Tag Archives: rock

Divorce live review: the antithesis to the era of short-form content

Trinity Centre, Bristol, 11th December 2025 A cold, dark Thursday evening in preparation for the holidays seems like the perfect time to go to a good, nurturing, cosy gig. Divorce, with their genre-bending alternative country songs, fit the bill perfectly. The four-piece start their set with ‘Karen’ and ‘Jet Show’ off their latest record, DriveContinue reading “Divorce live review: the antithesis to the era of short-form content”

Role Model live at the Hammersmith Apollo is a twangy and spirited crowd-pleaser

Hammersmith Apollo, 4th November 2025 When Role Model – or Tucker, to his fans – took the stage at London’s Hammersmith Apollo for the deluxe European leg of his No Place Like Tour, fan excitement was palpable. He’s done an excellent job crafting this roguish, cheeky image of himself, so the moment Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘BedContinue reading “Role Model live at the Hammersmith Apollo is a twangy and spirited crowd-pleaser”

M/X at Paint by Numbers review: performance, theatre, and a hell of a lot of fun

Thekla Top Deck, Bristol, 6th December 2025 Regardless of their Saturday afternoon slot, the top deck filled out quickly with people of all kinds to see what the Bristol punks in M/X have to offer. Having seen them a few times now, I know everyone is in for a good time. Starting with “Pavlov”, theContinue reading “M/X at Paint by Numbers review: performance, theatre, and a hell of a lot of fun”

The Lilacs live review: fun refuge on a rainy night

O2 Academy, Oxford 14th November 2025 The Lilacs are a band associated with festivals and tents, often seen providing the soundtrack for much-needed refuge from the scorching summer sun. And for a similar reason, the crowd is grateful for their show in Oxford tonight. But rather than being sat in a sunny field taking inContinue reading “The Lilacs live review: fun refuge on a rainy night”

Pale Waves’ Oxford show proves they’re at the top of their game

O2 Academy, Oxford 15th October 2025 Up until their last album cycle, there has always been some dissonance between Pale Waves’ image and their sound. While their charcoal eyeliner and fishnets image promised 70s trad-goth, listening to a few minutes of their music reveals they sound nothing like that; it’s instead peppered with sparkling synthsContinue reading “Pale Waves’ Oxford show proves they’re at the top of their game”

“This album changed my life!”: Turnover’s Peripheral Vision anniversary tour review

O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, 14th September 2025 Turnover’s Peripheral Vision is an album I often associate with autumn – something about its muted vocals and hazy guitars evokes a season of change, new beginnings, and gentle chills. Perhaps, then, there is no better time for 2000 fans to come together to celebrate the album’sContinue reading ““This album changed my life!”: Turnover’s Peripheral Vision anniversary tour review”

Wolf Alice’s The Clearing is the decisive next step for a band that only seem to be getting better and better

For the past decade, Wolf Alice have slowly been building their reputation as one of the defining bands in British indie rock. While early hits like ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ and ‘Bros’ put them on the map, it wasn’t until their third album, Blue Weekend, that their rough edges fell away. From the swooping ‘DeliciousContinue reading “Wolf Alice’s The Clearing is the decisive next step for a band that only seem to be getting better and better”

Conan Gray Wishbone review: the unfiltered, heart-wrenching journal of a dreamer boy

Conan Gray has always been a storyteller. From his early Kid Krow days where ‘Heather’ took what looked like every single sad playlist across the world by storm, Conan proved his expert knack of spinning together diary-esque narratives with infectious tidal-wave melodies. It’s the kind of tune that rises and falls like some love-sick teenager,Continue reading “Conan Gray Wishbone review: the unfiltered, heart-wrenching journal of a dreamer boy”

Justin Bieber SWAG review: the semi-cool sound of confidently watered-down pop-RnB

I’m not sure what surprises me more: the sudden release of SWAG itself, or the fact that the album led JB to a career-defining record (95.8 million Spotify streams in a single day; a new personal best). Whatever the case, it’s clear that the pop star is still standing on business, making waves and shatteringContinue reading “Justin Bieber SWAG review: the semi-cool sound of confidently watered-down pop-RnB”