The latest issue of the Full Pelt Magazine is here, and you can download your copy for free below!
Volume 27 features our cover stars 2000trees as unveil their stunning 2024 line-up! We also catch last week’s cover stars Lake Malice live in Norwich and review the new album from Grace Petrie!
Our News Report has all the latest music news including live announcements from Garbage, The Black Keys, BERRIES, Another Sky, Seasick Steve, Himalayas, Editors, Dream Wife, Oakman, InMe, Indoor Pets, Twin Atlantic, Crushed By Waves, Future Static, Brighten the Corners, Y Not Festival, Make A Scene and RADAR Festival!
Plus all the best new releases including Creeper, Seasick Steve, Delilah Bon, Like Moths To Flames, Pillow Queens, FM, Smash Into Pieces, The Pearl Harts, Twin Atlantic, Saxon, Robert Jon & The Wreck, The Commoners, Jinjer, Hockey Dad, Slash, Marisa and the Moths and Dream Wife!
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our âDiscoverâ New Music Playlist including Young Fatigue, QUEEN LAYA and LOVELOST!
The latest issue of the Full Pelt Magazine is here, and you can download your copy for free below!
Volume 26 features our cover stars Lake Malice as they prepare for their debut headline tour! We also review new albums from Yard Act, Bruce Dickinson, Kaiser Chiefs, Noah and the Loners and Liam Gallagher & John Squire!
Our News Report has all the latest music news including live announcements from Paul Weller, Electric Six, Blood Red Shoes, Black Water County, SOiL, Journey, Blackout Problems, Gen and the Degenerates, Latitude Festival, British Summer Time, Bearded Theory, Tramlines, Cro Cro Land and Attitude Festival!
Plus all the best new releases including Bob Vylan, Twenty One Pilots, Hell Is For Heroes, Oakman, Another Sky, Kid Kapichi, Unpeople, LostAlone, VENUES, One Step Closer, Accept, Chris Shiflett, Kelly Jones, Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, Black Country Communion, halflives, The Zutons, Troy Redfern, Fangclub, James, The K’s, Ho99o9, PJ Harvey and CLT DRP!
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our âDiscoverâ New Music Playlist including Hunter Oliveri, ANIIMALIA and Gamblers!
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with the best new releases from the past week and up first is the latest single from Creeper.
This week saw the band share, ‘Teenage Sacrifice’, which you can check out above. The track comes ahead of the release of new album, ‘Sanguivore’, out on Friday 13th October.
Singer William ‘Von Ghould’ says: âThe song introduces Mercy, the protagonist of the Sanguivore narrative. Sheâs deceptively innocent yet savagely violent, and her ability to make people fall under her spell is just one indication that Mercy is not all that she seems.â
Next up is the return of Lonely The Brave, the band this week sharing their brand new single, ‘The Lens’, which you can check out above.
The track will feature on newly announced upcoming album, ‘What We Do To Feel’, which will arrive on November 10th.
Guitarist Mark Trotter comments: “You can plan it out as much as you want, but you’re just along for the ride. That’s the most exciting part, seeing what it decided to be. With this album, we’re certainly more mature as people and as a band. That makes sense with everything that has happened since our last one.”
Singer Jack Bennett continues about the single, saying it “is a track about the way we value each other. It’s different for everyone and we each have a unique perspective towards the world.”
The Struts are next in our News Report as this week saw the band reveal details of their new album, ‘Pretty Vicious’, which will be out on November 3rd.
The band also shared a live visualiser for their recent track, ‘Too Good At Raising Hell’, which you can check out above.
âThis record showcases each individual member’s strengths,â vocalist Luke Spiller says of their impending album. “Itâs some of my favorite music, hands down, weâve ever conjured up. Itâs the record everyoneâs been waiting for.â
This week also saw Daughtry debut their new single, ‘Artificial’, which you can check out above.
