Disillusioned and close to bankruptcy, it is fair to say that 2001’s ‘Free All Angels’, was a make or break record for Ash. Whilst debut album, ‘1977’, had hit the number one spot and made the band a household name, sophomore release, ‘Nu-Clear Sounds’ had seen the bands momentum stall.
Having seemingly hit rock bottom, a refreshed approach saw the band write and record what would be their saving grace, ‘Free All Angels’. Returning the band to the top of the charts, and serving as a springboard to greater success, it is again fair comment to say that the album rescued the group’s career.
This week has seen the band celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the album with three very special shows. Rejoined by guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, who departed the band in 2006, Ash have played the album in full first in Manchester, then Birmingham and finally tonight at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London.
On the eve of the funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, there is a perfectly observed minutes silence at 8pm.
Shortly thereafter opening act The Gulps take to the stage and do a suitable job of raising spirits and getting those in attendance ready for our headliners.
WATCH ‘SHINING LIGHT’ ON YOUTUBE
Ash – ‘Shining Light’
A mighty roar greets Ash and particularly Hatherley to the stage and the band proceed to play the entirety of ‘Free All Angels’. The quality of the record is borne out with opening trio, ‘Walking Barefoot’, ‘Shining Light’ and ‘Burn Baby Burn’, with even frontman Tim Wheeler commenting on the run.
The singles, naturally, played a large role in the success of the album but it is the overall quality that ensures that remains as revered today as when released in 2001. ‘Candy’, ‘Someday’, ‘Sometimes’ and ‘There’s A Star’ are all glorious before ‘World Domination’ brings the run though to a close.
This doesn’t end the evening however as Wheeler quips about making the most of their time with Hatherley, before introducing the first song that they worked on together, ‘A Life Less Ordinary’.
Ash are a fine live act, but tonight the addition of Hatherley really ratchets things up a notch or two. The added layers and intricacies level up the band and the likes of ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Orpheus’ and ‘Clones’ sound absolutely huge tonight.
Towards the end of the night the band break out tracks such as ‘Numbskull’, ‘Kung Fu’ and ‘Girl From Mars’ much to the delight of the audience.
Tonight has been a reflection of a period of time not just for Ash but in British music. It’s an evening drenched in nostalgia but for those in the venue it’s all about the immediacy of the performance. It’s only fitting that a final airing of ‘Burn Baby Burn’ closes out what has been a successful celebration of a truly great album.
With the nights drawing in and the first full festival season in three years now completed, it’s time to head back indoors for our live music fix. And where better to start than in one of the UK’s many incredible intimate independent venues!
That brings us to Norwich at The Waterfront Studio for a sold out show from Canadian acts Arkells and Lights. Getting to welcome international acts such as these back into venues such as this is another reminder of the progress live music has made to return this year, and the venue fills up early with fans eager for an evening of great music.
Whether or not they’d be in receipt of such was never really in doubt considering the acts present. Up first is the multi-talented Lights who clearly has her fair share of diehard fans in attendance. Thankfully for them she has a whole hour to showcase her genre-bending indie pop, to the delights of those in the venue.
Latest album, ‘PEP’, features highly throughout a career spanning set list and album tracks such as opener ‘Prodigal Daughter’, ‘Beside Myself’ and ‘Okay Okay’ are highlights in a consistently powerful and uplifting show.
Yes, the bar for tonight is set very high by Lights, and many seasoned professionals would flounder in their attempts to follow such a performance. Luckily for both the band and the packed venue, Arkells are more than up to the challenge.
The Opening trio of ‘Past Life’, ‘Leather Jacket’ and ‘Michigan Left’ set the stage for another top tier performance from this well-oiled touring machine. At this stage of their career, the group have songs for days so it’s refreshing that they are willing to accept audience requests such as ‘Hand Me Downs’ which occurs next.
Arkells provide another career encapsulating set list with a particular focus on recent efforts ‘Blink Once’ and ‘Blink Twice’. Big hitters such as ’11:11’, ‘Knocking At The Door’ and finale ‘You Can Get It’ all elicit huge reactions from the crowd, however the highlight of the night comes from something special and unique.
Frontman Max Kerman regales the crowd with the tale of a young married couple having their first dance to ‘And Then Some’, with the track being performed by a local covers band. Kerman proceeds to recreate the moment of the first dance with the couple in the crowd, even bringing out the singer of said band, Counterfeit Brits, to sing.
