Becoming one of the biggest, loudest, and most honest metalcore acts in the scene right now, Beartooth are in the midst of a new evolution both personally and musically. Beginning with their previous release The Surface, the American outfit are continuing on their destined path of success with a whole new set of directions. Following this road further into brighter backgrounds, this is Pure Ecstasy.

Opening with the title track, it sets the mood for the record. It’s the signature metal influences at play while what feels like starting all over again. Ending with a stripped-back recording of frontman Caleb Shomo singing the chorus, the track runs smoothly into the follow-up, ‘Eyes Closed’. A track about moving through life blind to the future - described literally in the lyrics as moving “with my eyes closed” - it can be a meeting of both the positives and negatives. Realising that living life without seeing, hearing and feeling everything is not living in any way, and coming to terms with what comes after said realisation sets in.

Shomo’s vocals have taken a step up not only in quality with this record, but in the soul and the passion behind it. Duetting with himself on this record, in the likes of ‘Eyes Closed’, it is an artistic choice that mirrors two sides of one personality talking, debating, arguing. Something that every person has had at one time or another over life events, identity crises, and other parts of the human experience. Contrastingly, Shomo can also highlight almost immediately after this how he can take sole storytelling to a new level; such as in ‘Bullshit’, where his vocal aspect changes throughout the chorus as it grows louder, rougher, and ends as full on guttural screams of pain and anxiety.

At the midpoint of the album is ‘Free’, the first single released and the first taste of the new era given to fans. It’s lighter in tone, while not compromising on musical composition. An uplifting song that comes across as both a therapeutic exercise and a heavy rock anthem. With Shomo’s soft chants of, “I’m free, I’m free, I’m free”, it expresses the pure no-holding-back flow of energy that comes out when obstacles are out of the way. When the weight of the world falls off one’s shoulders for the first time. However, including references to pain and suffocation could also throw in a conflicting reason to the sudden release of freedom: the implication that one is not free in life, but feeling free in the afterlife.

Beartooth have acquired the fame and fan following they received from being as open and uncensored as possible about anxiety, depression, repression and feeling tied down to life’s cruel nature. Pure Ecstasy however seems to be taking a new turn, with a new energy running through the band that took all this time to understand and hone into their creative crafts.

Ending the record with ‘I Made It’, it closes everything on the highest note the band could possibly bring to the eleven-track masterpiece. Beginning with a phone recording about promising to begin living authentically and being true to oneself, this is the track that stands out as the most personal and meaningful for Beartooth and Shomo himself. With the context of the vocalist’s recent emotional and identity transformation, this pulls at the heartstrings with every lyric. With the music fading out slowly at the end, with Shomo’s voice becoming softer, more fragile, the record closes with the hardest hitting lyric of its entirety: “I guess loving myself could never be true”.

Pure Ecstasy is a waging war within oneself coming to its end, and determining what the result of this war will be. It’s either risking everything to become fully and completely actualised and live how one feels happiest; or toughing it out and conforming for everyone’s sake until being granted freedom upon death. It reflects the wider social and political culture and the effect that can have on individuals that do not meet the standards of what is right, what is normal, and what is expected, and how they come out of that hellscape. However, as the album title and the closing song reflect, there is never a better feeling than just being oneself. That is the best way of experiencing pure ecstasy.

Words by Jo Cosgrove

This week's Band of the Week is Cornish based four-piece Fletchr Fletchr - who have just released their second EP 'On The Island We Call Home' via Polydor.

It sees the young band truly bloom. With songs encompassing universal anxieties about modern life, whilst remaining charged with hope and optimism via their widescreen brand of indie rock, it makes for a life-affirming concoction.

Following up from their debut EP ‘We All Feel the Same’, this latest self-produced body of work also sees the band mature into more nuanced songwriters, exploring their vulnerabilities via vivid guitar textures and introspective lyrical depth.

Speaking about the new EP, lead vocalist Rohan Fletcher says: “‘On The Island We Call Home’ feels like our most polished piece of work yet. While still completely self-produced, we’ve refined what we learnt from ‘We All Feel The Same’ into a much heavier hitting project that was curated to translate on the live stage. We dive deeper than we have before on this EP, and it’s only the start of our next chapter.

The themes we explore are more mature and we approach them with a better sense of what’s going on around us. You can hear a bit more angst and anger in this new set of songs… from ‘Streetlights’ talking about the difficulties of relationships; ‘Fucking With My Head’ being about anxiety, and ‘Passenger’ which is about the state of the UK right now. There’s a lot for people listening to take and put their own meanings to."

Due to head out on tour this autumn - the band took a moment to chat to us about how the EP came together.

Hey there, how are you? So your EP is out now – how does it feel to have it out there?
Really good thank you! We started working on this project about a year ago and have been through lots of up and downs on the mix and overall vibe we wanted to create, but I think it’s really paid off and resulted in our best piece of work yet.

It is called 'On The Island We Call Home' – what is the meaning behind that?
It’s stating what we are. We’re an English band that have grown up and spent our time all around this country. We wanted to address things that we were happy and unhappy about, not just with our lives but with the place we live and call home.

Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories you are willing to share with us?
It was written and recorded pretty much all in Cornwall. We booked out a studio in Perranporth, locked ourselves in there for ten days and self-produced ten songs. The five that made it onto he EP were our favourites. 

What are the key influences behind the EP?
We've definitely taken some inspiration from the indie/guitar scene at the moment, by using heavier guitars and rhythms in a lot of these new songs, and leaning into a bit of a darker sound than the last EP.

If the EP could be a soundtrack to any film – which one and why?
We had Requiem for a Dream in our heads a lot during the production process, but I think it’s ended up happier than that. So, I’d say, Perks of being a Wallflower.

Do you have a favourite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why?
'It don’t feel good being a passenger, front row at your own show'. I think it’s sums up the whole EP of feeling like you don’t have control of the world around you, but also learning that you’ve got to accept that. 

Now the EP is out there – what next for you?
Album. We can’t wait for it.

Victoria Park’s annual eclectic array of shows teams up with heavy music juggernaut Outbreak Festival to deliver an all-star cast of truly unforgettable shows.

All Points East is a long-standing pillar of the London music scene, having hosted a plethora of the world’s best and brightest from every genre over the years, but this year's collaborative team-up with Outbreak Festival saw various kings and queens of heavy music descend upon Victoria Park for a riot-filled day of action-packed sets, vicious musicianship and unyielding raw talent. The line-up this year was the definition of stacked, hosting titans like Deftness, Idles, AFI, Amyl and the Sniffers and Basement across their main stages while remaining to champion smaller artists from the alternative scene with bands like Tooth, Wisp, Show Me the Body and Ecca Vandal alongside a variety of high-energy hip-hop artists such as JPEGMAFIA, EssDee Kid and Kenny Mason. These scenes have often run alongside each other on the precipice of counterculture, and to see them welded together into such an ironclad event and have these communities celebrated made for a seminal musical experience. Every band was truly on top form across all stages, with the north arena stage hosting a blend of rap artists and up-and-coming heavy hitters, while the Rising, X and E3 stages pulled together a host of excellent new artists. This, coupled with the powerhouse talents across each stage, proved to be truly unforgettable. 

As the waves of Deftones shirts and eyeliner-clad fans began to swarm the arena, the smaller stages were off to the races with Show Me the Body beating the north arena crowd into submission with their fast paced and glaring riffs and gathering a host of new fans while they were at it, as this set raged on it soon became time for the very first big name on the bill to open up the east stage, Basement. Not far removed from their iconic and earth-shattering headline set of Outbreak Manchester, Basement took the stage to potentially one of the biggest and most unruly crowds I have ever witnessed for an opener. This set proved that it will be no time at all before they have their name on the marquee for a gigantic event like this, as every step Basement have taken thus far behind their 2026 release ’WIRED’ has been calculated and hyper successful. The unyielding forward momentum that they possess is something that is sung to the heavens time and time again, as Andrew said at their Manchester show, ’Basement is not a nostalgia band; this is a living, breathing creative process’, and their live shows take that to the next level. They opened up by tearing straight through a host of tracks from ‘WIRED’, with ’Time Waster’ proving to be the perfect song to put some bounce in the crowd. There was a sense of immediacy to the energy they brought as their older bangers like ‘Covet’ and ‘Hole’ rang out over mosh pits and crowd surfers from beginning to end before closing out on the brilliant ‘Promise Everything’.

After Basement, it was clear that the crowd was raring to go, and as Basement ended, the crowd were fortunate enough to be able to make a mad dash through the dust and dry heat over to the west stage for Philadelphia powerhouse, Mannequin Pussy. Their set was laden with charm, aggression and powerful political messaging that drove a deep sense of purpose into the crowd as they raged through hardcore-style heavy hitters like ‘Pigs Is Pigs’ and ‘OK? OK! OK? OK!’ In a cacophony of flailing limbs and coarse screams, before bringing it back down for their elegant and sharp closing track ‘Loud Bark’. The sheer magnetism and stage presence of Mannequin pussy is second to none and created this trance-like energy around the adoring fans that crowded the stage.

This set was closely followed by the most intricate and stylishly aggressive hip-hop artist on the bill, JPEGMAFIA. Known for blending elements of modern hip-hop and other alternative genres, he, along with his 4-piece ensemble, took to the stage with the tenacious frontman making the brave choice of wearing an entire blacked-out suit and gloves; this was not a case of style over substance, however, as JPEGMAFIA came to tear the roof down. His band backed his rapid and punchy flows through every track. The highlights of which were a beautifully performed cover of Carly-Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ and the scathing and punk-centred ‘I Scream in the Mirror Before I Interact with Anyone’. This hard-hitting set was the perfect example of the kind of power on display when artists blend countercultures into a fresh and eccentric sound and opened up new doors for many people who may have just been fans of one of those respective genres. 

The next two trips through the dust bowl proved very worthwhile as the east and west stages respectively hosted AFI and Interpol, two drastically different bands that were both absolutely astounding for different reasons. While both bands sounded fantastic, the energy and presence were two different beasts within themselves. AFI brought a daring and enthusiastic hard classic rock feel to the stage, and to this day I will always wonder how on earth this band aren’t playing stadiums. Their presence, especially the sheer tenacity and unencumbered energy of the lead singer Davey Havok, is lightning in a bottle, and to witness that on a festival stage felt like. Headline set, everything from their love of harmonics to their expert craftsmanship made for a truly wild ride. Both of these bands’ stage presence have aged like fine wine, as the AFI sound feels even better live now than it does on record at their peak. Their loud and in-your-face style made for one of the most energetic sets of the weekend as various members of the bands flung themselves off of the risers and now likely possess enough air miles to get to the middle of France for free. Interpol were the opposite end of the scale, while remaining just as brilliant. Their brooding and scalded sound was only amplified by the band’s sheer style and swagger. Interpol are exactly what you would imagine a rock band to look like and took to the stage as the epitome of cool, burning through songs like ‘Obstacle 1’ and ‘PDA’ with a burning passion and without a note out of place. Everything about both of these bands propelled energy into both of their enormous crowds and acted as the perfect deviation from the rest of the line-up, keeping things fresh and ready for the final three acts on these main stages. 

