As Independent Venue Week continues we head to one of the countryâs finest, the wonderful Colchester Arts Centre. Seriously though, those toilets will have you feeling like royalty – toilet-circuit indeed!
In town tonight are Holding Absence who are towards the end of a tour of the UKâs off the beaten track venues and the locals are clearly excited with the show a sell out.
Most of the audience are in the venue early to catch the support (always a wise move!) and up first the crowd are treated to the ferocious Your Misery. Controlling the stage as if they were seasoned veterans, the band are able to not just warm up the crowd but fully win them over. Certainly one to keep an eye on, Your Misery couldnât have done any more tonight to make a statement.
Our second act, Australians Void of Vision, most definitely feel like a band that know how to make a statement of their own. The group burst onto stage and fill the venue with their huge sound. Itâs an audio onslaught for the next forty-five minutes as the likes of âDOMINATRIXâ, âTHE LONELY PEOPLEâ and âINTO THE DARKâ leave the crowd desperate for more.
There may not be any more Void of Vision tonight, but you can expect to hear much more in the future. With a new EP coming soon, this could be a breakthrough year for the band.
Our headliners, Holding Absence, have felt like they are breaking out for a few years now. Certainly not ones to rest on their laurels; their touring schedule has been intense. The majority of those shows though have been support slots, so itâs refreshing to catch them at a headline show finally.
The core fanbase of the band appear very committed and there is anticipation in the air in this old church tonight. That anticipation boils over as the band arrive on stage and quickly run through âMonochromeâ, âBeyond Beliefâ and âLike A Shadowâ much to the delight of those fans.
The setlist tonight is a real mix of the bands releases with highlights including âGravityâ, âIn Circlesâ and new song âAching Longingâ. Youâd perhaps expect a little more from a headline show, but I guess the old adage is to leave the audience wanting more.
After a finale of âAfterlifeâ and âWiltâ, Holding Absence most definitely do just that. With so many sing-a-long anthems or bangers as the kids would say, and an engaging stage presence youâd hope that the band will live up to their early promise.
Three bands at different stages of their budding careers tonight all make a valuable impression. Itâs worth remembering that nights like this are happening up and down the country, night in night out. Itâs tough out there and venues and bands need your support, so perhaps think twice on spending hundreds of pounds on those Beyonce tickets and pop down to your local independent venue instead!
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
Where else could we start this week other than the sensational return of Paramore to the UK?
The newly regrouped band will be heading this way next April for an arena tour taking in Glasgow, London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Dublin, Ireland.
Support will come from Bloc Party!
Paramore will release their new album, ‘This Is Why’ on February 10th.
Def Leppard & Motley Crue bring Stadium Tour to the UK
Following a hugely successful joint jaunt across America, both Def Leppard and Motley Crue have announced that they are taking their tour across the world.
In the UK that equates to a Stadium/Festival tour in May and July next year including a hometown show in Sheffield and a date at Wembley Stadium.
âAfter finally getting back on the road and having a monumental summer tour in the US & Canada this year, weâre beyond thrilled to be bringing this massive stadium tour to major cities all over the world, and kicking off Europe in Sheffield where it all started for us 45 years ago. Weâre looking to forward to seeing you out there, somewhere soon!â said Joe Elliott of Def Leppard.
“We had an incredible time playing The Stadium Tour in North America this summer and we truly can’t wait to take the show around the globe with The WORLD Tour in 2023. CrĂźeheads in Latin America and Europe: Get ready! We’re coming for you next and can’t wait to finally see all of you out there again next year!” MĂśtley CrĂźe said in a joint statement.
DMA’s also announced a new UK tour this week with the band on the road next April where they will finish up at Brixton Academy.
The band have also revealed that their fourth album, ‘How Many Dreams?’, will be out March 31st. You can check out new single, ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’ below.
DMA’s – ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’
Guitarist Jonny Took comments: ââEverybodyâs Saying Thursdayâs The Weekendâ, weâve all thought it, weâve all felt it. This song is about letting go of the things that weigh us down and embracing the future with a sense of optimism. Stepping in the âRight light in the dark timesâ.â
Another band revealing a UK tour for 2023 this past week was Those Damn Crows. Fresh from touring with Monster Truck, the Welsh rockers will play a run of shows next February including a huge show at Swansea Arena.
