Reviews from Friday 11 July 2025

Calva Louise – ‘Edge Of The Abyss’

Calva Louise are everything. That’s not intended to be a Swiftie “OMG they’re everything to me” statement: the three of them encompass so much in both their sound and their ambition. The multi instrumental Venezuelan-Kiwi trio, who met in London, are continuing their mission to make unrelenting genre-fusing metal

Sunday 06 July 2025

LIVE: Download Festival 2025 – Sunday

Victory fills the air as day three of Download dawns: we made it! We lived, laughed and slammed our way through the greatest weekend of the year, and the best part? There’s still another day to go.  Words: Kate Allvey  //  Photos: Penny Bennett // Korn Photo: Andrew Whitton

Friday 04 July 2025

Gaupa – ‘FYR’

Time. You’re thinking about time. Thinking about it running down, thinking about out it running out. Memento Mori; Remember you will die. It starts so simply. Feedback squeals through the speakers, then the ticking sound of drumsticks. It’s a constant, a stressful reminder, time is slipping

LIVE: Download Festival 2025 – Saturday

Overnight rain hasn’t dampened our spirits or soothed our sunburn as we rise for day two of Download. We’ve got a packed schedule ahead of us, with sound clashes across the stages ensuring that whatever flavour of heavy you’re into, your favourite sound will be heard at maximum volume.

Tuesday 01 July 2025

LIVE: Download Festival 2025 – Friday

Twenty two summers in, and Download shows no sign of ever slowing down. With a lineup to thrill everyone from hardcore slammers through to pop punk kids, the biggest weekend of the year channels the spirit of independence from the get go. By the time Friday closes, we’ll have

Wednesday 25 June 2025

Royale Lynn – ‘BLACK MAGIC’

Royale Lynn is a solo artist and the thing about art, real art, is that only the artist knows what they are aiming for, and what they want. The audience doesn’t know what to expect. Music is art, but it’s not pure art. A musician has to

Hot Milk – ‘Corporation Pop’

“Listen mate, it’s a social commentary, calm down…but it’s kinda true,” reassures vocalist Han Mee halfway through ‘Insubordinate Ingerland’, the second track on Hot Milk’s latest studio album. Her line is the perfect summary for where ‘Corporation Pop’ is coming from. We all know that “Hot Milk is an

Tuesday 24 June 2025

LIVE: Teen Mortgage, Gallus, Knives @ The Garage, London

Teen Mortgage have had a busy eight years. Since their inception in 2017, their music has been used by Vans, they have toured with Weezer twice, and they have drip fed the world a series of frenetic garage punk songs that culminated in April’s debut album release, ‘Devil

Monday 23 June 2025

LIVE: Outbreak Fest @ Victoria Park, London

The sun is relentless, a boot holding a sea of dad caps underfoot. The promise of a storm hangs low in the air. Thankfully the line up at Outbreak Fest in London, organised as part of the Lido Festival at Victoria Park, is stacked enough to make a

Friday 20 June 2025

Malevolence – ‘Where Only The Truth Is Spoken’

Born in Sheffield in 2010, Malevolence began as a group of childhood friends (Josh Baines and Konan Hall on guitars, Alex Taylor on vocals, Wilkie Robinson on bass, and Charlie Thorpe on drums), cutting their teeth on the UK hardcore circuit with feral energy and DIY grit.

Thursday 12 June 2025

The Young Hearts – ‘THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE REST OF US’

Age, like many things, creeps up on you. According to Spotify, The Young Hearts’ first release is a decade old. Slowly, they’ve grown into their band name, quietly doing their thing until they realised one thing, they were “never going to make it.” As the sadness of

Wednesday 11 June 2025

LIVE: Himalayas @ The Garage, London

The Garage always feels like a bit of a hidden gem; big enough to feel like a proper gig, small enough to feel like you’re in on something. It suits Himalayas perfectly. By the time they hit the stage just after 9:15, the place has filled out

Monday 09 June 2025

LIVE: Slam Dunk South 2025

Slam Dunk South; traditional kick off to the UK festival season, it delivers the elusive festival highs and global lineup that sets the bar for the rest of the summer. A political undercurrent cuts through the day, like the rain clouds which threatened and never burst into controversy, but

Tuesday 03 June 2025

LIVE: City and Colour @ The Royal Albert Hall, London

As London venues go, the Royal Albert Hall must be one of the most iconic. The striking red brick, terracotta façade and domed roof have hosted a multitude of performances for over 150 years. The inside of the auditorium is no less impressive than the exterior of the building,

Friday 30 May 2025

Illuminati Hotties – ‘Nickel On The Fountain Floor’

‘Nickel On The Fountain Floor’ is the latest release from LA band Illuminati Hotties, whose last release, ‘Power’ was named by Rolling Stone as one of the top 100 albums of last year. Illuminati Hotties is the passion project of producer Sarah Tudzin, who describes her approach as

Anger Party – ‘OPEN UP MY BRAIN’

Anger is important. It’s powerful. Like any emotion you have to be careful how and when you deploy it. In ‘The Avengers’, the Incredible Hulk has a secret; he’s always angry. That’s what he’s hiding. He’s only powerful when he allows himself to open up. Anger Party

Friday 23 May 2025

Year Of No Light – ‘Les Maîtres Fous’

‘Les Maîtres Fous’ does not fit into the mould of an album. It is a sonic experience, written by French post-metal outfit Year Of No Light in 2012 to accompany an exhibition of the 1955 ethnographic documentary ‘Les Maîtres Fous’ by French anthropologist and filmmaker Jean Rouch. It

Monday 19 May 2025

There’s A Whole World Out There – Arm’s Length

Arm’s Length have quietly become one of the most exciting names in the emo revival, building a loyal following with their blend of heartfelt lyricism, soaring guitar work, and raw vulnerability. Since the release of their debut LP ‘Never Before Seen, Never Again Found’, in 2021, the Ontario-based trio

Wednesday 14 May 2025

LIVE: Chuck Ragan @ The Garage, London

A lot’s happened for Chuck Ragan since he was last in the UK at the start of 2024. ‘Love and Lore’, his fifth solo album and first in a decade dropped late last year, proving that he still wrestles with the dilemmas caused by the siren song of tour

Tuesday 13 May 2025

LIVE: Hundred Reasons @ The Royal Albert Hall, London

If you’re going to retire as a band after two and a half decades, you may as well do it in style. When Hundred Reasons announced a Royal Albert Hall spectacular last summer, we had no idea that it would be their last- that news would come eight weeks

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