This was an evening fans had been anticipating for a few years – the return of Montreal psychedelia-leaning band Elephant Stone to UK shores. This, their only show here, took place at characterful music venue The Shacklewell Arms, meaning fans country wide had no option but to travel to the London venue, a fact that…
Read More
When you’re on the way to Bluedot, that first glimpse of the Lovell telescope is always a ‘wow’, moment. There it stands, on the Cheshire plain, communing with the planets and deep space. Our conduit to the stars and beyond. No wonder that Bluedot, the festival that has grown up around this beautiful structure has…
Read More
Well it’s all change for Bearded Theory festival this year. The three amigos who brought it to life have finally hung up their beards and sold on the favourite Midlands fest. And this is its first proper year under the new banner of DHP Family. No doubt the new team know they have a very…
Read More
The Finsbury pub and music venue has been quietly getting on with hosting music practically every night for many years and it’s surprising how many local(ish) people just don’t know about its existence. I became a convert after The Bedroom Hour played there and that was back in 2014. Apart from the music there’s a…
Read More
It’s been ages since I went to The Shacklewell Arms for a gig, and it was a reminder not to overlook this venue: welcoming vibe, good space for bands and amazing Lebanese Street Food cooked to order by Jellyfish Organic (soon to move to Hackney Wick). Both the bands playing tonight, support Looking Glass Alice followed…
Read More
Bluedot festival announce a special late-night programme culminating on Sunday when Max Cooper and MESH are to premiere a unique A/V soundscape, with accompanying bespoke projections on the 50-metre Lovell telescope. Groove Armada were just one of the headliners last year using the telescope to beam awe-inspiring projections over the site (photo above). Here’s the plan,…
Read More
This is an enigmatic work from the Cornish synth master, from HOLD. STAR. RETURN, his up and coming album. White Tea from a Vending Machine is the second single; it opens with a woozy gentleness that envelops you and sinks you into a comforting space with its simple retro-synth sound and layered soft vocals. White…
Read More
Liverpool-based avant-garde artist Sara Wolff caught our attention in 2021 on the release of her debut single Bad Thoughts Compilation, reviewed here. Sara has been busy since then, producing other artists, session musician, embarking upon a solo tour of unconventional spaces whilst armed with her trusty 4‑track cassette machine and the morphing visuals of multidisciplinary…
Read More
Looking over our choices for albums of the year, several feature dreams, fractured memories in an ambient setting… artists searching for clues from the past to help them make sense of the present. Perhaps it’s a post Covid thing, as we escaped our confines and moved warily, or rushed gladly, out into open spaces again,…
Read More
Hebden Bridge is known for its creative and independent spirit, and music is a vibrant and important part of that. There’s the annual Folk Roots Festival; thriving grassroots venue The Trades Club, and any number of pubs across the area that host live music. More recently the town has become known for producing a wave…
Read More