The Underground Stage
“A Tiarnie set is like cake, rich and sweet and impossible to get enough of. It should come with a warning though – while every song is pumped full of pop sugar, each slice is seasoned with a bitter sprinkle of realism. It may sound like you’re having the purest kind of fun, but there’s […]
“Sweetie’s second show emphasises the core of this band – they *really* care. Some bands project mayhem, some poetry, some technical skill, but at the heart of Sweetie is… well, heart. The range on offer in this set is broader than you can take in, but every single one bounds off the stage, chock full […]
BOYSCLUB may take the pace down a notch for their third single but the intensity remains, an echo of Smashing Pumpkins’ downbeat wall of sound. Their themes have always been confrontational, and once again this is emotionally tough going. That said, while they may not be for the faint of heart they’re absolutely chock full […]
From the staccato strum of the opening guitar to the melancholia (and the brogue) of the vocal, Alexander Biggs channels the spirit of Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison so hard and so clearly it makes me want to cry with loss and joy. Gently pounding with the subtlety and the power of a heartbeat, it builds […]
“Rolling Holy beam in from decades ago, full of wide spectrum wah pedals and phasers and flared trousers. Do not, however, mistake this for standard hippie fare – it may seem at first listen like it wants to put a flower in your hair, but there’s an edge to the sound that suggests it’d be […]
“Radicals stride confidently along a highwire between tight and loose. Depending on their mood, it’s either precision songwriting designed to cut through the noise of the night, or it’s off its leash and causing mischief and nicking your wallet. All of it is humongous grungy fun, every single note.” Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Subscribe […]
“Teddy Rizzo’s love for the technicians of rock screams through in this collection of instrumental pieces taken from his ‘Wai Kei’ EP. The Tom Morello influence is strong, but that precision is happily loosened and unspooled, occasionally venturing into full-on Bob Mould chord-mania. Accompanied only by cheerfully demented drumming, this is as stripped-back as it […]
Sill only a relatively few beats into their existence, Clay J Gladstone’s latest propels them forward harder and faster than even on their fearsome 2020 releases. Capturing the best bits of Violent Soho’s imperious guitars and sinewy basslines, and melding it with the wild eyes and unhinged abandon of Fangz, this is the sort of […]
“Dead Creation have no brakes, no lines. Too far? Not far enough. Too fast? Hit the accelerator. That dude’s got a bass in the shape of an ACTUAL axe, for crying out loud. You know what you’re getting here – your head beaten inside out, and handed back to you with a smile.” Facebook | […]