There comes a point in the career of every great rock band when confidence replaces ambition. Not because the desire to push forward disappears, but because the need to prove oneself finally fades away. On Dear God, their fifth studio album, The Pretty Reckless sound like a band that has arrived at exactly that moment. Released through Fearless Records and produced by Jonathan Wyman alongside vocalist Taylor Momsen and guitarist Ben Phillips, the record feels less like a reinvention than a declaration of identity. It is the sound of a group fully comfortable in its own skin, embracing its strengths while digging deeper into the emotional core that has always defined its music.

Since emerging in the late 2000s, The Pretty Reckless have occupied a unique position in modern rock. They have balanced arena-sized riffs with introspective songwriting, creating music that feels both grand and deeply personal. Dear God continues that tradition, but with a greater sense of cohesion than any album in the band’s catalogue to date.

Much of that success stems from the songwriting partnership between Momsen and Phillips. Unlike the occasional stylistic detours that characterised 2021’s Death by Rock and Roll, this album maintains a remarkably unified vision across its fourteen tracks. Even when the band ventures into folk, funk, psychedelic rock, or classic seventies-inspired songwriting, every song feels connected to a larger narrative. The recurring “Life Evermore” interludes, scattered throughout the album and presented out of chronological order, serve as thematic signposts that tie together reflections on regret, self-discovery, mortality, and hope.

At the centre of everything stands Taylor Momsen, delivering one of the strongest vocal performances of her career. She has always possessed a rare ability to combine power and vulnerability, and Dear God provides numerous opportunities for both qualities to shine. The album’s lead single, “For I Am Death”, is a perfect example. Dark, theatrical, and almost possessed in its intensity, the track allows Momsen to unleash a performance that is equal parts menace and catharsis. Her voice shifts effortlessly between restrained verses and explosive choruses, creating one of the album’s most memorable moments.

Elsewhere, she demonstrates impressive versatility. “Spell On You” finds her embracing a seductive, mystical persona over a swaggering rock arrangement, while “About You” channels anger and frustration through a rough-edged vocal delivery that perfectly suits the song’s emotional weight. By contrast, “Rollercoaster of Life” introduces an unexpected dose of breezy funk and classic-rock charm. Its relaxed groove recalls the melodic experimentation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers while maintaining the band’s unmistakable identity.

Yet the album’s most compelling moments often emerge from its vulnerability. “Love Me” explores loneliness and depression with startling honesty, transforming what could have been a familiar theme into something deeply personal and affecting. The lyrics reveal an aching desire for connection, while Momsen’s performance conveys both desperation and resilience. Similarly, “When I Wake Up” disguises emotional regret beneath its festival-ready energy, offering a thoughtful reflection on excess and self-destruction beneath its infectious exterior.

The title track stands among the album’s finest achievements. Opening with a beat-driven arrangement that places Momsen’s voice firmly at the forefront, “Dear God” gradually builds toward a soaring chorus that feels both intimate and monumental. It captures the spiritual uncertainty that runs throughout the record, asking difficult questions without pretending to offer easy answers.

Instrumentally, the band remains in excellent form. Ben Phillips continues to be one of modern rock’s most underrated guitarists, and his work throughout the album is exceptional. Whether delivering blues-infused riffs, garage-rock aggression, psychedelic textures, or soaring melodic leads, his playing provides much of the album’s character. The rhythm section of bassist Mark Damon and drummer Jamie Perkins deserves equal praise, grounding the material with confidence and precision while allowing the songs room to breathe.

One of the album’s most fascinating tracks is “Dragonfire”, which begins as an acoustic folk composition before gradually expanding into something more expansive and psychedelic. It demonstrates the band’s willingness to experiment without sacrificing accessibility. The transition feels natural rather than forced, highlighting the maturity of the songwriting.

The album’s final stretch shifts toward broader themes, examining modern anxieties and the search for meaning in an increasingly fractured world. “Eye of the Storm” tackles social disillusionment through a mixture of acoustic and electric textures, while “Devil in Disguise (Michelle’s Song)” adopts a more personal perspective. The latter proves especially moving, with its understated arrangement allowing the emotional sincerity of the lyrics to take centre stage.

Perhaps the album’s most surprising moment arrives with “Dark Days.” Built around a slower groove that evokes the warm storytelling traditions of seventies album-oriented rock, the track recalls the reflective spirit of Fleetwood Mac more than the hard-rock bombast often associated with The Pretty Reckless. It serves as a fitting penultimate chapter, offering contemplation rather than catharsis before the album’s final “Life Evermore” coda brings the journey full circle.

What ultimately makes Dear God so effective is its sincerity. The album occasionally leans on familiar rock imagery and well-worn lyrical themes, but those moments are consistently redeemed by the conviction behind the performances. Nothing here feels cynical or manufactured. Instead, the record radiates authenticity, presenting a band willing to expose its fears, flaws, and aspirations without reservation.

At just over fifty minutes, Dear God is an immersive and rewarding listen that showcases The Pretty Reckless at their most focused and emotionally resonant. It balances heaviness with introspection, spectacle with intimacy, and darkness with hope. More importantly, it confirms that Taylor Momsen and her band remain one of modern rock’s most compelling acts. Rather than chasing trends or reinventing themselves, they have refined what they do best, and the result is a powerful, cohesive, and deeply human rock album that stands among their strongest work to date.

Words by Danielle Holian

Put your headphones on, find somewhere quiet, and let Temples take you somewhere you didn't know you needed to go.

"Vendetta" does not ease you in. The second single from Temples ahead of their forthcoming album BLISS pulls you under immediately, wraps a trance around your shoulders like something warm and slightly dangerous, and by the time you realise what's happened your body is already moving and your brain has quietly clocked out. And when you find out this is a band coming back from the silence that followed 2023's near-invisible Exotico, rebuilding from scratch, signing to V2 and going back into a room together with no outside hands on the wheel, the song hits even harder. This is what it sounds like when a band stops making music for other people and starts making it entirely for themselves.

The song was originally two separate ideas that had no business being together. A Justice and Daft Punk-sounding sample on one side, something closer to a David Guetta or Avicii record on the other. When the band fused them, something unpredictable happened. The scuzzy riff and the lasering synth stopped fighting each other and started pulling in the same direction, which turns out to be directly into your nervous system. It should be a shock to the senses. It is. It should make you want to move. It does. From the very first beat it is pulling you somewhere and you go willingly because you have no choice.

"Fall away / I wanna feel alive / Sign off the night / And leave without your vendetta."

Then there is the moment at 1:13. A filtered synth, a processed ghost of their own guitar rebuilt into something unrecognisable, swooping and euphoric and over almost before you have clocked it. This is what Bagshaw calls building "audio Pantones," the band sampling and manipulating their own sounds across BLISS into a shared palette, a collage that feels interconnected rather than assembled. That sound is entirely theirs. It belongs to no reference point. And when the drop follows it, you will sit completely still for a moment. Then you will go back and play it again just to feel it land a second time.

The lyrics move from darkness upward without announcement. "Deliver me into the night" in the first verse quietly becomes "deliver me into the sky" in the second, and the whole song follows that arc without ever making a fuss about it. This is what Temples mean when they talk about melancholic euphoria: simple structures giving rise to complex feeling, bittersweet and alive at the same time. Headphones in, volume up, and you are no longer where you were. You are somewhere alone above all of it, the trance fully in and the drop still ringing somewhere in your chest.

A band who rebuilt themselves from the ground up and came back sounding more like themselves than ever. "Vendetta" is melancholic euphoria made physical. You will play it again just to feel it land. That is the only review it needs. But it deserves this one too.

Words by Dhriti Duggal

Some songs tell you a story. This one makes you feel like you are already buried inside it before you have even heard a word.
The song begins before Chris Motionless even arrives. Skylar Grey opens "R.I.P." alone, her voice drifting through piano and funereal synths like something spoken at the edge of a grave, and for thirty-seven seconds you are already deep inside a story that hasn't told you its name yet. Then the camera finds Chris at 0:37, his voice enters, and the perspective shifts completely. What felt like a eulogy becomes a confrontation. What felt like an ending becomes something far more complicated and far more alive.

The video earns every second of that feeling. The setting is dark, abandoned, horror-adjacent, the kind of place that makes you think of the dead trying to reach each other across whatever silence separates them. And right at the start, as Skylar's voice rises and falls through those opening pitches, the video shows you two bodies lying next to each other, still and silent, while her voice is doing everything the bodies cannot. Every shift in pitch carries an emotion that the silence between those two figures refuses to. You feel it before you understand it, which is exactly what great music does, and it is almost unbearable in the best possible way. 

"If you jump, I'll jump too / 'Cause I would do anything for you / Call it love, call it doom / 'Cause there is no me without you."

Then the drums arrive at 1:13 and the song becomes something physical. The weight of everything the first minute has been quietly building lands all at once. Chris Motionless has spoken about writing the song through a romantic lens but leaving it open enough to fit any relationship where silence swallowed what was left unsaid. That openness is what makes the lyrics feel so personal. "The dissonance that points the blame is louder in the silence." You have felt that. Everyone has felt that. And the song holds that feeling without flinching, without resolving it neatly, without lying to you about how hard it actually is to find your way back to someone you have hurt or who has hurt you.

What Skylar Grey brings is not just a second voice but a second truth. Her pitches carry grief in a register Chris cannot reach alone, and together they do not harmonise so much as haunt each other. The unresolved tension between them is the whole point. The relationship in the title has not been buried yet. It is still breathing, painfully and uncertainly, and the song refuses to look away from that. You stay equally invested in the video and the lyrics at every moment, which almost never happens and is extraordinarily difficult to achieve.

Motionless In White at their most theatrical and their most human at the same time. A song about the silence after the damage, the love that survives the wreckage, and the unbearable uncertainty of what comes next. Skylar Grey brings it somewhere Chris could not have reached alone. He said so himself. He was right.

Words by Dhriti Duggal

The beloved hitmaker delights a buzzing Guildhall Square with a joyous evening of vibrant soul-pop. 

Weatherwise, you couldn’t ask for a better day to see British- Caribbean music legend Billy Ocean. Southampton has been blessed with a gloriously sunny Sunday on which to welcome Ocean, along with former Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow. Both men turn out to be on exceedingly - almost surprisingly - fine form. First comes Pellow, the Scottish singer whose distinctive vocals have graced 13 top 10 hits (including 3 UK No.1s) over the years. 

Clad in sparkly trousers and backed by an energetic 7-piece band, it’s immediately obvious that Pellow remains a showman of the highest order. Getting the crowd singing early with funky anthems such as ‘Sweet Little Mystery’ and ‘Angel Eyes’, it feels less like a support set, and more like a co-headline show which just happened to be first up on this particular night. Something about the sheer blue sky and blazing sunshine melds perfectly with Pellow’s endlessly charming stage presence and back catalogue of sublime pop bangers. 

As if the vibes weren’t wonderful enough, he throws in a cover of Bowie’s eternal floor-filler ‘Let’s Dance’, and - as unlikely as it might sound - Pellow more than rises to the challenge of honouring David’s iconic voice, to such an extent that he feels like a spiritual successor to the late Starman. He slows things down for Wet Wet Wet’s classic ballad ‘Goodnight Girl’, which is rapturously received by the middle-aged, largely female crowd, who sing back every word.

Just as the set appears to be drawing to a close, he pulls out his former band’s chart-topping cover of The Beatles’ ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, before closing with the hugely successful ‘Love Is All Around’, well-remembered thanks to its starring role in Hugh Grant romcom ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’. The crowd, of course, sing along at the top of their voices, waving their arms in unison as Pellow sings the hell out of one of the greatest pop-ballads of the last century. 

It’s quite an act to follow, but if anyone’s up to the task, it’s Billy Ocean. After an extended, hype-building intro in which every member of his 13-piece band joins a lively opening jam, Ocean finally appears, looking sharp in a blue three-piece suit. Right from the off he’s grooving across the stage, entertaining the audience with ease before uttering even a single note. When he does start singing, it’s heartwarming to hear that, like Pellow, his instantly recognisable voice has not aged a day. Watching him slink across the stage during opening number ‘One World’, it’s hard to believe that Ocean is 76 years old.  

His boundless energy and crackling charisma is infectious, and as a result the whole of Guildhall Square is already dancing along, despite being largely unfamiliar with the song, which is taken from Ocean’s 2020 album of the same name. The next track, however, elicits cheers from its very first notes. Immediately announcing itself with its iconic piano refrain, Ocean’s breakthrough single ‘Love Really Hurts Without You’ sounds just as fresh today as when he first released it 50 years ago, the audience erupting into a communal singalong as its gloriously melodic chorus hits.  

He follows this early high with the slick R&B of ‘Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)’ and the punchy soul of ‘Stay the Night’, the latter bolstered by an impressive 4-piece brass section. Then, as the onstage lights and lettering spelling out his name turn red, the first notes of 1977 hit ‘Red Light Spells Danger’ bring a collective, anticipatory hush over the crowd. The song’s memorably deliberate build-up has punters clapping in unison, before it explodes with a signature key change, Ocean’s voice masterfully switching to the higher register required, and blending beautifully with the vocals of the 3 backing singers (including daughter Cherie), who are also integral to the song. 