The band will be releasing their new album, ‘Inhale/Exhale’, on February 17th.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes debut ‘The Drugs’ feat. Jamie T
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – ‘The Drugs’ feat. Jamie T
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes also had new music to share this week as they teamed up with Jamie T. You can check out the T featuring single, ‘The Drugs’, above.
Commenting on the collaboration, Carter says; “Jamie and I had been talking about making music for years and when he asked me to sing on his tune ‘British Hell’, I jumped at the chance.
When I asked him to sing on ‘The Drugs’ he returned the favour in perfect style, and we filmed a video at Rose of Mercy.”
Norway’s Sløtface this week shared new single, ‘HAPPY’, which you can check out above. They also revealed that a new EP is on the way in February next year.
Shea had the following to say about the new single and EP release:
“For this upcoming EP the main themes Iâve been exploring are really joy, happiness and all of the opposites of these feelings – what it means to feel happy or content. “Happy” is one of the first songs we finished writing together with the new band who perform the Sløtface songs live and also contribute on most of the recorded music. Tobias, our guitarist, came up with the riff, and he, Nils, Marie, Simen and I just jammed around that in the rehearsal space, which was a positive change after working in a studio setting for a lot of the other new Sløtface songs.
Lyrically, the song is very direct, simple and honest. I was working on how to write about the themes of the EP and thought Iâd try saying it as simply as I could. I truly do just want to feel happy. And after a few years of soul searching as to what that could mean, this felt like the most direct way to express those feelings.”
Showcasing the end of an era, Mimi Barks has shared her sinister new ear shattering single ‘ABYSS‘. The single will feature on her recently announced mixtape âDEADGIRLâ which is set for release in December 2022.
ââFrom hatred for myself and the world, narcissistic & delusional aloofness and chaos in my brain, to self-growth through spirituality. From self-hailing to self-healing; this is the final dance for letting go of the past.
Itâs the rebirth of a broken child, a DEADGIRL. Now reborn as a leader, as her own god; indestructible and inviolable.This is revenge.â – Mimi Barks
Void of Vision – ‘HELL HELL HELL’
Melbourne’s Void Of Vision unforgettably spiral headfirst into the the abyss with a brand new single ‘HELL HELL HELL ‘
“HELL HELL HELL is a brand new world of Void Of Vision that has definitely been hinted at or given a nod in previous work,” shares Void Of Vision vocalist Jack Bergin, “But this is where we truly get to showcase our own raw and explicit take on it. Itâs been so insanely fulfilling to create, feeling so foreign yet strangely just as much at home within our discography alongside all our other works“.
“To let this creativity flow so effortlessly and be able to share this with the confidence we would alongside any other piece of work we share is truly a full circle moment for us,” Bergin continues. “Feeling as if weâve been working to bury old material and leave it in the past and adding a whole new style for us into the mix at this stage has been almost therapeutic, challenging ourselves and pushing each other to new levels is now the norm for Void Of Vision and exactly where youâll find the best material from Void Of Vision“.
SAFIRE – ‘OUT FOR BLOOD’
‘OUT FOR BLOOD’ is new solo artist SAFIRE‘s debut single and epitomises the singerâs rage and desire to shift gender dynamics.
On the sound that SAFIRE has honed, she tells us: âYou can always expect me to be energetic and singing/screaming about something I feel passionately about. Iâm all about female empowerment and my tracks are coming from that place. They are as much a reminder to me as they are a message to my audience! I want my audience to feel uplifted, empowered and strong and I write music in that frame of mind most of the time.â
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with the sensational news that Tom, Mark and Travis are reunited together again and Blink-182 will be heading out on a huge world tour in 2023!
In the UK that equates to an arena run taking in Glasgow, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester and two shows in London. UK support comes from The Story So Far.
The trio also debuted new track, ‘Edging’, which you can check out below and revealed a new album is on the way.
Our News Report continues with news from the Yard Act camp. Bringing an end to their hugely successful campaign for debut album, ‘The Overload’, the group have revealed four special live dates next year.
The run will conclude with their biggest headline date so far at the legendary Brixton Academy!
Another band targeting some pretty intimate venues for their next UK tour are Stone Broken who this week announced details of their ‘Come Closer’ tour set for February next year.
