And to think that some people are still deluded enough to believe that U2 are Ireland’s premier live band. I don’t know if it’s sheer media saturation that’s perpetuated that myth, or just widespread ignorance, but it needs to be stamped out post-haste. Bono can take his impossibly huge stage monstrosities and stick them where the streets have no name; Ham Sandwich have claimed the crown so wrongly placed on Hewson’s overinflated noggin, and painted…
Album name: Live from Austin, TX Artist name: Drive-By Truckers Genre: Rock n’ Roll Released: July 7 2009 Label: New West ZME Rating: 9/10 Website: drivebytruckers.com In the spirit of full disclosure, I should probably inform you of two things: 1 – I’m a hard marker. In the time I’m writing for this website, you’ll likely never see me give an album 10/10. This is partly because I don’t think you could reasonably call any…
Oh yes it’s ladies night And the feeling’s right Oh yes it’s ladies night Oh what a night – Kool & The Gang Rock n’ roll is a wonderful, chaotic beast. Borne of a decadent tryst between blues and boogie, it’s grown from its simple, Chuck Berry beginnings into a many-tendriled monster, sprouting new bands and sub-genres from every possible pustular orifice. And while a lot of the descendent bands have grown up to be…
The British ‘rockers’ (really?) seem to have fallen in the dark cold claws of the global recession, with tickets for their latest tour being sold online as low as 1$. They’ve been touring the US since May this year and they’ve been bringing together quite a crowd, with about 50.000 people per show and they’re bringing the show back in the UK in September. If you buy tickets from shops, they’ll be somewhere in the…
Electrelane is a british indie/experimental rock band (previously located in Brighton, UK … now scattered around the world). They’ve been making music starting with 1998, they released their first album in 2001 – “Rock it to the Moon” – and have been touring ever since. The band was last formed (well, theoretically, it still is) by Emma Gaze, Mia Clarke, Verity Susman and Ros Murray. There have also been other past members, such as Tracey…
Provocative artwork? Surely not. That’s not blood on the cover of the new Manic Street Preachers album, just a boy with one side of his face more red than the other. Or to put it in more artistic terms a la frontman James Dean Bradfield, “a much more modern version of Lucian Freud-esque brushstrokes”. But either way you look at it, this work of album-cover artistry for the Journal for Plague Lovers has been banned…
Well, according to the man himself, he has it all figured out, which is why he’s setting the studio on fire. Bad news is this means he’ll delay his tour in order to finish the follow up to 2007’s double-platinum album “Rock N Roll Jesus.” “I really feel like I’ve kind of got this figured out,” the rapper and singer-songwriter tells Billboard. “I think I can make an equally good record, if not better than…
On June 27, 2006, Sleater-Kinney announced they were going on “indefinite hiatus”. On August 12, they played their last show together in Portland, Oregon with Eddie Vedder as support. Almost three years later, I wanted to pay my respects to this great band by analysing their final, great stand – The Woods. I was lucky enough to be present at what would prove to be Sleater-Kinney’s first and only Irish gig, in the dark, cramped…
There are billions of unsigned and indie artists to be found online. Some are worth a listen, others are interesting but not quite there, but the vast majority is trying too hard to find the elusive new sound and thus burying themselves into experimental oblivion. Songwriters are always a penny a dozen, even cheaper than guitarists or out-of-tune bass players. Nevertheless, effective songwriting is a question of angle and attitude. A good story needs not…
I always loved tops, charts, and anything that included a list and good music. Also, I just blend with the music every time I hear a sweet rock song. So when Close-Up made a list of top 100 albums in metal… no need for more to be added. Close-Up is Sweden’s longest-running music magazine, and to celebrate its 100th issue they released this top 100 albums in metal, hard rock, hardcore, punk and extreme rock…
Al Byrne
Andrei Mihai
Alex Petrache
Conor O' Brien
Vitor Cunha