Another memorable moment comes via ABBA cover, ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’. Expect the unexpected appears to be the theme of the night as Lights also returns to the stage to perform ‘Human Being’ with Arkells; much to the delight of an audience who will remember this night for years to come.
Live music is well and truly back, and our independent venues are leading the charge with amazing shows such as this taking place every night of the week. The tickets to catch these two fantastic international acts in intimate UK venues are surprisingly inexpensive. Thankfully for you there are a number of shows remaining on this tour, so do yourself and your local venue a favour and head along to one!
THE AMAZONS – HOW WILL I KNOW IF HEAVEN WILL FIND ME? – ALBUM REVIEW
Reading rockers The Amazons are back with their third album, ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?’.
The band burst onto the scene with their 2017 self-titled debut and quickly established themselves as one of the hottest young rock bands in the country. Follow up ‘Future Dust’ was far from a flop, but probably didn’t build on their momentum as well as they’d have hoped. It will be interesting then to see how ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?’ fares and what impact it will have, if any, on the group’s career trajectory.
WATCH ‘HOW WILL I KNOW?’ FROM THE AMAZONS ON YOUTUBE
Making their name for out all arena rock anthems, this new record follows a path hinted at on its predecessor with a more melodic sound. Sombre and delicate, the harder side of the band only makes rare appearances as they explore their softer capabilities.
Whilst there will certainly be some fans slightly alienated by this, there will be many more that will welcome this change of pace; after all the band have successfully shown this side in past.
When we look beyond the aesthetics of the album, blinker ourselves from their past output and focus solely on the eleven tracks that make up ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?’, then we are looking are a superb record. A delicately crafted collection of melancholic glory!
Yes, The Amazons may be evolving before our eyes, but they are also proving themselves to be the future superstars that their debut album promised.
When we caught The Amazons supporting Royal Blood in arenas recently, we speculated that they would soon be headlining such venues themselves. With this album the band have ensured that trajectory remains.
After a ten year wait between ‘Scream’ and 2020’s ‘Ordinary Man’, Ozzy Osbourne is already back with new album, ‘Patient Number 9’. This is something of a miracle given the ongoing health concerns surrounding the iconic rocker, so it’s with a sense of relief that we press the play button.
The title track and opening campaign single, ‘Patient Number 9’ starts us off and showcases the first of many guests featuring on this album in Jeff Beck. Zakk Wylde, Tony Iommi, Mike McCready, Eric Clapton, Josh Homme, Dave Navarro, Robert Trujillo, Duff McKagan, Chris Chaney, Chad Smith and the late great Taylor Hawkins all have credits on this collaborators dream of an album.
WATCH ‘PATIENT NUMBER 9’ ON YOUTUBE
Ozzy Osbourne – ‘Patient Number 9’
You may think that such an eclectic mix of stars would contribute to the album feeling disjointed and lacking cohesion. That would it turns out be an incorrect preconception as in fact the record flows well and is distinctively an Ozzy Osbourne record. That said each guest adds personal touches and influences and enables this to be some of Osbourne’s most diverse work.
The critical acclaim that adorned ‘Ordinary Man’ will undoubtedly bleed into ‘Patient Number 9’ with Ozzy Osbourne showing that there is life in the old dog yet.
The only possible criticism would be that perhaps at a little over an hour the record is a song or two too long, but ultimately at this stage of Osbourne’s career we should be grateful for everything we are able to get.
Question marks remain over his ability to tour again, but if ‘Ordinary Man’ and ‘Patient Number 9’ ultimately represent the finale of his distinguished career then Ozzy can enjoy his well earned retirement safe in the knowledge that his career finished as authoritatively as it began.
PANIC! AT THE DISCO – VIVA LAS VENGEANCE – ALBUM REVIEW
Panic! At The Disco was a vessel for frontman Brendon Urie years prior his total custody of the moniker as an all out solo project. Recent releases have seen Urie fully embrace the spotlight and allow his ego to run untapped.
Often this is a bad thing, but in the case of Urie he possesses that flamboyance and je ne sais quoi that only a handful of musicians do. No matter the project or outlet he would naturally become the centre of attention, so in this case it’s only right to let that creativity and showmanship loose.
New album, ‘Viva Las Vengeance’, is everything that you’d imagine that it will be. To some that would be a bad thing, this is modern day Panic! At The Disco by numbers to many extents after all.