The final tour announcement in our News Report this week comes from guitar slinger Kenny Wayne Shepherd! Shepherd and band will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of ‘Trouble Is…’.
This week saw Rival Sons return with news that they will be releasing a new album, ‘Darkfighter’ on March 10th.
The group also debuted their brand new single, ‘Nobody Wants To Die’, which you can listen to above.
Regarding ‘Nobody Wants to Die’, vocalist Jay Buchanan shares, âYou live your life knowing that the sword of Damocles is hanging over your head by a thread. Youâre fully aware of the impermanence of your existence, but you canât think about it all the timeâor itâll fuck your life up.
I used to work in a mortuary as a service advisor for a few years, driving and opening the hearses. Iâd attend three funerals per day. Sometimes, they would be filled over capacity. Other times, it would just be me, a priest, and a hole in the ground. It doesnât matter who you are; the great equalizer is coming. I was thinking of this because the music sounded like pursuit.â
Elaborating on the genesis of ‘Darkfighter’, Buchanan notes, â’Darkfighter’ represents the cultural mitosis of isolation, the Pandemic, and the national fabric of the US getting looser and looser. When I say âCultural Mitosisâ, there are lines being drawn constantly. Weâre so divided, and you canât step over the lines without offending someone. It certainly informed my writing.
We recognized a responsibility to put a good word on peopleâs ears so thereâs a good word coming back on their tongues too. We missed the joy of the live show and that magical interaction. When it was taken from us, that made me want to sing about topics that were important. There are strong themes on this record of loss of identity, preservation of joy, and beholding light and shape again.â
Lead guitarist Scott Holiday added, âRecords are a healthy form of escapism. I hope this one takes you as far away as possible. Our intent was to create a cinematic body of work. As soon as the doors shut behind you, youâre enveloped on the ride. This is the sound of us really coming into our own. Weâve gotten further from our influences and gotten closer to what we are. ‘Darkfighter’ sounds like the Rival Sons.â
This week saw Tigercub return with their new single, ‘The Perfume of Decay’, which you can listen to above.
The track marks Tigercubâs debut release for Loosegroove Records, the label co-founded by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, a longtime champion of the band.
âThey say comparison is the thief of joy,â says Tigercubâs 7-foot frontman Jamie Hall,âand nowhere is this more acutely felt than on the internet; the public ledger where I must amend my social cv daily, to portray my life to others in the most rose tinted & ineffable way possible. The reality couldnât be further from the truth of course, beneath this facade I am crumbling, cascading into despair and at odds with my emotions. âThe Perfume of Decayâ is my expression of this feeling, an argument between affectation and naturalness. It marks the beginning of a new era for us â this is Tigercub at its heaviest, its most accomplished, and most unapologetic.â âJamie Hall is not only an incredible songwriter, singer, and fucking wicked guitarist,â says Stone Gossard,âbut he also has a deep understanding of art and music history. This guy dabbles in it all â visual arts, digital media, world history. This band is generational, and Jamieâs a natural star. Loosegroove couldnât be happier working with Tigercub.â
âItâs all about opposites,â Jamie Hall says. âSweet-and-salty popcorn tends to taste better than regular popcorn, even though those are two opposing forces. I wanted to nail that concept with our heavy guitars, softer-sung vocals, Can-style grooves, and a bit of shoegaze. Counterpoints can come together and make a powerful connection. Iâve crossed the threshold from my 20s to my 30s, so Iâm getting older, but Iâm also entering my prime. This record is a reflection of that.â
Pulled Apart By Horses share video for ‘Rinse & Repeat’
Pulled Apart By Horses – ‘Rinse & Repeat’
Pulled Apart By Horses this week shared the video for their single, ‘Rinse & Repeat’, which you can watch above. The track comes from new album, ‘Reality Cheques’, which is out now!
Commenting on the track, vocalist Tom Hudson says the single is âan ode to all that have found themselves trapped in the darker corners of the music industry. The repetitive whirring of the machine. A spanner in the works of the daily grind. A helping hand to break out of a vicious cycle. The realisation that they need you more than you need them. Inspired by seeing Ziggy Stardust stood in line at the jobcentre. More punk rock than Iggy advertising life insurance.â
There was also more new music this week from Witch Fever. The group debuted new single, ‘Beauty and Grace’, which you can check out above.
