaining momentum after several brilliant albums, Wednesday return to the UK with many waiting to see them - and they didn't disappoint.

band on stage with bright, orange lights at the back of the stage and above

REVIEW

Mogwai live in Portsmouth - 18-minute classic steals the show

Alex Cooper

Sunday, 22 February 2026

Post-rock brilliance and dense songs - Mogwai did what they did best at their show in Portsmouth. But it was an 18-minute rendition of a classic which stood out.

Roger Waters – Amused to Death

CLASSIC

Album Review: Roger Waters – Amused to Death (1992)

Stelf

Friday, 30 January 2026

Once dismissed as paranoia, Roger Waters’ Amused to Death now feels uncomfortably precise – a record thats less about a Cold War that ended and more about a 'Hot War' rapidly unfolding around us.

Wolf Alice on stage at the AO Arena, Manchester on Friday, November 28

REVIEW

Wolf Alice live in Manchester: It's impossible to look away

Alex Cooper

Saturday, 29 November 2025

The band's first headline arena show in the UK - did they live up to high expectation?

Half Man Half Biscuit playing on stage at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton beneath bright green lights and a huge “ASDA” backdrop.

LIVE

Half Man Half Biscuit live: National Shite Day? Not in Wolverhampton

Alex Cooper

Sunday, 9 November 2025

Half Man Half Biscuit played for over two hours at their Wolverhampton show of their irregular tour. Alex Cooper found them in fine form.

Cover Art Hold Your Fire

CLASSIC

Album Review – Rush Hold Your Fire (1987)

Stelf

Friday, 26 September 2025

Rush’s 1987 album Hold Your Fire blends poetry, philosophy, and precision drumming. A record that matures with life, it remains a study in songwriting unity and lyrical depth.

Wednesday's new album, Bleeds.

Album review: Wednesday - Bleeds

Alex Cooper

Saturday, 20 September 2025

Wednesday's new album welds together melodic folk with titanic, explosive fits of sound. The album, released on Friday, September 19, keeps up the band's astonishing hot streak of great music.

Acopia album art for Blush Response

NEW

Album review: Acopia - Blush Response

Alex Cooper

Thursday, 18 September 2025

Tense, unresolved, cavernous - Acopia produces an album of vacant space, allowing the listener to fill in the gaps.

The Maccabees at All Points East Festival on August 24, 2025. The band play on an orange and blue background, depicting the cover of their 2011 album Given to the Wild.

"I'll see you when you're older" - Equilibrium restored as The Maccabees return to their city

Alex Cooper

Tuesday, 26 August 2025

The Maccabees scrubbed out their full stop this summer, playing their first shows in eight years. We report from their final show in London.

Cover Art Tour de France

CLASSIC

Album Review – Kraftwerk's Tour de France (2003)

Stelf

Tuesday, 19 August 2025

Known for their flurry of early '70s classics such as Autobahn and Computer World, Kraftwerk released the masterpiece that is Tour de France, some 17 years later.

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