Some bands have it all. Flawless production, epic songwriting, whip-cracking performances, a wickedly slick video, and a cheeky Back To The Future reference for a title. If you don’t think that’s enough, there’s something wrong with you. Read more…
In an age of imagination-free and creatively void copycats, bands like Heel stand head and shoulders above the rest. Read more…
Although current events are calling much attention to The Boileroom’s soundproofing, personally I’m starting to think they should allow at least a little noise to escape. Sitting in the beer garden running through emails, I almost forgot there was a gig on and could easily have missed: Read more…
As firm TMMP favourites, Following Foxes can do no wrong. After just one gig and a single song, Following Foxes inspired me so deeply that they instantly earnt a place on TMMP’s A&R Watch List. Mother Brother, Following Foxes’ second single, lives up to expectations effortlessly. Read more…
This is incredible. Very, very few tunes stun me rigid from beat one – but when the rhythms are as tasteful and complex as they are on this track, I’m powerless to resist. Read more…
Songs like this make me proud to be British. Musically, our underground alt-rock scene is thriving right now, packed full of frequently mathy and always epic tunes – and Atiptoe are doing more than their fair share with tracks like Sir Real. Read more…
Making the jump from the practice room to the stage can be a worrying proposition, more of a leap of faith than anything else. Onstage, you’re not only relying on your own skills, or even those of your bandmates; you’re also putting the success of your show in the metaphorical hands of the venue and its equipment.
Last night, technical issues came close to ruining it for everyone – but the following bands still got the job done, and deserve your time and respect simply for getting through this show with their sanity intact: Read more…
Here’s how to spot a professional band:
1) They throw themselves into their performance from note one, needing next to no time to get into it.
2) They make you want to move the moment they start playing. Your body tells you that you’re in the presence of greatness before your brain does.
3) Their playing is airtight, every instrument blending together flawlessly – and what’s more, it all looks effortless.
4) Their songs are performed with such passion and intensity that you cannot look away.
5) They actively communicate with each other onstage. Nobody is shut away in their own little bubble.
6) The band in question put in the effort regardless of audience size, venue, or time of day.
Even if I’d never heard of RedTower, Natassja Saliba, Rob Chapman, Rabea Massaad, Ben Minal, or Dave Hollingworth (the latter of whom were taking a break from recording Dorje’s debut album to session here), I’d have been in no doubt as to their calibre from the moment this low-key late afternoon showcase started. Read more…
UKIP. The BNP (and Nazi-aping BNP Youth). Xenophobia. Racism. Sexism. Homophobia. Hatred, apathy, and immersion in a parallel hyperreality that connects us digitally while disconnecting us physically from each other and the natural world.
Boy Hits Car stand in plain-spoken opposition to all of the above. Read more…