He wastes no time doubling down on the euphoria, launching straight into the anthemic US chart-topper ‘Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car’, which, quite frankly, sets the place on fire with its irresistible dancefloor rhythms and belt-out chorus. A distinct change of pace follows, with a hypnotically extended version of shimmering 1988 ballad ‘The Colour of Love’ giving Ocean an opportunity to flex his considerable orchestrating-audience-singalong muscles.

The next tune, an inspired cover of Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’, needs no orchestration, with Guildhall Square bursting into song as soon as they realise that the reggae classic is getting an airing. The serviceable 2020 track ‘Mystery’ bobs along nicely, before the atmospheric ballad ‘Suddenly’ sweeps the audience up in its glittering romanticism, prompting hundreds of phone torches to be held aloft by swaying arms, not least by those of one particularly passionate punter - from the balcony of her overlooking flat!  

With a stunning sunset heralding darkening skies, and the audience now fully immersed in the magic of Ocean’s music, he proceeds to deliver a formidable rendition of the swaggering synth-soul jam ‘Loverboy’, before knowingly asking the audience: “What happens when the going gets tough?”. 

“The tough get going!”, everyone shouts back, and after an enjoyably obligatory “louder!”, he launches into ‘When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going’, which served as the theme for the 1985 film ‘The Jewel of the Nile’, and earned Ocean his only UK No.1 single. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s estactically received, with the entire audience singing and dancing along with aplomb.  

The optimistic, unifying ‘One World’ track ‘Daylight’ serves as the penultimate song of the evening, with an especially fun outro seeing Ocean orchestrate separate singalongs for the women and men, before inviting everyone to join together for a cacophony of catchy “ohh la la la’s”. It’s a sonically sun-drenched way to draw the night towards a close, which seems fitting given what a roasting day it’s been. 

Of course, the gig wouldn’t be complete without Ocean’s signature mega-hit ‘Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)’, which the crowd have been chanting at various intervals throughout the evening. “It’s coming, it’s coming”, Ocean had said with a smile. Well, now it's finally here, and it doesn’t disappoint. Beginning with its ‘Billie Jean'-esque beat and guitar before transforming with an earworm chorus of its own, ‘Caribbean Queen...’ captures everything that’s so great about Billy Ocean, and - in a surprise to literally no one - it absolutely rips live. 

As they have been for the majority of the evening, every single punter sings its classic chorus with their whole chest, wrapping up a perfect summer party in joyous, timeless style.  

Words by Ben Left

McFly ensure that the new British Airways ARC is ready for take off.

This week marks the highly anticipated take off of a brand new venue, the beautifully designed  British Airways ARC, launching its opening season with performances from the stunning singer of the moment Self Esteem and old punk pop favourites McFly. The aesthetically pleasing centrepiece of Olympia’s £1.3 billion transformation gives West London its first purpose built mid-sized live music venue in over a decade. Housed within the historic 140 year old Olympia complex, the 3,800 capacity space promises state-of-the-art sound, a striking modern design and an intimate feel all in one that bridges the gap between a club and arena exquisitely. Tonight it was time for the BA ARC’s opening season to get McFlying to soaring heights. 

Support comes from the country pop trio Remember Monday, who first came to national attention on The Voice UK in 2019. Their trademark three-part harmonies are on great form tonight, with first song ‘What the girls bathroom is for” and its catchy hook, ‘Jessica was crying, She's not crying anymore’. Their cheeky on stage patter and self deprecation wins the hearts of the largely young crowd tonight, at one point a singer laughing “I’ve lost an ear, oh well” as one of her earpieces falls out between songs. 

Joking that their next song ‘Happier’ hits as hard as Slipknot, the girls are ready to have fun with the audience tonight. A rousing cover of the ABBA classic ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ gets the venue jumping and singing along. Set closet is their Eurovision Song Contest pop anthem ‘What The Hell Just Happened?’ which gets a strong reaction from the crowd. Their tight harmonies, polished musicianship and natural chemistry from having been a band for over 14 years made them an ideal choice to warm up the crowd, setting an upbeat tone before McFly took to the stage.

It’s hard to believe that McFly were formed 24 years ago, as one of Britain’s most enduring pop-rock bands it is fitting that they are among the first acts through the doors of the venue. After bursting onto the scene with ‘Five Colours In Her Hair’, Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd remain a combined resilient force, and remarkably remain the youngest band to ever have a debut album go straight to number 1, beating The Beatles. With 7 UK number one singles, 7 Top 10 albums and a BRIT Award for Best British Pop, the band are not resting on their laurels, and their 2023 album ‘Power To Play’ saw the band embrace a new heavier, guitar driven sound. Their flares and glam rock flamboyance clearly pleases the ladies as they joke “When you buy a ticket you sign a contract to be the fifth member of McFly!”, epitomising the effortless sense of togetherness the band create for their adoring fans. 

It is this sound that starts their set with the thumping ‘Where did all the guitars go’ with shredding guitar solos and the refrain ‘Rock n roll is good for the soul’ ringing irresistibly through the venue, onto classics such  as 2008s ‘One for the Radio’. Signature hit ‘Obviously’ saw a change of pace with Danny moving to an acoustic guitar evoking the laid back and charming lyrics, inspiring a huge sing along for the main refrain ‘You’re obviously out of my league’. 

Twenty four years old this year, they excited on announce that they have started working on their eighth album, to huge screams of anticipation. They introduce the first song they wrote together ‘Room on the 3rd Floor’, which hits home with the long term fans in the audience. Their charming repartee with the fans is constant, with the lead singer at one point quipping “We are twenty four years old this year, depending on how you count them!” McFly didn’t just take the audience Back to the Future, they brought their biggest hits into the present, giving familiar favourites a fresh lease of life. 

Words by Brendan Sharp

Crystal Palace Park Series returns, featuring the likes of Two Door Cinema Club, Kneecap, The Offspring, Snow Patrol and Alanis Morrisette for one of the most memorable events of the summer. 

Running from 26 June to July 4, Crystal Palace Park Series returns for a phenomenal summer event highlighting some of the best bands in the scene. Each day is a curated genre fair highlighting the best of indie, Irish rock, punk, rock, and more – all under one banner and all in one place. Tickets are low across all events with most sold out, and it’s easy to see why. With so many bands playing it can feel overwhelming – it’s basically a summer’s worth of mini, All Points East-stylised festivals, so this is a primer on the bands playing and artists who you should be keeping an eye out for.  

Two Door Cinema Club – 26 June

We kick things off with an indie favourite anniversary set – to mark the 15th anniversary of ‘Tourist History’, we go back-to-back with two double albums – that paired against ‘What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?’ being played in full; the seminal 2011 masterpiece that shook up an entire scene. If even the title doesn’t get you inspired to belt out hits like ‘Wrecking Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’ or ‘Post Break Up Sex’, what are you even doing? The perfect evening for an indie singalong allows Two Door Cinema Club to give something back to London, which they call “the first place outside of Ireland [to call] home”. For them, it feels like a hometown show as much as they owe to their Irish origins, acknowledging the capitals influence on songs like ‘What You Know, Something Good Can Work’ and ‘Undercover Martyn’ that mixes in with their Bangor and Donaghadee origins. ‘What You Know’ currently has over 1 million streams on Spotify, and the band are just coming off a 30-date amphitheatre tour of the United States – that too has sold out, showing the trio’s universal appeal.

Also performing on the day is alternative multi-disciplinary artist James Marriott who fuses alt with the indie sphere and seems to be only going from strength to strength – in addition to the whimsical Wrexham cult heroes Royston Club – capable of blending anthemic choruses with melodic guitar lines. It’s a fan-favourite band in the making – and now’s your chance to get to say you saw them at first support before they come back and headline the whole thing.

Kneecap – 27 June

A day later, the Irish celebration continues with a who’s who of the best Irish acts in the scene right now (sans perhaps, Sprints and The Scratch, two acts that would be right at home here.) Politically charged firecrackers Kneecap return once more to the belly of the beast; where frontman Mo Chara was once interrogated for acts of terror after daring to speak up for Palestine – the band have established themselves as forerunners in the scene. They’re aware of what drove them back to London, their last wee venture as they put it, was to beat the government in court. Now – they lead their biggest headline show to date, following stops at festivals like 2,000 Trees, Rock Werchter and indie favourite Wide Awake.

Mobilising a generation in mosh pits and on the dance floors they a revolutionary force that captured the heart of the people through their breakthrough album ‘Fine Art’ and their sequel; ‘Fenian’. Noel Gallagher, Annie Mac and Amyl and the Sniffers are in their corner and the new single ‘No Comment’ leads a direct response to persecution from the British Government. Safe to say, unlike The Killers, Kneecap won’t be stopping their gig to show England play at the World Cup that evening. Unless perhaps – Panama win. 

Support Mary Wallopers, are possibly even more rabble-rousing, having recently been pulled mid set at Victorious Festival in Portsmouth for daring to sport a Palestinian flag. They have a unique fusion of sound that matches the Dead Kennedys and the Clancy Brothers and an outfit that that has led to a new album, ‘Paddywhackery’ and a new single, ‘Crowns of England’ only proves their strength of craft.  Having recently done a series of practice runs under fake names at the Brixton Windmill the local heroes Fat Dog may stand out as the only non-Irish band on this run – but their mosh-pit starting capabilities remain unmatched. They too – have a new album coming soon – so this is a great place to give it a test run. Expect, and embrace chaos – people will be sweating buckets long before Kneecap come on stage.

Rising experimental folk band Madra Salach recently made tastemaker festival The Great Escape their own with the best set of the whole weekend and now look set to tear up South London, in addition to a spot for industrial post punk pioneers Gurriers; now on album number two. ‘Nobody’s Coming to Save You’ from that mosh – as it will be a rowdy one and then some. Also don’t ignore Biig Piig, a modern pop trailblazer.

The Offspring – 28 June

If the 27th was for the best of the new punk heads, the 28th is for the old guard. The Offspring lead a stacked day once again – pop punk heads capable of selling out arenas, if not stadiums. ‘Smash’ is an all-timer of a record – their third and having turned 30 in 2024 it hasn’t lost any of its staying power. The bands’ significance can be felt on modern scene today and that hasn’t gone away – so now is the perfect time to see them. Especially when you consider that politically-charged The Dropkick Murphys are supporting them – openly challenging Trump’s regime with songs like Citizen I.C.E. and staying true to the hardcore spirit by pairing with bands like Haywire on their new EP New England Forever – that sounds like the Murphys establishing themselves as their own brand again and returning to their origins. Expect rowing pits, plenty of fireballs and of course, an old favourite – ‘Shipping Up to Boston’. If Haywire are in town expect a surprise appearance – they are at Manchester after all that weekend for Outbreak - it’d be too rude not to. 

Further down the billing, bands like Pennywise and Destroy Boys compliment Crystal Palace Park lineup, and PUP remain the most eye-catching band of the whole weekend: a band that deserve to have their Turnstile-style summer and with the amount of shows they’ve got booked, they could easily pull it off.

Snow Patrol – 3 July

20 years of ‘Eyes Open’ gives Northern Irish juggernauts Snow Patrol the chance to celebrate the “Most Played track of the 21st Century” – ‘Chasing Cars’ – that has not left any of its staying power. All the hits will be there; the nostalgia – ‘Just Say Yes’, ‘Run’, ‘Open Your Eyes’ – and they themselves are utterly and completely magical still, all these years later. If that wasn’t enough nostalgia for you embrace Editors, replacing Rag n Bone Man – ‘Munich’ and ‘Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors’ remain classics even now, and still well regarded among UK indie music lovers. 

For Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, it’s a return to London that is “their first outdoor London show for a long while,” with a fantastic line-up of bands and solo artists available. Their 2003 debut ‘Final Straw’ and multi-platinum ‘Eyes Open’ are irresistible – and anyone witnessing their performance will be completely and utterly bought into it during a milestone year. More recently their music remains current and durable ‘The Forest is the Path’, recently earned a number one spot proving their longevity. The pairing of established acts with new talent continues throughout the weekend with Snow Patrol giving the floor to Nieve Ella, who just galvanised a legion of devout fans with her ability to blend wit and stage presence together for a unique experience, and the likes of Amy Macdonald and the Amazons.

Alanis Morissette – 4 July

Having recently performed at Canada’s opening game of the World Cup, Alanis Morrisette returns to Crystal Palace to round out the spectacular series of names and remind the audience why she’s one of the most influential women in contemporary music after the back of a hugely popular sold out 2025 World Tour. 

‘Jagged Little Pill’ was instrumental in 1995 in shaping her success and the nine more albums that included hits like ‘Ironic’, ‘You Outta Know’ and ‘Hand in My Pocket’ really remain as current today as they did before. 

She is joined by Skunk Anansie, their powerful fusion of hard rock and punk felt everywhere with their singles ‘Weak’, ‘Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)’ and ‘Charity’ tearing up the UK rock scene – you only need to look at guaranteed Firestarter ‘Everything Is Political’ to capture where the 90s band still remain relevant in the current moment – highlighted by their recently released commercially acclaimed success story ‘The Painful Truth’, that shows perhaps the ultimate evolution of their 2009 tour.