“‘Artificial’ is about the potential nightmare that AI could become and the idea that everything and everyone could eventually be replaced, essentially to perfection, and rendered obsolete,” Chris Daughtry explains. “However, the heart and soul of humanity and the ability to feel love, sadness, and compassion can never be replaced. While there are plenty of applications where AI can improve our lives and assist in many areas of creativity, I feel it’s imperative that we find a way to protect our musicians, actors, writers, and all creative outlets from being destroyed.”
Teenage Fanclub continue to gear up for the release of new album, ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ on September 22nd.
This week saw the band unveil their latest pre-release single, ‘Back To The Light’, which you can check out above.
The track was written by Norman Blake who says:
âI liked the idea of using being in a band as a metaphor for a personal relationship. They are not entirely dissimilar experiences. Like a few others on the album, this song has saxophone on it. The first time weâve had that since Songs From Northern Britain. Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo) played those parts; we really like the richness it brings to the song. Steve will be with us when we head out on tour in October in Europe.â
Saint Agnes recently released their new album, ‘Bloodsuckers’ and this week the band shared a video for the track, ‘Follow You’, which you can check out above.
The band will be joining us this week on The Full Pelt Music Podcast!
The Pale White have debuted new single, ‘Validate Me’, which you can check out above.
The track will feature on new EP, ‘A New Breed’, which is will released on October 20th.
“Ever felt like the world is against you? It probably is… Look around! Weâre surrounded by social pressures of what is perceived as ânormalââ say The Pale White.
“âValidate Meâ explores the mental tug of war between following your true purpose, and conforming to what society thinks you should be. It was born during the pandemic when we all lost our social identity and this heightened self-sabotaging paranoia was just as contagious.â
Finally for this section of our News Report we have a big hit single from Gen and the Degenerates who have revealed their latest single, ‘BIG HIT SINGLE’, which you can check out above!
Speaking on their new single, vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves comments:
âIf you want the highbrow answer, then BIG HIT SINGLE is about the experience of creating art under late capitalism. If you want the lowbrow âand slightly more honestâ answer, then BIG HIT SINGLE is me trying to wind up our label.â
âTheyâd made quite a reasonable requestâŚâPlease can you write more songs like the song that did well and stop experimenting with every genre under the sun in a completely chaotic and hedonistic manner?â Unfortunately, I have issues with authority…My parents often regale me with the tale of my Year 4 parentâs evening, in which my teacher described me as âtoo wild, in the bohemian sense.â
âIf Mrs Baker couldnât get me to behave, then what chance did Marshall Records have? Luckily, they have a good sense of humour over at Marshall.â
Some festival news now in our News Report and whilst this year’s event was still in progress, Bloodstock organisers have confirmed the first wave of artists for the 2024 event.
Both Architects and Amon Amarth have been confirmed as headliners, whilst they’ll be joined by the likes of Malevolence, Clutch, Flogging Molly, Green Lung and more.
The city based version of Live At Leeds returns on October 14th and this week saw the event share a massive line-up of great acts.
You can catch the likes of Another Sky, Benefits, Big Special, Feet, Hamish Hawk, Hotwax, Jack Valero, Lynks, Pigs x7, Pip Blom, Shame, Snayx, The Mysterines and Wunderhorse.
Next in our News Report we focus on the best live announcements from the past week and we begin with Neck Deep.
The welsh band will be taking over Alexandra Palace in London on March 28th for a huge headline show.
Sharing the news the band said, “Itâs been a long time coming but weâre stoked to be finally headlining Ally Pally. Weâve always loved the venue, now itâs our turn for our biggest headline show. Weâre expecting it to be the best Neck Deep show ever, & you wouldnât wanna miss that would ya?”
Kerrang have team up with the Music Venue Trust for Conjurer to join the ‘United By Music Tour’ next month!
Support will come from Unpeople.
Conjurerâs Brady Deeprose says: âConjurer simply would not exist without the UKâs extensive network of Grassroots Music Venues. We cut our teeth playing everywhere from Merthyr Tydfil to Barrow-In-Furness for years, and we were lucky to be able to do so. The threat that GMVs are under is an utter travesty, and something that we are so thankful to MVT for getting involved in – without this network, everyone from fans to bands suffers. Throughout my childhood, I would go to The Roadmender in Northampton, The Vault in Rugby (RIP), The Flapper in Birmingham, and Corporation in Sheffield to both play shows and see my favourite bands – that thriving scene inspired me to pick up a guitar and start a band. If we donât protect it, we lose the next generation of musicians. Itâs that simple.
