When an album brings to mind Boy Hits Car (one of my favourite bands of all time) and Spotlight Cannibal (one of my favourite bands of right now), it’s a winner in my eyes. On this, their eponymous debut album, Yeti Love are winning at music, and doing it in style. Read more…
A week after The Boileroom first announced its status as a newly threatened independent live music venue, it’s great to see the team there aren’t letting the stress and pressure get in the way of still more amazing shows. Tonight ran as smoothly as ever, and any raw and agitated nerves were most likely soothed (if temporarily) by the following acts: Read more…
Sweet, lilting atmospheres and nuanced, intimate vocals. A fantastic understanding of dynamics, understated instrumentalism, well-crafted lyrics and massive repeatability. The support of a great producer who knows exactly how to bring out the best in a worthy artist, and elicit just the right shades of emotion in the end product’s listeners. Read more…
I need to work on my time management. Arriving all too tardy for this show, I missed most of Jonas & Jane’s set. However, I did catch their encore, a pretty and well-performed country-tinged tune. Check out their Soundcloud page for some very sweet tracks that I regret missing out on. Read more…
Guildfordian promoters Genrebomb have a serious eye for talent. Those of you who missed last Tuesday’s show at the Boileroom need to catch up, and quick, because each of that night’s three acts are set for bright futures. Main support Following Foxes already have their eyes set on stadium stages, while Martha Paton is going to prove a dream come true for some lucky publishing house. And judging from her professional and well poised live set – not to mention this EP – Hannah Dorman is going to be right up there alongside them. Read more…
I’ve said this many times before, I’ll tell anyone who’ll listen, and I’ll say it again: The Boileroom is my favourite independent live music venue. The same statements apply to this sentence too: Genrebomb know how to put on a show. Read more…
As regular readers will know, Jamie Lenman is a big deal where I’m from. My Facebook feed literally blew up with the release of the double-A-side Fizzy Blood/Pretty Please, news of his secret set at The Boileroom in Guildford, and the dates for his Heavy / Mellow Band’s recently completed tour. On top of all that, of course, there is this album. Not just a standard-length LP, but a 70-minute double album that takes in so many styles that I felt compelled to delay this review and let it all sink in and mature for a while. Now, however, it’s ready to go. Read more…
Fiction
Beneath the blanket, the grass was soft and inviting. As they lay together, the city spread out beneath them, a silence enveloped the world. No rumble of distant traffic, no sirens, no dogs howling at the rising moon. Summer was fading, and with it many long months of excited planning and fantasising. The time they had been waiting for was finally here, and they could scarcely believe it. Read more…