Two Door Cinema Club and Alanis Morissette tickets are currently sold out but you can buy Kneecap, The Offspring and Snow Patrol tickets here - https://www.livenation.co.uk/crystal-palace-park-series 

Words by Miles Milton Jefferies

Download 2026. With the past few years between alternating it Drownload and Melt-Download, even the weather was up in the air. The only certainties were metal music, mayhem, and people complaining about camping chairs in the arena again.

Already half-feeling like a distant memory, let’s go back to when it all started on Friday with the Californian foursome of Silent Planet — a name that feels more and more ironic as the years pass and the stages and crowds get bigger. A slot on the second stage to the 100,000 capacity Download meant that the ‘Planet’ was anything but silent, waves of applause and roars kicking up a hell of a ruckus in the early afternoon. Barefooted, long haired Garret Russell looked a carbon copy of any of the bedraggled crowd who’d crawled out of their campsite as he growled, screamed and headbanged his way through SUPERBLOOM fan-favourites ‘Collider’,, the emotional, shoegaze-exque ‘Euphoria’ and the blistering ‘Dreamwalker’. Elsewhere, the cinematic ‘Antimatter’ or the golden oldie ‘Panic Room’ — dedicated to victims of UK and US colonialism, particular in the light of institutions like ICE — or the Ukraine-dedicated ‘Wick’ helped give the heavy set an emotional core that unsurprisingly resonated strongly with the tight-nit metal community. 

Fresh from selling out Camden’s Underworld, Holywatr brought their hauntingly dark heaviness to Download for their UK festival debut; and, from the sardine tin of a tent straining at the edges, it couldn’t have come sooner. Patrick Middelthon’s vocals remained the focal point throughout, flipping effortlessly between haunting cleans and vicious screams, even as a crowd in emotional ecstasy sang and shouted alongside. ‘Without U’ and ‘nail polish’ showcased the band’s more anthemic side, while ‘Mistake’ split the tent wide open with a huge wall of death after Patrick challenged fans to show him how to two-step — pre-empted by a couple getting engaged before the track kicked in. Closing with ‘loose ends’, Middelthon launching himself into the audience to crowdsurf alongside his fans, the set felt far too short for such a victorious debut. 

Helping spearheaded Download’s slow embrace of the heavy gamut — aside from the ever present grumblings of the metal purists of course — come the Country-metal fusion of Lakeview. The Nashville duo blended Southern drawls, huge choruses and occasional breakdowns into one of Download’s most entertaining genre collisions. ‘Money Where Your Mouth Is’ and ‘Wrong Side of the Track’ landed particularly well, while flying beer cans and plenty of onstage drinking only added to the party atmosphere. Download has become increasingly eclectic in recent years, and Lakeview felt like another perfect example of the festival embracing new sounds without sacrificing heaviness.

Speaking of Download’s diverse tastes, next up were Donington favourites Pendulum. Backed by dazzling visuals and an enormous light show, the electronic-rock veterans transformed the field into a giant rave one moment and a metal show the next, with tracks like ‘Halo’ or the surprise of Roy Reynolds for the glorious ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ helping to further muddy the divide. Massive beats collided with crushing guitars as thousands sang along to ‘Witchcraft’, bounced in unison to ‘Tarantula’ or just happily smiled along to the Australian favourites’ vibe-filled set. With their headline appearance at WAH in the city in July, there’s never a better time to see them. 

It’s bizarre to think that it’s taken ten years to get the gentlemen of Periphery back in Donington. Originally due to headline a stage at the cancelled 2020 festival, the progressive metal giants finally got their chance to make it up to the UK festival with a set mostly composed of all the albums that the UK have missed in the meantime. Older tracks such as their self-titled debut’s ‘Letter Experiment’ or 2012’s ‘Facepalm Mute’ went hand-in-hand with the live debuts of ‘Mr. God’, ‘Everyone Dies Alone’ and ‘Heaven On High’ to showcase a band still on the cutting edge of prog metal, even all these years later, beautiful in their discordance. Somewhat surprisingly, though, was the absence of the sing-along crowd favourite ‘Marigold’, and a personal shame not to get the Will Ramos-featuring, face-melting brutality of ‘Subhuman’, but with so little time to work with, you can’t have everything. Prog-glorious.

As far as having fun goes, Electric Callboy win hands down. Regardless of the setting — headline tour, festival, music videos, whatever else — it’s not even close. Confetti, pyro, multiple costume changes and more clashed with an explosion of neon and relentless energy to transform the Apex Stage into a giant party from start to finish. ‘HYPA HYPA’, ‘MC Thunder II’, their covers of both ‘Still Waiting’ and their snippet of ‘Bodies’, ‘We Got The Moves’, ‘Pump It’… existing fans were more than happy with the fan-favourite set, while those newer to their antics were invariably won over by both the sheer maniacal enjoyment had by both the rest of the crowd and the band themselves. It’s easy to forget, then, that underneath all the tongue-in-cheek silliness and the visual absurdity, they’re also just a really great band. A genuine travesty if these aren’t headlining in the next five years. 

First headliner of the night, over on the Opus stage, Halestorm delivered exactly what you’d hope for: huge riffs, massive choruses and a masterclass from Lzzy Hale. Opening with material from ‘Everest’, the band mixed new songs with fan favourites including ‘I Miss The Misery’, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ and ‘Freak Like Me’. Hale’s voice remained astonishing throughout, effortlessly switching between soaring melodies and throat-ripping screams. Confetti, costume changes and a fun cover of ‘Bad Romance’ added extra spectacle, but the emotional heart of the set came during the closing duo of ‘Everest’, dedicated to both the band’s journey and their fans, and the sing-along anthem of ‘Here’s To Us’. Although parts of the set did at times feel like they blended together, Arejay, Lzzy, Joe and Josh delivered as strong a set as ever.

Originally billed to headline the inaugural 2003 edition with Iron Maiden — and replaced by Audioslave — it’s wild that it’s taken a full 23 years for Donington and Durst to link up and make up for lost time. Because, love them or hate them, Limp Bizkit know exactly how to entertain a festival crowd. Edging the festival with a snippet of ‘Break Stuff’, Limp Bizkit’s set felt — rightfully or not —  a touch self indulgent… but if anyone’s earned that right, it’s Fred Durst and company. Said ‘Break Stuff’, ‘My Generation’, ‘Nookie’ and ‘Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)’ followed suit, generating huge singalongs and endless crowdsurfers. Fred Durst remains an oddly magnetic frontman, barely needing to do anything to command attention from the thousands of crazed and devoted fans, while fans invited onstage for ‘Full Nelson’ or ‘new’ artist Lauren Sanderson for ‘Hot Dog’ only added to the celebratory atmosphere. The Who’s ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ and a second ‘Break Stuff’ — why don’t more bands do the fan favourites again? — completed the night in style.

What felt like a lot of ‘dead air’ on stage as songs were played over the speakers, Fred content to just wave at fans, or the fact that the extra half an hour set compared to 2024 only resulted in three more songs probably won’t win over many doubters, but their existing fans left absolutely delighted. A set of fan favourites and debauchery — what more could they want?

Saturday began with one of Australia’s finest modern heavy bands making their Download main stage debut. Thornhill’s blend of shoegaze textures, delicate cleans and crushing heaviness felt like the perfect soundtrack to a slowly-warming Donington morning, even if the wind threatened to carry Jacob Charlton’s vocals away at times. Tracks such as ‘Obsession’ and ‘nerv’ showcased the band’s ability to pivot between haunting atmosphere and thunderous breakdowns, even as the steadily growing Download crowd limbered up for the mosh pits, while the chugging ‘TONGUES’ refused to let up for a second. A momentary crack in the heavy facade, a laugh upon spotting a ‘Horny4Thorny’ sign showed a band having just as much fan as their crowd, in an assured debut that felt long overdue; seriously, how did Download miss out on them over the past few years?

A blur of motion and sound, the slight figure of Florent Salfati letting loose with a deluge of tormented, existential French rap as thousands of Downloaders stood witness — Landmvrks had arrived, and last year’s ‘Creature’ was in full swing. Flanked by towering, despairing statues, and surrounded by blasts of pyro, the Marseille group’s long-awaited Download debut — how has it taken so long? — was every bit as dramatic and destructive as you could hope. Cleans, screams, gasps and hip-hop-esque hardcore were liberally applied, the set seeming to fly past — the pleadingly emotional intro of ‘La Valse Du Temps’, twinkling keys underpinning Salfati’s gentle vocals before launching into the thunderous tune, a final, bloodcurdling scream of ‘Am I Broken?’ left unanswered, somehow managed to have it all within about thirty seconds. Even the Red Arrows made an appearance, rocketing overhead just to see what all the fuss was about. Just a shame it was too bright for phone flashlights. Otherwise, fantastic. 

Sometimes, the heaviness gets a little too much and you just want some good, ol’fashioned, soulful rock. Enter, Those Damn Crows. The Welsh outfit provided a welcome change of pace, delivering soaring melodies, huge choruses and some soul-stirring heart that were perfect for a mid-afternoon set on Opus. Shane Greenhall’s rich, soulful voice enveloped the crowd, ‘Who Did It’, ‘Find A Way’, the exhilaratingly cinematic ‘Man on Fire’ and the endlessly catchy ‘Sin On Skin’ flying past, while the emotional, heartfelt ballad ‘This Time I’m Ready’ felt surprisingly intimate despite the thousands watching. 

Fresh off a UK No.1 with last year’s ‘God Shaped Hole’ and already teasing new music, Those Damn Crows continue to grow into one of Britain’s most dependable rock bands. Catch them supporting Shinedown in November.

Drowning Pool’s eventual Dogtooth slot felt criminally small. The tent was packed long before the band emerged — as well it should be, even if most might only have been there for the iconic, scream-along anthem rather than the Texans themselves — and the rows of people clamouring outside only proved the failed logistics of it all. Electric Callboy’s biggest sing along of yesterday was their snippet covering Drowning Pool, so whoever thought the actual article would have a smaller turnout was painfully wrong. ‘Bodies’ is very much one of the songs that made the scene. 

When the band came on stage though, space opened up. For chasmic circle pits, sure, but it counts! Tracks like ‘Sinner’ or ‘Pity’ warmed the crowd up nicely, the post-grunge metal infectiously addictive, with a good half the tent screaming along to every word, every note, but the other half stood waiting, tense. So, when ‘Bodies’ finally arrived? The entire tent felt like a maelstrom, crowd-surfers cascading over the security like a waterfall as phones, drinks and shoes were flung every which way, the song’s celebrating of mosh culture in general taken to the absolute limit. With how small the tent was, and how intimate the set felt, it was insane.

Ryan McCombs taking the time after the set to meet fans at the barrier, posing for selfies and signing anything put in front of them, was just the cherry on top.

It turns out, Electric Callboy weren’t the only explosion of neon at Download. Instead, the Swedish outfit of Self Deception were more than willing to offer a challenge to the most crazed act of the weekend — or at least, bassist Patrik Hallgren was, looking like the aftermath of a level of Splatoon, green and pink everywhere. Water pistols sprayed the crowd, dancefloor rhythms collided with rock riffs — there was even a flash mob in the pit during ‘Matthew McConaughey’ apparently! — and frontman Andreas Clark somehow managed to keep everything under control. Bits of the set felt unpolished, true, but if anything that just added to the anarchic freedom of the show, with tracks like ‘PSYCHO’, ‘ONE OF US’ or ‘Fight Fire With Gasoline’ coming across as ecstatically, beautifully unhinged. Definitely catch them next time they’re back. 

After failing to turn up to their heavily-rumoured-but-not-actually-a-thing secret set last year — campers dragged out of tents by the droves for a supposed 11am gap left disgruntled by the bemused staff’s attempts at explaining that no one was on — Trivium’s return to Download felt even more highly anticipated than their 7 year absence already called for. Raised horns and pumping fists were soundtracked by the Florida metalcore legends as they tore through a set that spanned seven albums, guitars ablaze as riff after iconic riff drifted over the crowd, Matt Heafy grinning in excitement and grimacing in fury in equal measure as they reminded Donington just what made them such titans of the genre. Older material — ‘A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation’, ‘Like Lights to the Flies’ — drew some of the biggest reactions of the afternoon, while the band’s trademark blend of melodic hooks, thrash precision and metalcore aggression ensured the momentum never faltered. It felt slightly strange not to see anything from last year’s ’Struck Dead’, or 2021’s ‘In The Court Of The Dragon’, but as crowd pleasing sets go, it was pretty on point.