“To come full circle, Kerrang! putting us forward for this tour is a real privilege, their support for not just us but the UK heavy scene in general, has been untouchable over the last few years. We hope that MVT continues to have success, and that the UK can continue to foster exceptional talent with a strong roster of grassroots venues to support it.â
Luke Morton, editor of Kerrang!, says âThe UK heavy music scene is thriving right now, thanks in large part to the community and support of grassroots venues up and down the country. Iâm so excited and proud for Kerrang! to partner with the Music Venue Trust for this very metal incarnation of the United By Music Tour, featuring the mighty Conjurer â a band Iâve seen cause absolute chaos in some of our best independent venues over the years. As fans of rock, metal and alternative music, it’s vital we all champion the homegrown, grassroots venues that are the lifeblood of our scene. Support your local venue and make sure you catch Conjurer tearing it to shreds!â
Mark Davyd, CEO and founder Music Venue Trust, says: âIt’s great to be teaming up with Kerrang on The National Lottery’s United by Music Tour. The team at Kerrang! were so supportive to Grassroots Music Venues during the pandemic, and the heavy music scene is such an integral part of what makes live music in the UK so essential and vibrant.â
Vocalist Elin Allan comments –Â “When we were writing âThe Tideâ, I donât think I realised how much this song was a cry for help. Itâs such an energetic, in your face song and I was so angry at this point in my life that I honed in on a very cutthroat approach to life. I had just gone through a huge, very tough break up and was having one of the lowest points in my life and with time, now itâs finally released, I think I have accepted that anger and turned it into power.“
Bristol rock outfit Little Thief share their latest single ‘Geronimo’.
Vocalist and lyricist Charlie Fitzgerald states: âPeople do incredible things when up against it and true colours often show when everything falls apart. For me, it signifies sticking together through good times and bad.
We spent a few days in the basement of our place on Albany road in Bristol working together on a bunch of new tracks and Geronimo came from that batch. It was one of the first tunes where the music came first and the lyrics followed. I really enjoyed writing the words for this as they are a bit cheesy, fun and simple with a very repetitive nature. We had the demo banging around for ages and really enjoyed playing it live.â
Swear Blind – ‘Still’
Alt-Rock Nottingham natives Swear Blind share new single ‘Still’.
Drew Lawson says: âa certain global event gave us the time to finish a project weâve been working on for many years and to continue our writing. It gave us a new focus in doing the things that we love doing, plus it gave us a good reason to hang out! Weâve been mates for years so that wasnât an opportunity we wanted to miss.â
Nevrlands – ‘Chemicals’
NYC-based trio Nevrlands share a second track âChemicals‘ from their forthcoming debut album, ‘Timeless’.
“‘Chemicalsâ is about catching yourself in the heat of the moment,â shares Neverlands collectively. âAbout painting a portrait of passion and finding that distinction between love and lust in real-time. Thereâs a very fine line that can sometimes be blurry, or sometimes itâs crystal clear. Is this real? Or is it just another fugazi? âChemicalsâ is all about questioning whether or not that perfect chemical connection will last once the moment ends.â
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start off this week with the best tour announcements from the past week and up first is the return to the UK of Rival Sons this Autumn.
The band have announced their long-awaited return to the UK & Europe this autumn taking their two forthcoming new albums, ‘DARKFIGHTER’ and ‘LIGHTBRINGER’ on the road, across Europe for a 30-date run.
‘DARKFIGHTER’ is set to arrive worldwide June 2nd.