Amyl and the Sniffers were the next act on the east stage and cemented their place as future hall of famers. Their unique blend of Aussie punk has been one of the greatest things to witness in the modern music scene, and having seen them before, anticipation was high for this monstrous set, and needless to say, all expectations were blown out of the water. Their carefree tracks like ‘Tiny Bikini’ and ‘Me and the Girls’ from their 2024 album had a buoyant and vibrant energy in their lyricism that created a perfect classic with the piercing and vicious instrumentals. The raw talent of the instrumental section boosts the performance to new heights every time, and despite having a replacement bassist, everyone stayed in the pocket and shredded away for the whole set. Declan, the guitarist for the Aussie four piece, may very well be one of the best around at the moment and it's mesmerising to see someone enjoy themselves that much while playing such complex and intricately woven solos, this is reinforced tenfold by their rhythm section who again despite the stand in made Amy Taylors job of dancing like a woman possessed while singing with vitriol and unbridled punk energy even easier. 

Following immediately after Amyl’s whirlwind set, it was time for our west stage headliner, Bristol’s very own Idles. This band holds a special place for me, being from Bristol, and seeing them succeed and become so prominent at the level they operate within is astounding. Idles bring the heat every time they grace the stage, and All Points East was no different. Their set is down to an eloquently performed routine now: the scorned rasping vocals and a jungle of discordant tones takes the very ethos of punk music and amplifies it with frenzied inspiration and creative prowess, and this is never more evident than when you’re watching it happen meters away from you. Starting heavy on Colossus, they battled through the dust-ridden crowd and kept their high energy maniacal tone up the entire set, pouring emotion and spite into personal songs like ‘Mother’ and ‘The Wheel’ while remaining dancey and radiant the entire time despite the heavy context behind these tracks. Their action-packed hour saw pits on top of pits for barbarous tracks like ‘Mr. Motivator’ and ‘Never Fight a Man with a Perm’. Their aggressive form of community and loving care for themselves and their fans is always clear and this care coupled with the honest and true fighting for a better tomorrow for people worldwide makes idles fans everywhere proud to call their catalogue and their performances a home away from home, this strong sense of unity often comes out in the form of ‘Danny Nedelko’ and in the current climate this song both live and on record acts as a beacon of hope for people to be able to stand together and that they did, arm in arm or arm in face if you were caught in the middle of the pit every word was growled back at the stage from an energised and communal crowd. Idles acted as the perfect sub-headliner as they injected dopamine into the festival audience for one last time before the big finale, the mighty Deftones.

A long-standing titan of this millennium’s metal scene, Deftones had managed to capture the spirit of what made their previous records so powerful and inject it into an all-new time frame with their 2025 album ‘Private Music’. After touring around the UK in February of this year and leaving a real mark on the crowds that were present to bear witness, this return wasn’t wanted; it was necessary. The crowd packed themselves in tightly to the east stage as far back as the eye could see and waited in anxious anticipation to be shrouded in the foreboding and chilling sound of their long running catalogue and as soon as the first high pitch harmonic chord of ’Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’ was struck it rang out to a rampant applause and collection of cheers before jumping straight into the chaos. Opening on such a classic was the perfect plan to sow the seeds of disarray, a theme that carried out through the entirety of the set. Aside from the astounding performance itself the on-screen visuals and the stage lighting were some of the most ingenious I have seen for a festival stage, the already dense and sonically rich atmosphere of the deftness performance is greatly amplified by the uncanny and strange visuals that back their set through its duration and made the set feel much more special as every song felt as if it was the centre of the universe and everything else was existing around it. The immersion of their live performance was best demonstrated in the songs from their albums ‘Diamond Eyes’ and the aforementioned ‘Private Music’. While the tone of diamond eyes is a more eerie and calculated sound, they kept its original feel and added heavier tones and more brutal compositions, allowing it to flow through the energy of the crowd seamlessly while songs like ‘Private Music’s’ ‘Locked Club’ and ‘My Mind Is a Mountain’ carried the raw power throughout the first half of the set without missing a single beat.

The second half of their set contained a similar host of classics and deep cuts to channel the crowd’s unwavering energy as the guttural screams of tracks like ‘Infinite Source’ gave way to emotive and cavernous singalongs like ’Sextapes’. The mix of sound and style suited the band so well as this unapologetic change of pace kept anticipation high and allowed for all forms of self-expression. Be it dancing like a lunatic and screaming the air from your lungs or swaying amidst a singalong, the vibe was perfectly encapsulated by every song and allowed the flow of the set to work its magic while Deftones kept their truly magnetic performance rolling. As we came to a close, they played three of their biggest and best songs, after seeming as if they had already laid it all out on the stage it was a pleasant surprise to hear the agony in people's voices as they attempted to harmonise with the band through ‘Change (In the House of Flies) before giving us two of the best live songs I have ever seen. The first of these two was obvious, that being ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’, arguably the most influential and grandiose song in their catalogue, a song that inspired waves and generations of bands after to make some of the music that the Outbreak crowd hold so dear. This song gave Deftones the power of the world in their hands as they commanded the crowd through its rhapsodies of anarchy; everyone throughout the entire crowd showed up to let loose for that song with pits forming front to back and gangs of audience members slamming into each other in pure elation. This energy was melded yet again into my personal favourite of the evening,’7 Words’. A no-holds-barred anthem from their first album that saw the range of Chino’s vocals pushed to their limits as he squealed and writhed in anger during the songs malicious chorus and final breakdown. Every part of this performance was on point; the rapid crunching riffs played over the pounding of Abe’s drum kit as the band gave it their absolute all made for the perfect close to a set that I and many others will remember forever.

All Points East did a phenomenal job at displaying all levels of the alternative scene and has really given a platform to bands that rightfully deserve it. It was an honour to be able to witness these sets and experience the depth of talent that these genres possess, and it has me hopeful for the future of these festivals. If organisations can keep creating spaces for artists to flourish, grow and show off the art, the passion and the aggression that they need to show the world, then it will inspire more artists for years to come to keep creating music that breathes life into these alternative scenes. Outbreak and All Points East have pulled off a true masterclass of entertainment, and after the layer of dust has been washed off and your vocal cords have recovered, make sure you grab tickets to local shows and band tours to ensure that you can give life to the scene from the other side of the stage the way that these bands have this past weekend. 

Words by Josh Pook
Photography Stefania Semini

Arctangent festival bows out of Fernhill Farm with a truly one-of-a-kind event; featuring Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas’ iconic genre-defining album Mariner performed in full, alongside a collection of names like Chelsea Wolfe, Maruja and Igorrr that showcase the unique brilliance of Arctangent

I was there, the day Arctangent said goodbye to Fernhill Farm. I was there, the day Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas played ‘Mariner’ in full to celebrate its ten-year anniversary. I was there the day a man dressed in nothing but empty beer boxes decided to engage in a brawl with a man dressed as a giant dinosaur. In a festival full of “I was there” moments – Arctangent gave us one legendary final bow. 

When I mentioned that I was going to Arctangent festival to my flatmate as I was running out the door; she commented “it looks a bit niche”. Niche is an understatement: Arctangent’s genre variety in the post/prog/punk metal fields showcases a lineup diversity that drifts between shoegaze and post punk at the touch of a button. One stage you’ll have Maruja and their post-punk brilliance with a touch of elevated jazz to their chaos and mayhem the next you’ll have Eivør performing ‘The Last Kingdom’ main theme alongside Chat Pile’s frontman Ray B listing a history of films made about music festivals to a befuddled crowd here for a brawl. The only genre best served for Arctangent is “Arctangent” – and festival organiser James Scarlett and company has crafted such a unique sphere of influence that it’s hard not to be pulled in over the trendier festivals of All Points East and hipster escape of Green Man happening the same weekend. 

This edition is particularly memorable for it is the last year at Fernhill Farm in Bristol before the festival site ups sticks and moves to the Cotswolds, about an hour from Birmingham. So predictably, when I arrive on the Thursday, unable to make it down for the pre-festival warm-up party containing Svalbard’s last ever show among other bands like Papanagu and Cardiacs, it immediately becomes apparent that Fernhill Farm exists in a world unto itself: despite being the centre of a summer-long record-breaking twice over heatwave; we arrive on the only day where the heavens open and rain floods the field. But it couldn’t have been timed better – the coach gets into Fernhill Farm for ONE LAST TIME – I can’t stress this enough, we’re never going back to Fernhill again – there’s something mythical, romantic about a swansong that isn’t really a swansong because the core spirit of Arctangent is staying the same – it’s just moving places – the sun bursts from the heavens and we get ridiculously lucky with the ability to put up a tent in the sun.

THURSDAY 20 AUGUST 

I make it over to the Arc Stage for Ian, first up – who go down a storm, and their cult of a fandom is very much real and alive. For a band on at 11am they have a huge turnout and make the most of it – emerging out of Exeter’s early 00s punk scene and have the visceral allure of Cult of Luna and Amenra almost instantly. ‘Come on Everybody, Let’s Do Nothing’ is a fantastic debut launch of an album and we are treated to a series of slowly mounting riffs that build and build with the allure of a master at work – their demand had them packed out the Dev at Desertfest long before start time; and it instantly becomes apparent that it won’t be long before they’re elevated further and further up the billing. What a way to start Arctangent – coming out of the gates and firing on all cylinders. You want hurling riffs you’ve come to the right place. 

In need of a rest, second band we see on the main stage is Iskandr and by this time the party is in full effect – Arctangent is a marathon not a sprint and if you wanted to you could see upwards of 10 bands before 7pm so the trick is pacing yourself and not getting plastered too early. The number of bands means it’s a sober festival with barely any amount of time to stop for food or drinks, and the step count is higher than most regular festivals of twice Arctangent’s size. Iskandr’s psychedelic folk doom is triumphant and a real winner that position him up for tastemaker festival Left of the Dial nicely as a solo one-man-band, dipping into black metal with a swirl of post-industrial music that brings back the era of the 60s and 70s.  It’s vivid and sinister, like a dream that quickly becomes a nightmare – murky and trusting the atmosphere from the go. Arctangent is an atmospheric festival and Iskandr couldn’t be more at home here.

Photo Credit: Abbi Draper-Scott

Matador have a cover of ‘Where is My Mind?’ that they bring their own allure and mystique in a sludge-y metal way, using their cinematic influences to make a memorable setlist that comes alive with a sonic wall of sound that’s impossible to tear away from. ‘The House Always Wins’ is an instant mood-setter – and the psychedelic post-metal feels incredibly expansive. You could see them at Desertfest sooner rather than later – a band quickly on the rise that has a touch of clean sound to it that navigates through the rawness. 

It’s a quick run to Zeta who are one of the more stylistically unique and different bands of Arctangent’s whole lineup, focused on dense polyrhythmic percussion mixed in with Afro-Caribbean music and injected with pure unaltered punk psych. They’re one of the more eye-catching bands on Arctangent’s entire lineup and their performance creates an instant 70s style vibe that draws many in instantly – and creates many new ones. Impossible to tear away from I was hooked and they end up being my favourite of the whole weekend; leading an angry cry against America and how members of their band can’t be allowed into the country due to their birth location – as they bring themselves from Venezuela to the UK they come thousands of miles away for a memorable experience that’s instantly peerless in their form.

Photo Credit: Abbi Draper-Scott

Psychonaut and Benthos come next, the post-rock industrial sounds of Psychonaut create an instant foundation that builds on a psychedelic prog and have been thriving in the scene of Europe’s underground for almost a decade – crafting their own unique sphere of influence in Belgium to the point where they’ve ended up this year at Rock Werchter; their version of Reading and Leeds. The thunderous doom that accompanies a Psychonaut set has vocalist Thomas Michiels in the form of his life – opposite Benthos’ prog brilliance that was worthy of a repeat trip after such a memorable show at Radar in Manchester earlier in the month, they’re even better here. The Italians mix mathcore with post-hardcore and psych to create such a unique sound that’s impossible to turn away from. I love ‘Perpetual Drone Monkeys’ and you should too – an instant highlight of a sound that feels so utterly distinctive, starting high and then roaring into life with the way that few bands can capture their vocal range.