Sam Carter and co. should have been indulging in one of the biggest sets of their career. Instead, the set became a lesson in what not to do. Namely, repeatedly urge a crowd to mosh and crowdsurf, despite numerous security-mandated stoppages and song interruptions. To their credit, the Brighton metalcore giants handled every stoppage with professionalism, trying to ensure that fans looked after one another… but then he’d goad them on some more. Songs such as ‘Whiplash’, ‘Black Lungs’, ‘Impermanence’ and the ever-emotional ‘Doomsday’ landed brilliantly whenever the band were allowed to build momentum, alongside the delightful deep-cuts of ‘Gravedigger’ and ‘A Match Made In Heaven’, while newer material from The Sky, The Earth & All Between — especially ‘Elegy’, the spiritual successor to ‘Nihilist’, or the Florent Salfati featuring ‘Brain Dead’ — sounded colossal, but between the stoppages and Sam’s voice seeming to lack the signature cohesion of the past decades, it fell slightly flat. Still, that’s only really compared to Architects of the past — a slightly flat Architects is still head and shoulders above most others of the genre!

Finally, the main event. Guns N’ Roses felt like a celebration. Sure, the legendary rockers’ mammoth set length created some brutal clashes elsewhere on the bill, and the questions around Axl Rose’s continued ability to sing to the same standard that make the band such a household name reared their ugly (but not completely wrong) heads throughout the night, but once Axl Rose, Slash, Duff and company settled into their stride, thousands happily surrendered themselves to a catalogue that helped define modern rock music. Slash remained as iconic a figure as ever, those legendary riffs of his mesmerising throughout, while Rose, grinning ear to ear, wisely adapted and dropped his vocals where needed. ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’, ‘November Rain’, their covers of ‘Live and Let Die’, ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ and ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ — whatever you thought about how the performance lived up to the Guns N’ Roses of the past, there’s no denying how much of an impact they’ve had on music as a whole, and rock and metal in particular. Seeing Axl dance across the stage during ‘Paradise City’, his mic stand as his noble steed, was truly magnificent. One beautiful, celebratory hurrah for the legacy of a band who’ve soundtracked generations… though saying that, a second hurrah might be pushing their luck.

Fresh from supporting Sleep Theory on their UK dates, sister duo The Pretty Wild delivered one of the most exhilarating sets of the weekend, as Jyl and Jules Wylde seamlessly wove rap, metalcore, pop hooks, electronics and hardcore aggression into a tapestry of chaotic, explosive fun. ‘PARADOX’, ‘OMENS’ and ‘INFRARED’ demonstrated the duo’s refusal to be boxed into a single genre — other than perhaps ‘caps lock’ — while ‘button eyes’ felt like a infectiously sinister fever dream pulled straight from a Coraline x Tim Burton nightmare. The pair spent much of the set grinning, spinning and screaming their way around the stage, clearly having the time of their lives. Plus, boasting a packed out tent when clashing with Keanu Reeves’ Dogstar is no small thing! 

From the Wild to the Reckless, then, as Taylor Momsen took to the stage. Opening with ‘Death By Rock And Roll’, The Pretty Reckless delivered a polished set built around Momsen’s distinctive raspy vocals and undeniable stage presence. Singalongs like ‘Since You’re Gone’ and ‘Heaven Knows’ went hand-in-hand with Dear God’s ‘For I Am Death’ and ‘When I Wake Up’, a tease of what to expect at their headline show at O2 Brixton in December, to deliver a refreshingly new take on classic rock. And, although the crowd’s reaction felt at times a little muted, the set slightly restrained compared to some of the chaos unfolding elsewhere across the festival, it was a still a hell of a set. 

Let’s get this out of the way. Ice Nine Kills don’t need all their production. If you whisked away all the actors, the props, the theatricality, they’d still be a phenomenally good metal band. Having said that, as the horror-obsessed metalcore outfit transformed Donington into a full-blown cinematic production, complete with Hannibal Lecter masks, chainsaw-wielding butchers, oversized props and enough ‘fake’ blood to warrant a warrant, you really can’t complain. Between a fake fight between Neo and Agent Smith in ‘The Great Unknown’ — no Keanu! — Art the Clown swinging an aflame foetus around his head by its umbilical cord during closer A Work Of Art, and hypnotic circus performers on stilts and smoke grenade-wielding goons on the Batman-themed ‘The Laugh Track’ — plus being joined by Hannah Hermione Greenwood of Creeper for ‘Twisting The Knife’ — it was sensory overload, a visual smorgasbord of depravity. Unreal. 

Bad Omens’ rise over the past few years has been stratospheric, and their packed-out crowd only reinforced that fact. Noah Sebastian remains one of modern metal’s most captivating frontmen, his silky clean vocals often giving way to strangely distinctive screams, packed with ferocity and bereft of mercy, with almost unsettling ease. ‘CONCRETE JUNGLE’, ‘Nowhere To Go’, ‘ARTIFICIAL SUICIDE’, ‘Just Pretend’ — almost without being aware of it, those tracks have fundamentally infested the scene, and the tens of thousands in the field knew it, screaming and crying along.  Visually, the set matched the music’s dystopian atmosphere perfectly, blasts of fire and gouts of steam contrasting with the stark lighting to add to the experience, and by the time the crowd’s call-and-response chants accelerated into the chaos of ‘Dethrone’, it felt impossible to argue against Bad Omens’ rise to the top.

Some Downloads, the Sunday headliner feels slightly like an afterthought. Always a massive name, to be sure, but rarely the lynchpin of the weekend. Not so this year. Judging by the crowd, Linkin Park’s set was the moment the entire weekend had been building towards for the majority of the 100,000 strong attendees. Tens of thousands greeted Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain’s emergence, and Shinoda, Hahn, Farrell and Delson’s return, with deafening enthusiasm. 

It feels like a long time since Linkin Park announced their return with the drop of The Emptiness Machine back in 2024, so it felt right they announced their return to Donington in the same way. Led in by celebratory-yet-emotional elements of the Chester-led ‘Castle Of Glass’ over the speakers, the From Zero standout immediately justified its place alongside the classics, while ‘Points of Authority’, ‘Somewhere I Belong’, ‘Burn It Down’ and ‘What I’ve Done’ reminded everyone just how absurdly stacked Linkin Park’s catalogue remains. ‘Crawling’, left Armstrong barely needed to contribute at all, such was the volume of the crowd, while snippets of ‘Where’d You Go’ and ‘Lost’ felt like they’d have drawn tears from a less rowdy crowd, even as phone flashlights emerged from the ruckus. And, of course, crowd favourites ‘Numb’ and ‘In the End’ became giant communal moments stretching all the way back to the sound tower.

But the emotional moments were few and far between. Instead, heaviness all the way. ‘Two Faced’ became ‘A Place For My Head’; Heavy Is The Crown’ became ‘Bleed It Out’ became ‘Papercut’. It was as if the band had to cram all the anger of their usual two hour set into the 90 minutes allotted to them — which felt a little wrong given Guns N’ Roses’ 200 minutes, but hey ho.

Download has welcomed some colossal headliners over the years, but few arrivals have carried quite the same weight as Linkin Park’s return. Emily Armstrong’s appearance as the festival’s first female headliner marks one hell of a significant milestone, sure, but the sea of people stretching across Donington made one thing abundantly clear: whoever’s at the helm, Linkin Park’s Donington appearances are always monumental, and they’re always welcome. 

Words by James O’Sullivan

The All-American Rejects made a welcome return to London after 14 years away with a blistering showcase of old and new at the Kentish Town Forum.

The band are now independent, the millennial emos are all a decade and a half older, and the outside world has changed beyond comparison several times over.

But when the band hit the stage at 8.30 with ‘Swing Swing’, it feels like nothing’s changed. It’s a bold opener. Their breakthrough single, it’s also their highest charting song in the UK. It kick-starts a show rammed with nostalgia. Whether this is your first experience of The Rejects live, or returning from many years ago, the degree of urgency shows they’re making up for lost time.

Tyson Ritter, the frontman you can’t take your eyes and ears off, removed his denim jacket before ‘Fallin’ Apart’, from the band’s third album. It takes on the challenge of stepping up from the opening hit, taking the chaos up a notch. At one point, the singer was dodging his way around a roadie who ran on stage to get the mic stands back up. It’s that kind of show.

“This is not a democracy in here tonight, this is a full-on feudalistic nightmare, and we are your kings.” This statement from Tyson could be a nod to the band’s choice of intro music, ‘I’m Henry the Eighth I Am’ by Herman’s Hermits. It’s also part of a fair bit of ribbing from the 42-year-old musician and actor aimed at the crowd, particularly the “lords and ladies” sitting on the balcony. But it felt like the way long-term friends tease each other, rather than anything cruel.

In the self-titled album track ‘My Paper Heart’, he sings: “A year has passed, the seasons go”. Whilst it’s over 20 years now since the Oklahoma band hit the pop-punk scene, the feeling remains strong.

Last month, the band released their fifth album, ‘Sandbox’, their first as an independent act. “It was the hardest fucking two years of my life putting this stupid record together and putting it out in the world,” he revealed.

“This record took 14 years to fucking put together,” Tyson told the crowd at one point. “Not like we worked 14 years on it, there was a bit of constipation there for about a decade.” There are four songs from the record across the night. The first, ‘Get This’, is perfect for summer, and for fans of Jimmy Eat World. New songs are followed up by hits. In this instance, ‘I Wanna’, from ‘When the World Comes Down’, got the balcony standing again.

Whilst Tyson is the natural focus, the other members of the live quintet deserve credit for creating a rich environment of sound. Guitarists Nick and Mike and drummer Chris have been part of the band since its early days, and they help foster a sound which feels like classic rock all the time, even with the newer songs.

There’s a shoutout to Jamie Thraves, who directed the band’s music video to ‘Sweat’ – “by far my favourite thing we’ve ever done”, Tyson announced, ahead of their performance of the 2017 single. The singer, sans guitar, prowled the stage, creating a seductive atmosphere.

Emotional new album track ‘Search Party!’ was also dedicated to Jamie, who was in the crowd, before classic track ‘Stab My Back’, which highlighted the strength of band’s backing vocals.

If 2006’s ‘Move Along’ record is known for one thing though, it’s ‘Dirty Little Secret’. Such a huge song feels strangely placed in the middle of the set, but wherever it came, the effect would be the same. When Tyson yelled “sing it!” part-way through, he was far too late: the crowd had already taken it over, revelling in a song owned by everybody now.

‘Sandbox’ highlight ‘Green Isn’t Yellow’ started the show’s short acoustic section. It is a delicate emotional piece written about growing up in Oklahoma. When he sings “sometimes a little bit of blue will get you brave”, I sense he isn’t talking about the Navy sex scandal on the cover of the Playboy magazine cited in the song’s lyrics.

Meanwhile, a stripped back version of ‘There’s a Place’ was performed just vocals and guitar, because it was written in Kensington, London. These tracks showed the depth of the Rejects beyond the loud and brash expectations of some of their pop-punk contemporaries.

For all the comedy, the light-hearted antics, and the mockery of the audience’s choir voices, there is also a great deal of honesty and heart on display.

The All-American Rejects are quirky. Their biggest songs have life outside these members, but their best-charting album in the UK is not one with any of their big hitters. Instead, it’s 2012’s ‘Kids in the Street’, represented here solely by the title track. With the full band back after the acoustic section, it stands prominently. Tyson occasionally turns to sing to his bandmates, but it’s not a disrespect to the audience, but a recognition of the work of touring musician Sebastian on keys and Chris on drums who are keeping the whole thing alive to its rapturous ending.

The main set ends in a rousing, cathartic sing-along on the back of two more songs from the ‘Move Along’ record. The spotlight is on the keys player during the intro to ‘It Ends Tonight’, before the title track amps up the audience to another level.

In the encore, Tyson hyped up the crowd some more before ‘Sandbox’ opener ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’, a fun track with a surf-rock style. “Well that was pretty fucking fun,” Tyson told the crowd.

“I’m so sorry it took us this long to get the fuck over here. Honestly, you guys go off way better than any shit back in the States,” he revealed before the final track, to huge cheers. “That might be true, or that might just be some bullshit I’m saying right now just to make you do that shit.”

“This is a big middle finger from 2009.” And it all ends with ‘Gives You Hell’, another signature tune from the guys, albeit the Glee Cast version did better in the UK charts than the band’s own release. It ends with the chaotic high-octane pandemonium that has run through the previous 90 minutes. It’s one final opportunity to revisit our teenage years, many years after the fact, with all of the clapping, singing and swaying that has come before, but amplified one last time.

The band have shown their appreciation to the fans all night, from the old dude who tried to crowd surf, to the arts and crafts on display in the front row. As Fergie’s ‘London Bridge’ played from the PA, they were throwing out setlists, and Tyson played around with the drumsticks before launching them into the departing crowd. The playfulness throughout has been charming, and Tyson’s comedic bent runs true until long after ‘Gives You Hell’ has finished.

So the band return as kings, like Tyson said towards the start. Towards the end, he told the crowd: “I think we should start coming back more.” After 14 years away, I don’t think anybody disagrees. But if not, see The All-American Rejects in 2040. It will be worth the wait.  

Words by Samuel Draper
Photography by Abigail Shii

Kamasi Washington brings his uniquely fearless movement to the Royal Festival Hall as part of Harry Styles’s Meltdown Festival.