Guitarist Scott Holiday comments: âDear friends on the other side of the pond, DARKFIGHTER is coming for you! AND LIGHTBRINGER is coming for you too! Weâre finally able to come back to you and bring you NEW music! Music that has been firmly situated in our hearts. Nothing makes me happier than to think about experiencing these albums together and making them into something entirely new and different every night. Letâs make something symbiotic, alive, that weâll want to remember forever!â
We move our News Report onwards now to the best new releases of the last week and start with Trophy Eyes.
The group have debuted their new single, ‘What Hurts The Most’, which you can check out above.
The track will feature on newly announced upcoming album, ‘Suicide and Sunshine’, which will be out June 23rd.
âItâs the human experience,â says frontman John Floreani. âWhat we experience and how we navigate it. The millions of tiny flashes of light that are memories and thoughts and feelings and smells, all those little moments make up a lifetime. Theyâre beautifully tragic because they donât mean anything to anyone, and on the scale of everything in the universe donât mean a damn thing. But itâs so beautiful that they happen in the first place.â
Next up are The View who have released their latest single, ‘Neon Lights’, which you can listen to above.
The song comes from new album, ‘Exorcism of Youth’, which is out August 11th.
Bassist Kieran Webster says, ââNeon Lightsâ intends to hold a mirror up to todayâs ultra capitalist society, and the institutions who keep this unfair system in place for their own benefit.â
Gengahr this week shared news that their new album, ‘Red Sun Titans’, will be out June 9th.
Coinciding with the release was new single, ‘In The Moment’, which you can check out above.
Speaking on the single, frontman Felix Bushe says, ââIn The Momentâ reflects upon the necessity to break away from our daily routine and create meaningful memories. As much as sunny days and laughter with friends, ‘In The Momentâ celebrates the late hours without inhibition, where dreams lead and tomorrow lingers.”
There was more new music this week from the fantastic Lottery Winners, as the band continue to prepare for the release of new album, ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’, which is out April 28th.
You can listen to their latest track, ‘Burning House’, above!
The Raven Age have debuted their latest single, ‘Serpents Tongue’, which you can check out above.
The track will feature on new album, ‘Blood Omen’, which is due out on July 7th.
ââSerpents Tongueâ from the off felt like a very special track for us,â says singer Matt James. âItâs that perfect balance between melodic and heaviness. There are so many different styles going on, but they all work and complement each other as a whole.â
Guitarist George Harris continues, ââSerpents Tongueâ is one of our favourites from the album and we knew itâd be a single straight away. Conceptually, the song is about deceit and lies, how you can only truly trust yourself and the loneliness that comes with that.
âThe music video was shot at Revesby Abbey in Lincolnshire, which is an old derelict manor house that was also used to house American fighter pilots during the war. The concept is a play on the title âSerpents Tongueâ and is based around the character Medusa. We wanted to create a B-movie horror theme, in a haunted house/Addams Family style and have some fun with it. So thatâs where the idea of having other creepy characters like the mummy, werewolf and three eyed man came from. Theyâre all invited along to a dinner party for the weird and wonderful, Medusa is taking orders from the Raven King and turns the guests to stone.â
Eva Under Fire have shared their version of Black Sabbath classic ‘War Pigs’, which you can check out above.
Frontwoman Eva Marie comments: âThis cover pays tribute to yet another legend who has inspired us. My early days of falling in love with rock music included OzzFest and singing along to Black Sabbath on the way to school in the back of my parents minivan so itâs a bit of a full circle moment for me personally. Itâs crazy that the lyrics in this song still ring true and are relevant today. Although the lyricism highlights the sad truth about the power hungry evils of the world, I also think it speaks volumes about how timeless this song really is. As a blue collar slave to the grind, I wanna thank Ozzy Osborne andBlack Sabbath for this one. Generations later, we feel heard because of your songâ.
XANDRIA unveil video for ‘My Curse Is My Redemption’
XANDRIA – ‘My Curse Is My Redemption’
XANDRIA our next in our News Report with the new video for ‘My Curse Is Redemption’, which you can check out above.
XANDRIA on ‘My Curse Is My Redemption’: âAs many of you Xandria fans have named this song as one of your favorites from the new album, we decided to make a video for it – with beautiful pictures underlining the meaning of the lyrics: Music, art, as something that can derive from painful experiences, and then not only heal you, but also others. It is a wonderful gift for us all then.