For most festivals this would be enough but Arctangent just keep going. The double header of Nordic Giants and Agent Fresco is incredible, and a comedown means we miss Alcest – but man, the wonderfully named Tony Danza Tapdance Extravangaza goes hard with a pure noise onslaught of math rock that is loud, abrasive, and goads the crowd by encouraging them to crowd-surf the most times to win a tee shirt, and anyone who leaves Arctangent early and sees them at their other shows and does it the same number of times will win a permanent guest list spot. It gets the crowd motivated and they brawl – Arctangent capable of switching between the sonic cinematic post-rockers of Nordic Giants and Tony Danza feels like chucking a grenade into a room and watching it explode – a mosh-friendly audience leaping at the opportunity to go apeshit.

It’s seven pm then, and normal doors open time for any normal gig. But this is Arctangent: I’ve seen ten bands already and Igorrr are only just coming on. And oh my god, Igorrr. They give one of the best sets of the entire festival – a thunderous onslaught of ‘Blastbeat Falafels’ that tear through AOTY-contender of 2025, ‘Amen’, with French composer Gautier Serre exploring the eternal battle between good and evil in as avant-garde a fashion as you can expect. It’s a never-ending wall of sound that feels spiritually unique and all-encompassing with a wholly eclectic set – able to drift between searing opera and gut-punching metal force. They have a ‘fuck it, let’s throw everything at the wall and see what sticks’ approach with extreme metal mixed in with opera and techno that allows the Arctangent crowd to eat up the metal with the appropriate fury of a master craftman at work.

After missing Maruja at Arctangent in 2024 and being completely bowled over by EP ‘Connla’s Well’ and album ‘Pain to Power’ – I knew I couldn’t resist a spell in the chaotic pit that shows you the kind of post-punk band that would play at Arctangent – don’t expect more traditional post punk outfits like IDLES or Amyl and the Sniffers – both at Outbreak in London at the weekend; but the jazz-riddled eulogy of Maruja’s music makes it a perfect centre-piece to be placed in between two big name acts – electric, majestic and triumphant in all its forms – ‘Look Down On Us’ encourages the crowd to brawl and a pit to open before the jazz brings the tempo down a bit, the rap-type beats almost echoing the punchier Kneecap but given a jazz-twirling swirl. The instrumentals, flows and breakdowns are top tier and the sonic inflections are filled with passion right from the off – a ten-minute saga of a song deployed in real force that just keeps going and going, Maruja refusing to bow to such a thing called convention. The dance between melting pot of pit-starting energy and swirling jazz is a match made in heaven; as Maruja craft a stranglehold as one of the most unique offerings on the entire lineup.

Day One headliner Chelsea Wolfe wraps up the day in style – her majestic slower, mystical approach bringing the tempo down after the fury of the pits to give a calmer launch day for the Thursday as we’re swept under her aura – ‘The Dark’ is one of the best albums of 2026 thus so far and to see much of it live with the aid of a brilliant crowd – one of the strengths of Arctangent is how respectful of the band everyone in the tent is - is a real delight – as Chelsea Wolfe is able to launch a commanding ode to her craft. New songs ‘Death is Not the End, the Dark’ and ‘Cold’ fit in seamlessly with tracks from ‘She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She’ and instantly pull you in across the board. 

Photo Credit: Jez Pennington

FRIDAY 21

The first band I make it down for is moksha, a side project of the brilliantly loud Ithaca who have recently ended their run as a band. It is immediately clear moksha are a different beast entirely – founded by Sam Chetan-Welsh, who is aware that for everyone there because he was in Ithaca moksha are very much not Ithaca, a spiritual guitar band that would almost be more at home at Green Man or End of the Road with their Beverly and Glenn Copeland covers mixed in with humour in-between sets. Yet moksha’s style suits Arctangent perfectly – an art rock collective that can spotlight debut single ‘Three Rivers’ that takes its name from the confluence of three sacred rivers in India where families come to immerse the ashes of loved ones and perform rituals connected with remembrance and comes up with the core DNA of the band. It is the hope of moksha – liberation, and that is the core founding pillars of the band that embrace emo, with math and a touch of jazz with a whirlwind of unique instruments that really make for such a different set.

We then get Windmill-scene favourites Ringlets next, abrasively brilliant with tracks like ‘Posh Girl Holds A Whip’ and ‘Ancient Gays’, and the cinematic brilliance of Civil Service who prove that not all Civil Services are entirely useless country wide, going through ‘These Cities are Ruins’ and ‘She Would Never Retreat, Their Negativity Just Made Her Stronger’ in spades – pulling almost entirely from Dark /// - another excellent record from 2025. The atmospheric flair is given emotional depth with enough vocals to prevent it from becoming a purely instrumental piece – but it’s a band that when you learn guests on the album included the likes of Overhead, the Albatross and Hidden Mothers it’s easy to see why.

You Win Again Gravity and Conjurer are the next two bands - You Win Again Gravity using this show as a proving ground for new album ‘Don’t Leave Me Here, Pt.1’ that encourages a cinematic storytelling that allows their songwriting to really shine. Tracks like ‘Character Arc’ and ‘Something Has to Change’ get the run out; the band tapping into post metal with a proggy melodic sense of awe that isn’t afraid to tap into hardcore, delving deep into the breakdowns that aren’t afraid to hold back. I really like Conjurer – and to see them again allows the black metal to come fully around is triumphant again after multiple festival sets in the past. It is unrelenting, propulsive energy that feels truly angry and alive. 

If you think you have seen mosh pits you have not seen a Heck pit before. I’m telling you this now in case they ever come back again because it is their final show again, tempted out of retirement for a throw of the dice at Arctangent. It’s amazing any of Yohkai’s construction is left standing by the time the brawl that Heck start is done – formed under the name of Baby Godzilla almost TWENTY years ago and returning for a swansong after bidding goodbye the first time in 2017. This is a band that has developed a reputation for chaotic shows and their only full-length album ‘Instructions’ allowed for them to burn brighter than Icarus with a short-lived but memorable stay that made sure anyone who saw them live would be talking about them for decades after they wrapped. Hardcore math rock allows for a force of sheer pandemonium with extreme noise that sees frontman Joe Rawson climb almost to the top of Yohkai’s construction – no small feat – before throwing himself off onto the clutches of as many big boys as he can find. The chaos really starts in full fashion and just does not let up – it is the most intense pit of the whole festival and arguably, of the whole year. No pit before or since will rival Heck at Arctangent 2026, mark my words.

Photo Credit: Derek Bremner

There is a rare overlap between both 2,000 Trees and Arctangent, both booked by James Scarlett, and Arcane Roots is that overlap, having played twice at Trees and once at Arctangent this means it is now the third time I’ve seen them in two months. And what a full force it is for Arcane Roots – whose prog math rock brilliance shine brighter than they have done; bombastic with a cinematic air of grandeur that really embraces the inner chaos driven nature of it all. ‘A Wave, Across the Sea’ tricks the audience into thinking it’s going to be a casual set and then all hell breaks lose with Arcane Roots unleashing full havoc – a run through ‘Heaven and Earth’ and ‘Melancholia Hymns’ is more than welcome; Arcane Roots prove their staying power as they celebrate those who were there – no matter what time they joined, just as long as they joined the Arcane Roots experience, that is enough. 

It is a quieter Friday for me; unconvinced by Primus – but I do have time for BRUIT <’s cinematographic post rock with the Toulouse quartet never being subtle in their approach: BRUIT literally means noise – and having written albums in mountains and recorded them in churches before; it shows you everything you need to know about their allure for insanity. It’s just pure chaos – conceptual and born on a desire and need to exist independently. It shows live – as they make the most out of a small tent, even if at this point in the evening the atmosphere is noticeably different as many people re here for Primus rather than the usual core bunch of Arctangent regulars – a very different vibe across the festival on this day in particular. It doesn’t change the fact that the crowd are lovely and warm, welcoming everywhere you go – and within less than half an hour of arriving in Arctangent’s field, you already come across plenty of friendly, familiar faces. I’ve been going since 2024 and it practically feels like a second home. No festival elsewhere exists that has the vibe that Arctangent has – and I count myself lucky to have experienced three editions at Fernhill Farm.

Photo Credit: Jez Pennington

SATURDAY 22

And so dawns the final day. The sun is shining and we’re here for the final ever day at Fernhill – switching locations to the lofty Todenham Manor Farm near Moreton-in-Marsh, as a result of the landowners deciding last year they no longer wanted Arctangent on their farm – we see it move for the first time for horizons new. And it is for Kathryn Joseph who kicks things off, a slower tempo arthouse fair that feels wholly mythmaking. The debut ‘Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I’ve Spilled’ won the 2015 Scottish album of the year award and it’s easy to see her talent deployed can elevate her to bigger headline slots. The punctual named ‘DEER.’ ‘WOLF.’ ‘ROADKILL.’ Are blunt but show you her thematic relevance, as she taps into newer record ‘WE WERE MADE PREY’ that feels like a culmination of her work thus so far over the course of her career with an entrancing, dark folk template that maximises the conflict between living things and the animal call of the wild. The accents vary and the dreamy lyrics almost have you in awe.

Jo Quail has played Arctangent before but is the first time she has brought the Crossbones ensemble in tow. She goes through ‘Butterfly Dance’, ‘Rex’, and the majestic ‘First Rain’ where she commands the audience to listen and the audience almost universally obeys. It is a spell being cast on the crowd with outstanding backing visuals that make for one of the best sets of the whole festival and a perfect pairing with Kathryn Joseph for a calmer but no less cinematographic feel of ‘Notan’ – that bridges the divide between metal and classical music in a way that few artists can and instantly makes a case for both genres being so much similar than they are – this feels like it inhabits in the same space as Wardruna and God is an Astronaut, and it’s easy to see why they’ve enlisted Quail to play with them in the past. I wonder how many of the Crossbones ensemble will return to Arctangent with as a loyal following as Quail has – she is truly one of a kind and to see her live is such a rare treat. For sets like Quail’s and Joseph’s it is why I return to Arctangent time and time again, and time and time again it has not disappointed one bit.

So naturally, the next act that I see is emo pop punkers itoldyouiwouldeatyou, all one word, all lower case, who bring comedy into the equation opening their set with jokes about both members being unable to look at each other because of their neurodivergence and then commentary on “autism? At Arctangent?” and it being more in common than you think – and it’s true, it’s a festival that’s a known heaven for neurodivergent people and a real welcome difference from the more commercially-driven events like All Points East that appeal to the masses.  Yet itoldyouiwouldeatyou lean into this commercial feel and create a fashion show for their merch mid set; and are as good as a comedians as they are artists. This lends us into nicely for the comedy variety hour of Arctangent with the legendary Jamie Lenman – who tore up Great Escape with an acoustic set earlier in the year, talks shit about Primus as diplomatically as he can saying that when he saw them they were bad but apparently they were good the night before – and takes time to praise Hang Linton, one of the most unique sets of Arctangent who is on just before with so much energy coming out of one man he’s made me an instant fan (check out ‘Radiator’ and ‘MAD DOG’) – and wows the crowd over.