Meltdown Festival has a rich pedigree in Southbank. Rather than being decided by a booking agent or a corporation their names are decided entirely by a singular artist – leading the spotlight for voices willing to fly in or play locally in a week entirely curated by them. Last year; it was Little Simz, previous years have given us David Bowie and Patti Smith. Now; it’s Harry Styles turn – who has given us an eclectic mix of talent ranging from Minehead punk bruisers Getdown Services to indie act Warpaint, electronic icons Soulwax and the legendary jazz musician Kamasi Washington; on the back of releasing one of the best albums of the past decade ‘Fearless Movement’, having already played earlier in the afternoon a covers set.

This is a rare sonic experience that no other artist can provide. The legendary born-and-raised Los Angelean Kamasi Washington has given us a defining scope of jazz over the past two decades ‘The Epic’, arguably a top-5 decade best contender, and within seconds of him coming on stage it’s easy to see the pure joy he radiates with his eight-piece group. It’s an emotional evening but one that feels entirely unpretentious given the rich tradition of the Royal Festival Hall – he takes a time to introduce ‘Street Fighter Mas’ by telling the audience that he grew up playing Street Fighter and still plays it everywhere. It’s a single handedly unique experience to watch this jazz musician bring his talent to the table in style – always humble, always giving credit where credit is due – when each band member plays a solo number he takes turns to look at them adoringly as if there is nobody else in the world who matters – and you can’t help but buy into that. He never announces his name once: he lets the music do the talking for him; and it’s down to the other band members to introduce himself, last but not least. 

The set is brisk, short and sweet at six songs – the run through is from ‘Lesanu’ to ‘Truth’, copping off with the band introductions. Patrice Quinn is an ever-present guiding force, brought on for vocal duty on ‘The Rhythm Changes’ – the lyricist and singer’s voice fills the room and wears her heart on her sleeve. Incredibly considering the size of the Royal Festival Hall this feels like an intimate gig, no matter where you sit you are close to Kamasi Washington and his band, injecting the afro-futurism into the set with that he is known for with a healthy dosage of 70s influence that give rise to his layered harmonies. It’s electric funk mixed in with a healthy dosage of Pharoah Sanders and that is evident throughout the set – echoing John Coltrane and post Coltrane McCoy Tyner. 

Positioning a gig that makes you want to get up and dance in a venue that’s seated like the Festival Hall is almost criminal – they’ve done the same to Getdown Services later in the week – but it has your strengths too. The crowd are respectful, and the younger generation aren’t immune from the lure of Kamasi’s vinyls – ‘Fearless Movement’ was designed to be played how it should – above and beyond the soulless streamers. The excitement is evident and the crowd don’t take long to adjust to the groove – no support – for some the jazz covers that Washington performs earlier in the afternoon is the support – but for an artist as great as him, he doesn’t need one. Those who are just there for an afternoon to catch multiple legends – the band includes Miles Mosley on double bass for one – and the crowd instantly know what they’re getting themselves in for.

Heartbreakingly this is also a show of remembrance, paying tribute to the great Ryan Porter – who Kamasi Washington knew since 11 years old. That lifelong friendship was and forever is unshakable; and this touching tribute is felt with the care and respect that a show like this commands. The band can continue to honour him by playing his music – and that is evident on ‘Together’, a song that he wrote – “each day I sing a song for you / what a feeling / life renewing / love surrounding” – embodies the spirit of a man who set out to be a force for good in this world. 

Kamasi Washington is the type of artist to end his record with a Prologue – and he can’t resist throwing in there another cover that he makes wholly his own, paying tribute to the wonderful Astor Piazzolla, an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player and arranger who influenced nuevo tango; blending it with jazz and classical. His work runs through Washington’s spirt and soul and making Piazzolla’s Prologue the centrepiece of this set shows how much he values this artist’s body of work. There are few capable of playing such remembrance whilst making a set wholly their own – yet to Washington’s immense credit as a performer, and his band – there’s few like it.

Photo Credit: Pete Woodhead
Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies

Australian psych rockers Pond are a prolific outfit that have returned with their 11th record – Terrestrials. “Now the future’s in the water / and I’m on my hands and knees,” first song ‘Skyworks’ opens, questioning the meaning of all these ones and zeros and stating that you need no hero and need no king. It’s a sprawling record that ices through the amps with a propelling, “goths at the pub” attitude as the chorus swirls around: beautiful, melancholic and capable of balancing so many different styles at once in a track that instantly sets the tone for the freewheeling, experimental record to ollow. This is Pond in their groove – capable of luring you in and keeping you there.

Much of ‘Terrestrials’ in particular ‘Through the Heather’, was conceived during the band’s European tour last year when drummer James Ireland was experimenting on Ableton. Its sprawling landscape and audacious tone is reflected in its lyrics, “you give / I take / heartbreak” the track purrs, and you can see the vibes oozing off the psych-pop that fit a van on tour, that has seen plenty of usage and yet still keeps on trucking – it’s a track obsessed with the minute of rock and roll touring, the day to day – drafted with meticulous structure of a clearly defined verse, choruses, bridges etc – that may throw some Pond fans of balance – but sonically, it’s from the same cut of cloth of the band responsible for ‘Stung!’, 2024 AOTY contender. The familiar catchy melody and evocative lyrics are present – ‘Through the Heather’ moves and glides – but this feels like a tonal shift, a move towards something that’s better experienced live – a fast paced, straight forward, set-list approach that sounds like they were playing in an Aussie pub and that suits them down to the ground.

Single ‘Two Hands’ ebbs and flows as the longest track on the record. It feels like a dancier Bowie track with 80s guitar; nice and tight the space rock element – but there’s also still some riffs thrown in there that capture the nasty tone that Pond is capable of delivering. The new wave influence is present all over this album; drifting at times into ‘Era Vulgaris’ territory by Queens of the Stone Age. One second we’re drifting into Queens territory, the next ‘80s Prince – there are bits of Genesis thrown in there for good measure. But it’s a sound that remains uniquely Pond’s – fresh, inventive and eye-catching. It’s defined – that’s the watchword – purpose and energy; backed with an encouragement that Nicholas Allbrook states “you’ve got every right to be very fucking angry.” This is Pond’s call to arms – their statement of anger and politically charged that holds nothing back – using the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters in Western Australia as a tipping point for a battle cry. 

Album title track ‘Terrestrials’ taps into the contradiction at the heart of humanity with a strong, direct approach that holds nothing back. It’s a collaborative feel that suits the ethos of the band, it’s about the “weirdest of all the terrestrials,” Nicholas Allbrook states – praising Gum’s music writing – whilst talking about the contrast of connection and destruction that humanity is capable of in the same breath. Destruction is winning – and there’s an air of fatality to ‘Terrestrials’ – but also an analysis of possibly why humanity is inclined to find love and connection amidst the cruelty and still be capable of committing these violent acts. It’s the record for duality and a rich, retrospective and insightful undercurrent makes this a political record at heart beneath the psychedelic gaze. 

This is bluntly stated on ‘Tourmaline’ – “violence bores me” – before the switch to a ‘Personal Hell’ of Pond’s own making and how everyone’s going through their own actions, examining them and looking at them over and over again asking if they did the right thing. It’s an album that sums up the unity and division of humanity – looking at unborn tomorrows and dead yesterdays – tapping into the current mood of the planet always being at nine minutes to midnight. But through this – to call ‘Terrestrials’ a bleak record would be a lie: it places its faith, its optimism – in both the people and the planet to figure their shit out and get it together. 

Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies

Primavera Sound returned to Barcelona's Parc del Fòrum for its 24th edition, and from the very first day to the last, it made clear why it remains the most unpredictable and exciting festival in the world.

The opening day set the tone immediately. Wet Leg headlined to a packed crowd delivering their classics from "Angelica" to "Chaise Longue," and unleashing the breathtaking tracks from their last album Moisturizer. The crowd was electric, and watching them command a headline slot felt like witnessing the band fully stepping into themselves.

The opening day was a warm welcome before the first official day, which was one of the most emotionally intense, and logistically chaotic, days the festival has seen in years.

It started with Cameron Winter in the Auditori Rockdelux, and getting in was already an event in itself. Lines were hours long as people arrived at the venue hours before his anticipated performance for a chance to get in the Auditori Rockdelux. Being there felt extremely special. Just him, a piano, and a spotlight, and it was nothing short of religious. He performed songs from his album Heavy Metal from “Love Takes Miles” to “Drinking Age”, at one point bashing the piano and shouting that "God is real." It was one of those life changing sets you don't forget.

The next set I saw was Ravyn Lenae on the Estrella Damm Stage with a warm and polished performance, performing songs like "Skin Tight" and "Love Me Not." But the real gut-punch of the afternoon came with Oklou, after the rain started to fall. There was something almost cinematic about it. She hypnotized the Cupra Stage with her dreamy music, drawing the biggest crowd of her life. "Harvest Sky" became an instant favourite of the weekend, one of those moments where the atmosphere and the music aligned so perfectly it felt designed. But right after she took off stage everything started falling apart..

After 10PM, the rain had turned into something else entirely. Mac DeMarco, Massive Attack, Doja Cat, Bad Gyal were all cancelled. With the headliners gone and the main stages empty, chaos unfolded, people scrambled for cover and confusing communication from the festival led thousands of attendees to leave early in the night.

After the rain stopped at 3AM, I managed to see a bit of Fcukers, who are always fun and fully committed, walked past the Cupra Pulse club, and ended the night with one of my favourite sex of the weekend by Six Sex, who revived the night and brought energy to a crowd that was almost over it. She played songs from her new album Ultra and fan favourites like “4 Novios” and “Bitches Like Me”, cementing her place as one of the most exciting new acts in the world right now. 

After a very chaotic night, hopes were up for Day 2. The weather was good, the atmosphere was back and Primavera felt like it always does, carefree and full of music.

NewDad opened the main stages with their hazy indie rock before Slowdive took to the Revolut Stage and delivered a once in a lifetime set, performing classics like “When The Sun Hits” and “Alison”. Their iconic shoegaze sound washed over a massive crowd in waves, a near-spiritual experience for anyone who has loved them for years. Then came Ethel Cain with her magnetic presence drawing you straight away. She opened with "American Teenager" and moved through fan favourites including "Gibson Girl," "Nettles," and "A House in Nebraska." Nevertheless, just like I thought in 2024, her set would’ve landed better on a stage like Cupra later in the night.

Probably the most anticipated set of the weekend, Addison Rae followed on the Revolut Stage with production only fitted for a pop star: dancers, outfit changes, and an impressive set design. Addison was there to prove that she could headline a festival of this magnitude, and she did that, winning even many of the people waiting to see The Cure. What could have been easy to dismiss turned into the best pop performance of the entire weekend.

The Cure were the undisputed focus of the night with their first live show since 2024, performing for over two hours on the Estrella Damm Stage. No new music, just an immaculate set of classics including "Just Like Heaven”, “The Lovecats”, “Pictures of You”, "Friday I'm in Love" and many more. They sounded the same they always have, maybe even better. It truly felt like a historic moment in music.

JADE delivered a giant party on the Occident Stage with one of the most fun shows of the evening, drawing a wildly enthusiastic crowd and playing Little Mix hits alongside her solo material. PinkPantheress followed right after with a short set in the Cupra Stage with a crowd of people that spilled far beyond the stage. It was one of the production decisions of this edition that confused me the most. She even called out the festival, rightfully so, for putting her in a stage that was simply too small for an artist of her scale. 

The final day started with a surprise announcement that Olivia Rodrigo was going to take the Occident Stage that same night. Sudan Archives opened to a crowd of fans barricading to see Olivia, with a high-energy performance accompanied by her violin, voice and presence commanding every inch of the stage and the pit. Big Thief played an impressive folk feast on the Estrella Damm Stage and we managed to catch the beginning of Little Simz as she delivered a powerful set on the Revolut Stage backed by a full live band.

In one of the biggest clashes of the weekend between Smerz, Rusowsky, a surprise Arca DJ set, and Little Simz, I opted for the Spanish singer who took the Cupra Stage set at sunset. Performing tracks from Daisy, he fully transformed into a superstar with a full band in wigs filling the space all the way to the back. He even brought out his friend and collaborator Ralphie Choo to perform “BBY ROMEO” and “GATA”.

Then I headed to the Occident Stage to watch the surprise performance making everyone lose their minds. Olivia Rodrigo delivered a set full of her hits including "Bad Idea Right?", "Vampire", "Drivers License", and "Deja Vu", before inviting Robert Smith to the stage to perform their new collaboration "what's wrong with me" together live for the first time. It was the kind of iconic moment that you think could only happen at a festival like Coachella or Glastonbury.

Dijon followed at Cupra with the most impressive set of the weekend with a full band and a voice that echoed throughout the entire venue. It was simply out of this world. The xx headlined the main stage delivered performance full of nostalgia that made the crowd go insane, and Gorillaz closed the festival on the Estrella Damm Stage with a performance full of songs from their latest album The Mountain and classic such as "On Melancholy Hill," and "Feel Good Inc." They brought out Yasiin Bey, Moonchild Sanelly, and Little Simz.

Then, at 3:45 AM, it was time for the most anticipated set of the closing morning with Ninajirachi. She performed to a huge crowd in the Port stage and made everyone dance until they had nothing left. She played her remix of Rosalía's "Berghain" and Charli XCX's "Rock Music," apart from all the songs from her album I Love My Computer. After the set we went to the beach right next to the venue for the unofficial afters to watch the sunrise and swim in the ocean.

