Spotlight!: Black Honey

/ James Fenney

black honey

This Brighton based band started life as the city’s best kept secret, but they are certainly starting to make waves. Fusing the crisp pop melodies of frontwoman Izzy Baxter with rich and expansive soundscapes, the band are on to a winning combination. The mix of the familiar and the experimental has made them one of the hottest new acts in the British indie scene. ‘Headspin’ features wandering yet purposeful bass lines, more reverb than you can shake a stick at and pure angelic vocals, whilst ‘Spinning Wheel’ has a classic surfer rock vibe that simply screams 60s California sound. Their finely crafted dream pop is set to wow festival audiences across the country this summer and the music world is waiting with baited breath for the band’s hotly anticipated debut.

Fans of Sunflower Bean, Wolf Alice, Tame Impala and Halsey should check out their Headspin EP out now.

Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2016

/ James Fenney

radio-1-big-weekend-exeter

Now in it’s thirteenth year, the BBC’s very own music festival this year took to Powderham Castle in Exeter to showcase the best of British as well as some of the hottest acts from across the globe. Joining the headliners Mumford & Sons and Coldplay were a few Belwood favourites including Catfish & the Bottlemen, Jack Garratt and reigning best band Wolf Alice. The weekend also included a dazzling set from aussie psychedelics Tame Impala, new music from indie folk hero Jake Bugg and a blistering performance from Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro. Naturally there a always a few questionable acts, and the “In new music we trust” stage consisted almost entirely of established artists, but overall the weekend was a rousing success. Full performances from across the weekend are available on iplayer.

Festival survival and etiquette guide

/ James Fenney
Photo by mikky k on Pexels.com

 

Summer is rapidly approaching, and if you want to make the most of it then any self respecting music lover will surely want to head to a festival. They are a longstanding tradition and with new festivals popping up all the time it’s no problem at all to find the perfect one for you! But this is no ordinary concert, there is so much more going on, and as such takes a greater level of preparation. If you make sure to come prepared then you’re in for one fantastic weekend, if not… well, we’ve all heard plenty of horror stories! Here’s a few top tips to remember. Continue reading →

The Strokes announce new EP

/ James Fenney

the strokes

The New York indie rockers have announced a new 4 track EP entitled Future Present Past due for release on June 3rd. It’s the first new music from the band since 2013’s Comedown Machine. Frontman Julian Casablancas premiered the first track ‘Oblivious’ on his new monthly radio show. The rest of the EP consists of track entitled ‘Drag Queen’ and ‘Threat of Joy’, as well as a remix of ‘Oblivious’ by the band’s drummer Fab Moretti. It will be the band’s first release on Casablancas’ Cult Records label and a new album is rumoured to be on the way.

Eagles of Death Metal pulled from French festivals

/ James Fenney

EaglesOfDeathMetal

The Eagles of Death Metal have been removed from the line-up of two French festivals after the frontman’s controversial comments about last November’s attacks in Paris. Following the terrorist attack at the band’s performance, frontman Jesse Hughes has claimed that the attack would not have happened if the French public were allowed to carry firearms and that members of the security team at the Bataclan Concert Hall were involved with the attacks. Understandably his ridiculous claims have not been well received and have resulted in the band being removed from the line-up of both the Rock En Seine and Cabaret Vert festivals.

Must Own Albums: Best of British part 2

/ James Fenney

t rexT Rex – Electric Warrior

Although mainly known as a singles band, T Rex had their share of influential albums. Electric Warrior marked a shift from the band’s folk origins and ended up pioneering glam rock and making Marc Bolan a musical icon. It spawned one of the band’s best selling singles ‘Get It On’. Bolan’s simple yet theatrical songwriting is simply superb. Bold, bonkers and brilliantly British.

brothers in armsDire Straits – Brothers in Arms

Composed by one of the world’s greatest guitarists Mark Knopfler, Brothers in Arms went on to top the album charts all around the globe. It remains one of the best selling albums in history with over 30 million copies sold. It’s easy to see why with the rock’n’roll of ‘Walk of Life’, the smooth sax of ‘Your Latest Trick’ and the instantly recognisable riff of ‘Money for Nothing’.

the kinksThe Kinks – The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society

Having already established themselves as one of the most important rock bands of the sixties and releasing a string of best selling singles, the band tried something a little different for the last album with the original line-up. The album was amongst the first concept albums and focuses on a series of vignettes of old fashioned English traditions. Although it sold poorly at the time it has since come to be considered their best work.

TubularBellsMike Oldfield – Tubular Bells

At the time this was one of the most ambitious albums ever produced. Young Mike Oldfield, who was only 19 at the time, decided to compose a prog rock magnum opus. He played nearly all of the instruments himself, recording them separately and then layering them afterwards. It seems simple now but at the time this was a revolutionary way to record an album and has changed the industry forever. It was the first album released through the Virgin label and was made famous as part of the soundtrack of The Exorcist.