Articles
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Music Interview: Matt Owens
|Matt Owens was a co-founder of the hugely successful indie-folk band Noah and the Whale – he played bass for them. Since they split, in 2015, he’s fronted raw rock ‘n’ roll outfit called Little ...read more -
Music Interview: Susie Vanner and Kipper Eldridge
|Susie Vanner could hold the record for the longest gap between a debut single and her first album coming out. In 1968, under the name Sue Lynne, she released a 7in on RCA, called ‘Reach ...read more -
Music Interview: Matt James of Gene
|To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their 1995 debut album, Olympian, anthemic ‘90s indie-Britrock band Gene have had their back catalogue reissued by Demon Music Group. The Deluxe Edition vinyl box set, Gene: The Albums, ...read more -
Music Interview: Emma Swift
|A few years ago, when she was struck down by crippling depression and suffering from writer’s block, Nashville-based country artist Emma Swift turned to Bob Dylan for help. “I began singing his songs as a ...read more -
Emma Swift: Blonde On The Tracks
|Australian-born country singer-songwriter Emma Swift’s Blonde On The Tracks is a collection of covers of some of her favourite Bob Dylan songs and it’s perfectly timed. Bob is back with his best album in years, ...read more -
Music Interview: Jason Brewer, The Explorer's Club
|During the first Covid-19 lockdown, one of the albums that kept me sane was the new, self-titled record by The Explorers Club. Paying homage to the lush orchestrations of Phil Spector and Burt Bacharach, as ...read more -
Music Interview: Dan Penn
|I’m talking to a songwriting legend, although I’m a bit worried that I can’t hear everything he’s saying. Dan Penn, Southern soul singer, songwriter, musician and record producer, is on the phone to me from ...read more -
Malojian: Humm
|Humm, the fifth album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Stevie Scullion, aka Malojian, wasn’t supposed to be released until September, but the COVID-19 lockdown prompted him to put it out as a digital download from Bandcamp ...read more -
Eyelids: The Accidental Falls
|Eyelids, from Portland, Oregon, could lay claim to being the coolest supergroup ever. They’re made up of US indie-rock royalty who’ve played with Guided By Voices, The Decemberists, Stephen Malkmus and Elliott Smith. The band’s ...read more -
Mark Lanegan: Straight Songs Of Sorrow
|Straight Songs of Sorrow, the twelfth studio album by gravel-voiced grunge survivor Mark Lanegan was never going to be an easy listen. In fact, it’s one of the darkest records he’s ever made, which is ...read more -
Music Interview: Amy LaVere
|Painting Blue, the new album by Memphis-based singer-songwriter Amy LaVere, was penned against a backdrop of doom and gloom and global issues, including Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory, global warming and racist and civil tensions. ...read more -
Music Interview: The Hanging Stars
|London country-psych-folk-rock band The Hanging Stars are in a good place – and I’m not just talking about the traditional East End pub that we’ve agreed to meet in. The five-piece – singer and guitarist ...read more -
Music Interview: Jerry Leger
|Canadian singer-songwriter Jerry Leger is a voracious collector of vinyl records. When I spoke to him on his last UK tour, ahead of a gig with his band, The Situation, in East London, he told ...read more -
Music Interview: Hannah Rose Platt
|Letters Under Floorboards, the second album by Hannah Rose Platt, is a big departure for the UK country and Americana singer-songwriter. Musically, it’s a major shift from her largely acoustic 2015 debut, Portraits – this ...read more -
The Rails – ‘This record is definitely more us…’
|English husband and wife duo The Rails – James Walbourne and Kami Thompson – have just made their best album yet. Recorded in London at the start of 2019, Cancel The Sun – their third ...read more