But importantly there is one sonic element that Urie has incorporated that helps keep things interesting and gives fans a taste of something a little different. That component is the outpouring of love for 70’s glam rock! This album is a love letter to T-Rex, Queen, Bowie et al, and Urie is able to pull it off with utter panache.
Panic! At The Disco – ‘Don’t Let The Light Go Out’
The title-track, ‘Middle Of A Breakup’, ‘Don’t Let The Light Go Out’ and ‘Local God’ all lead the charge before the likes of ‘Star Spangled Banger’ and ‘God Killed Rock And Roll’ unashamedly and theatrically drive the point home.
Panic! At The Disco aren’t breaking any moulds these days, in fact they are something of a safe bet. Again, to some this is a boring and uninspired trend over recent albums, but others will argue if it isn’t broke then don’t fix it.
What is clear on ‘Viva Las Vengeance’ is that Urie is having fun, he is doing what he wants to do and for him that’s all that matters; and hey if doing so can keep him headlining festivals and playing the biggest arenas in the world then he’d be mad to change at this point!
Few artists have the momentum that YUNGBLUD has right now. Having burst onto the scene in 2018 with his debut album, ‘21st Century Liability’, there has been no slow in pace since then with a new third self-titled album now upon us.
2020’s ‘weird!’ not just continued the impetus of ‘21st Century Liability’ but instead strapped a jetpack to this young musicians back. The question here then is does this third effort suffice to keep the train rolling?
Simply put, yes! Seemingly that momentum is relentless and YUNGBLUD is once again able to not just capitalise on his successes but fully build on them. His distinctive vocal presence ensures that all his work is easily identifiable, which almost allows some additional freedom to experiment musically.
Surrounded by talented collaborators such as WILLOW on single, ‘Memories’; YUNGBLUD is able to push boundaries whilst not alienating his pre-amassed and incredibly loyal fanbase.
The snobbish gatekeepers of rock music will be disgusted to hear that this hugely talented musician described as the future of rock but whilst dinosaurs like Gene Simmons continue the tired trope that rock music is dead we need to evolve and unshackle ourselves from our preconceived notions of what rock music is!
The difference between YUNGBLUD and some of the posers that have trod this path is that he has the musical substance to equal his powerful aesthetic. He achieves his admiration through a total package and that sets him apart from many of his contemporaries.
This self-titled album is exhibit number three in the case for YUNGBLUD as the future of rock, and the jury are ready to return their verdict of guilt!
PET NEEDS – PRIMETIME ENTERTAINMENT – ALBUM REVIEW
Eighteen months ago, mid-pandemic, Colchester punks Pet Needs burst onto the scene with their debut album, ‘Fractured Party Music’. An all or nothing exercise for a band at a crossroads in their career, the album permeated into the consciousnesses of the Xtra Mile Recordings scene of bands and their hardcore fans.
The catchy pop hooks and rambunctious rock and roll energy of the album established the band their own dedicated fanbase and took them on an adventure of a lifetime touring the world.
Now the band are once again ready to unleash a smorgasbord of musical pleasure into the wild as they follow up that debut with their oh-so important sophomore record, ‘Primetime Entertainment’.
Picking up where their debut left off, the record bursts straight into life with ‘Lost Again’, ‘Ibiza In Winter’ and the anthemic ‘Get On The Roof’. Listeners are left in no doubt about the direction of the band as they hoist their punk rock mast again.
Like predecessor ‘Fractured Party Music’, ‘Primetime Entertainment’ is also produced by Frank Turner. His fingerprints are all over the album with the sonic growth of Turner’s latest effort ‘FTHC’ also present on this album.
‘Spirals’ is an incredible rip-roaring track which pushes everything the band offers to the extreme. Given the energy and passion of Pet Needs live, ‘Spirals’, is surely destined to be a highlight of their upcoming tour.
Thematically speaking, ‘Primetime Entertainment’, is Pet Needs at their honest and reflective best. There’s plenty of the tongue in cheek lyrics which made ‘Fractured Party Music’, such a fun record, but there’s perhaps a greater sense of seriousness this time around.
When the world is in a bad way, and you just want to lose yourself in some loud guitars and singable songs; don’t fear Pet Needs are here again to service your needs with another liberating release of energy!