Photo Credit: Carl Battams

Lenman argues that he is the first person to challenge James Scarlett for a lower slot on the festival billing than he deserves; and has the unfortunate draw of splitting the crowd with a Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas record signing but makes the most out of the huge audience that comes to see him by tearing up Yohkai. He dips into Reuben territory with ‘No One Wins the War’ and ‘Agony/Agatha’ – enlisting drummer Luke McDonnell from Los Skeletos to stand in on drums after discovering him through a book launch event. There’s time for the new material – ‘You’re Nothing’ comes for the transphobes and those who make the world a scarier place – and the plea of unity of ‘All of England is a City’ ends the night only Lenman can. Much of what comes before is comedy gold: a whole song dedicated to watching a film on TV that’s shit and being distracted by the characters watching a better film on TV that you’d rather be watching instead in a tongue in cheek, fearless way that no other artist is capable of. 

Chat Pile come next and I saw them earlier in the week in London at Bush Hall and they keep up the energy and the crowd flow going; Ray B launching into high tempo that doesn’t let up across the board. New single ‘PEN I SMALL’ sums up Chat Pile’s humour in one song; using a catchy name to have a go at an old manager at a minimum wage store job and also use much of the set to go for AI and how none of the band members ever have or ever will use it. It’s inspirational stuff – politically relevant and charmingly on the money. The ferocious noise rock riffs craft a unique spell on the crowd and it’s fun to watch Raygun’s love letter to festival movies, sporting Woodstock among others as name-drops and giving you updates on what he’s reading allowing the crowd to come down. 

Eivør come next and the Heilung sound drenched in techno is impossible to resist; the band having travelled among the furthest to get here from the Faroe Islands. She has a love-letter to Faroe culture and the visuals create such a stark imagery it feels appropriate not to be cast under a spell – very befitting in its own right that towards the end; the theme song from the brilliant tv show ‘The Last Kingdom’ is deployed to a welcome reception from the crowd – and you couldn’t have asked for a more emotional moment than this song being deployed so near the end of the entire festival. It extends beyond its means – creating an ode to Fernhill Farm being the last kingdom, and it really becomes apparent that this is it and we’re never coming back here as the hours end and the night gets colder. 

But oh my god. What a send-off. What a send-off. After the majestic A.A. Williams; embracing gothic sorrow in such a way that rivals Chelsea Wolfe (no wonder she is chosen as support for a Kentish Town headline show in December, we are drawn back to a rare, one-of-a kind this will never happen again type moment of excess: Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas performing ‘Mariner’ in full; for your ears – it is triumphant, it is earth-shattering and monumental. The post-rock wall of brilliance is a run through of five songs that celebrate ten years of this album in its own right – you know the setlist, it’s an album show – ‘The Wreck of S.S. Needle’ and ‘Cygnus’ are just perfect ending songs that you get to have a spin of in its rawest form – a real grand-standing ovation of a curtain-closer that many festivals would only dream of booking so catered to them exclusively that capture such a massive appeal (I mean, can you imagine ‘Mariner’ at Reading and Leeds?). One of the most adorable moments of the night was watching a new father put a young child on his shoulders and declare “this is my favourite album of all-time, I’m so happy you get to experience this with me,” and I instantly know that deep down, I will never be as cool as the kid that is getting raised on ‘Mariner.’

Photo Credit: Jez Pennington

So, farewell then, Fernhill Farm. Goodbye the old, in with the new. It will be a case of meet the new Arctangent, the same as the old Arctangent, we’ve been assured, but there’s something final about this night that won’t ever be taken away from us. 

Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies

What better way to celebrate a birthday than releasing a music video? 

U.K. alternative rock singer-songwriter NOAHFINNCE just released his latest single “TOO SENSITIVE” on August 17th, with his music video coming out a day later on his birthday! 

Now back from a year and a half tour hiatus, Noah will be back on tour starting October 22nd, and will be supporting Twenty One Pilots alongside BBNO$ and others on August 30th at All Points East Festival in London on August 30th.

Speaking on the single, Noah stated, “I’ve not been THIS excited to release a track in years. “TOO SENSITIVE” feels exactly how all my favourite songs growing up made me feel - like being kicked in the teeth.””

NOAHFINNCE is an avid advocate for Mental Health and LGBTQ+ rights, and speaks on these and other topics throughout his YouTube, Instagram, and musical career regularly. In 2024, when President Trump was elected, Noah made a post stating that every time he went on tour to the US he met individuals who were directly impacted by anit-trans legislation and lack of reproductive rights, expressing he was sorry to all those who were affected. 

“TOO SENSITIVE” is roughly based upon the story of “The Three Little Pigs”, and alludes to Noah's anti-MAGA stance, with lyrics “I’ve been looking out for the Big Bad Wolf” and “You can huff / You can puff / You can blow me down”. 

In the music video, NOAHFINNCE is dressed as one of the pigs, while his drummer, Jake Alexander Pemberton, is dressed as the Big Bad Wolf chasing Noah around. Within twenty seconds of the video, we get close up shots of The Big Bad Wolf showing off patches on his jacket: “Protect The Pups”, “Not In My Woods”, “Ban Shape Shifters”, “Wolves Are Great Awooooo”, and a hat that says “WAGA”. All of these alluding to MAGA and the current political status of the United States of America. 

Noah's storytelling by utilizing the nursery rhyme, “The Three Little Pigs”, is a unique and ambitious take on showcasing his worries about the US’s political climate. Though his music will probably not reach MAGA audience, it is entertaining to know they may one day unintentionally stream an anti-MAGA song. 

In the comments section of the music video, fans stated the video gives off Twilight, Teen Wolf, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer vibes. Another fan stated that he “went from making songs with swears and mental health to songs about nursery rhymes” calling the song a “banger”. Though the song is less obvious about mental health struggles like in his previous single “MR OVERWHELM”, there are still lyrics that allude to it, “I’m too sensitive / I’m not built for this / Sick of being around” and parts in the music video where Noah looks into a broken mirror with his features disheveled aiding to the idea of self disgust.  

With its punk vibe, killer guitar riffs, and heavy drums, “TOO SENSITIVE” would fit perfectly on a playlist alongside Machine Gun Kelly’s Tickets To My Downfall and Lil Huddy's Teenage Heartbreak.

Words by Isabella Basile

One festival, one day, an endless list of surprise guests: All Points East Friday.

It was a long old trek to the far side of London, tubes swapped for buses and buses swapped for more tubes, but Victoria Park had a genuinely special Friday waiting for us. All Points East opened its 2026 run on Friday 21st August with a line-up curated entirely by Jorja Smith and her label FAMM, and from the moment we walked through the gates it felt less like a single headline slot and more like a whole weekend of pop and R&B royalty packed into one day.

Katy B kicked things off on the West Stage and it was an immediate trip down memory lane, tearing through the hits with the kind of crowd control and energy you'd want from an opener with this much history behind her. Over on the East Stage, Destin Conrad brought a completely different pace, a nice reggae groove running through a genuinely chill, eclectic set that had the crowd swaying one minute and emotional the next. Even if the stage felt a size too big for him, it was an undeniably great set.

We arrived a little late for DJ EZ but caught enough relentless bangers to remember exactly why we chased him down again after one of the best sets of Boomtown just last week. He played a Bicep 'Glue' edit that soundtracked the evening better than almost anything else all day.

Odeal was the best set of the day up to that point, smooth and steady, a live band adding real depth to his R&B, and a Justin Timberlake 'My Love' remix that unexpectedly resonated with the crowd. It felt like the kind of performance that wins over a whole new set of fans in real time.

Then came Tems, drenched in that trademark calming energy from the first note. She swooned the crowd with 'Wait For You', which was as captivating live as it is on record, and just as we settled into the groove, Dave appeared out of nowhere for 'Raindance', The raucous crowd reaction told you everything you needed to know. It wasn't the last surprise guest of the night either.

Nia Archives followed over on West Stage, back for another summer show after an incredible performance at Parklife. Donning a silver glittery dress and opening straight into 'Crowded Roomz’, she then worked through new ‘Emotional Jungalist’ cuts and then back into the earlier catalogue. 'Cards on the Table' was a genuine highlight, and there's a moment in her live shows now, starting with a reprise of ‘Silence Is Loud’ right before the album’s opener, that hits like pure catharsis every single time; dance and music and love all rolled into one. She closed by telling the crowd she was taking them to Brazil, finishing on 'Baianá', as the whole field started shuffling East for the main event.

As the sun finally went down over Victoria Park, Jorja Smith took the East Stage to close the night, opening slow with 'Blue Lights' and working through some genuinely beautiful, stripped back renditions before the guests started arriving. Odeal was first to come out and then UK garage legend Kyla came out for the original ‘One Dance’ that tipped straight into 'I Lied, You Lied'. Nia Archives reappeared, this time in a colourful wig to perform their joint single 'Get Me Down' together before sliding behind the decks herself, spinning while Jorja worked through the hits. 

AJ Tracey turned up for a rapturous run through 'Ladbroke Grove', Katy B returned for 'Katy on a Mission' after a clip of a young Jorja singing along to it as a schoolgirl was shown, and Loyle Carner joined for 'Loose Ends'. Devlin arrived for a hyped cut from Jorja's new record, performing ‘The City’, before things slowed down, with one last dance for 'Little Things' and then closing out on a hypnotic performance of 'Be Honest'. Time genuinely flies when a set is stacked that deep with guests, it barely felt like one artist's headline slot, more a celebration of everyone she's worked with.

Getting back out was its own kind of chaos, everyone funnelling into Mile End at once, long queues snaking back onto the Central Line, dust covering us head to toe by the time we made it back into central London. But it was a special day, every single artist delivering, and the sheer volume of guest appearances made it feel like a whole weekend condensed into one. 

Words by Alex Peters

Few could have guessed that when John Ross made his bow as Wild Pink with a self-titled debut album in 2017 that he’d go on to become one of the most consistent artists in the game, the New Yorker finding his footing on imperial phase-era Tiny Engines before beginning a relentless upward trajectory with Yolk in the Fur the following year. What do you mean he’s released A Billion Little Lights, ILYSM, Dulling the Horns and now Still Coming Down in a five-and-a-half-year span? Sure, the dates check out, but that barely seems real. He’s settled in on Fire Talk, with as much to prove as he ever did, and his latest offering finds Ross swerving hard into blustery rock territory, celebrating newfound fatherhood as much as he casts a weary eye over the more absurd moments of life.

In contrast to Dulling the Horns, Still Coming Down has a narrower scope, offering up the tightest and leanest version of Ross’s full-band vision yet. Quick vocal takes and very little in the way of overthinking, with opener ‘Box Store’ crashing in with a jolt, spiky guitars front and centre, bolstered by accordion and keening slide guitar. It’s got volume behind it, outlining the record’s approach almost immediately. You’ve got frills popping up here and there (guests like Meg Duffy of Hand Habits, who lends their guitar prowess to the album’s title track, and members of MJ Lenderman and the Wind), but there’s a sense of directness to these nine songs that Ross and company haven’t tapped into in a while, and never quite like this.

These are songs that make an immediate impact, packed with quips about the frailty and ridiculousness of the average person’s life. Perspectives blur the line between real and invented; ‘Round of Applause at the End of the World’ speaks to a specifically American strain of conspiracy theorist, but the moments when it zeroes in on Ross admitting that, “I don’t know what my idea of fun is anymore”—a line so brutal that it works three-fold, in & out of character, as well as a wider comment on how the people you meet have no idea how to enjoy themselves these days, always chasing after the next thing. The verse falls apart for a few measures, similarly wounded, before the song’s wordless refrain picks the pieces back up.