The track features on debut album, ‘Congregation’, which is out October 21st.
Singer Amy Walpole says of the track, ââBeauty and Graceâ ended up being the dark horse of the record! Before we went into the studio it wasnât one of our faves but Sam really brought it out of its shell! The song is about pushing back against oppressive feminine beauty standards whilst also finding a place for femininity that you enjoy and makes you feel powerful !! Femininity is not a weakness, as much as society may tell you it is! If it empowers you and brings you joy itâs a strength!â
Dream State return with new line-up and new single ‘Taunt Me’
Dream State – ‘Taunt Me’
Following a period of uncertainty, this week saw the spectacular return of Dream State! With a fresh line-up, the group debuted their brand new single, ‘Taunt Me’, which you can check out above.
The final new release in our News Report this week comes from The Sleeping Souls! Usually seen backing Frank Turner, the group have stepped out with touring buddy Cahir on vocals.
‘Liar Lover’ is the first sample of what to expect from the band in this guise, and you can check it out above.
Norwich-based post-hardcore outfit Other Half have debuted new track ‘Slab Thick’.
Commenting on the video, the band say: âBSM wanted a high-concept, high-production pop video to help shift some serious units so we wrangled the few dogs we know and the one cat we own to produce three and a half minutes of visual magic.â
âWe like doing everything ourselves; for DIY punk kudos and because weâre tight and awkward, so it was fun figuring out how to make it look like weâre all playing in a room together even when one of us was filming the whole time.”
âFor the second part of the video we had next to nothing and were filming some pretty shudder-inducing stuff in the local park when our friendâs Roya and Charlie walked past with their dogs; Daisy and Lily. Never one to miss a free opportunity for content, we scooped those dogs up, spun around a bit and sung at the camera. Rinse, repeat and the rest is history. Thanks to all the nice animals that starred alongside us.â
IOTA – ‘Ballet Box’
‘Ballet Box’, the latest single from Bristol-based rock five-piece IOTA is out now.
Explaining the inspiration behind the single, vocalist and lyricist Jodie Robinson explains, âIts about a ballerina inside of a jewellery box coming to life as the box closes. Inspired by the thought of the âobjectâ coming to life and how they’d never know what it was like to be outside of that box and nobody would ever know that they were alive. There was a play on the element of control and feeling trapped, fighting with that part of your mind. Itâs very much a song about âIs there more to life and can we fulfil that void’.”
Blue Violet – ‘Favourite Jeans’
Blue Violet follow up debut album with new single, ‘Favourite Jeans’.
âFor all of the chaos and hardships that Covid brought to the world it also provide ample time for people to be creativeâ reflects singer Sarah Gotley of the âLove, Hate & Forgivenessâ EP. âSo although we only released our debut album in April this year we wanted to bring out some of the music that we’d been working on in that timeâ.
Welcome one and all to another edition of our weekly music News Report, where we roundup the best news from the past week. We start off this week with the best tour announcements.
Up first are Shinedown who have announced a UK Tour for later this year which will include a date at Wembley Arena. Support comes from Asking Alexandria and Zero 9:36.
Frontman Brent Smith states, âWe have always been inspired by the UK and European audiences. Their passion for music is extraordinary. We are beyond excited to be returning as headliners, with our biggest show yet!”
“We are overwhelmed by the love and support of our new album, ‘Planet Zero’ and look forward to sharing our new songs, along with all of your Shinedown favorites!!! Cheers!!!â
Music Venue Trust reveal new wave of #ReviveLive shows
As the music industry continues to strive for a return to pre-pandemic levels of attendance, the incredible Music Venue Trust has announced another wave of #ReviveLive shows.
With support from The National Lottery attendees can bring a friend for free to a plethora of newly revealed shows.
Acts taking part this go around include Everything Everything, Paolo Nutini, The Amazons, The Coral, Baby Dave, Coach Party, Sick Joy, The Goa Express and Thumper!
Inglorious will also be touring later this year with a lengthy trek planned in across the UK. Support comes from A New Tomorrow.