Reading & Leeds Festivals are the traditional end of the UK Festival season, and this year is a milestone year as a full calendar takes place for the first time since 2019. Let’s not dwell on why, instead let’s head straight into the action on a packed and hot Saturday at Reading Festival.
Sold out well in advance, Saturday at this year’s event is a particularly hot ticket with a stunning line-up throughout and topped by Arctic Monkeys and Bring Me The Horizon.
We are in the arena bright and early for surprise opening act Wargasm who storm the main stage with a set packed full of energy and attitude. The band appears to be on a world conquering mission, and nobody can argue their work ethic. It’s also damn hard to argue with their captivating stage presence and musical outlay.
We then head into the ‘Festival Republic’ Tent for the next couple of acts. With the new two main stage structure at Reading & Leeds Festivals the separate ‘Pit’ and ‘Lock-up’ stage has sadly been a much missed casualty. There is much less choice now for the music connoisseurs amongst the crowd; which isn’t a problem with a stacked line-up like today but is very evident on Friday and Sunday.
This change does mean there is less cohesion in the line-up with heavy rockers Static Dress followed by lad rock upstarts The Skinner Brothers in the tent. Despite their difference styles both deliver energetic and well-received performances for the early risers.
There is more indie-fuelled sing-a-long action next back on the main stages with The Lathums pulling in a decent crowd. Whilst there is nothing earth-shatteringly new about what they do, The Lathums do this modern stock-indie reasonably well.
WATCH POPPY PLAY ‘BLOODMONEY’ AT READING FESTIVAL
Poppy – ‘BLOODMONEY’
Whilst there were no moulds broken on one main stage, over on the other is Poppy, an artist who has broken every mould she’s been in. Yes, originally a Youtube sensation, then a bubblegum pop idol and now a heavy metal phenomenon, Poppy crosses many boundaries. Today she oozes rockstar appeal as she owns the stage with their eclectic musical offerings, proving along the way that she retains a very bright future.
A bright future is also ahead for Sueco, who attracts a good sized audience in the tent next for his debut UK performance. Over the next thirty minutes Sueco has that crowd in the palm of his hands as he runs through fans favourites including TikTok sensation ‘Paralyzed’.
Enter Shikari are a band more concerned with the future of the planet than that of their career and they take a main stage next for a politically charged call to arms with epic musical accompaniment. New single, ‘The Void Stares Back’ including guests Wargasm sounds absolutely huge as do tracks from previous album, ‘Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible’.
WATCH ENTER SHIKARI PLAY ‘{ THE DREAMER’S HOTEL }’ AT READING
A passionate speech is curtailed through either a power failure or for the conspiracy theorists – censorship. Either way even with a stifled end to their set, the band show once again that they are one of the best live acts on the planet.
We’ve mentioned the stacked line-up today and part of the reason for such excitement is the collection of a number of bands in the best live act conversation. Next up on the other main stage are Fontaines D.C. who receive a hero’s welcome by swelled crowd.
WATCH FONTAINES D.C. PLAY ‘BOYS IN THE BETTER LAND’ AT READING
New album, ‘Skinty Fia’, takes centre stage as the band deliver the likes of ‘I Love You’, ‘Jackie Down the Line’ and ‘Roman Holiday’. A young fan coming out the crowd to ace guitar on ‘Boys in the Better Land’ provides one of the highlights of the festival, and the band leave the stage having proven themselves to be in the pool of future headliners.
Another band no doubt destined to headline Reading Festival in the not too distant future is Wolf Alice. Whether rocking hard on ‘Smile’, serenading us with ‘Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love)’ or showing their all round brilliance on ‘The Last Man on Earth’, Wolf Alice are a band that can literally do it all.
WATCH WOLF ALICE PLAY ‘HOW CAN I MAKE IT OK?’ AT READING
A twelve song set absolutely flies by this evening and with a rammed field of fans left desperate for more, surely a full headline show from the band is a must next time they come to town.
That’s one thing Reading & Leeds Festivals have always excelled at – giving new headliners their shot. That’s exactly what they do next with heavy hitters Bring Me The Horizon finally being given the main stage headline festival set they earned years ago!
What those who gather for the performance are greeted with is a band at the peak of their powers, both creatively and as a live act. The band proceed to deliver a memorable set for all the right reasons. This is a victory for Bring Me The Horizon and for heavy music and the band do all in their powers to fulfil all expectations.
