Live Recap: Simple Things Festival 2025
With the holidays just around the corner, you’d think festival season was long over. But Bristol had one last gem to offer, and it didn’t disappoint my time or my wallet.. The Simple Things Festival started out as a multi-venue music event in Bristol’s city centre and has steadily grown into a sprawling celebration of […]
Album Review: Whitney, ‘Small Talk’
Whitney’s fourth album, Small Talk, marks a confident, self-produced leap forward for the Chicago duo. After years of collaborating with outside producers, Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek take full creative control, producing a sound that feels natural, spontaneous, and deeply aligned with their strengths. While it’s a compact project with just 11 tracks, its short-and-sweet […]
Recap: BC Camplight @ Electric Bristol
The first night of a tour can go either way—nervy and uneven or full of spark. BC Camplight’s show at Electric Bristol landed firmly in the latter. The Manchester-based songwriter (real name Brian Christinzio) launched his tour in support of A Sober Conversation—his best album yet and one of this year’s standouts—with a new band, […]
Album Review: Witch Fever, ‘FEVEREATEN’
Pressing play on FEVEREATEN feels like Witch Fever grabbing you by the collar and daring you to keep up. The Manchester four-piece have never been known for subtlety, but their second album raises the stakes— it’s louder, darker, and far more ambitious. If 2022’s Congregation was the sound of things kicking off, FEVEREATEN is the […]
Behind the Scenes: Nürnberg Pop Festival 2025, Germany
Few experiences capture a city’s vibe—or offer a boozier way to get a feel for a place—than a multi-venue music showcase. From SXSW to The Great Escape, these festivals let visitors explore local haunts, soak up the culture, and wander on foot. It was the best way to catch a city’s true rhythm. Nürnberg might […]
Album Review: Madi Diaz, ‘Fatal Optimist’
I still think back to Treefort Festival last year, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers as Madi Diaz cracked a joke about ruining everyone’s night with her sad tunes. Half the room laughed, the other half blinked away tears. A few of us managed both at once. It was the kind of set that leaves you rattled […]
Album Review: Long Fling, ‘Long Fling’
It’s no secret that CONE are big fans of Personal Trainer. Fronted by Willem Smit, the indie outfit shines live and on record, with his impassioned yet witty songwriting hitting both the head and the heart. So when word got out that he’d teamed up with fellow Dutch alt-favorite (and partner) Pip Blom under the […]
Live Recap: SPRINTS @ Rough Trade, Bristol
SPRINTS don’t do half measures. Even for a small in-store show—200 people crammed shoulder to shoulder, tickets snapped up long in advance—the Dublin four-piece treated the release of All That Is Over like a proper event. There were stripped-back acoustic versions or teaser sets. Instead, the band played their second album in full with real […]
Album Review: SPRINTS, ‘All That Is Over’
It’s time to dig out a cozy sweater, settle in with a hot drink, and cue some seriously moody music to soundtrack the shorter days ahead. Luckily, Dublin four-piece SPRINTS have just the record for it. All That Is Over is tailor-made for foggy mornings and late-night window-staring. It’s a brooding collection that drenches their […]
Live Recap: The Beths @ O2 Academy, Bristol
Two Kiwi bands on one Bristol stage? Hard to argue with that. On their first return to the O2 Academy since supporting Death Cab For Cutie in early 2019, The Beths found a room not just ready but devoted. Loyal fans turned up in numbers—many in well-worn tour tees—proving that the band’s reputation has quietly […]