Another musical colour from the rich palette of our album “The Wonders Still Awaiting”, on which each song has its very own identity and its own atmosphere. This one is symphonic for sure, but also has some straight rock vibes, and a certain 80’s flavour to it. It is melancholic but also has a hopeful twist, in both the music and the lyrics.
We noticed that it is a wonderful song to play live – and we are looking forward to play that song for you on the upcoming tour!â
BLACKGOLD also had new music on offer this week through, ‘Villain’, which you can check out above.
“To villainize someone is to make them out to be the bad guy. This implies that they aren’t necessarily as bad as they’re being described. No matter how hard you try, you’ll always be the Villain someones story.” – Spookz – Vocals
After a phenomenal launch in early 2023 alternative artist paradise fell. has followed this up with their sophomore single titled âLOVE STAINEDâ.
“LOVE STAINED. was the beginning of our journey exposing a generation of forgotten voices. Lyrically this song helped me struggle amongst the midst of a twisted personal divorce. It quickly became a soundboard for me to build the vision of this project into. LOVE STAINED is a generational calling. A statement that in a day and age where instant gratification is so easily accessible, as a society we have become numb, stained by love and have lost touch with what that word really meansâ. – paradise fell.
Penny Rich – ‘Spirals’
‘Spirals’ is the latest single from Cardiff-based punk trio Penny Rich.
Discussing the meaning behind the track, the band explain: ââSpiralsâ is a song about finding futile solutions to lifeâs upward and downward spirals from the point of view of someone with underlying perfectionism and OCD. It explores the subconscious reflex of reaching for all-encompassing answers to your problems, be it a fad diet, a new routine, etc. Eventually, these solutions all ultimately fail, leaving you back at the bottom, at the start of the next spiral.
This song is very personal to Ant, who has long suffered with body dysmorphia stemming from underlying perfectionism and OCD. The song reflects the years of both physical and mental yo-yoâing, leading to the conclusion that treating these underlying causes is the only way to eventually finding freedom from this never-ending cycle.â
Swear Blind – ‘Waster’
Alt-Rock Nottingham natives Swear Blind share their debut single, ‘Waster’.
Drew Lawson says: âa certain global event gave us the time to finish a project weâve been working on for many years and to continue our writing. It gave us a new focus in doing the things that we love doing, plus it gave us a good reason to hang out! Weâve been mates for years so that wasnât an opportunity we wanted to miss.â
We roundup the best music news from the past week!
Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week in our News Report. To stay up to date with the biggest news be sure to follow us on our social channels:
Isle of Wight Festival unveils new line-up for 2021
Since the government roadmap to unlocking the UK was revealed, many festivals have announced their plans. Some cancelled, some rearranged, with plenty of line-up announcements and many selling out. This week our News Report is again absolutely packed with festival goodness!
We start with the rescheduled Isle of Wight Festival. The event recently revealed it would move from its traditional June timeslot to the weekend of 16-19 September. Now, the event has unveiled it’s new line-up with a few changes from previous attempts.
Gracing the island come September will be headline performances from Liam Gallagher, Snow Patrol, David Guetta and Duran Duran! If that isn’t enough the main stage will also welcome James, You Me At Six, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly., Supergrass and Seasick Steve amongst an eclectic bill.
There is also plenty on offer in the Big Top with headliners Scouting For Girls, Primal Scream, Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight joined by The Snuts, Maximo Park and many more.
At the other end of the UK, another festival is also making the move to September. Glasgow event TRNSMT will now take place on the weekend of 10-12 September at Glasgow Green.
Announcing the move, organisers have also confirmed the line-up which will feature headline acts Courteeners, Liam Gallagher and The Chemical Brothers. They are joined on another eclectic billing by a range of acts including some of our favourites such as Sports Team, The Ninth Wave, Another Sky and The Mysterines on Friday.