Frontman, Nathan James, comments âI am so excited to get back out on tour with the guys . Over the pandemic we were not able to tour as much as we usually would, but we were able to release albums. So we did! We recorded the We Will Ride album, The Heroine all female covers album and the 1st ever Inglorious live album and dvd. It’s amazing now to be able to pick songs from all of those albums to make the ultimate inglorious set.
On this tour we will be bringing something totally different set wise and we’re really looking forward to playing songs from across all of our albums. Inglorious has always been a strong live act and now more so than ever. Tighter, harder and more determined to show people what we are about.
We hope to see everyone on the âUntil We Die 2022 UK Tourâ and cannot wait make some noise for you all again.â
Burn It Down Festival takes over Torquay again this September and the event has confirmed their stacked line-up for this year.
Headliners Trash Boat and Deaf Havana will be joined by the likes of Static Dress, Our Hollow Our Home, Haggard Cat, Cassyette, VUKOVI, Tigercub, Salem, As December Falls, Death Blooms, Pupil Slicer and more.
We move our News Report on now to the latest new releases, and we start with Deaf Havana.
As the band gear up to release their sixth studio album, ‘The Present Is A Foreign Land’, on 15th July they have debuted new track, ‘Nevermind’, which you can check out above.
LIFE continue to gear up for the release of ‘North East Coastal Town’ on August 19th. You can listen to their new single, ‘The Drug’, above.
Speaking on the new single vocalist Mez Green says: âThe Drug is a love song. I wrote the lyrics in the cold mountains of Italy before taking them into the room with the band. ‘The Drug’ I needed has always been here, the drug I needed has always been near” is, for me, realising that loved ones and those that love you, no matter where you are, can always be present.
I’d never really believed this before and whilst this purity is at the lyrical heart of the song musically the band decided to inject flecks of dance, pop, harmonics, and dirty pulses to give the song drive, repetition and jerk-ability.â
Norway’s Sløtface return with the news that the group’s figurehead Haley Shea will now be leading the band, with Lasse and Tor-Arne leaving to focus on new passions outside the group.
To signal this era beginning they have released a double a-side of ‘Beta’, and ‘Come Hell Or Whatever’. You Can listen to ‘Beta’ above.
“”Beta” was the very first song Mikhael and I worked on together in his studio. It should be listened to while wearing sunglasses, even on cloudy days!
The song is about wanting to connect with people on a deeper level, but feeling like social media sometimes gets in the way, with things becoming somewhat intimidating, shallow and superficial. The song is a confidence booster for myself where Iâm trying to be cooler than I am. It was written at a time when I really, really missed the rush of playing live, and I needed to find some of that spark and edge in myself that only really comes out on stage.”
Finally, this week Twister shared their latest single, ‘Own Worst Enemy’, which you can listen to above.
Singer and guitarist Stevie Stoker comments: âTwister are evolving and progressing with every release and the momentum weâre building on the road is really driving us to bigger and better things in the studio. Itâs such an exciting time.â
Indie rock band Sunsleeper have shared their newest track, ‘Blemishes’.
ââBlemishesâ is about the slow unraveling of a deeply important friendship, as well as the acceptance of the relationshipâs end,â shares vocalist Jeffery Mudgett. âThe freedom in letting go of a toxic relationship is underrated. Sometimes thereâs no need to mourn the end, but rather we should celebrate leaving that toxicity behind.â
cheerbleederz – ‘notes app apologies’
London indie punk trio cheerbleederz reveal their latest single ânotes app apologiesâ.
Commenting on the track and video, the band say: âThis song is about letting go of an abusive relationship. Thereâs a lot of fear and doubt that comes with separating yourself from somebody who manipulates you, and it leaves behind feelings of anger, as well as guilt and doubt.
You end up questioning everything while simultaneously harbouring a lot of resentment for the person who treated you that way. We wanted this song to feel cathartic and unapologeticâit ultimately feels very healing.â
MODES – ‘Infamous’
Kent’s MODES deliver their new single, ‘Infamous’.
MODES frontman Ted Berry reveals that the new singleâInfamous is a song we wrote to reflect on anger and past trauma that we have experienced. We wanted to put this into words to help others feel understood and seen. It’s only human to have been in situations that lead to feeling hurt, angry, and even disappointed in how you have been treated by others.â
