When reviewing There’s Always Time’s EP ‘Breathe’ in 2024, I described the sound as dark, moody, Bauhaus-esque in tone and stalking like a cold shadow carrying a jagged-edged knife with vocals that reach Polystyrene-levels of pitch and passion. All of those components remain thoroughly present on debut album YOU SUCK !!!. Only now Continue reading
music review
The Book of My Silent Wake: a chronicle of the final live ritual; plus MMV – MMXXV reviewed
- The Beautiful South
- In the Beginning (2004):
- ‘The Festival of Ostentatious Raffle Calls’
- My Misplaced Concern for Plymouth’s Piss-Poor Pubs
- Gig Day
- The Gig
- The Cold Bleak Light of the Following Day
- The Review
The Beautiful South
Friday 29th August I set off to see the last ever live performance of UK doom legends My Silent Wake. It was taking place the following day at the One For Sorrow festival @ the Junction, Plymouth.
Scarebears’ ‘Scapegoat’: the scorching debut single reviewed
Scarebears debut single ‘Scapegoat’ opens with stern spoken word that acts as launch pad for an audio OOF! factor ten take-off, each note from there unleashing like a tightly coiled spring so embroiled are they in the energy and conviction of the lyrical message; one that takes serious issue with the idea of the far right actually having Continue reading
Rites of Hadda / Hermeticus live @ Café Kino, Bristol: plus Inevitable Machete album review
I first caught Rites of Hadda at the Easton Punk Festival, 2024.
During the set singer Wasperella jumped into the crowd to embrace members of the audience; in the process, I was lucky enough to be recipient of a juicy Continue reading
vengacats: bosscat – an electro punk cat’s whiskers
vengacats’ bosscat makes for compelling listening across its six tracks.
Always punk, the album can be Strawberry Switchblade poppy to having a dark sinister, yet playful, edge similar to that of the legendary Continue reading
BELZEBONG: The End Is High EP Incoming
The 20th February, 2026, will see the release of BELZEBONG’s The End Is High EP; in the meantime track ‘420 Horseman’ is available for a listen and to download for pre-orders. Continue reading
Igarka’s Dopamine Ocean is a debut E.P. drenched in excellence
‘Hider’ entices the listener along a path leading towards an enchanted forest; the opening vocals and guitar the deep green vines that intertwine all across the way. The trees can be seen, but are behind a translucent veil that hangs like white candy floss and sparks here and there with specks of gold. When the veil is reached and passed through Continue reading
Bozos E.P. Frozen Death; high-octane rock n roll at its scorching best!
Bozos are a booze-fuelled rocket of behemoth rock n roll; an unstoppable juggernaut of brain-shaking sonic bliss. It doesn’t matter if you want to bang your head, bounce in the mosh pit, punch a fist or boogie on down, Bozos have got you covered every second of six track E.P. Frozen Death (the band’s third E.P., not debut as this post initially said in the title – sorry!).
Title track ‘Frozen Death’ opens with a Gotham City vibe before breaking into a sound dirtier than Jimmy Carr’s sense of humour and sexier than his mum the night she conceived him. Continue reading
¡Tomar Control! live in Bristol 2025
Monday 30th June; ¡Tomar Control! (Perú); The Exchange, Bristol:
The night opened when Jed and the Microwave travelled from the future to manifest on stage Terminator-esque, the main difference being a mission to save rock ‘n’ roll over going on single-minded murder sprees; though don’t be fooled into thinking Jed is some poor relation of the T-800 given Continue reading
Collapsed Vein: Pain Communion – an album delving deep into the futility of death
Collapsed Vein’s Pain Communion opens with layers of slow methodical soul crushing dives, the sound—rich and full— immediately immerses the listener in the world that Kevin George has sought to sonically create and more so has achieved with driving clarity; something I can write with assuredly thanks to Continue reading