THE FRONT ROW

Category: Music

  • REVIEW: WEYES BLOOD – ‘And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow’

    Natalie Mering under her Weyes Blood moniker provides a powerful emotional punch in her fifth installment of dreamy soul pop. ‘It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody’ is a glorious display of slow and sprawling pop. Mering speaks of the anxieties of modern life, the mental struggles we all endure “To…

  • Live Review: Stanleys, Flechettes, Little Planets – Lending Room, Leeds, 10/11/2022

    You know that saying…you wait ages for a London bus to come and then they all arrive together? Well, that’s a bit like the music scene in Wigan at the moment. There was something of a mini-invasion from across the Pennines at the Lending Room with not one, not two,…

  • SINGLE REVIEW: Waiting Outside Alone – Barbara.

    Brighton’s shiniest band – Barbara – are back, bright and breezy as ever. Following on from their excellent Mildly Entertaining EP – which examined issues around the evils of social media – brothers Henry and John Tydeman have now set their acute sights on the failings of the British establishment,…

  • REVIEW: LOW ISLAND – ‘Life In Miniature’

    Low Island are back a year after their long awaited debut album. It’s been a slow and steady process for the Oxford indie outfit, releasing a slew of singles from 2017; their steady rise culminated with the release of their debut ‘If You Could Have It All Again’. The record…

  • SINGLE REVIEW: ‘Corona’ – Nice Guy.

    2022 has been a big year for Nice Guy – they’ve been out on tour and supported bands like The Heavy North and Apollo Junction, and have released three singles thus far – Shame, Tonight and Fast Food. Their fourth single of the year – Corona – is arguably their…

  • LIVE REVIEW: THE HACIENDAS, Jonny Ash, The Notion, The Raymonds – EBGBS, Liverpool, 22/10/2022.

    Checking my diary, over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be spending a few nights in the treacherous cellar space on Liverpool’s Seel Street that is EBGBS. If the rest of those evenings are as good as this one, I’m in for a decent fortnight. This particular Saturday…

  • Live Review: The Snuts, O2 Academy, Leeds, 22/10/2022.

    From Whitburn to Leeds, from the festival small stage to a headline tour, from a bottle of Buckfast to a mid-set tequila shot, The Snuts have certainly come a long way in a short time. The last time I saw The Snuts they were shoe-horned into a mid-afternoon set on…

  • Festival Review: Live at Leeds – In The City, 2022.

    Live at Leeds has been nominated in no less than four categories at the 2022 UK Festival Awards. After attending this year’s event, it was easy to see why. It was well organised: wristband collection was simple; entry to venues was smooth; and there were few places where you could…

  • REVIEW: ARCTIC MONKEYS – ‘The Car’

    Rebel rousing Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys are back with their 7th album release ‘The Car’. Another divisive album that will upset those looking for a return to the youthful giddy days of cheeky indie rock. Arctic Monkeys build upon the foundations of Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino although this time…

  • LIVE REVIEW: Apollo Junction, Nice Guy, Liam Hillyer – Jimmy’s, Liverpool, 8/10/2022.

    Whisper it quietly, but something pleasantly intoxicating is fermenting in West Yorkshire, and I don’t mean a pint of Tetley’s Bitter. Slowly but surely Leeds five-piece Apollo Junction are building up a head of steam. I saw the same band, in the same venue last December and I would estimate…

  • REVIEW: DAPHNI – ‘Cherry’

    Caribou’s Dan Snaith returns with his Daphni moniker to bring some experimental house into our lives with a selection of stimulating tracks packaged ready for the dancefloors. ‘Arrow’ gets us under way. It is simply hypnotic with its marching snare drum and soft light rhythmic synth hook, an irresistible track…

  • REVIEW: SORRY – ‘Anywhere But Here’

    North Londoners Sorry present their sophomore record ‘Anywhere but here’, a bleak tour of home life with a smattering of oddness and a pinch of discordance; it’s a concoction of intrigue and wonder. The album begins with ‘Let The Lights On’ an alt pop opener that contains industrial clanging and…

  • REVIEW: ALVVAYS – BLUE REV

    Canadian indie rockers Alvvays hit back with their 3rd effort ‘Blue Rev’. This time round the group open themselves to a heavier sound full of reverb and fuzz in an attempt to expand their reach. Pharmacist kick starts with a 2 minute burst of Lo-fi buzz with Molly Rankin’s soft…

  • Live Review: The Heavy North, Casino – Liverpool Arts Club, 24/9/2022.

    The infinite variety of set times and my own inattention to detail never cease to amaze me. I once turned up at 8 pm to a well-known Liverpool venue to be told the evening’s headliners would not be on stage for another 3 and-a-half hours. Tonight, arriving at 7 pm…

  • LIVE REVIEW: KATY J PEARSON – CLWB IFOR BACH 27/09/2022

    A riff raff ensemble; part antiques roadshow part first night out made for an eclectic crowd all here to admire the genius that is Katy J Pearson. Speedboat started the night to an already full and boisterous crowd. The duo took complete advantage of this, harnessing that energy and putting…

  • LIVE REVIEW: Lauran Hibberd Clwb Ifor Bach 22/09/22

    Cardiff’s youth were out in full attendance to bear witness to an exciting and refreshing array of talent. Viji opened proceedings with their moody, Lo- fi indie. Drum led grooves were in high supply as the Austrian Brazilian Vanilla Jenner sauntered around the stage with pnash. A great gig opener…

  • REVIEW: DJO – DECIDE

    Strangers Things star Joe Keery returns with his DJO moniker to bring us another selection of alt nostalgic hits in his latest album ‘DECIDE’. DJO’s debut ‘twenty twenty’ saw the multi talented Keery delve into 80s synth laden sugary pop. Hits such as ‘Roddy’ and ‘Chateau’ displayed a real talent…

  • Live Review: Coach Party, Seagoth, Jimmy’s Liverpool, 8/9/2022.

    When my future grandchildren ask me, ‘Grandad, where were you when you heard that Queen Elizabeth had died?’ I can confidently reply, ‘On my way to see Coach Party‘s headline spot at Jimmy’s in Liverpool’. To paraphrase Orwell ‘All gigs are memorable, but some gigs are more memorable than others’.…

  • REVIEW: I Love You Jennifer B – Jockstrap

    How do you begin to describe Jockstrap? The duo who met in the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2016 have left critics and fans alike intrigued since their arrival. Each release seemingly diametrically opposed to what’s come before. ‘Neon’ gets the album underway in magnificent fashion. It’s…

  • Preview: Live at Leeds, 15/10/2022 – various venues.

    Along with Neighbourhood in Manchester and Sound City in Liverpool, Live at Leeds is one of my favourite city centre festivals and has now become an annual cross-Pennines pilgrimage. The quality of the emerging artists on show is always first rate. Headlining the larger spaces like the O2 Academy and…