Primal Scream, Keane, Twin Atlantic, Vistas and The Murder Capital also play on Saturday. Finally Sunday will see the likes of Snow Patrol, Ash and Vukovi.
This week saw Kendal Calling confirm that it will go ahead, announce its line-up and subsequently sell out! Topping the bill is the likes of Supergrass, Stereophonics, The Streets and Dizzee Rascal.
More Full Pelt favourites joining in are The Kooks, Frank Turner, Pale Waves, The Snuts, Lottery Winners and The Mysterines. With tickets now sold out, you will need to keep a check here for any further releases.
There is just so much festival goodness to report this week and another event delivering a stellar line-up is Portsmouth event Victorious Festival.
Heading to the coast are headline acts Madness, The Streets and Royal Blood. There is a lot more to unpack then just the headliners and attendees will be treated to a smorgasbord of talent.
We can pick out The Kooks, Feeder, Richard Ashcroft, Rag’N’Bone Man, The Fratellis, Reef, Supergrass, Fontaines D.C., Miles Kane, The Snuts, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and Beans On Toast as must see acts.
Further acts have been added to an already excellent looking Bloodstock Festival. Previously announced headliners Devin Townsend, Kreator and Judas Priest are now joined by The Wildhearts, Raging Speedhorn, Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons and Hacktivist amongst others.
We move on now from festival news to some livestream announcements to keep us entertained before we can gather in our masses!
Tonight (Sunday 28th March) fans will be treated to another evening in the company of the fantastic Beans On Toast. Join in the fun at 8pm on Facebook here.
A very special livestream has been announced that will see Frank Turner and Emily Barker combine as Barker-Turner Overdrive for an evening of duets. The event will take place from the the awesome Tunbridge Wells Forum on Thursday 8th April.
Weezer will be teaming up with the LA Philharmonic and the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles to perform ‘OK Human’ for the first time. Tickets, merch and VIP options are all available here.
Sean McGowan announces only full band live show of 2021
Sean McGowan has announced that his only full band headline show of 2021 will take place December 18th from The 1865 in Southampton. You can pick up your tickets now here.
Royal Blood debut ‘Limbo’
Royal Blood – ‘Limbo’
We couldn’t leave you without a little new music in our News Report and this week that comes from Royal Blood. As the duo continue to ready the release of ‘Typhoons’ on April 30th, they have released a third single in the shape of ‘Limbo’.
Full Pelt Music looks back on 2020 for our Year in Review
What a year to pick to review. Itâs been a year like no other and not for good reasons.
On a personal level as detailed within my first blog, âThe Reluctant Bloggerâ, I was made redundant from a job I loved, just before Christmas and during a global pandemic! Not nice, but realistically I wouldnât be writing this blog on this website if that hadnât happened! The decision to return to writing about music also allowed me to take a look at the relationship between music and my mental health in âMental Health, Music and Meâ.
For the world it has been a year of pain, struggle and despair. From the fires of Australia to the flooding of the UK early in the year and now again just before Christmas; there has been no restpite in the year of the coronavirus. Unprecedented is the word of the year, but with Brexit and the ongoing pandemic looming large, the word for next year is probably uncertain.
Everybody has struggled this year, personally and professionally. This struggle is not limited to the music industry but our industry has struggled greatly. The live side of the industry is built on bringing people together and of course that has not been possible since March. The recorded side of the industry has also struggled with delays in recording, producing and distributing.
Recovery for the grassroots of the industry is far from guaranteed. The stark and sad reality is that many musicians and hard working crew members will have needed to have sought alternative employment and the actuality here is that many will never return to the music industry. The fact is many government schemes setup to alleviate the financial pressures on individuals and businesses simply bypassed these people.
Unfortunately the pandemic has also hastened the plight of many grassroots, independent music venues. We have sadly already lost many venues and there are still many more at imminent risk of permanent closure. We have written extensively about the issues surrounding our industry in our blog âWhy We Need To #SaveOurVenuesâ, and we encourage you to get involved in the initiatives highlighted.
