Tag: richard bowes

With a minimum of thirteen musicians onstage at any given moment, the Gorillaz set in Cardiff is a warming aural onslaught.

Never believe it when someone tells you that you can’t have it both ways.

Just look at Damon Albarn; in a couple of months Gorillaz will perform at Tottenham …

‘The Entertainment’ showcases The Clockworks as a band no longer content with surface-level observations, instead interrogating both themselves and the world around them.

Having plied their trade for several years before the release of their debut album in 2023, The Clockworks’ second album The Entertainment marks a shift for …

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 …

The new Gorillaz album is Damon Albarn’s most detailed and high concept to-date.

As we know by now, 25 years in, Gorillaz albums are usually defined by a theme, be that a dystopian concept, pop immediacy or the unmistakable melancholy of Damon Albarn.

The Mountain attempts to hold all three …

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 …

Although Mandy Indiana’s new record draws heavily from personal experience, it consistently looks outward.

English/French quartet Mandy Indiana’s second album URGH was informed by a period of both physical and emotional strain.

While the band were working on the record drummer Alex Macdougall underwent surgery for a hernia and …

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 …

Rewarding repeat listens, The Demise Of Planet X is bristling with detail and finds Sleaford Mods at their most evocative.

And they thought things were bad when they started out.

Who better to soundtrack the seemingly inevitable erosion of the UK’s spirit than Sleaford Mods?

The Demise Of Planet …

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 …

Sleaford Mods by Nick Waplington

Ready start to the new year with the release of a new album, Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson takes Live4ever into the background and inspirations behind ‘The Demise Of Planet X’.

There’s no doubt about it, 2025 has been yet another tough year, socially and politically.…

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 …

Dan Jennings talks Live4ever through the exhaustive background of his new authorised oral history of Paul Weller.

Thankfully it’s been half a decade since the UK was in the midst of the second of three lockdowns because of the COVID pandemic.

And while you undoubtedly and understandably try and block …