Wandering around the Underage Festival in 2009, I came across many bands that have since faded from memory. My search for the ‘next big thing’ seemed hopeless; that is, until I saw Flashguns. Their urgency as a live act left…
New Bands Panel | Oh Stockholm!
Birmingham’s Michael Hutchinson and his mate Anna Bennet have moved from electro-pop to sad solos to something a little folky. With two EPs available online and gigs aplenty – the panel stepped up to check ’em out… Nicholas Franks: The…
Album | St Vincent – Strange Mercy
Deviating from the ‘a picture of my head’ model that has dominated St Vincent’s cover art until now, Strange Mercy presents us with a crooked, milky mouth of death that’s a much more appropriate indicator of the experience ahead. Replete…
Interview | Richmond Fontaine’s Willy Vlautin
Vlautin, left, performs with Richmond Fontaine in Leeds “I’m not a huge fan of concept records,” says Willy Vlautin, the frontman and songwriter of Richmond Fontaine, who have just released, well, a concept album. The High Country is described as…
Album | Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
Great news for Ryan Adams fans who have grown tired of his attempts to become a) a rapper b) a metal-head or, more recently, c) invisible. The news is Ryan is back, acoustic guitar in hand and singing actual songs…
Album | Darren Hayman – The Ship’s Piano
“On March the twenty-third, she said something so absurd, she said: you love to be in love but you never really love.” So Darren Hayman sang as lead singer of Hefner a little over ten years ago on their seminal…