As a man who’s battled cancer and come out the other side, Ross knows a thing or two about adversity, but he casts his net wider than documenting his own personal joys and setbacks, with these songs as much about wading through the murk of life to find the light as they are anything else, with ‘Plates Keep Spinning’ capturing the sense of white-knuckling one’s way through life while steeped in everyday overwhelm, and ‘Still Coming Down’ itself providing insight into Ross’s hard-earned philosophy, guitar scrapes and all: “I used to be pure, I just try to be good now.” Taking inspiration from the grunge bands he fell in love with as a teenager, as well his own intuition (“You got a compass right where your heart is - you know what to do”), Ross suggests he ‘found his voice’ on this record; quite a claim when this is the latest chapter of a generational run. 

“From here on out, I just wanna make it count” he affirms on ‘Like Water’, and that single line provides the entire ethos of the record. Still Coming Down finds beauty in detail, green shoots sprouting through wreckage, offering up fascinating character studies as often as it throws in glimpses of Ross’s personal vantage point as part of a wider society constantly worried about the wrong things. A little over a decade since Wild Pink meekly introduced themselves with 2 Songs, the band’s still on a tear with Ross as their lynchpin. You get the sense that he’s ready to go until the wheels fall off, and the power behind his latest offering suggests he can go absolutely anywhere from here. Replayable, remarkable, rejuvenated—we didn’t know we wanted Wild Pink to get back to basics, but here we are, and Still Coming Down is a capital-R Rock Record that lands every swing it takes. Play it loud, with the lyric sheet in hand - album experiences like this don’t come along too often.

Words by Gareth O’Malley

Westside Cowboy exceed big expectation with mature debut album.

The term ‘Indie poo’ has blown up online, a genre that is tagged on acts who lack originality and authenticity in their rock sound. It is an unfair label that discourages young, upcoming bands who are still honing their craft, as well as eager listeners who have found something they are genuinely passionate about. But if we were to entertain this new fad, there isn’t a term that would be less apt for Westside Cowboy and their debut album It Goes On, releasing 21st August. As an outfit they ooze ingenuity and freshness. They evoke a vintage folk sound whilst feeling so progressive in the way it is combined with rock elements.

Their second EP So Much Country ’Til We Get There has enough substance to be a full release, packed into only 14 minutes. Therefore, a brilliant, sprawling album of real quality was no surprise. None of those five songs on the EP feature on It Goes On, making a whole new lineup of tunes even more impressive.

It Goes On is highly anticipated with the Manchester four-piece finding themselves on countless ‘one to watch’ lists across the past few years and even earning themselves the support slot on Geese’s sold-out European tour. The album matches those expectations and more.

Lead single ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ kicks it off and is sensory and nostalgic. Its frantic climax is intense but is subtly layered and built up, only to be scaled back down the same way. It's a complete journey in itself, reminiscing about youthful boredom.

‘Big Wheels’ is a fun tune that references Tina Turner’s ‘Proud Mary’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’, reminding us that Westside Cowboy are only just at the start of their career, at the heels of these music legends, despite their supreme maturity.

‘Coyote’, ‘Patchwork’ and ‘Take My Leaving As I Love You’ represent a slower section and feature the album's most stripped back instrumentals and tender vocals. Many of their tracks start out this way but slowly build up, so these stand out and represent something we haven't seen from them before. 

In this way, the whole album feels fresh and innovative. It uses classic sounds in a way that feels so modern. The entire runtime carries through with it a steady, chugging beat making it feel, regardless of overarching themes and imagery, effortlessly cohesive and constructed. It is consistently impactful and energetic.

Each member of the band offers their vocals which weave by each other, creating delicious harmonies. This aspect adds dynamism to the outfit as they each bring their own flavours and perspectives, particularly when they sing alone.

They are set to embark on a UK and EU tour across October, November and December, showcasing their talents in iconic venues like O2 Forum Kentish Town and Manchester’s Albert Hall. They are just as strong live as they are in the recording booth, making these shows well worth any trip. 

Despite all the hype surrounding them, Westside Cowboy feel unbelievably mature for a band only just releasing their debut effort. This one exceeds expectations, so who knows how far they could go?

Words by Luca Jarman

Fiery, punchy and hitting the ground running, Cruz Beckham is determined to introduce himself on his own terms with debut ‘Wear & Tear’. 

The Beckhams are a family who have been in the cultural zeitgeist forever. Whether it be sport, fashion, or music, they are a name who have always been at the forefront of popular culture. For Cruz Beckham, growing up in the public eye was all he ever knew. Having fought against the world’s expectations all his life, theres a kind of divine justice in the way he has now forged his own path in rockstardom. The ultimate rebellion, a demonstration that only he can decide who he wants to be. At just 22, he’s been building for years, developing his sound. With this debut release, the world are finally catching up to what he’s been working on. We finally get to see Cruz, this time on his own terms. 

When reflecting on his intentions and hopes with the release, Beckham wanted to cast a light on the scars not only on his life, but on everyone’s. He explained

‘Wear &Tear is synonymous with a life lived and all the experiences so far; the good and the bad, the learning curves and everything in-between. No matter how different each experience is, we have all felt things that make us feel human. We’ve all got our wear and tear.’

It seeks to celebrate the moments that unite us. Heartbreak. Jealousy. Joy. Love. Having a belter of a time with your mates. With a polished ferocity, Beckham wants to channel it all. 

The EP offers just a taste of Beckham’s ever evolving sound. Built clearly with live performance in mind, across the 6 tracks he seeks to capture the spontaneity and excitement that comes from playing live with an audience. Its raw, reckless, and intense – everything you could imagine from a kid seeking to break down the mold he was squeezed into by the world around him. Sonically, you can hear a myriad of influences that span from indie rock, psych pop, alt guitar and grunge. 

Of all the tracks on the EP, a firm favourite will likely emerge in ‘Seeing Red’. The final track on the record, Cruz describes it as a retelling of a ‘totally unserious moment of frustration’. With soaring melodies against guitar riffs with infectious energy, it no doubt will quickly become a highlight in the live sets we can expect to hear later this year.  Laced with tongue-in-cheek humour, it’s an invaluable insight into the personality behind the artist. Cruz wears many hats. Instrumentalist, producer, in this case maybe even comedian. A nod to his competitive spirit, he pokes fun at the way we all can turn from something being just fun and games into something to be won or lost. With sport as a reference point (cheers to Dad), he points out how we all have that turning point; the moment where we decide something is worth fighting for, regardless of how silly or insignificant it may be. Like a rag to a bull, we all have something that stokes the fire. 

A personal standout has to be the eponymous track, ‘Wear and Tear’. It was one of those released as a single but despite having heard it already, listening again with the thematic and sonic context of the rest of the EP gives it so much more meaning. The production across the whole record is stellar – Justin Raisen and Lewis Pesacov have once again demonstrated the incredible ability to make a track feel like you’re hearing it in a packed festival arena. What is special about this track though is the lyrics. With celebrities, particularly those whose entire lives have been spread across tabloids and televisions, we rarely get the chance to understand and see the ‘real’ person behind the name. In recent years discourse around these things has improved, though many still likely will disregard this project as another nepo-baby seeking to cash in on their parent’s clout. I implore you to put reservations aside and look closer. For a young man who has endured things that so few could ever truly understand, the lyrics on this track give a glimpse into a life we think we know:

‘I’ll give you the world if you give me your name, you’ll have no reason for your guilts and shame. I wanna wear you down, I wanna wear you down … I’m a fake, I’m a fan, I’m the best of your friends. I’m your fate, I’m your plan in the palm of your hand. I’m your hurt, I’m your pain, I’m the blood in your veins. Watch me pump through your life, I’ll drive you insane.’ 

Celebrity and gossip aside, these are the words of someone who just wants to be seen. That’s something we can all relate to, regardless of who our parents are or what the world thinks we should be. We have all felt worn down, we have all been driven insane by the expectations put upon us. Yes he may be a Beckham, but Cruz is a person first. 

Gearing up to go on the road, the next few weeks are non-stop for Cruz Beckham and his band The Breakers. Having performed at a handful of festivals already this summer (the clips from Lollapalooza are nothing short of riotous), he is keen to keep up the momentum with sets at Reading and Leeds towards the end of the month before jetsetting across the pond for Shaky Knees in Atlanta. What we can expect next is anyones guess but what is for sure is that this is a new era of Beckham, one that we can all get excited about.

Words by Kirsty-Ann Thomson

Jimmy Eat World brought a masterclass of emo, and a stacked support bill of friends, to the 25th anniversary celebration of ‘Bleed American’ at Crystal Palace Bowl.

The band’s final UK date of three saw the quintet perform the classic album in full, along with a bowling trophy cabinet crammed full of nostalgia, and a lot of heart. It was a worthy celebration of an album that has accompanied many alternative kids through life since July 2001.

They also shared a never-ending list of connections with their three supports, Rise Against, The Get Up Kids, and first up for the early birds, Jay Som.

Melina, aka Jay Som, celebrated her seventh birthday in 2001, but she cites ‘Bleed American’ as an important influence on her, calling herself as a “huge gigantic fan” of Jimmy Eat World during her 35-minute set. Whilst also working as a producer for others, she stepped into the spotlight herself, fronting her band through a beautiful array of soundscapes with flourishing instrumentation, including ‘Superbike’, ‘The Bus Song’ and ‘Want It All’, from last year’s ‘Belong’ album. That record also featured a duet with Jim Adkins, so he came out as a “special guest” to add vocals to the penultimate song. The Jimmy Eat World frontman joked “we do this all the time”, before sticking stage right to not upstage Jay Som. The track is a highlight; the repeated refrain “float, don’t fight” feels like 2001 and 2026 simultaneously.

Then The Get Up Kids brought their Midwest emo rock from Kansas City, Missouri, to South London. Kicking off with ‘Satellite’, the five-piece weaved through a nostalgia-laden set, leaning heavily on 1999’s ‘Something to Write Home About’. However, there was a glimpse at the future too, with new song ‘New Colonial’ fitting in seamlessly amongst the rest of their set, which blended guitars, drums and occasional keys into something which kept the crowd going through the early evening. The Get Up Kids have been on the radar for over three decades, and the final one-two punch of ‘Holiday’ and the euphoric ‘Ten Minutes’ showed why continue to be a touchstone for so many fans.  

Based on the t-shirts around prior to their set, Rise Against brought their own decent following. The Chicago-based quartet alt-rock is different again to the other openers, beginning with straight energy and anger from ‘Re-Education (Through Labor)’ across their 55 minutes. They dedicated ‘Ready To Fall’ to the “legendary” Get Up Kids, before vocalist Tim encouraged the masses to sing along. The band gave everything, as did the fans, whether it was raising their hands in euphoria during ‘Give It All’, or creating a cathartic singalong moment with “one more moment, one more day”, taken from ‘Nod’, as Rise Against marked the one-year anniversary of their most recent album ‘Ricochet’. For their own song called ‘Satellite’, Tim utilised a megaphone to amp things up even further. The screens alternated between the band and the pit going wild below, showing a unity between parties that can be hard to bottle.

