Hool-A-Palooza 2014 [Festival Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 25/5/14]
Hool-a-Palooza is a punk festival crammed with bands whose speciality is keeping things short and to the point. So, in that spirit, we’ll do the same here. Read more…
Nina Schofield – ‘Colours EP’ [Review]
As we noted after seeing her live set, Guildfordian songstress Nina Schofield is a star in the making.
This four song set serves only to confirm that statement. Read more…
Princess Slayer / Nina Schofield / Ross Leppard / Jonas and Jane [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 12/5/14]
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…
Princess Slayer / ERIKA / Natalie Ross / Stella [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 8/5/14]
When I first saw that poster, my first thought was that this show would turn out to be a serious sausage party, full of hot-under-the-collar guys who’d assumed that an evening spent being entertained by women would entail something very different. I was relieved to arrive at the Boileroom and find that I was wrong; like the performers, last night’s crowd was stylish, socially competent, and clearly excited to be in the presence of the following: Read more…
Hannah Dorman – ‘Do You Wanna Play?’ [Review]
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…
Following Foxes – ‘Almost Lost It’ [Review]
Tunes like this make me proud to live in Guildford. Read more…
Hannah Dorman / Following Foxes / Martha Paton [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 29/4/14]
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…
Atiptoe – ‘Pages Apart’ [Review]
Throughout ‘Pages Apart’, South-East alt-rockers Atiptoe blend Biffy Clyro’s off-kilter riffs with clean and pristine guitar-pop commercialism, resulting in four tracks sure to satisfy musos and casual listeners alike. Everything you need is here: Precociously tight playing (‘Congratulations Professor’); badass guitar intros (‘No Dogs (Dogs Kill Penguins)’); frenetic five-Jägerbombs-in-ten-minutes energy (‘Rud’s Yard’) and catchy lyrics layered over mathy complexity (‘My Flexible Friend’).
Bare Jams – ‘Beautys EP’ [Review]
In the depths of a freezing winter, even the smallest fragment of sunshine can be refreshing. With their new EP ‘Beautys’, Guildford-based acoustic duo Bare Jams offer a full day’s worth of shining light and upbeat vibes – and all listening ears are better off for it. Opening track ‘Good Times Roll’ is a fat slab of nicely orchestrated and funky acoustic pop that shifts gears into reggae for some satisfying variation; ‘Carry On’ is a backbeat-heavy tune made to make heads bob and necks relax; ‘Chase The Sun’ positions Bare Jams in direct opposition to the face-to-screen iPhone obsessed lifestyle so ubiquitous in modern British culture; and closer ‘Going Up’ features earthy acoustics and lyrics offering a level-headed take on youthfulness and the inexorable forces of aging. Read more…
Princess Slayer / Jamie Lenman / Natalie Ross / CeCe [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 31/1/14]
The last couple of months have been a little quiet on the live review front – but this show marked the ideal moment to get back into the swing of things. As the Boileroom’s contribution to Independent Venue Week, it was guaranteed to be a stunner before the doors even opened; and it really goes without saying that the night was incredible, from start to finish. Read more…