Emily Magpie @ Weston Stage, Bristol
With World Cup fever in the air, alongside the usual Friday night hype and summer madness, it’s with some reprieve that I headed down to the cellars below Bristol Beacon. Extensively revamped as part of the Beacon’s £132 million transformation, what were once damp, neglected subterranean spaces have been cleaned, waterproofed, and reimagined as The […]
First Impressions: La Sécurité, ‘Bingo!’ Album Review
Indie sleaze is back — not that we ever called it that at the time, mind. Every 20 years or so, the trend cycle turns. The ’80s gave us new wave. The 2000s revived it through CSS, LCD Soundsystem, and their ilk. Now, right on cue, La Sécurité have arrived to carry the torch with […]
The New Legacies: How ’90s Alternative Rock Became Gen Z’s Defining Sound
Here’s a scene. Olivia Rodrigo—22 years old, three Grammys deep, and a stadium-touring sensation—stands backstage at one of her sold-out shows. In front of her is the teenage daughter of Melissa Auf der Maur, the bassist who played on Hole’s Celebrity Skin. Rodrigo, with all the unselfconscious sincerity only real fans possess, looks at the […]
Album Review: Pigeon, ‘OUTTANATIONAL’
Pigeon have recorded their debut album OUTTANATIONAL in Margate of all places — the once-dying seaside town that has become, in recent years, a retreat for artists like Tracey Emin and The Libertines. The choice of location means something here. Like Margate, OUTTANATIONAL announces itself as something genuinely hard to pin down. Across 10 tracks, […]
Book of Churches @ The Cube Microplex, Bristol
It’s a warm Wednesday evening, and the air carries the kind of laid-back energy that makes a midweek show feel like a quiet reward. The Cube Microplex is one of Bristol’s original spots and a true hidden gem. It’s a volunteer-run, non-profit arts space tucked into Kingsdown’s Princess Row, in a building that dates back […]
Pearl Charles @ The Louisiana, Bristol
Thursday evening at The Louisiana—”The Louis” to anyone familiar with Bristol’s music scene—is a stomping ground for local bands and future legends, caught on the way up before the world catches on. Tonight it’s hosting a visiting shot of funky, honky-tonk LA glamour. The sun still stubbornly shines outside, making the idea of sealing yourself […]
Album Review: Pope, ‘BFM’
It’s been eight years since we last had a full-length dispatch from New Orleans’ indie-rock trio Pope, and frankly, their timing couldn’t be better. Their new record, BFM (Big F*cking Music), lands in the sweet spot of the ’90s rock revival currently being spearheaded by Gen Z. We’re seeing this DNA everywhere—from the chart-topping pop-rock […]
Album Review: White Denim, ‘13’
In numerology, 13 can signify independence, creativity, and solid foundations. Or, on the flip side, it can signal chaos and misfortune. James Petralli, White Denim’s frontman and principal songwriter—born August 13—sees both sides clearly. And so does 13, the band’s thirteenth album. It holds those contradictions comfortably in one hand while the other reaches for […]
Album Review: Knumears, ‘Directions’
At 26 minutes, Knumears’ debut Directions leans closer to an EP than a traditional full-length album. On paper, it might seem slight, but in reality, it feels anything but. Across 10 tracks, the band stretches that limited runtime into a full, disorienting journey — one shaped by stark contrast, deliberate pacing, and a keen sense […]
Album Review: The Twilight Sad, ‘It’s The Long Goodbye’
Mother’s Day is probably not the ideal moment to sit with The Twilight Sad’s new record, an album that ruminates so deeply on parental loss. But here we are. The Scottish outfit’s sixth album IT’S THE LONG GOODBYE took shape over seven years in the shadow of singer and lyricist James Graham’s mother being diagnosed […]