“This is kind of a show that feels a little bit nostalgic,” Tim told the crowd, before revealing that as an 18-year-old with his band Baxter, he supported Jimmy Eat World and The Get Up Kids back in December 1997. It’s slightly surreal that such a bill can be almost replicated 29 years later, but it kind of works. “I think it’s pretty fucking cool,” he added. “Jimmy Eat World could have brought anybody they fucking wanted to bring over here, to this beautiful park, to play at dusk, and they brought us, and it means the fucking world to be here.” The intro led into the beautiful summertime ballad ‘Swing Life Away’, a perfect accompaniment to a slightly cloudy, largely clear Sunday evening. It’s a mixture of melancholic, sweet, and angsty, starting as a solo acoustic track before swelling into a full band version by the end. It remains a Rise Against calling card, and deservedly so. Ending with the big finish of 2008’s ‘Savior’, the band showed that, after 25 years of playing shows in London, they can still win over newcomers, and be welcomed back every time.

At 8.30, the headline act came on stage. “What’s up, y’all? We are Jimmy Eat World.” Not that they needed any introduction. “Oh my god, holy shit, there’s a lot of you.” They proclaimed this to be the biggest show they’d ever done, and it’s clearly well deserved.

Four songs from ‘Clarity’, their 1999 album, started the show in the band’s context, paving the way for what was to come. It was when the band’s vocals moved from guitarist Tom Linton, who sang ‘Blister’ on record and in this show, to Jim, who took the rest. Their performance of ‘Lucky Denver Mint’ was electrifying, and then with a cool and seamless transition, everyone was thrown right into the title track of ‘Bleed American’. “I’m not alone cause the TV’s on, yeah. I’m not crazy cause I take the right pills every day.” You immediately sense that point where Jimmy Eat World became more accessible, and more direct, no more so when everyone takes on the “salt, sweat, sugar on the asphalt” hook at full voice.

Jim urged everyone to lean into their own personal stories which they carried with ‘The Middle’, one of the quintessential modern rock songs of the 21st-Century. And it was beautiful for that very reason, because you knew that no two strangers in the crowd had the same emotion behind their interpretation of the song.

In sequence, the record twists and turns between different definitions of ‘emo music’, like it had through the other acts on the day. The calm beauty of ‘Your House’, complete with a delicate acoustic intro, was sandwiched between ‘The Middle’ and the full force of ‘Sweetness’, where the whoahs which bring back personal memories of playing ‘NHL 2003’ on the PS2. Meanwhile, the crowd used their phone lights during the poignant ‘Hear You Me’, remembering those we’ve lost, akin to the song’s origins 25 years ago.

Side two is just as frantic, with the anthemic ‘If You Don’t, Don’t’ and ‘Get It Faster’ both surpassing their status as ‘just’ album tracks. You could tell the band had played most of this material for the last quarter of a century, but hearing them in this order feels like a highlight reel, and they keep coming. Introducing the ballad closer ‘My Sundown’ 70 minutes after sunset in South London, Jim said: “25 years, oh my god. We’re just so grateful that y’all took the time to listen to it, find something in it for yourself.” He had “no idea” the album would mean so much to so many, but we’re all grateful for the way things have ended up.

The encore contained five more songs, starting with ‘Disintegration’, which was released “right after” the album, but is so vastly different, for its sprawling musical nature and its overall length. Meanwhile ‘Pain’ proved itself among Jimmy Eat World’s best catalogue with the engaged audience clapping along right away. It feels like a continuation too, with the perfect rhyme of the “white pills” in the first verse mirroring the “right” ones in ‘Bleed American’ (the song).

With legacy acts, there’s a point where they play new material to the crowd. For Jimmy Eat World, their newest song all night was 2007’s ‘Big Casino’, which naturally was met with great cheer from the audience. The simple set-up – a few lights, close-knit staging – was effective, because each song, old and slightly older, grew much bigger than the basic elements would have suggested. It’s what this band does best. When Jim’s vocal performance was put up on the huge screens either side of the stage, he beamed out across the thousands in attendance, looking right at home. This might be their biggest show yet, but you sense that they could keep growing.

Having already claimed ‘The Middle’, it feels apt to conclude by singing “don’t give away the end” from ‘23’, which rounded out their follow-up record ‘Futures’ in 2004. It felt like a neat bow on a show that came in, punched hard, and clocked out just past 10 o’clock. The energy was ever-present until the end.

Some fans raised concerns after this show was moved from its initial venue of Gunnersbury Park to the Crystal Palace Bowl in South London. In the end, Jimmy Eat World summed it up best. “Everything everything’ll be alright, alright.” And it was. Here’s to the next 25 years.

Words by Samuel Draper
Photo Credit: Victor Frankowski

Aubory Bugg is not “the one you want to lose”! 

21 year old indie folk and alt-country Nashville singer, Aubory Bugg pours her heart out with her latest single “the one you want to lose”, an anthem to heartbreak. 

Recognized by the Rolling Stone as a must-listen for the week of its release, “the one you want to lose” pulls listeners in instantly with the very first note she sings with her Southern twang. The single touches upon the loss of a relationship that did not work out and trying to come to terms with the loss. “the one you want to lose” is filled with raw and unapologetic emotions as she sings over the drums and her guitar, asking “how come I, I’m the one you want ‘til I’m the one you want to lose?” 

Growing up in a conservative tight-knit Illinois town as a queer teen, feeling as if she did not belong, Bugg channels all of her experiences into her musics, stating “I wanted to fit in so badly, but at the same time I knew I wasn’t meant to stay — and I think that tension really shaped the way I write and how I see the world — I think everything I make comes from that place of wanting to be as honest as possible about where I’m at, even when it’s uncomfortable.”

Buggs vocals have been compared to those of Joni Mitchell and Phoebe Bridgers, where her voice in “the one you want to lose” holds confidence, power, and sadness. Bugg’s emotionally honest songs, unique blend of indie rock and folk pop, and powerful crystalline voice will stop you dead in your tracks. 

The music video consists of a simple yet effective shot through the window as we watch Bugg process her lingering emotions though her guitar playing. Though her relationship has ended, she feels as if she is watching her ex’s life through a window, and is hurt that they are moving on while Buggs is still trying to process her emotions. Because, how can you move on when you “lost a lover, lost a friend” you would probably want to “go back again.” 

With the acoustic guitar, drum hits, background vocals, and longing vocals “How am I going to give up? Going to let you go forever?” and “You always said I could do better. I said I don't care. I just want you” the single would fit perfectly in a playlist alongside Noah Kahn and Hozier. 

Words by Isabella Basile

Photo Credit: eljaybriss

From a hillside eclipse to a drone-lit sky, Boomtown 2026 was a story you danced through.

Boomtown has always been more city than festival, and Chapter Five arrived with its most audacious plot yet. With the festival returning back to pre-covid size, BIGACORP and BETTERCORP had merged into the monolithic BBXL, a corporation declaring Earth a single use planet and launching its citizens toward the stars. Meanwhile, The Network plotted resistance in the shadows. Over five days across Matterley Estate that story played out in the stage design, and I was there covering it for the first time as press rather than punter. An experience like no other. So let’s take it back to the start.

The heat hit first. Trains from Devon ran quiet, a small mercy before my trolley began its own private rebellion against the weekend. Entry was seamless despite the sun’s best efforts, and once artist camping was pitched (tent versus wind, wind winning most rounds) I climbed the Lion’s Den hill for the eclipse. Strangers linked arms as the sky dimmed, and a singalong of the late Bonnie Tyler's 'total eclipse of the heart' rippled across the field. Street parties broke out in Odyssey and Hidden Woods before the sun had even fully set. Four days of mayhem waited on the other side.

Thursday felt like the prologue nobody warned me about. Messie opened Hidden Woods with a bass heavy set of UK club and breaks, dancers choreographed across the stage while sand kicked up around bare feet. Just beyond it in Tangled Roots, an unscheduled discovery in DJ Hippopotamus turned a lowkey wander into one of the day's best surprises. Then Metropolis finally threw open its gates, the first real storyline beat of the week, the choice between BBXL's new district and the queue for Kelvin 373 at Boomtown Bobbies setting the tone for a festival that never lets you see everything. Toby Ross closed out the Helix corner of Metropolis with soulful house and disco edits, pure Boomtown immersion. Eats Everything and Wonka shut Hidden Woods down at midnight with one of the weekend's biggest dance parties, curfew arriving before the party wanted to stop. As far as warm-ups go (alongside the ever-present heatwave), festival revellers couldn’t have asked for better.

Friday opened with fireworks over Hydro XL and a Groove Armada DJ set that set the tone in disco and pink confetti, house heavy and building into their own remix of Disclosure’s 'you & me'. Techno intensity followed in the tight room of Gabber Kebbaber courtesy of Reddem, the best new discovery of the weekend. Over at Lion's Den, Shy FX and Rage brought jungle history home with a Giggsopener and the day's biggest crowd so far, while DJ EZ delivered a relentless UK garage masterclass at Hydro XL, built around classics mixed with new anthems. Notion then followed in similarly punchy form before a return to camp for the evening shift.

The evening turned into a street party writ large: Upon my return to Hydro XL, Faster Horses and Y U QT spun Prospa's 'Free Your Mind' as a mission statement. Eats Everything returned with TSHA and went back to back for one of the day's best sets, followed by Effy & Ross From Friends for a genre blurring hour, culminating in an incredible 'where's your head at'. edit. Darren Styles worked through early sound trouble at Spectrum 360 into a hardcore set stacked with classic Clubland tracks & unexpected edits; Justin Bieber’s 'Beauty & A Beat' among them. 999999999 brought pounding acid techno and pyros to close Hydro XL, and Kasra, Samurai Breaks and Strategy, carried Hidden Woods into the early hours.

Saturday began gently with Hak Baker at Grand Central, intimate storytelling offering a rare chill moment before Lion's Den took over for the afternoon. It was all about the Kings of the Rollerstakeover, as Crossy, Gray and Harriet Jaxxon with Spyda, opened up the arena before Benny L, Break and Skeptical kept the pressure on with GQ and MC Det, playing out an overdue rendition of 'Police In Helicopter' that had the crowd, some dressed as pensioners, in full voice. Hidden Woodsbrought grime back with Sir Spyro, Killa P and Lady Chann, equally heavy on the bass and the pull ups.

Later in the evening, a dense crowd gathered nearby for a booming rendition of Shaggy's 'It Wasn’t Me' the most captivating moment of the day. Scooter turned Lion's Den into full blown nostalgia, pyros and all, the set of the entire weekend, while further sets from Rossi. B2B Silva Bumpa, Ryota B2B Yung Singh, Alix Perez, Cheetah, Jenny Sparks and Brutalistius 3000 kept Hydro XL and Hidden Woods moving until Zero closed the latter with a beautifully told, bass heavy story of a set.

Sunday started late and ended in orbit. Fcukers kicked things off at Lion’s Den with chaotic, sweaty post-punk and a pointed word for Donald Trump, live instrumentation cutting through a crowd running on fumes. Talib Kweli followed with an intimate, sample driven set built around a tribute to D'Angelo & J Dilla, and sharp words on inequality between the bars. Marlon Hoffstadt played at Hydro XL with a set atmospheric and sombre enough to feel like an ending itself. Sherelle brought the jungle back for the penultimate Hydro XL set of the weekend, hypnotic and relentless, while KiLLOWEN offered a brief UK rap detour on the way, admittedly only caught only in passing. 

Faithless, the set I would have loved to see, played out at Lion’s Den whilst Skrillex closed the festival nearly forty minutes late and briefly too quiet, but a surprise appearance from Chase & Status turned it around fast. Then came the story's final chapter: BBXL's rocket tore into the night sky above Matterley Estate, the space programme launching for real as the closing ceremony's centrepiece, before being hacked by an unknown entity called Bill Tops. Hundreds of drones bloomed into sky overhead and presented an incredible light show. Five days after a total eclipse opened the gates, Boomtown closed them by sending itself into space; a fitting way to cap off a wonderful festival.

