Sleaford Mods by Nick Waplington
Regardless of the musical style, the refusal to dress things up is what makes Sleaford Mods so compelling.
The contrast between tonight’s headliners and their support is stark.
Although confined to a small section of the stage, Heartworms’ fusion of gothic rock, electroclash and grand …
Big Special by Isaac Watson
Big Special’s tour feels less like a traditional gig and more like a state of the nation address for bands in 2026.
The state of bands in 2026.
The Big Special-curated bill for their tour is impressive. On the back of their well-received second …
Mogwai headlining BBC Radio 6 Music Festival 2025 (Gary Mather)
For many years Mogwai have had a live reputation built on volume and scale, but what stands out more is control.
Given the noise maelstrom that’s about to occur, there is something quietly disarming about the way Mogwai take to …
Westside Cowboy by Charlie Barclay Harris
Despite Westside Cowboy’s relative inexperience, they are at ease throughout, all casually chatting to audience members between songs but not to the detriment of the set.
The most recent winners of Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent content, Manchester’s Westside Cowboy claim to offer a new genre …
Suede by Dean Chalkley
Suede have truly solidified their sound, and their great trick is their ability to often write the same song but make each iteration feel vital.
After a run of limited shows promoting their latest album Antidepressants in the autumn, Suede are currently on a full UK …
Justin Hawkins is immensely witty, both self-deprecating and gleefully barbed when skewering elements of the music industry.
For those unaware Justin Hawkins, lead singer and guitarist of The Darkness, has a side hustle as a YouTuber.
While it might be tempting to scoff at a former Reading Festival headliner …
Dust by Charlie Hardy
Dust keep things focused and intentional with enough variation to hold interest while remaining stylistically coherent.
On a cold, wet January night Australian band Dust take to the stage in the basement of The Exchange without much ceremony, but from the opening moments they are focused …
The Molotovs by Nick Benoy
The Molotovs’ street performing roots are evident in how confidently they handle an audience, feeding off crowd energy without hesitation.
So hot they’re steaming, Southend duo The Molotovs had a remarkable 2025 – recording their debut album, supporting the likes of Blondie and The Damned …
Pete Doherty with The Libertines live in Manchester (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
Playing to the crowd, Babyshambles walked on to The Wurzels’ Combine Harvester; as ever with Doherty in charge, the line between sincerity and surrealism is always blurred.
Peter Doherty has always been consistent and prolific; either through playing …
Gans by Benji Charles
GANS are not the only loud two-piece around, but they’re definitely the hardest and funkiest.
“Make a circle, you bastards!”
Not the typical rallying cry you’d expect on a Tuesday night in Hebden Bridge, but then nothing about GANS tonight at the Trades Club feels typical.…
Adult DVD by Lindsay Melbourne
As has been the trajectory of their year, Adult DVD take Rough Trade by storm with an intricate, euphoric blend of indie rock, electronica and acid-house shimmer.
The only real issue with Bristol’s Simple Things Festival is abundance.
There’s simply too much good music, too …
Daniel Avery by Keffer
Daniel Avery is a past master, and here he maintains a balance between control and abandon.
With the Simple Things festival officially underway, a dark, pulsing energy filled the Bristol Beacon on Friday night as Scaler and Daniel Avery brought two distinct visions of electronic intensity …
Richard Hawley by Dean Chalkley
The Ocean was Richard Hawley’s musical high point, as its lilting rhythm swelled into an extended passage of Hendrix-like guitar squalls, turning the album centrepiece into a mid-set showstopper.
When Coles Corner first appeared in 2005, Richard Hawley’s lush orchestral pop was often labelled …
The Beta Band by Neil Thomson
21 years after calling it quits, The Beta Band re-emerged not with bombast or sentimentality but with the same eclecticism that made them cult heroes.
In a year of blockbuster reunions (Oasis, The Maccabees etc), The Beta Band‘s return has flown curiously under …
Oasis at MetLife Stadium New Jersey
As Tommy Lee Jones might have said in Men In Black, sitting not too far away from MetLife Stadium here in New Jersey: 12 months ago, everybody knew Oasis hadn’t broken America.
Oasis …
Oasis at Principality Stadium by Big Brother Recordings
People did put their lives in the hands of that rock and roll band, and – after something of a pause – their faith in Oasis is being repaid.
There we were. Now here we are.
After the world stood still in …