Primavera Sound 2026 was not a perfect festival, but it never is and there lays its magic. The rain on Day 1 was brutal, and losing four headliners in one night was rough but in its chaos, its surprises, its quiet piano recitals and its mass singalongs, its sunset sets and its 4 AM raves, it was exactly what it should have been: unpredictable, alive, and completely irreplaceable.

Words by Marcos Sanoja

‘A Broken Chord’ pushes Oral Habit to their sonic limits that show the world what the psych/punk/Kraut band is capable of – have we found the next Osees? 

“If a button’s there, it’s there to be pushed,” says Charlie Hales, frontman of Oral Habit, working with his brother Felix on drums and the bass of Tippi Lewis to deliver a monstrous of a debut LP that sees the band pushing themselves to the limit and throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks.

It feels like it dips into 60s freakbeat territory at times – the Brighton band able to add to another eclectic mix of the city’s seemingly endless outpouring of brilliant bands that one week in the city for the Great Escape in May will tell you just how many there are. The tracks start sharp and snappy – ‘Surface Breaker’ is the track opener after the intro, and we get a machine gun snare of hits that break through the surf riff. There are echoes of Osees and the psych groove that exists beneath the surface of Oral Habit, with the 30 minutes LP capturing a kind of self-described “rainbow” of what the band is capable of – it’s got everything there under the sun which is kind of exactly what you want from a debut album. 

“Dear listener”, writes the piece attatched to the intro to ‘A Broken Chord’, “a broken chord can represent that what makes thee chord a chord”. It’s a statement that sets the ball rolling and the lyrics of ‘Surface Breaker’ air triumphant: “once more we’ll fall in time / you’re small but you’re standing tall and drinking wine”, the single launches into gear. It’s hypnotic, dizzy, alluring – sprawling and pure psych goodness. Just as you’re getting used to it swerves into a different direction and a different path that you weren’t really expecting it to, you can never pin down Oral Habit and even after giving the full album multiple playthroughs, you’re still able to find many new things there. 

The heavy fuzzy feeling that pulls you in keeps you there. If anything, the first few tracks are kind of mission statements to what Oral Habit are going to be like as a band going forward with the entrancing ‘Faux Fidelity’ laying their approach bare for anyone left listening to the record who hasn’t quite got it yet. “I do not adhere to the constant boring / rolling the dice and the earth keep turning” suggests that Oral Habit, whatever they do are never going to allow themselves to be boxed in and that remains apparent going forward by the more time you spend with their sound. It’s wickedly inventive and has that maverick, fearless approach of a debut LP that reads like a massive confidence booster and captures the band’s signature sound incredibly well.

It’s not just maverick for the sake of maverick, it’s maverick with a purpose – renewed and confident, a touch of acid-punk depth to it ready to go off at any moment – the record itself feels like a call and response: the first half is laying the stage for the identity of Oral Habit, and the second half is them lighting the match and chucking it into a room that is already at boiling point waiting to explode before taking a breath and letting what they’ve accomplished truly sink in, taking some radical leftfield turns in the process that leave you feeling completely surprised by the time all is said and done – it just never truly stays still at any given turn. 

By the time we get to the surf-rock anthem of ‘Thin Trippin’, you’re fully hypnotised and cast under the spell as what Hales calls it, “a trip so strong the song hypnotised itself. [It’s] a sleazy groove that rolls on over until it abruptly comes undone, pulling you in and spitting you out.” and this is the short, sharp bursts of Oral Habit that capture that feeling of early Osees – the guitar even calls to mind Jack White post The White Stripes especially deeper into the album, and when it’s really allowed to let loose. When King Gizzard are in psych mode like ‘Float Along – Fill Your Lungs’ as opposed to their heavier tracks like ‘Petrodragonic’, ‘A Broken Chord’ feels like a spiritual successor in places, never unafraid to offer up a brand-new sound whilst also showing where the band’s legacy lies. But the noise rock influences keep it grounded in the scene that it operates in – and there’s even elements of punk at times just when you think you’re beginning to pin down Oral Habit as a band - give me the industrial heavy sound of Gurriers, especially on the second half of ‘Mystery Gash’ or on ‘Do the Dog’, sure to generate plenty of tonal shift. 

There are quieter songs like ‘Motorway’ deployed towards the back end that allow Oral Habit to come up for air but it doesn’t stay that long – it almost drifts into 2007s-esque indie, showing their strength in depth and range at times. Throughout the sweat-drenched riffs that are sure to ignite the right crowd into a pit ‘A Broken Chord’ holds your hand and guides you through the dance that is impossible to be drawn away from.

“Another day walks by // how profound,” ‘Crooner & Moon’ brings the album to a close in style taking them back to their early days as a bedroom outfit,  showing how it’s best to simply just move on. “You let the pricks all down underground // Then lay the bricks on down”; is a sense of triumph – the album on a high note that will surely find a growing appeal with all the tastemaker festivals already under their belt and thriving. You’re watching a band grow more confident with every release as they make the step up from grimier venues to buildings with proper sound systems, and it feels like they’re learning from their live sets and it’s reflective in their debut record. 

Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies

For fans of Fontaines D.C., Shame and Wunderhorse - Virginia-based post-punk outfit Dayfiction have just released their new EP 'Divine Intermission'.

A gripping new EP that pushes the band further into a sound defined by abrasive energy, emotional immediacy, and atmospheric intensity. Recorded in the days leading up to vocalist Evan Solomon’s temporary relocation to London, the project stands as both a timestamp and confrontation of modern turbulence, a record equally unforgiving in its urgency and desperate in its search for meaning and beauty.

They took a moment to talk to us about how the EP came together.

Hey there Dayfiction, how are you? So your EP is out now – how does it feel to have it out there?.
Evan: We are feeling great, thank you. It’s been a busy few weeks. I just got back home from London, a week before the release. We did a show the evening I got in, a completely impulsive decision, but I couldn’t ask for anything else on the day I got back. Noah got me from the airport, and then had gone immediately to practice, and then we were straight to the show. I also had not properly slept for forty something hours. It was euphoric to play together again. I’m incredibly relieved the EP is out, and that it is being well-received. It’s been like eight or nine months in the making. And the recording felt risky with only having a few days until we were going to be on a few months of hiatus, and with myself leaving for England. Also managing all the other aspects of putting out a piece of music, setting up the release shows, the promo and press stuff, and managing that with other life stuff like University, and being in a different country. It really required a hundred and fifty percent effort. We wanted to give these songs the best shot we could, and are excited for this summer. I am beyond humble and grateful that everything worked out. The release show on Friday was incredible. I just got to New York now too, so things have been busy but it’s good, and I am going down to Virginia super often. I found fifteen dollar Amtrak tickets if you go overnight. 
Noah: It feels really great. This EP was made during a big shift in a lot of our lives. I had just gone to college in Asheville with Hannah Johnson, and that meant that we weren't going to be able to play as many shows together or write songs in my garage like normal. So to be able to come back home for a month and grind out what was just demos for the near future into this EP was so relieving and felt almost cinematic because of how little time we had before everyone had to go back to school. 
Mateo: It’s a great feeling to have been a part of something like this. I’ve wanted to make this kind of music since I was like 14 and being a member of a band with so many talented people who also happen to be great friends is really something I would wish for for years. It’s almost hard to fully believe that I am on these songs sometimes like they’re almost separate from me when I listen in that way but I always come back to feeling gratitude and confidence about it which is really nice. Like I suddenly remember as I’m listening; “wow I’m actually in this song.”
Jackson:  Doing fantastic. Extremely proud of what we have put out and it feels like both a weight lifted and a ton of excitement.
Hannah: It feels amazing to finally have this EP out. We really pushed ourselves in the studio to have this out. I can remember retaking the live takes over and over again to have them perfect, and some of them we had felt were really good just off the first take. 

It is called ‘Divine Intermission' – what is the meaning behind that?
Mateo: I think there is a certain religious element to the songs Evan wrote, not in the sense that it aligns strictly to faith but more so in the perception of what is held sacred and that through faith, which doesn’t necessarily have to be religion you know, just faith in what you have, and faith in what will come, is enough to be content. I think it’s also sort of a stop and see kind of metaphor. Like take a breath and look around: some things aren’t great but the things that are can be enough. Noah also said it relates to a break like a smoke break which was funny but I think there is also some of that separation from all the external. Like having a moment to oneself to find what is “divine” or again, enough.
Noah: Intermission was an old name of one of the songs off the EP, Castles, and we knew we wanted to use it for something. We thought that Divine Intermission sounded sick and went with a lot of the themes in the EP but also was a funny name for a smoke break, so we ended up all agreeing on it. 
Jackson: I find the title to come from the current state of our world and how it definitely seems that whatever higher power may exist clearly is on hiatus. 
Hannah: Initially when Noah and I were talking about the name he described it as a "godly smoke break.”
Evan: Yeah I noticed there were a few religious words or imagery, the whole “saints” thing in “Benevolent.” I think in some sense the EP is not largely about feeling defeated by anything but more so the aspect of observing, confronting, and questioning nearly everything and every thought I had about what I was seeing on a larger scale of the world or even about random traits in society that you can’t get behind, like apathy, self destructive tendencies, or immorality. There’s a very critical or prophetic kind of energy within many of the songs, something that I am very proud of. Like commanding the truth to be unmasked. By the end it’s that point where you submit yourself to acceptance, and what and who you cling on to, I guess to carry on. Overall, I think they can be widely interpreted, politically, socially, etc. 

Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories you are willing to share with us?
Evan: Plenty of them, yes. It was recorded at Sound of Music Studios in Richmond, Virginia, which is a legendary studio there. We worked with Ian Marburger, who was wonderful and is incredibly talented. I think he’s doing a lot of Richmond bands right now. John Morrand, the founder of the studio, would pop in every day for a bit. I did the vocals in London. Our friends Madeline and Henry live in London and heard through our friend Griffin from Richmond, who is Madeline’s brother, that I needed to get the vocals done, so they were a godsend and let me come over and do them.There was a lot of pressure, as I was moving that same week to the UK. That combined with the stresses of getting good recordings down was challenging. It would be a great relief from that stress when we would walk back into the control room and John would be dancing around to it, say that he was liking a chorus, or ask me what certain songs were about. Ian’s dog, Darla, was chilling around too. Studio dogs are great. 
Mateo: A moment for me was recording some of those melodies and solos specifically in “When Reason Comes To Call” and the solo in “June.” I’m the type of player that does best when improvising a bit or free styling at the moment. The solo in June has hardly ever been played the same way twice and the second take I had I just was in it, so even after doing more takes I knew that was the one and Ian who recorded us said the same thing. I think my band mates also know this and it was cool to sort of receive support in that like when recording When Reason Come To Call, Evan had a specific idea that he wrote in for a melody and I just couldn’t replicate it exactly and then Noah and him were just like “you know what, just do it how it comes out, do it how you feel,” and I did and that’s what’s on the EP. It's just cool to have that freedom and also that trust from your band mates. 
Hannah: It was a great experience. The studio even had a fridge, so we were drinking a lot of blue gatorade.  

What are the key influences behind the EP?
Mateo: With Evan there’s always a bit of different things involved. I remember he was in a big Bob Dylan spell while writing some of the chord progressions and the lyrics which is where some of those kinds of mythical and prophetic themes come through. Joy Division are like his Beatles so I think there’s always an element from that in terms of the underlying despaired or droney atmosphere that’s present, at least on the first four tracks. I also found this array of songs to be a lot more melodic and involving a sort of yearning or pleading which reminded me of Robert Smith or even Black Francis whenever he sort of puts more voice to it. I personally love the pixies and a big influence on me is Joey Santiago. 
Hannah: Yeah. Mainly bands like The Cure, Fontaines, and Joy Division.
Noah: Fontaines DC was a big one for us, as well as Protomartyr and Wunderhorse.
Evan: Yeah for sure on all of those. Most of the songs started out completely acoustically, and I was really influenced by folk stuff like Dylan, Cash, or Cohen. If the song is good without all the effects and other stuff, I figured it would just be even better when I’d take those songs and a bunch of verses and ideas and then flesh them out with everything the next day. Sometimes that doesn’t always work, we have a few where the effects or random noises mixed with a bass part make the song. That’s especially true on “When Reason Comes To Call.” I wrote the guitar part in that verse there, but it sounded nonsensical until there was the bass part. Sometimes I have a hard time having too many choices and then accidentally start tinkering with effects and all of that too much and my mind would get distracted from the writing. It’s like going to those restaurants where they have literally the biggest menu you have ever seen, you just cannot make a decision. I mostly wanted all of those details to come after the fact of the writing. I was tinkering with the idea of writing very intimately I suppose. I would generally put myself in our practice room with low to no lighting, blank walls, a notebook, and leave my phone outside of the door and wouldn’t leave until there was some sort of progress or until I couldn’t stay awake. As for the general sound, yeah I’d say Joy Division and The Cure, and certainly contemporaries such as Fontaines and Protomartyr. 

