Reliving somebody else’s youth is a funny experience. Inhabiting other people’s nostalgia can feel intrusive, strange yet moving. Watching people transport themselves back to their former selves through the music of their younger years is as healing as it is powerful. There are bands and artists that are meant to be discovered when you are... Continue Reading →
The Menzingers – Manchester 10/02/2024 Review
“I've been having a horrible time Pulling myself together” The Menzingers – Good Things I can’t recall how many times exactly I’ve seen The Menzingers over the years. At least five I think. They always seem to appear in town right when you need them the most. Some of the biggest moments and memories of... Continue Reading →
Jeff Rosenstock – Leeds 07/02/2024 Review
Following the trajectory of Jeff Rosenstock’s career over the past decade since the release of his landmark debut solo full-length record ‘We Cool?’ has been an absolute joy. Rosenstock’s show in Leeds this week felt like the perfect culmination of all of the years of steady hard work that has been put in over the... Continue Reading →
Jason Isbell – Union Chapel 29/01/2024 Review
To describe a gig in London’s finest venue, Islington’s Union Chapel, as serene and spiritual is cliché, I know. However, when Jason Isbell is bringing his collection of already classic country and americana songs to the alter, it really is hard not to feel at peace and deeply moved. Religious institutions are a place where... Continue Reading →
Live music, community and having a hard time pulling yourself together.
2022 was a difficult year. It was a challenging year. I’m sure it was for a lot of people. It was also an amazing year. A year filled with music and its innate ability to offer hope and community in moments when it is all too easy to feel like all hope has been lost.... Continue Reading →
Big Thief : Magic Dealers
Big Thief in 2019. Source: The New Yorker. “Please wake up.” Big Thief – Shoulders. There is an uncomfortable obsession deeply rooted within music fans with racing to discover artists that are unarguably ‘authentic’. Artists discovered before they find mainstream appeal are seen in fans eyes as indie trophies to be won, celebrated and put... Continue Reading →
Elvis Presley – The Comeback King?
I “I had to leave town for a little while...” Elvis Presley – ‘Wearin’ That Loved On Look’ By 1968, Elvis Aaron Presley had become a relic. An iconic figure who was famed for living life in perpetual motion had become nothing more than a silent statue, a symbol of a time and place that... Continue Reading →
We need music now more than ever.
At the best of times, music can capture our memories and emotions with devastating accuracy and precision. It can timestamp and become insatiably intertwined in our relationships, friendships and our happiest, most cherished memories. However, in times of great personal struggle, music can become something more. It becomes a safe refuge – a ‘shelter from... Continue Reading →
Taylor Swift – Gazing Into The Mirrorball
“I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight” ‘Mirrorball’ – Taylor Swift Taylor Swift is not your typical modern pop artist. Swift isn’t somebody that follows conventional paths or career arcs. As she says on ‘folklore’ highlight ‘my tears ricochet’, “I can go anywhere I want, just not home.” Swift is overdue a reevaluation... Continue Reading →
The Beautiful Brilliance Of boygenius.
Supergroups are generally underwhelming. Supergroups who label themselves as supergroups are almost always underwhelming. Some good examples of supergroups throughout history do exist, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Travelling Willburys and Run The Jewels. However, these are few and far between and we’re often left with disappointing bands like Hollywood Vampires, Prophets... Continue Reading →