As a Cornish native, I most closely associate my home county with farms, surfers, retired people, and bored kids causing trouble. Super-chilled and super-awesome reggae would never make the list – at least, not until now. Read more…
“I remember that I first hated you/But you needed money and I wanted to fuck you,” sounds like a line of dialogue from Neil Strauss’s infamous pickup artist memoir The Game, and introduces three minutes of what Complicated Men Of Leisure’s press release describes as “Depressing cockatil-time reggae.” Read more…
Some of the catchiest pieces of music ever written were conceived as advertising jingles. Whether it’s Go Compare’s opera singer or McDonalds’ I’m Lovin’ It campaign, we can all think of at least one jingle that we instantly regret remembering because (in the cases above) it either makes us want to kill ourselves, or was used to sell addictive products that could potentially kill you. Thank fuck, then, that Sonic Boom Six’s PledgeMusic campaign is being pushed out into the world via The Boom Needs You! – a song that I didn’t originally plan on reviewing, but which became so lodged in my brain that I felt compelled to write these words. Read more…
When The Boileroom is already buzzing by 8pm, you know it’s going to be an awesome night. Tree House Fire, Josh Bevan, and Bare Jams are increasingly heavy-hitting names, and expectations were high even before a single note was played. Read more…
Bands with their heads screwed on make TMMP’s world go round. I’ve met many people who think of reggae, ska, and dub as tired and behind the times – but fortunately albums like this form an ideal rebuttal. Funded via none-more-modern crowdfunders Pledge Music and filled with upbeat vibes, incredible tunes and inventive musicianship, Actions & Reactions serves as a pitch-perfect pick-me-up and a spot made of soundwaves where youthful energy meets mature themes culled from struggles punctuated with moments of relief. Read more…
Mondays are tough. We’re all intimately familiar with post-weekend fatigue, irritating co-workers, and red-faced bosses bearing down on us with endless lists of unreasonable demands. After all that crap, we just want to chill.
The Boileroom, for many ska and reggae fans, was the ideal place to do just that this past Monday night. Read more…
After several weeks of heart-op-enforced inactivity, I needed a good night out to celebrate my return to the real world. This gig provided everything I required within a few short hours. Read more…
Describing music as ‘soulful’ is so common these days that it seems to have lost all meaning. But sometimes, you just have to do it. And when considering By The Rivers’ eponymous debut album, this is definitely one of those times. Heavy yet weightless, By The Rivers‘ humanity drifts lightly into the ears, having been filtered through your speakers and distilled from the raw power of a fantastically talented creative collective. Read more…