Everything sounds the same. At least that’s what people unfamiliar with the far ends of alternative rock might say should they pass Fernhill Farm this weekend and only briefly listen in. But for two amazing years already ArcTanGent has proven the exact opposite. Under a (weather appropriate this year) umbrella of noise, math and post-rock the festival has presented a […]
Read moreThere’s just no clue in that name. It’s so damn unassuming. And the boys in the band look like they’d rather have a friendly chat about the Kinsella family back catalogue than ever really raise their voice. Ok, perhaps it should’ve been a clue when bassist Ryan McKenna asked for “more bass, everywhere” during his sound check but it just […]
Read moreListener’s ‘talk music’ has been described as aural marmite. You either love it or you hate it. Well, adoration overflows in Basingstoke tonight. This gig is sold out, and the crowd eat it up. As enigmatic punk poet Dan Smith takes to the stage, accompanied by his massively bearded, multi-instrumentalist main hombre Christin Nelson and now a drummer, a hush […]
Read moreThey might as well have called this The Next Big Thing Tour. You can feel the heat coming off this thing from as far away as the M40. The bands aren’t cool kids, hipster bait, or even dudes taking a single scene by storm though, just the best new British rock bands, destined for the big time. There isn’t one […]
Read moreThis is what all gigs should be like. Except… maybe not. Maybe if you had to trek to Peckham, find a tiny alleyway into an old cricket bat factory, get past two security checkpoints, and go up three flights of stairs (not four, that’s the community theatre) every time you went to a show, it would start feel like a […]
Read moreThis seems like a complete tour. The sort of package they don’t put together anymore. Four bands, a common sound, all rare visitors to the UK, it should be great. But tonight is far from perfect. Canadian quintet Structures have some truly classy elements to their sound, a genuine progressive edge, but they opt for all out war tonight. Whatever […]
Read moreThis is a big day. That’s clear before the Forum doors even open tonight. There are people in the queue from as far afield as Portugal, Poland, and… er, Putney, and they’re swapping stories about a band that changed their lives. Over the past decade see, Thrice have gone from skate-punk upstarts to a leading light in their scene, scratch […]
Read moreTonight is real. This gig is legit. These bands mean it. From the first sandpaper scream to the last rattling cry, this is raw, honest, emotional stuff, and it’s outstanding. The sombre mood and dark music might make it permanently serious inside the Face Bar this evening, dour even, but slick hair, clean riffs and clever puns can wait, this […]
Read moreMost of Hundredth’s songs are about hope, pushing forward, and moving on. The few that aren’t tend to deal with escaping small towns and the people, practises and attitudes within them. It might seem more like punishment than reward then, to play a show on a gloomy Thursday in Reading. But if the South Carolina outfit feel any twinge of […]
Read moreEvery Time I Die are a runaway train. They’re a firestorm, a powerhouse, a prize fighter delivering knockout blow after knockout blow. Brighton has seen all sorts of course but only rarely a crackling, commanding, confident show like this. This is the sound of a band satisfying their fans, certifying their authority and silencing their critics. Because it hasn’t always […]
Read more