Review: DEADLETTER – Hysterical Strength
If you’ve stumbled upon this review wondering casually to yourself, ‘Hmmm, I’ve never heard of DEADLETTER, all caps is a bold move, I wonder what they’re like?’ Then that was pretty much what I was thinking around three hours ago and I’m here to congratulate you, you very lucky and noble music website review wanderer. You are just about to have your eyes and ears opened to something really very special. I have just listened to 'Hysterical Strength' twice on the bounce due to it being just so fucking great. You could in fact stop reading here and go and stick it on, go on, I dare you, I double dare you moth...(stop that, no need for two f-bombs in such close proximity, it cheapens us all).
Review: Seasick Steve – ‘A Trip, A Stumble, A Fall Down On Your Knees’
Man, I really love Seasick Steve! I remember almost twenty years ago now when he seemed to fall, fully formed and full of gnarly, moonshine swigging cool, onto our screens on Later…It looked like he was playing a guitar that he’d accidentally reversed his truck over and was pounding his foot on a stomp box which might as well of had alligator teeth marks carved into the side. He plays it all loose and growling with heart, authenticity and rough-round-the-edges rawness that is infectious. He’s great when playing alone with his stomp box but when accompanied by the wild man that is Dan Magnusson on the drums, they are on another level.
Review: Lip Critic – Hex Dealer
I’ve longingly read about (but sadly not yet experienced) Lip Critic and their wildly frenetic live shows. The two, yes, count them…two drummers – Danny Eberle and Ilan Natter – play facing each other with vocalist Bret Kaser and Connor Kleitz on samplers in the middle. Their intense electro-punk/metal sound with a bit of dance thrown in has deservedly got them a fast army of fans and they are already the band to see before the venues get any bigger.
Review: Pillow Queens – Name Your Sorrow
Pillow Queens, the Dublin based four piece, haven’t been short of accolades since forming in 2016 and certainly since their 2020 debut ‘In Waiting’. Their previous two albums have seen this indie rock, all-female quartet nominated twice for Irish album of the year and they’ve performed twice on The Late Late Show with James Corden. No pressure then for the release of their third, ‘Name Your Sorrow’, especially when they’ve decided to massively change their sound from something quieter and introspective to one that growls and bares its teeth.
Review: The Libertines – All Quiet On the Eastern Esplanade
When the release of a new album by The Libertines was announced back in October it felt like receiving an unexpected call from an old friend that you haven’t seen for years (well, nine years to be exact since the release of ‘Anthems for a Doomed Youth’). Like anyone in those moments, it’s just nice to hear that your mate is doing alright and anything else seems like a bonus.
Review: Idles – Tangk
For me, being asked if I want to listen to Tangk, the new Idles record, is like being asked in a pub if I want a Yorkshire pudding with my roast dinner. It’s an instant yes, no hesitation. A yes which brings with it a heightened sense of anticipation for the meal to come and a knowledge that the world has just got slightly better. But, what if that Yorkshire pudding comes and it’s just a bit rubbish? One of those slightly burnt, dried up like a husk, end of the day ones? Could Tangk, Idles fifth album, be one of those? Excitement can bring its own, looming sense of concern…