MY TOP THREES OF 2016 – SIMON ZACCAGNI

These are three of my favourites in each category, not a top 1, 2 and 3 like in a chart. GIGS Wild Billy Childish & CTMF at The Lexington: 21st May This was a brilliant day, and one the wife and I had been really looking forward to. We used to go and watch Billy […]
GIGS Bjork, Hammersmith Apollo There is no break up album as painfully honest as Bjork’s Vulnicura. Take away the percussion and it’s all the more devastating. With lines like ‘family was our sacred mission that you abandoned’ delivered on a regular basis, this was going to be no light-hearted Saturday evening. And it isn’t long […]

MY TOP THREES OF 2016 – PADDY KINSELLA

MY TOP THREES OF 2016 – ANDY VINE

GIGS 1) Los Campesinos! at Brudenell, Leeds Los Campesinos are the best band in the country and the Brudenell is the best venue in the country (even if it is on the wrong side of the Pennines). They curated an all dayer of their favourite bands, a stellar lineup including the likes of Hookworms, Slow […]
GIGS 1) Beck at Albert Hall An all encompassing greatest hits set which could be one of the best things I’ve ever seen 2) LCD Soundsystem at Primavera Sound The best comeback – not half arsed, but full blooded and joyous to behold 3) Nicolas Jaar at Granada Studios The single best electronic performance I’ve […]

MY TOP THREES OF 2016 – RICHARD WALKER

MY TOP THREES OF 2016 – SARAH STARKEY

GIGS Ultimate Painting, 30/09/2016, Deaf Institute Full of 60s rhythmic tunes and glorious earworm riffs, this set both showcased new releases such as the catchy ‘Bills’ and ‘Monday Morning, Somewhere Central’ a wistful gentle music whirl of beautiful heartbreak; as well as delivering songs from their previous albums pleasing the crowd with California vibes. Being […]
GIGS Christine and the Queens – Apollo – 04/11/2016 I felt at the time that this was my favourite musical night of the year and I still feel the same way. Review here. Grant-Lee Phillips – The Deaf Institute – 30/04/2016 My abiding memory of this one is Phillips attaching a capo to his guitar for the coda to ‘Lone Star Song’ without missing a […]

MY TOP THREES OF 2016 – STEVE JONES

MY TOP THREES OF 2016 – WILL LAWTON

GIGS God Damn – Newcastle Riverside Since seeing the punk trio-turned-duo-turned-trio-again support the Foo Fighters in 2015, they have come a long way. Releasing their best album to date this year, Everything Ever, saw them take to the road supporting Red Fang. They, as always, brought energy to the stage and gave an electrifying performance […]
Despite wide critical acclaim and praise from friends, I was definitely a ‘johnny-come-lately’ to Marissa Nadler and found myself stunned by the quality of her most recent record ‘Strangers’. The album, for me, confirmed Marissa’s position as a classic story teller as I became obsessed with finding the answers to each question prompted by her […]

INTERVIEW: MARISSA NADLER

INTERVIEW: JOFRIÐUR AKADOTTIR (PASCAL PINON / SAMARIS / JFDR / GANGLY)

Björk recently named Jofriður Akadottir as one of her favourite new artists in a piece for The Guardian. In that article, Björk admitted her obsession for Jofriður’s innovative techno band Samaris and praised her other work. For someone who has just entered her 20’s, Jofriður has released a hell of a lot of music. She […]
– EVERYTHING EVERYTHING, DAVE HASLAM, SILENT RADIO & BRIAN CANNON AMONGST PANEL SPEAKERS CONFIRMED AT OFF THE RECORD – Brand new emerging artist multi-venue music event and conference, Off The Record confirms Mercury Music Prize nominees, Everything Everything, as its special keynote speaker as part of the conference element of the event held in Manchester […]

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