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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