Five days after that eclipse on the hill, it’s hard to know where the music stopped and the story began. That’s always been Boomtown’s trick, folding a festival’s worth of chaos into a city that refuses to break character, and Chapter Five leaned into it harder than any year I’ve attended. BBXL got its rocket, The Network got its hacker in Bill Tops, and somewhere in between Scooter found room to remind Lion’s Den why they’re still considered legends of dance music. Watching it all unfold across the weekend felt like a privilege. The sky that opened this chapter with an eclipse closed it with a thousand drones. Whoever’s steering that rocket by the time Chapter Six begins, I’ll be back through the gates to find out.

Words by Alex Peters

Phoebe Bridgers has always understood the peculiar power of restraint. Across her music, melancholy has rarely arrived as simple sadness. It is stranger than that, suspended somewhere between intimacy and alienation, where grief, desire and self-consciousness become difficult to separate. On Lost Weekend, her third solo album and first in six years, Bridgers retreats further inward. The result is her quietest and most cohesive record to date, a work that expands and contracts around experiences that feel solitary, peculiar and unmistakably her own.

Lost Weekend occupies the porous territory between indie folk, ambient music, acoustic songwriting and electronic production. Its arrangements are often skeletal, allowing small sounds to acquire disproportionate emotional weight. Bridgers has always had an ear for the uncanny, but here she seems less interested in inviting the listener into her world than in controlling how much of that world they are permitted to see.

"The Outside" establishes this distance immediately. Bridgers' voice is filtered through an almost unrecognisable sci-fi vocoder, transforming her familiar vocal presence into something remote and extraterrestrial. The effect is particularly apt given the planetarium setting in which she introduced the album. The song moves through clipped, cryptic phrases and deliberate silences, shifting between perspectives without ever settling comfortably into one. It feels almost antagonistic towards the conventions of audience participation, as though Bridgers is deliberately interrupting the instinct to sing along. The intimacy is there, but it has been placed behind glass.

The album's emotional centre is grief, particularly the death of Bridgers' father, Tony, in December 2022. On "Still Standing", she confronts the complicated history of their relationship, while "Never Going Back!" incorporates a voicemail from her father, set against a delicate banjo arrangement. It is an unusually vulnerable gesture, but Bridgers resists turning it into easy catharsis. Instead, the recording becomes another ghostly object within an album preoccupied with memory and absence.

That sense of absence extends into her treatment of love. Lost Weekend looks backwards as much as forwards, revisiting past relationships while documenting the formation of something more stable. The title track alludes directly to her broken engagement with Paul Mescal, with Bridgers singing, "I'm supposed to be married, but I called it off." Elsewhere, "The Governor's Waltz" appears to gesture towards Gracie Abrams, Mescal's partner after Bridgers, turning romantic aftermath into something more complicated than conventional heartbreak. There is jealousy here, certainly, but also an almost forensic curiosity about the people and circumstances left behind.

"Bobby" is perhaps the album's most surprising departure. A shoegazing rush featuring guitar contributions from Justin K. Broadrick of Jesu and Godflesh and Mike Kinsella of American Football, it may be the most exuberant song Bridgers has recorded. Its churning guitars capture the dizzying, transformative quality of happiness, while its lyrics complicate that happiness with an almost comic devotion. "And if you didn't like either one of my friends / I'd kill them," she sings, stretching the threat into something simultaneously affectionate, absurd and faintly unsettling. The song understands that love can liberate while also making us dependent.

The surrounding tracks, from "Lost Boys" and "Kill Me" to "Haunted", "Panorama", "Liberty Tree" and "Other Plans", deepen the album's atmosphere of estrangement. "Lost Parade", "I Can't Wait" and "As Above" continue this inward movement, while "Lost Weekend (Reprise)" closes the record by returning to its central mood of unresolved reflection. These songs do not so much explain Bridgers' experiences as circle them, allowing uncertainty to remain part of the emotional architecture.

What makes Lost Weekend compelling is its refusal to convert pain into spectacle. Bridgers writes about fame, grief, romantic collapse and the pressures of being publicly understood, yet the album consistently pulls away from confession as performance. Her dissociation from celebrity becomes part of the record's subject. She seems increasingly aware that intimacy itself can become a form of exposure.

If earlier Bridgers records made a virtue of their emotional directness, Lost Weekend is more elusive. Its silences matter as much as its declarations, and its most affecting moments often emerge from the spaces between songs, memories and relationships. This is an album about learning how to inhabit the aftermath of things that cannot be repaired. Quiet, strange and meticulously composed, Lost Weekend finds Bridgers at her most controlled, and perhaps therefore at her most revealing.

Words by Danielle Holian

Southern California wild fires bring about Death Valley Girls “Message From the Venus Flower” single from their upcoming album Welcome To Earth.

Disguised as a rock-n-roll dance song, the single “Message From The Venus Flower” was brought about from the tragic wild fires in Southern California, that lead to the destruction of lead singer Bonnie Bloomgarden’s house, and the later passing of her beloved dog, Tommy. 

The single mourns the loss of Tommy while celebrating life and their spiritual connection. Though Tommy was no longer with her, Bloomgarden was assured that their connection was eternal, and that they would meet in many lifetimes. His death, and later their keyboardist Gregg Foreman, brought about the idea of invisible threads linking people, animals, memories, landscapes, and lives across time. 

Bloomgarden was struck with inspiration for the single, taking her usual path she used to take with Tommy, where she came across a Venus flower. She stated “As I stood there, the flower sent me a message like a lightning bolt to my brain! In an instant the flower shared with me what Tommy had been trying to explain! Everything I love is Tommy, because love isn’t just something you feel, share, or do; love is more like a dimension!” 

With its looping synth, saxophone, and EQ’ed vocals “Message From the Venus Flower” gets listeners up and dancing. With lyrics ‘All love’s the same / On the astral plane / It’s a dimension / Just like heaven” Bloomgarden gets listeners thinking about connection and life beyond death. 

The music video, directed by punk legend Ian Svenonius, consists of pilates dancers from The Rated Z Dancers, and 80’s workout fits to go along with it, overlaid with a saturated hue to imitate an 80’s film. 

Throughout the band's body of work, they have treated music as both celebration and search party. Bloomgarden’s “Message From the Venus Flower” and Welcome To Earth finds meaning in everything and everywhere. Bloomgarden survived a disaster by creating Death Valley Girls’ most intimate and expansive album yet.

Words by Isabella Basile

Royal Blood's in-your-face sound takes to a whole new height with a booming and coarse new single ’Ten Over Ten’, perfectly teeing up an all-new album and era for the band. 

Royal blood have been a monolith of modern rock and roll ever since their iconic first album back in 2014 and as their creative influences have grown so has their fanbase and after the brilliant reception of their 2023 album ‘Back to the Water Below’ they have taken some time away and returned to the roots of what makes their sound so dynamic, a growling and irresistible lead bass line masterfully crafted atop of Ben Thatcher's whiplash inducing drum tracking, mixing blinding blast beats and intrusive halftime thrashes, this track speaks to everything that Royal blood have built their career on, infinitely digestible and brutal riffs coupled with some of the coolest drumming around today.

‘Ten Over Ten’ is a perfect return to the early years of the band’s catalogue and sets this album up to be an all-timer; Ben and Mark have curated the perfect sound for their two-piece rock and roll masterclass, and to see this sound continue to evolve while remaining rooted in their musical brilliance speaks to their brilliance. Whether it be through a pair of headphones or an arena sound system, this band create a furious level of noise and an unforgettable experience every time they grace their instruments, and to see them still hammering away at making modern rock classics is mesmerising. If they can continue to create infectious and acute riffs the way they have for over a decade, they will no doubt ascend to legend status soon.

With the single came the announcement of a brand new album for the Brighton two-piece and we can only hope that their previous slates of relentless touring take shape for an all new globe-trotting adventure of causing chaos in the middle of venues and displaying their true mastery of songwriting, every element of this band is intricately designed and perfectly executed from the riffs to the drums to the otherworldly vocals and their fanbase and they heavy music fans at large can only hope that they bring their raring live shows back across our little island to tour the wheels off of this new project. 

Words by Josh Pook

The result of old friends combining their power and experience to step into a new era, Dog Leash is instant-vintage slacker indie from Megasound, a supergroup formed from members of Bad Bad Habits and Party Nails. Tinged though it is with the snarl and spit of 20’s girl-fronted rock, this song is altogether more melodic than a lot of the rest of the scene, leaning on a procession of hooky sections, which absolutely ache to be played on the airwaves. Megasound have attitude and edge for sure, but they’ve struck the pop balance on Dog Leash. It’s crisp, clean and ready to hook itself into your brain from the first listen.

Elana Carrol’s super-cool vocal take is the main attraction, standing front and centre in the mix. She’s somewhere between Alanis Morissette and Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker on Dog Leash, building through the verses with steady restraint before hitting top gear as the chorus drops. “Get your fill, say your piece/I’m a dog but I’m not on your leash” is the self-assured final couplet which ties the whole song together. This song about the oddly beneficial co-dependence that forms a disinterested relationship will resonate with anyone who’s ever thought “Just why the hell am I with this person, anyway?”

Dog Leash re-forms some key themes of Xennial indie rock - Boredom, sarcasm, the social battleground - and comes from it’s own angle, providing a fresh take on some familiar sounds. Rock music’s been around forever, so it’s hard to come out with something truly unique with such well-worn genre staples as Megasound have, but they manage to burrow into a comfortable niche, working together in the way only close friends can. It all sounds so easy, like they came up with this tune in 30 minutes. It’s energetic and spontaneous, bringing an underlying authenticity to complement the snark.

Dog Leash gets topped-off with a perfectly-placed, towering guitar solo from Chris Hoge. The rest of the song is purposefully straightforward three-piece rock, however the final 30 seconds allows the vocals to give way for this triumphant outro, opening up the sound for the band to really enjoy themselves in the final throes. It’s reminiscent of shades and cigarettes on stage, black-walled rock clubs and a tight mass of fans squeezed up inches away from the stage monitors. Dog Leash is firmly placed in the 2000s rock landscape Megasound grew up with, one which is enjoying a revival in recent years - Not before time too!

Words by Adam Davidson

One of pop-punk’s best and busiest bands are back to releasing home runs with their new track ‘Don’t Move’.

Hot off the heels of relentless global touring and their strongest album to date, they have returned with another sucker punch of rich and perfectly structured power chords, light and bouncy riffs and a rhythm section that thrashes away with pinpoint accuracy. This song fits the mould of their recent album ’Bambi’ while standing alone in its melancholic messaging and gut-wrenching changeups. The dynamic switches between their usual fast, loud and vivacious sound drops to an acoustic and sullen portion, really allowing the song to breathe effortlessly and making the return of those hard-hitting riffs feel even more impactful than previously. This song feels set for all formats; its presence is evident in the recording and can be quietly sobbed to; however, the live format for this song is bound to tear the roof off, pull the sorrow from the crowd and directly onto the stage, and then immediately tear the already missing roof off of the venue a second time. This dynamism makes the track an easy song to throw on repeat over and over again. It’s these switch-ups that make the track’s 4-minute run time seem short-lived yet cinematic, something that Anxious have perfected in recent years.

