Winners. Losers. Mondays? Former. Roses? Yeah, at least for a bit. James? Escaped it largely unscathed but had been around for years and just got swept up. The La’s? Never, really. The Charlatans? Obviously.…Take 5 showed that Northside could punch harder than many of their contemporaries.
Over the course of their careers, most bands with true longevity will privately admit to having a favourite album. Sometimes it’s straightforward, sometimes it’s like choosing their favourite relative, and sometimes their fans…In came Manic Street Preachers’ means of temporarily saying goodbye to rock’s ageing constructs.
Well, this was quite the double-header. An artist of Johnny Marr’s stature would be enticing enough,…While it’s true Johnny Marr’s older material gets a better reaction, there is much to appreciate in his solo canon.
Tim Booth has never been one to shy away from The Big Themes. Since James‘ reformation, he and his bandmates have taken Donald Trump, populism and the devastating effects of climate change to task, most specifically…James stare the issues of 2024 directly in the face.
When you think about it, isn’t pretty much everything about place? Whether it’s the place you’re physically in, or the one your head is at? Dislocation between these states causes many…English Teacher are here on merit, at a career junction with branches leading off into everywhere.
Sometimes it just makes sense to do things on your own. Jane Weaver’s early experiences with the music industry whilst the century was still young would’ve tempted many to consider self-reliance, a series…Jane Weaver’s circumstances have dictated a typically idiosyncratic left turn for her new album.
This is an unexpected treat. Brighton four-piece The Stanford Family Band unveil their debut EP For Your Listening Pleasure just in time for the changing of the season. Sounding unlike anything else in alternative music right now,…The Stanford Family Band’s music is steeped in the 1960s.
The last time Live4ever came across Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard was on a sunny Sunday afternoon in 2022, playing North Yorkshire’s Deer Shed festival. With lead signer Tom Rees melting in the heat, all seemed…The Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard album’s alpha and omega moments are suitably at odds.
About time too. For too long now, The Libertines have been behaving like a nostalgia band. Part of that is understandable given their impact back in the early part of the century, but given…The Libertines’ fourth album is more of a band effort than ever before.
Live, Laugh, Love is the kind of phrase you see framed on posters, usually right next to something like ‘Nobody Leaves Here Sober’ or ‘Keep Calm and Let Karma Finish It’.…This is Chastity Belt’s own sense of humour writ large, a sisterhood in all but name.
Even within the broad church of alternative rock, Elbow are a curious, difficult to define band. They are not a singles band although they have a handful of modern classics to…Audio Vertigo is another good, rather than great Elbow album. It seems churlish to bemoan that.
After a two year-hiatus, the Brits And Pieces compilation series returns. Inspired by the classic compilation albums of the 1990s, Marc Rossiter (@BritsPieces) took on the challenge of matching the impact of…While the first three Brits And Pieces volumes were very much band-oriented, Volume IV includes several solo artists.
Those who criticise the Liam Gallagher And John Squire project don’t appear to have been paying attention. Some questionable lyrics aside, the album is a solid blues/rock/pop effort…After the mega-shows, it’s refreshing to see Liam Gallagher take things down to basics.
The world of country music must be a pretty confusing one to live in at times. Arguably in more robust popular health than ever, 2023 found it vacillating between serving as a proxy for the kind of views found in watchers of…Undoubtedly Waxahatchee’s most accomplished and confident album yet.
Has there been a reformation of a much-loved 90’s band which has gone so well as Ride’s second act? With the exception of Blur, no-one else from their generation (or even the one after)…While there is plenty of Ride’s signature sound, it’s complimented and enhanced with new textures.
Much has been made of Yard Act’s new direction, with the four-piece freely admitting that post-punk was a useful (and cost-effective) vehicle for their early work. A form that was easily…The Yard Act experience is brighter, brasher and louder.