WATCH BRING ME THE HORIZON PLAY ‘BAD HABITS’ WITH ED SHEERAN AT READING
Bring Me The Horizon – ‘Bad Habits’ feat. Ed Sheeran
The setlist is flawless, the visuals are stunning, the crowd interaction is on point and the band sound incredible; this is a real moment. A moment made even bigger by the band bringing out Ed Sheeran for a dose of ‘Bad Habits’ to the ear-piercing sound of teenage girls screams.
This is the sort of performance that you don’t want to follow but that’s just what Arctic Monkeys have to do next. Being one of the most hotly anticipated acts of the weekend and one much craved by fans in recent years, surely this would be easy for megastars such as Arctic Monkeys.
WATCH ARCTIC MONKEYS PLAY ‘R U MINE’ AT READING
Arctic Monkeys – ‘R U Mine’
Sadly for those in attendance what the band deliver is a lukewarm showing. The opposite of Bring Me The Horizon, the setlist is poor, the visuals are basic, the crowd interaction is nearly non-existent and the sound is too low. A stunning day such as this needed a big finish and that should in hindsight of been Bring Me The Horizon.
Arctic Monkeys are a huge act with a back catalogue you can hold against anybody else, but today it feels like a phoned in effort. It isn’t a bad show by any stretch of the imagination; it’s a good show that should’ve been a great show.
Hopefully the band can rediscover their spark with new album, ‘The Car’ on the way, but tonight belongs to a different Sheffield band!
It always feels like a momentous occasion whenever superstar rockers Muse release a new studio album. The otherworldly act are shrouded in the grandiose with their over the top visual presentations.
‘Will of the People’ is the groups ninth studio album and has seen the band mix up their approach slightly with the first glimpse of new music coming on social media in a video filmed in frontman Matt Bellamy’s car. A handful of festival appearances and shows have followed as promotion has been ramped up, but really there hasn’t seemed to be the usual sense of anticipation.
That is until the play button is pushed and the opening of ‘Will of the People’ instantly grabs hold of you and screams that Muse are back! Second track ‘Compliance’ serves as confirmation that the over the top and grandiose soul of Muse is in full effect.
‘Liberation’ shows that ‘Will of the People’ isn’t a one trick pony before ‘Won’t Stand Down’ escalates the intensity as the album continues to ebb and flow. Yes, the various musical identities of Muse are seemingly all present and correct on this all encompassing record.
The hard rocking, symphonic, galactic, political and quite frankly absurd sonic buffet on offer will surely be enough to please Muse fans of all ages. It really does feel like the band have just thrown everything at the wall to see what sticks like a maniacal splatter painter in the midst of a moral breakdown.
‘Killed or Be Killed’, whilst a standout track could also be the bands motto at this point, and there is no way that they will allow themselves to be killed! Sit back, strap yourself in and enjoy the majestic lunacy of Muse at full throttle!
LAURAN HIBBERD – GARAGEBAND SUPERSTAR – ALBUM REVIEW
Lauran Hibberd has spent the past few year’s releasing a steady stream of singles and playing an endless run of shows and festival slots. During this time she has built a solid following and garnered much praise from those taking notice.
With a firm groundwork beneath her and anticipation high, it’s now time for her to unleash her debut album, ‘Garageband Superstar’, and complete her world conquering mission.
Despite that stream of pre-album singles, ‘Garageband Superstar’, was always going to be a major hurdle for Hibberd. A debut album for any artist is a statement and whilst there are some famous exceptions, this first impression is often make or break for artists.
LISTEN TO ‘STILL RUNNING (5K)’ FROM LAURAN HIBBERD ON YOUTUBE
Lauran Hibberd – ‘Still Running (5K)’ feat. DJ Lethal
Hibberd manages to navigate this hurdle with ease, with her debut album an all out statement of intent. ‘Garageband Superstar’ is brash and in your face yet also vulnerable and relatable. This highly accessible thread runs throughout album standouts such as ‘Still Running (5K)’, ‘Average Joe’ and ‘I’m Insecure’ and adds layers to the pure enjoyability of the album.
Musically the album captures everything that helps Hibberd standout live with a bouncy indie pop vibe making this a very fun record. Lyrically ‘Garageband Superstar’ is brutally honest and completely unashamed. This combination feels like a winning one, with the early hype now justified and that anticipation more than met.
This is no doubt the first step in a very long and prosperous career for the talented garageband superstar!