Being one of the busiest bands in the space has clearly paid off in abundance, as every section, every chord change, every glance of the hi-hat feels structurally significant and watertight. Having seen this band flow from strength to strength, it is great to see that their songs still remain deeply personal as they amp up their writing proficiency and impact with every release. This track feels like the story of a young love lost in the rubble, and despite an attempted reconstruction, it was ill-fated and destined to fall apart. You can feel the grappling with acceptance of this situation throughout all parts of the song, but the repetition of the line ‘Tell me that I know that it’s not, it’s not true’ hits harder each and every time it’s hurled into the microphone. These themes are common in many of Anxious’s tracks, but the delivery of every element of this song makes it a true standout heartbreaker and leaves me only wanting more and more.

Anxious’s brilliance lies within both their work ethic and deep emotional connection to their songs, so here’s to hoping that Grady Allen gets his heart broken a few more times, with a resolution of course, so that we can all collectively release our own burdens in crowded and sweaty rooms the next time they decide to cross the pond. Anxious embark on a US tour with a host of strong talent in the form of Hotline TNT, Rocket, and Cryogeyser and fronted by the headline band and scene legends Citizen. As their catalogue continues to build and they continue to tour the tread off of their tyres, make sure you catch them whenever they’re nearby, as they are easily one of the only absolute must-watch bands around right now.

Words by Josh Pook

London based trio Kissmet provide us a slice of feel-good indie-pop with infectious new single ‘Memory Star’.

Set within a dreamlike cinematic world, ‘Memory Star’ explores the complex relationship between limerence and alienation, blurring the lines between artist and muse, observer and observed. As usual, the band’s DIY approach to music-making results in yet another song produced and written entirely in-house, accompanied by unique and self-directed visuals. The trio consists of Ted Tarling (vocals), Maggie Baring (vocals) and Alex Anthony (guitar, production & vocals), with their collaborative approach being a defining element of the band’s distinctive sound.

Drawing inspiration from alternative-pop heavyweights The 1975 and French music icon Jean-Jacques Goldman, ‘Memory Star’ features a similar rhythmic, guitar-driven instrumentation with intertwining harmonies and a conversational lyrical exchange.

They took a moment to dive deeper into the inspirations behind the track and their music.

Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
As a band from the UK, we always look up to those iconic British bands that paved the way before us. The 1975 and Coldplay are particular favourites of ours, as their catalogues cover a wide range of styles and touch upon genres which all three of us love independently; be it folk, indie or pop. 
We are also inspired by French artists like Jean Jaques Goldman and Michel Fougin, not only because Alex (who was born in France) grew up listening to them, but because we also see the early French Chanteuse as the trailblazers for interesting and in-depth lyricism and storytelling in pop music, something we hope comes through in our own songwriting. 

Is there a certain film that inspires you and why? 
We love the quirky Britishness of Working Title films like ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Nanny McPhee’ and ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’. They draw out the romance and individuality of British stories in the same way that we hope to achieve with our own music.

What city do you find the most inspiring and why? 
We feel incredibly lucky to all be living in London, taking inspiration from this amazing city. We spend lots of our time playing live on the streets of Notting Hill, and consider that area of London to be our collective band home. We’ve even written songs about our favourite streets, and have made lots of friends and musical connections through playing in public. 

Who is the most inspiring person to you and why? 
We’ve been incredibly lucky to have had the support of our manager and coach, Clare Scivier, for the whole time we’ve been together as a band. Clare approaches artist development from a wellbeing perspective, equipping artists for the challenges that the music industry presents. She has taught us that it’s important to put health and creativity above everything, to set goals and take actions in the same way that a sports person and their coach might approach training.

What were your inspirations when writing your new track? 
Although the song was originally written on an old piano (extracts of which you can still hear in the final recording), we wanted to flesh out the production with bright and upbeat instrumentation, peppered with musical flourishes inspired by Jean Jaques Goldman and The 1975. Lyrically, we wanted to use the metaphor of Old Hollywood - the glamour, smoke and mirrors - to explore ideas around obsessive love and limerence. 

How would you like to inspire people?
We often think of ourselves as a band that offers a safe haven to those who, like us, see the world a little differently. With our music and visual worlds, we always strive to be ourselves and create art that feels authentically us, which we hope inspires those listening within our Kissmet community to do the same. 

The Script’s songs are built to begin intimately, often with a confession or a wound, before expanding into something communal and enormous.

They’ve spent nearly two decades perfecting the particular kind of emotional architecture that we see today. And few bands understand quite as instinctively how private heartbreak can become an arena-wide singalong. On The User’s Guide To Being Human, The Script continue to operate within that familiar territory, but with a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper understanding of what their audience has come to expect from them.

Led by the irrepressible Danny O'Donoghue, The Script return with an album that feels less like a reinvention than a reaffirmation. Following the success of Satellites and its accompanying tour, O'Donoghue found himself energised enough to begin writing almost immediately. Within a week of finishing the previous campaign, he was back in the studio working with Andrew Frampton, Steve Kipner and Jimbo Barry, collaborators whose history with The Script includes some of the band's defining songs, among them ‘Hall Of Fame’, ‘The Man Who Can't Be Moved’ and ‘Breakeven’. Recorded in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, the resulting album is polished, expansive and unapologetically emotional.

The current line-up, with O'Donoghue joined by Glen Power, Benjamin Sargeant and Ben Weaver, gives the record the muscle required to deliver its biggest moments. Yet the emotional centre remains O'Donoghue's voice, which has always been at its most effective when vulnerability and defiance occupy the same space.

Opening with ‘Man in the Arena’, inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's famous speech, The Script immediately establishes the album's philosophy. It is a song about perseverance, participation and refusing to stand on the sidelines of your own life. There is little ambiguity in its message, but that directness is part of the band's appeal. The Script have never been interested in emotional understatement when a full-throated declaration will do.

That approach continues with ‘The Crowd Was Singing Wonderwall’, a confident statement of intent that sounds tailor-made for the band's live audience. From its clattering drums and shimmering guitar textures, the track has the scale of a summer evening in a packed stadium. It is music constructed for vast spaces, for thousands of voices joining together, and for the inevitable sea of smartphone lights replacing the lighters of previous generations.

The production is immaculate, perhaps almost to a fault. Every harmony is carefully positioned, every drum hit engineered for maximum impact and every instrumental layer polished until it gleams. The result sounds expensive, meticulously considered and purpose-built for the arena. For some listeners, that precision may occasionally feel a little too controlled, but there is also something undeniably effective about hearing a band that knows exactly what it wants to achieve.

Elsewhere, ‘Scars Again’ taps into The Script's enduring fascination with emotional damage and resilience, while the title track, ‘The User's Guide To Being Human’, provides the album with its conceptual heart. Rather than presenting humanity as something neat or easily understood, the song embraces contradiction, vulnerability and emotional excess.

That idea flows naturally into ‘After We're Gone’ and ‘Living Our Life Without Me’, both of which explore absence and the lingering consequences of relationships. ‘I'm 100 Different People’ broadens the perspective, capturing the fractured identities that can emerge as people move through different versions of themselves. It is one of the album's more revealing ideas, particularly on a record concerned with the messy spectrum of human experience.

‘Years’ and ‘Alive’ continue that journey towards perspective and gratitude, while ‘Grow Old With Grace’ introduces one of the album's most affecting sentiments. There is maturity in its consideration of ageing, time and the desire to embrace life's imperfections rather than outrun them.

Closing with ‘One Team For Life’, The Script finish where they have always been strongest: together. It is a fitting conclusion for a band whose music has consistently blurred the line between performer and audience.

As O'Donoghue puts it, “The title is what this album is about. If you need something to remind you of the spectrum of feelings and emotions that make you feel human, this is it.”

That statement neatly captures the record's greatest strength. The User's Guide To Being Human does not attempt to provide literal instructions for navigating life. Instead, it offers a soundtrack for the confusion, heartbreak, optimism, regret, resilience and joy that come with it. The Script knows their lane, and rather than abandoning it, they drive further into it with confidence.

This is an album designed to be felt collectively, preferably with thousands of other people singing every word back at the band. For The Script, that is not a limitation. That is the point.

Words by Danielle Holian

Love, loss and letting the groove carry you: Jungle’s Sunshine.

The duo have officially become a trio. Jungle made Lydia Kitto a full time member back in 2023, and the pay off has been enormous, a BRIT Award for Group of the Year and a fourth album, Volcano, that turned "back on '74" into one of the defining British songs of the decade. Fifth album Sunshine arrives as the sound of a band fully settled into that new chemistry, and it has everything you would expect from a Jungle record, peppy pop bangers sitting alongside more profound moments, all wrapped around a familiar message: love, loss and making the most of the present; sunshine included.

'Come Back To Me' gives the album a retro start before bursting into that all too familiar Jungle groove. It's infectious from the first moment, the kind of track that would soundtrack a Copacabana afternoon, the vocals arriving late to tie the whole thing together and set the tone for everything to come. The title track follows, and 'Sunshine' oozes summer effortlessly, a chanty chorus backed by glittering production, the refrain built to stay in your head long after the song ends; like memories of a summer that refuse to fade away. The feel good nature of the track is undeniable, repeating its hook until the whole thing explodes into something bigger & brighter.

That opening run stays quintessentially Jungle. 'Where Are You Now?' pulls back into a more stripped down approach, the kind of track you'd play as a party starts to wind down, a tambourine taking centre stage before the chorus helps it bloom into something more anthemic. 'Move Like You Do' picks the energy straight back up with a slick, disco driven pull towards the dance floor, easy to get swept up in its glistening production, Lydia's vocals mixing beautifully into the groove. 'Romeo ii' brings Bas back into the fold, following on from his feature on Volcano’s "Pretty Little Thing." A high pitched sample kicks the track off, and his braggadocious flow over the chopped soul instrumental slots into the world of Jungle with real ease.

'Carry On', the album's lead single, softens things considerably, giving Lydia's vocals room to properly shine. There's a jazzier feel running through it, the confessional lyrics sitting against a glossy instrumental in a way that makes the track feel entrancing, building towards a genuinely cathartic ending. 'The Wave' pulls the record back into tropical territory, drawing on 60s and 70s Brazilian rhythm for something even more intoxicating than what's come before, its reassuring refrain about holding steady when things fall apart summing up the sound and message of the record in one line. 'Someday, Somewhere' keeps that chanting chorus device going, ostensibly the band's favourite tool, this time in service of imagining a better place than the one you're currently in, its lyrics carrying more of that same confessional weight underneath a quirky, ever present groove.

'Natural' softens the record again, similar to an Olivia Dean cut with a bit of extra flair, it’s "you're a natural" refrain looming over some genuinely nifty guitar work. It's charismatic enough to lure you in for one final dance before the record starts to properly wind down. 'Reflection', the penultimate track, turns sentimental, sombre and dare I say it, reflective. Lydia looking inward and laying out her flaws, insecurities and doubts about a lover, the chanty chorus returning one last time as the album's feel good nature gives way to something more realistic. Closer 'Heavy On My Soul' brings things to a sombre finish, dreams of paradise and chasing an escaping sun (yes I have just watched The Odyssey) running underneath a delicate chorus that, despite the title, gives Lydia one final chance to shine as the record winds emphatically down.

Jungle have returned with their most consistent project yet. Sunshine is a ride through the highs and lows of life, that feeling of flying and wanting to dance colliding with a more grounded realisation about the way life actually works. What Jungle do so well is bottle up that feeling of a groove and release it track by track, and on Sunshine that's exactly what they've done again. The band continue to go from strength to strength, and this is another stellar addition to an already brilliant discography.

Words by Alex Peters