This is of course a creative and innovative industry and through struggle we evolve. Much like the loss of my own job bred this website, the loss of touring and live shows has seen the evolution of the livestream. Many musicians have embraced technology and sought new ways to engage with their audiences. We have looked at the rise of this phenomenon in our blog âLivestreams: Good or Bad for the Music Industryâ.
When looking back on 2020 in the future, the memories will fill everybody with dread. There has however been some fantastic musical highlights despite everything else. We recently revealed our Album of the Year in our â2020 Album of the Yearâ blog; and the Top 20 list was highly competitive.
2020 has produced some incredible music and thatâs where we are going to focus this end of year review. In order to celebrate the successes of a very difficult year we going to look at the following awards – Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Gig of the Year, Festival of the Year and Artist of the Year!
Album of the Year
As mentioned we recently listed our Top 20 Albums of the Year here. This was a highly competitive list as 2020 saw some truly phenomenal releases.
Full Pelt Music’s Top 20 Albums of 2020
We said âIt has been a crazy year, and this list has been heavily influenced by that. As mentioned the top of this list is massively impacted by new music I heard during the height of the initial lockdown. âUltra Monoâ was an album that I was already extremely excited to hear; and the stream of songs released during Lockdown only served to raise that excitement to a fever pitch.
Thankfully IDLES didnât disappoint and when the album arrived it was a pure masterpiece. It shows a natural progression on the bands first two records and grows the bands sound. It still captures what made us all fall in love with the band but by incorporating new elements into the bands sound the album shows that IDLES are no one trick pony.
Above all other releases this year and those that feature in this list, this was the album that we needed this year. In a year where we have all been knocked down one way or another, IDLES and âUltra Monoâ has been a call to arms, to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and keep going.â
WINNER:‘Ultra Mono’ by IDLES
The Contenders:‘A Hero’s Death’ by Fontaines D.C., ‘Post Human: Survival Horror’ by Bring Me The Horizon, ‘Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible’ by Enter Shikari, ‘A Celebration of Endings’ by Biffy Clyro, and ‘Sex, Death & the Infinite Void’ by Creeper
Single of the Year
Itâs been a good year for both Bring Me The Horizon and Yungblud, with both releasing stunning new records. Yungblud recently hit the number one spot with âweird!â which we reviewed here, and Bring Me The Horizon silenced their doubters with âPost Human: Survival Horrorâ which we reviewed here.
It shouldnât therefore be so much of a surprise that their collaboration together is our standout single of the year. Accompanied by an over the top video, ‘Obey’ is a rip roaring tale of corruption and brainwashing, so perfectly fitting for 2020!
WINNER:‘Obey’ by Bring Me The Horizon feat. Yungblud
‘Obey’ – Bring Me The Horizon feat. Yungblud
The Contenders:‘Model Village’ by IDLES, ‘Space’ by Biffy Clyro, ‘Trouble’s Coming’ by Royal Blood, and ‘Protect The Land’ by System Of A Down
Gig of the Year
I was lucky enough to catch some fantastic shows early in the year, you know BC (before Covid!), and Stereophonics, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Kaiser Chiefs and Fontaines D.C. all deserve special mention.
For my Gig of the Year however Iâm again looking to the Covid era.
When life has drastically changed and youâve been deprived of the opportunity to do something you love, you learn to savour those moments more. For me, as somebody that in 2019 attended some 93 gigs, the loss of live music was devastating. Of course, many people have endured much worse in 2020, particularly at the height of the initial national lockdown; for me however, I was just desperate for live music.
The opportunity to watch real, live music again thankfully emerged (if only for a short time) at the end of summer. Frank Turner lives by the moto âAlways on Tourâ, and he wasnât going to let a global pandemic get in the way. An innovative location for a socially distanced gig was Nottingham Arboretum, basically a bandstand in a park. The result was a stunning if unusual setting for a gig which came to life when night fell and Turner serenaded the sold out crowd with his biggest hits.