If the EP could be a soundtrack to any film – which one and why?
Noah: Maybe the movie Half Nelson or Beautiful Boy. I feel like there’s a lonely, isolated feeling to it with moments of nihilistic abandon, but also this hopeful tone and recognition of beauty.
Evan: It’s hard for me to say in terms of a movie. Agreed on the Beautiful Boy thing. My friend Griffin lent me a copy of On The Road by Jack Kerouac, I think that would fit nicely. Other than that I think there’s a few on there that would soundtrack Sunburn well. I think the thematic arc throughout the EP would fit something like Shawshank Redemption as well, I suppose in the sense of isolation and despair to respite. 
Jackson: Personally I’d love to see this soundtrack Dead Poets Society, something that balances youth and friendship with tragic moments and struggles
Hannah: Honestly, Lords of Dogtown I think at times.

Do you have a favourite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why?
Mateo: “Who’s to dig the hole out” in “Benevolent.” That to me is just so Dylan-esque within a song that is kind of like a big reflection on several things- the ambiguity but also directness is something I love. 
Evan: Mine is probably “But believing is nothing, And Action is substance, And patience is wine for the weak.” Most of the lyrics on “When Reason Comes To Call” are my favorite I’ve written, as are all of the songs on the record. I just felt like that song in particular is wittily harsh and critical about societal apathy or complacency, blind obedience, in context of whatever that may be.
Jackson: The line “When reason comes to call, long lingered flags will fall” has always been a personal favorite. To me, that fits as such a scathing assessment of how a lot of companies, nations etc. of today seem to operate with no sense of morality and when the time comes they will have to answer for it.
Hannah: Not as much of a lyric for so much as it is the sound of our song “Benevolent.” It makes me so happy. 

Now the EP is out there – what next for you?
Noah: We're gonna run some New York and Richmond shows over the summer and book a tour for the summer or fall going north of Virginia.
Hannah: Shows and touring for sure. 
Evan: Yeah, definitely out of state shows. We are working on booking New York at the moment. The new songs are already in the works, I really like what we have so far, we even played one at the release show for this EP. Not sure what’s next for us there. Right now just enjoying exploration with them between having started new stuff in London and now continuing writing in New York. I think being in both those places is definitely inspiring, and affording a lot of curiosity to my writing. 

Manchester-based singer-songwriter Bec O'Malley has just released his debut single ‘Let You Go’, introducing a new kind of artist emerging from one of the UK’s most iconic music cities.

While Manchester’s musical history has traditionally been dominated by indie bands and guitar-laden acts, O’Malley is carving out a different lane entirely. Blending modern country, folk and Americana with unmistakably northern storytelling, he represents a new wave of UK artists reshaping the genre through a distinctly British lens.

He took a moment to talk to us about the inspirations behind his music.

Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton, kings of Leon are defo up there as I love real rootsy music and the mix of rock country and pop. However I also think ella Langley is great and paving a new way for this sort of music and feel.

⁠Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
I love the wolf of Wall Street. The guys in it lived a crazy life and I wanna have stories to tell similar. Think it shows how you can really get anything you want if you willing to work for it and visualise it.

⁠What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
I love the city of Manchester where I’m raised, I think our people are up there with the best. And the history of pioneers in the music game from the northwest show that. Although after spending time in Nashville Tennessee I would say the same. The people music and work ethic is something I love about that place too.

⁠Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
My dad mainly. He has always drilled belief in me since I was young and shown that the O’Malley name is a sign of determination hard work and success. He has shown me that there is no limitation to what you can achieve.

⁠What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
It initially came from the story of a stalker that someone very close to me had for a while. Although a creepy situation it sparked an interesting perspective of a story and song.

⁠How would you like to inspire people?
I’d like to be a soundtrack to people’s life. Whether that’s going through love, loss, happiness and good or bad. But also show that if you believe something it’s possible to achieve.

Los Campesinos! celebrate two decades of the band with their Vicennial Cringe tour. We went along to Project House to join in the celebrations.

Arriving tonight at Leeds’ Project House, there’s already something of a festival atmosphere in the air; a sense of anticipation and expectation as Los Campesinos! eschew their usual venue (Brudenell Social Club on the other side of city) in favour of somewhere lighter and airier.

It’s a welcome change given the weather, and the large double doors leading out the venue’s beer garden provide a gentle breeze as we make our way first to the merch desk, then to the bar just as tonight’s support Nathy SG takes to the stage.

A member of North East indie punks Martha, he’s a fitting addition to the Northern run of LC’s Vicennial Cringe tour. A short but sweet set comprised of originals, covers and of course some Martha material, it’s the perfect way to kick off tonight’s celebrations.

And celebrate we shall. Every Los Campesinos! show feels like an event. A party. A coming together of like-minded people for whom the band due on stage mean so much. Indeed, for 20 years now, Los Campesinos have provided the soundtrack to break-ups and break-downs, the highs and lows of adolescence and now, adulthood.

It’s for that reason that when the seven-piece step on stage and launch instantly into ‘This Is How You Spell "HAHAHA, We Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics"‘, the venue erupts. Taken from the band’s first album, it’s a fizzy, frothy, E-number-fuelled explosion that sets the precedence perfectly.

Not a show in support of any one album, each record is represented at least once. And while most recent album All Hell takes the lion’s share, deep cuts such as ‘There Are Listed Buildings’ and ‘Knee Deep At ATP’ showcase the band’s earlier offerings perfectly.

‘A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or, Letters from Me to Charlotte’ gets its tour debut early in the show, reducing this writer to tears sooner than expected. While fan-favourite and quintessential LC! anthem ‘The Sea Is A Good Place To Think of the Future’ get’s a surprisingly early mid-set airing; that particular lyric finding the crowd in full voice, as it always does.

Elsewhere, ‘Songs About Your Girlfriend’ is followed by an ecstatic cover of Pavement’s ‘Frontwards’. It’s fast, it’s scrappy and it showcases perfectly just why we fell in love with Los Campesinos all those years ago.

By this point, the crowd have worked themselves into a heaving sweaty mass of bodies; the breeze felt earlier no longer noticeable as the atmosphere in the venue reaches fever pitch and the band head into their encore.

And what an encore it is. Four tracks that seem to summarise the last two decades perfectly. ‘By Your Hand’ kicks things off, before ‘We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed’ once more finds the crowd in full voice. ‘Straight In A 101’ is a chaotic penultimate offering, but it falls to both a raucous and indeed heartfelt outing of ‘Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks’ that closes the night out far too soon.

While tonight may have been a celebration of 20 years of Los Campesinos!, it also felt like a celebration of life, and of everything that makes it worth living. And at a time when the world feels unrecognisable from how it did back in 2006, and evening of life-affirming indie-pop feels like the perfect antithesis. Here’s to another 20 years.

Words by Dave Beech

Photo by Lee Hammon

Modest Mouse return with ‘An Eraser and a Maze’, their first album since 2021’s ‘The Golden Casket’. Thirty years on from their debut, Isaac Brock and company are less interested in marking milestones than in dealing with time as it passes.

Opening track ‘Picking Dragons' Pockets’ immediately feels like a return to form. Driven by a huge chorus and jagged, memorable riffs, it recaptures the restless energy that made Modest Mouse so compelling in the first place and offers an optimistic glimpse of the path the band have chosen for this new chapter. As the band's first fully independent release since 1997, ‘An Eraser and a Maze’ feels refreshingly unconcerned with expectations. That frenetic energy gives way to the far more restrained ‘Remember Yourself Not Me’, where acoustic guitar and subtle percussion provide a delicate backdrop for Isaac's reflections on legacy, remembrance and what we leave behind. It's one of the album's most intimate moments, stripping away the noise to focus on its emotional core.

Already a live favourite, ‘Life's a Dream’ stands among the album's strongest tracks. Its swirling synths and atmospheric textures evoke some of the band's moodier late-'90s material while perfectly encapsulating the themes of mortality and memory that define the record. Those themes inevitably carry extra weight as the band's first release following the death of co-founding drummer Jeremiah Green. Isaac summarises the album's emotional centre in the press notes for the track with a simple statement: "People pass through, people pass on. Remember yourself."

‘Third Side of the Moon’ continues in a similarly reflective vein. Building gradually from sparse beginnings into an emotionally powerful climax, the song captures the complicated nature of grief and remembrance. As Isaac wrestles with the realisation that he may not have paid enough attention to someone before they were gone, it becomes one of the album's most affecting moments, balancing sorrow, regret and gratitude in equal measure. Released through Isaac’s Glacial Pace Recordings, An Eraser and a Maze finds Modest Mouse looking both backwards and forwards at once. It's an album shaped by loss but never defined by it, finding meaning in memory while still embracing the strange, unpredictable spirit that has carried the band through three decades.

‘Dogbed in Heaven' begins with a deceptively simple arrangement, but in true Modest Mouse fashion there's an unease bubbling beneath the surface. Off-kilter percussion and subtle rhythmic flourishes give the track the discordance the band have long made their own. One moment, Isaac is mournfully contemplating heaven and wondering whether he'll be missed when he's gone; the next, scuzzy synths and a pulsing bassline surge in as the song gives way to the more energetic ‘Give It a Skeleton’.

Following a brief instrumental interlude, ‘I Can't Talk Right Now’ slowly rebuilds momentum through layered percussion, shimmering synths and Isaac’s hushed, almost weary vocals. ‘Speak and Spell’ follows with a sharp guitar hook and infectious chorus that recalls some of the band's most anthemic moments, while ‘Rotten Fruit’ stands out thanks to its wiry guitar lines and rough-edged intensity. The track reaches another level when producer Justin Raisen's vocals intertwine with Isaac’s during the bridge, adding an extra layer of tension to its frayed atmosphere.

Clocking in at just over a minute, the short but effective ‘Knocked Down by Waves’ offers a brief moment of respite before ‘Absolutely Necessary Never’ bursts to life. Built around synths that evoke classic '80s synth-pop, the track balances nostalgia with Modest Mouse's trademark eccentricity. Replacing "never" with "maybe", its melodic chorus carries a sly sense of humour, while Isaac’s low, world-weary delivery is punctuated by sharp bursts of guitar.

Modest Mouse have never been a conventional band, and the closing stretch of ‘Song About Nothing’ and ‘Stoner Party’ serves as a reminder of that. Powered by driving instrumentation and Isaac's increasingly impassioned delivery, the former revolves around the tongue-in-cheek refrain, "this is a song about nothing, sing along", turning a deliberately absurd premise into something infectious. The latter barely lasts 35 seconds, yet still packs in chiming guitars, a steady beat and overlapping spoken-word fragments about partying and rock and roll. It's strange, chaotic and slightly ridiculous - in other words, quintessential Modest Mouse.

We're already familiar with the bite-sized ‘Look How Far’, which was introduced as the album's lead single. While ‘An Eraser and a Maze’ contains some of the most polished production of Modest Mouse's career, it balances that sheen with moments that reconnect with the band's scrappier roots, and ‘Look How Far’ is one of the strongest examples. Driven by frantic guitar work and Russell Higbee's slippery bassline, it's a short, sharp burst of energy that feels distinctly old-school Modest Mouse. The same can be said of closing track ‘Impossible Somedays’, another showcase for Russell’s effortlessly groovy bass playing. Built around an infectious indie-rock groove that contrasts beautifully with its vulnerable reflections on human imperfection, the song serves as a fitting finale. Equal parts raw and forward-looking, it's one of the album's standout moments and a strong example of how ‘An Eraser and a Maze’ successfully balances the band's trademark rough edges with renewed vitality.

Five years after ‘The Golden Casket’, ‘An Eraser and a Maze’ confirms Modest Mouse still know how to make the wait worthwhile. It nods to the raw, fractured energy of their early records while sounding focused and forward-looking, shaped by experience rather than nostalgia. The result feels rooted in their past but quietly refreshed, reaffirming their place as one of indie rock’s most distinctive long-running bands. With a major US tour ahead, the band’s next chapter is clearly in motion, and hopefully it brings them back to the UK soon.

Words by Laura Dean

As if sunshine was music, Jeff Goldblum’s ‘Night Bloom’ is simply joyous.

Proving there is nothing he can’t do, Jeff Goldblum releases ‘Night Bloom’ and with it the world is a warmer, brighter and certainly jazzier place. His fifth offering, this is an album filled to burst with joy and heart and is exactly what we all need at the moment. Sensationally accompanied by longtime collaborators The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, Goldblum oozes charisma through a journey of some of the most iconic and well known tunes, often bringing a friend or two along for the ride. Goofy, gleeful, and impossible to not fall in love with, its a demonstration not only of his wicked ability as an artist but more so his love and passion for music and the community that it brings. 

The album opens with ‘Misty’, a gorgeous jazz standard originally written and recorded by Erroll Garner. Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer’s arrangement is upbeat and punctuated by rich brass and lyrical piano. The first of the album’s many features, vocals by Melody Gardot have that timeless charm that transports listens straight to the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood. The phrasing and intonation is superb throughout and offer a fresh and exciting take on the track. The choice of this song, one which in content is so melancholy, as the first listen of the album is intriguing. It sets a tone that is whimsical, nostalgic and carries a kind of bittersweetness to it. Hard not to love. 

