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…
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…
Although a review is supposed to be all about the music, sometimes a band wins you over before you’ve even heard a note. Read more…
Time for some scuzzy, nasty rock! Warner Drive are straight-ahead, no-nonsense rockers with little time for extra frills – but sometimes you just need something that tempts your heart and body away from the constant controlling of the rational mind. 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…
According to Flash Bang Band’s press release, Brighton loves them. Well, Brighton clearly has great taste – because these guys are goddamn superb! Flash Bang Band clearly get a kick out of the quirky and unorthodox, pushing their work into the world with tongues firmly in cheeks and hearts worn on sleeves. Read more…
From the opening building blocks of Single Use to the gritty, harsh tones of Emotion In The Way, Burden Calls is a brilliant mix of the familiar and original. Yes, it’s punk – but there are plenty of imaginative touches that set ASTPAI apart from the rest. Whether it be a dose of mathy complexity, a moment of melancholy vibes, or a surge of cliff-jumping explosiveness, ASTPAI aren’t afraid to push the boat out beyond the traditional, often militantly enforced boundaries that separate classic punk from contemporary rock. Read more…
Chronographs are one of my favourite bands of right now. Their current project – writing, recording, and releasing a song a month for a year – is, in my opinion, more relevant to modern life than the more traditional album release cycles still employed throughout the record business. Each time Chronographs release a track it describes precisely how they feel right now – or have felt very recently. 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…