A great supporting cast including Tash Bird, Holly Carter and Beans On Toast helped to make this show one to remember. The musicianship on show was fantastic, as was the togetherness and gratefulness of an audience desperate to once again forget lifeâs stresses and enjoy an evening of music. It was a powerful evening that brought tears to many an eye, and thatâs why it wins our Gig of the Year award.
WINNER: Frank Turner @ Nottingham Arboretum (20/09)
Nottingham Arboretum
The Contenders: Stereophonics @ Kentish Town Forum (21/01), Kaiser Chiefs @ Brighton Centre (30/01), Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Alexandra Palace (15/02), and Fontaines D.C. @ Norwich UEA (24/02)
Festival of the Year
The coronavirus pandemic completely obliterated the 2020 festival season, as early optimism that some festivals would survive was eventually swallowed whole by this horrible virus. With social distancing in place, festivals just were not possible. But didnât I say that the music industry is the most creative and innovative industry? Whilst some promoters attempted to arrange socially distant shows, tours and festivals, few succeeded; with even Live Nation cancelling a huge programme of drive in shows.
I was lucky enough however to venture to two such festivals at the Norfolk Showground near Norwich. A mixture of entertainment was laid on in a specially designed arena with socially distanced âpodsâ maintaining the necessary safety measures. Brickfest was a one day festival focussing on covers band with a handful of original acts like headliners Bad Touch thrown in. The day was a huge success given the circumstances, as was our 2020 Festival of the Year â Wild Fields Festival!
Wild Paths Festival debuted in Norwich last year with acts gracing venues across the fine city. This year the event embraced the outside arena and rebranded as Wild Fields Festival over two days was an eclectic line-up on offer. The first day featured great sets from many young artists including Lauran Hibberd, Indoor Pets, Another Sky and headliners Gengahr.
Even through the greatest adversity the power of the arts shines through and Wild Paths was a shining example of how to put on a safe, fun and thoroughly entertaining festival during a global pandemic.
WINNER: Wild Fields Festival
Brickfest at the Norfolk Showground, also host of Wild Fields Festival
The Contenders: Brickfest
Artist of the Year
Our final award is for Artist of the Year. In a such an unprecedented and difficult year this award is going to an act that has considerably contributed to making the year better. Fantastic new music has played a hugely positive role in improving a hard year. With this in mind that means that IDLES, Biffy Clyro, Enter Shikari, Bring Me The Horizon, Fontaines D.C. and Yungblud are all in the running for this award.
Beyond that however real live music when possible has been an even greater high than normal. As such Frank Turner enters the running as an act I somehow managed to catch live this year some four times including the aforementioned Gig of the Year.
But this year is different, new albums and live shows whilst normally the lifeblood of our industry almost feel insignificant when you look at the horrors witnessed across society, both inside and outside the music industry. One saving grace for many this year has been the arrival of the music livestream. A number of those already mentioned have dabbled if not excelled in this activity.
Our winner however has taken this new outlet to heart. They have provided joy and distraction to thousands of people during what must be a record setting number of livestreams. More than that, they have managed to raise an amazing amount of money for a cause I have already championed in this blog. That cause is of course the Save Our Venues campaign and our Artist of the Year is clearly that man again, Frank Turner!
In 2020, Frank Turner has probably played more real shows and more livestreams than anybody else. He has recorded and released new music including collaborations with NOFX and Jon Snodgrass. He has produced the fantastic new Beans On Toast record. He has thoroughly entertained and provided much needed distraction from the real world to thousands; and he has raised an incredible amount of money for charity.
In reality Turner deserves a medal, but what we can give him is our Artist of the Year award!
WINNER: Frank Turner
Artist of the Year – Frank Turner
The Contenders: IDLES, Biffy Clyro, Enter Shikari, Bring Me The Horizon, Fontaines D.C., and Yungblud
2020, a year we will all be hoping to forget very quickly, but there has been some great music released. All focus now however is on 2021 and those vaccinations. We hope that sooner rather than later we will be able to safely gather again in those venues and fields to watch our favourite artists in the flesh.
There will also likely be an avalanche of new music coming our way with artists having been isolated with their creatively for company. Letâs just hope that not every song is about lockdown!