Tapping into the Great American Songbook, Goldblum offers his interpretation of classic showtune ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’. Joined this time by surprise guest Charlie Puth, this track does away with the bold brass and percussion instead beginning with just piano and voice. Puth’s, as he always has been, is crystal clear and melodically precise. The chorus brings in some of the orchestra and swelling harmonies, deepening the sound and filling it with light and shade. The arrangement by Alex Frank is just so; enough that the track hits on all its marks but in a way that is understated. Cards are being held close to the chest, Goldblum has some tricks up his sleeve yet. 

Hot off his wonderful performance as the Wizard of Oz, it would be scandalocious to not include some sort of nod to his time in the emerald city on the album. Fans are treated to not 1 but 2 back-to-back homages; ‘If I Only Had a Brain’ and ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, one of which seeing him reunited with co-star Cynthia Erivo. There’s a real, palpable joy that comes through on both tracks that echoes the fun and magic from the films-it’s evident how much the project meant to Goldblum. The tracks are a beautiful bookend to his time as the Wizard, immortalising it within his artistry forever. 

‘Mean to Me’ sees another of Goldblum’s entourage, dodie, join the party. In addition to her feature on the album, she also opened up for the first of his UK shows last month in Wolverhampton - a night which was no doubt full of magic. ‘Mean to Me’ continues the feeling of the opening track; melancholy but delivered with such sweetness and heart that you almost forget what the lyrics are saying : ‘Dear it must be great fun to be mean to me. You shouldn’t, for why can’t you see what you mean to me?’. Kudos again has to be given to  Alex Frank whose arrangement allows for the brass, which so often is an instrument of power and gusto, to sing. 

A personal favourite emerges in ‘We’ll Meet Again’. Irony not lost, it sees the return of Cynthia Erivo. The orchestration has a brilliant stripped back, deconstructed quality to it. The syncopation of the instrumentals, Erivo’s conversational phrasing, it again highlights the talent and ability from everyone linked to the project to reinterpret songs as old as time. So many listeners will know Vera Lynn’s version of the track and will likely have strong opinions about how this one differs but the joy of jazz and indeed of artistry is the way two people can play a song and each find different stories for the music to tell. 

The second half of the album closes with ‘The Late Night Session’. Across 4 tracks, the tone becomes more subdued, romantic and in some ways, carrying the magical mystery of night. Whilst all of the album would feel at home in a smoky jazz bar, this are the songs performed with that exact setting in mind. The section begins with ‘We’ll Meet Again’, followed by‘I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do)’, ‘Stella By Starlight’ and finally ‘The Best is Yet to Come’. For this movement, Goldblum is joined by a glittering lineup: Cynthia Erivo as mentioned before, Ariana Grande, Maiya Sykes and Scarlett Johansson. The love Goldblum has for his community is clear and its so heartwarming to be able to see all the people who have gone into this project. It truly takes a village. 

Credit where credit is due, Goldblum on the few songs where he sings alone is a marvel. Particularly so on ‘As Time Goes By’, the richness to his voice will likely take many who were unaware of his musical prowess by surprise. On this album, its so abundantly clear that this is a man destined to be a showman. Listening to him alongside the orchestra, it can only be summarised as a person in their element. One can only hope that with this release, his talent and acclaim as an artist will be more widely recognised. 

With the album release comes the album tour which annoyingly for many of us, is already well underway. The curtain has fallen on 4 out of the 5 UK and Ireland shows but the biggest and most hotly anticipated is yet to come. Goldblum and the Heritage Orchestra take on the iconic Royal Albert Hall on the 30th of June. Tickets, for now, are still available but likely to sell out. Tour continues later in the year across the pond for those able to make the pilgrimage. 

Words by Kirsty-Ann Thomson

There are few shows more abrasive; loud, chaotic and brash than a Guilt Trip show. Their live pits are a tour-de-force of sheer brutality and mayhem, and the Manchester outfit translate that superbly well onto their new album that’s as hardworking as the city they come from.

‘One By One’ is designed to be played live – let’s go – it kicks things off and for ‘Armor of Angels’’ we’re very much off and running. The riffs are insane and really pull you in with the beat of the drums – it’s a hardcore record and the band are very much following in the wake of Australian outfit SPEED, that recently tour up the capital with a headline show at the Electric Ballroom. ‘One By One’ encourages fans to get angry, yell and explode at the pit – the thrashy riffs evident from the off as being a fusion of hardcore and metal in a way that makes the genre appealing.

The five piece band themselves hail from Manchester, a scene that’s small and rough, so naturally the band is too – fronted by Jay Valentine on vocals, Jak Maden on guitar, Sam Baker on guitar and Tom Aimson drums with Lily Kilcoyne on bass. Maden states that Manchester is one of the hardest working cities in the UK and that this is a band that very much does not want to let the place down – so we’re off and thriving with the gauntlet set and the pressure building. Early on highlights include ‘Blood Atonement’ and ‘Cut from God’ and a transition so perfect it left me in awe, and then we’re into ‘Dirt’, a record that holds up the spotlight and the emotional dependency of oneself: “When no hope survives / I’ll take the light from your eyes til your prayers cease to be / I will break your word / is there a place for forgiveness / No not from me.”

It pulls absolutely no punches and is all guns blazing all the time – aggressive, raw and emotive. Thrash, pumping metal is where it’s at – Guilt Trip have already showed what they’re capable of with short, sharp bursts of chaos and violence. ‘Severance’ was a special album, released in 2024 that earned the band festival stops at places like Jera on Air and Download, and this feels like the best of Guilt Trip distilled into an album that’s as every bit as what came before. ‘No Love Lost’ is the pit stirrer – it builds and just goes all guns blazing – reaching the crescendo of the pit chaos with loud screaming lyrics of death and rebirth. ‘Intermission’ brings the band back down to earth and is designed, purpose built, to allow the fans as much as a breather in the sweaty pits as the band themselves. Not every hardcore band will do a set as short of SPEED’s after all and we’ve seen the gruelling intense displays of Knocked Loose.

Standout single ‘Burn’ is a sonic assault on the senses; a double bass that lets the groove riff breathe include harmonics that act as a real culture clash; but fit on the same wavelength. It’s chaos and calm operating hand in hand across a single that allows for an expression of cathartic emotion – rich, raw and powerful. It’s an album that feels linked to promoting Manchester’s hardcore scene the same way that SPEED promoted theirs – rooted in the workmanlike spirit of the city. Their prose is rooted in a loving sentiment for humanity across the globe: “all that talk just to fall short / you kept clipping your wings until you fell from the peace you sought” shows the danger of flying too close to the sun.

The passion in Guilt Trip’s record is evident – it draws from influences like Tool and Linkin Park with a sonically organic approach that’s rooted in the DNA of Manchester’s hardcore scene. It was felt at Slam Dunk at the weekend – and their spirit of keeping hardcore as intense as possible allows each hook as a chaos/carnage starter. It’s an album built to get intense and as chaotic as quickly as possible and get the people moving.

They are a band catching eyeballs now – let’s be honest, they have been in the hardcore scene for a while, and it’s hard to escape them in this scene – if you haven’t heard of them, what have you been doing? ‘Armour of Angels’ is the album designed to amplify them into the scene into the same platform as SPEED; in the sense that if it isn’t a band for you, it won’t convince you, but Guilt Trip don’t try to pretend to be anything but what they are – confidently bold in catering to the hardcore fans that already like them – perhaps ‘Resurrection’ is maybe a boundary pusher – and the fusion with P.O.D.’s Sonny Sandoval for that track allows Guilt Trip to push boundaries in more experimental fashion. “Resurrect my strength my fire… // Resurrect my grace inside of me” cries the lyrics, one of rebirth and regrowth.

This is an album that’s reflective of the get-up and grind culture of Manchester where people aren’t blessed with privileges and there’s a lot of grafting and experience. It’s a hardworking mindset that’s reflected in the band, and the heavy music embracement of bands like Madball, Sick of it All and Agnostic Front are all felt across the spirit of this record as much of the stadium-sellers like Limp Bizkit. It’s not a preachy record despite some religious undertones that the song titles would suggest at first, it’s a deeper hardcore record than that, anger, disappointment and vengeance all are combined with an outbreak of betrayal and hatred. Maden makes one thing perfectly clear: “We’re definitely having them conversations when we’re writing… we always say to each other, ‘Are you moshing?’ and the answer, will forever and always with a band like Guilt Trip – be yes.

Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies

“I’m too tired to talk, I’m too tired to end the war / And I can’t seem to hold it together anymore” admits Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard on ‘Riptides’, the lead single from the Seattle band’s 11th album I Built You A Tower. “I can’t bring you up to speed” he continues. “There’s too many riptides in this ocean to proceed”.

Overstimulated, politically fatigued and exasperated, it’s a record firmly situated in the fallout of catastrophe, dissecting the means and mechanisms we use to carry on when our world collapses. Whilst the tower seeks in vain to contain the past, across the album each layer is peeled away, bit by bit revealing something new.

I Built You A Tower came into existence following the dual anniversary tours that marked twenty years since 2003’s Transatlanticism and 2005’s Plans, with the band entering the studio hypersensitive to the importance of these records to fans across the world, but with all nostalgia exorcised. For Gibbard, fronting Death Cab and The Postal Service in the same show was accompanied by the unravelling of his second marriage, and coping with this grief – building a tower in which it is housed – set the course for the band’s 11th studio release. 

For longtime Death Cab fans like myself, the album feels assuringly familiar, but with greater maturity surrounding Gibbard’s anxious songwriting. The reflective ‘Stone Over Water’ combines a lofi beat with self-therapeutic lyrics that only Gibbard could write, confessing “Everyday I awake like a stone over water / Skipping across a lake before I sink to the bottom”. He’s 20 years older than the man who penned the inimitable ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’, and ‘The Flavour of Metal’ sees the Death Cab frontman speaking not with frustration but with solace. “And I tried to hide from the rain falling inside me again / and all these storms they never seem to end”, he concedes. Over Nick Harmer’s melodic bassline wistful personal proverbs litter the rest of the track. “The only truth I’ve ever found / is that everything that ascends will soon come crashing down” Gibbard mutters in the second verse, and the following bridge sees the self-professed lapsed catholic reckon with religion, claiming “It takes just a little faith / but nothing happens every time I pray”.

Following twenty years within the major record label ecosystem, the band signed with Anti- at the start of this year, signalling a reconnection with their indie roots that coincided with an album writing process more akin to their 90s and 2000s beginnings than their previous record, the pandemic-born Asphalt Meadows. This shift towards a more ‘in the room’ approach is audible: the twinkling sparsity of ‘Pep Talk’ and hypnotic, math rock-y guitar riff of ‘I Built You A Tower (a) evoke the band’s emo beginnings from 1997’s You Can Play These Songs With Chords to 2000’s The Photo Album. 

At the same time, there’s a degree of harshness that’s weaponised across the album in a way that Death Cab haven’t ever before, sharpening the record’s most urgent moments. ‘Punching The Flowers’ hits like an aggressive suckerpunch after the soft beginnings of opening track ‘Full Of Stars’, and granular static sets the stage for the frenetic guitar riff of ‘How Heavenly A State’. This raw, visceral immediacy encapsulates Gibbard’s personal turmoil whilst showcasing the slick interplay that’s developed between Death Cab’s current 5-part lineup over most of the last decade. Drummer Jason McGerr is at his colossal best in these intense numbers, delivering hammerblow after hammerblow as ‘How Heavenly A State’ bounds on. 

These barbed tendencies intertwine with the album’s indie and emo sensibilities on the excellent ‘Envy The Birds’. The track opens with an unrelenting advance of scratching guitars and drums in expectant 5/4 time, before sliding into 6/4 for a muted yet ethereal B section where Gibbard repeats tenderly “Speak without words, no-one gets hurt / Safer when it’s quiet”. Drawing on natural imagery in typical Death Cab fashion, Gibbard paints a vivid picture of this isolationist desire for quiet and peace in the eye of his emotional storm. 

Releasing 11 albums as a band is a feat most groups can only dream of, and I Built You A Tower certainly stands on its own two feet as an immediate testament to how we grieve, and how we carry on. Gibbard’s ultramarathon-running exploits have been long documented, but it’s across this 11th Death Cab record that he lays bare his most taxing feat of endurance, reaching a conclusion of sorts by final track ‘I Built You A Tower (b)’, a dark, grainy inversion of his softer admissions on sister title track ‘I Built You A Tower (a)’. As shredded guitar textures encapsulate the heavy weight Gibbard’s carried across the record, he’s left shattered, exhausted, but moving forwards. In pockets of quiet between the chaos he confesses “I’m learning how to live without you / These ruminations are all about you“.

Tellingly, the album’s final words are the simple “It makes me tired, so tired”. These open wounds can start to heal, the raw violence of gut-wrenching heartbreak will begin to fade, but the tower’s hulking facade takes its toll.

In Gibbard’s words, “I see the tower existing on your emotional horizon. You don’t always have to look at what’s inside it, but it’s a reminder that it happened. You know it’s there. You have to face it”. 

Words by Taran Will