Hailing from Las Vegas, a city famed for it’s bright lights and big thrills, one would expect the new single from native band BRUMBY to follow a similar path. Instead ‘Leave a Light On’, the band’s first release since their 2014 EP The Westwind Kid, is a much more subtle and bittersweet affair. The synth-laden Americana vibe, the anthemic chorus and the bright guitar melodies make this song essential listening for fans of Bear’s Den and The War On Drugs. ‘Leave a Light On’ makes the perfect soundtrack for an introspective, late night drive or equally for carefree summer cruising. Whichever way you’re headed, whatever path you follow, the new single from BRUMBY is all the company you need. With tracks like this it won’t be long until the band are leaving the city lights far behind and are sharing their music with fans across the world.
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Live Review: Keaton Henson, London Palladium, 18th Nov 2016
Concerts are naturally a very thrilling and special thing, but every so often one comes along that feels like the most important thing in the world. Seeing the acclaimed yet reclusive singer/songwriter Keaton Henson at the London Palladium felt like the most significant concert I have ever been to. Despite his immense talents ranging from folk, electronic and classical music, and even art and poetry, Keaton rarely performs live due to his crippling anxiety. Thankfully for me and the rest of his adoring fans he decided to face his own personal hell, a fully sold out London Palladium, to produce a truly unforgettable night. Continue reading
Top Tracks: Heat – Lush
I’m a great admirer of bands whose music carries you away from life for a while, and I’m even more enamoured by those few acts that do so by taking you to a rich and vibrant world of their new creation. Montreal based band Heat certainly fit into the latter category, and their debut single ‘Lush’ undoubtedly lives up to it’s name. The bare bones of the track are built with dark post punk in mind, with the resulting musical landscape given new life with an array of bright dancing dream pop melodies. The track is like the musical equivalent of an explosion of colour in a world that only knows black and white. If the rest of their upcoming debut album Overnight, out 20th January, is up to the same high standard as this track then we may have found Canada’s next great music export.
Top Tracks: Baum Jr – When I Grow Up/Heroes
Whilst the 80s had a few stylistic dead ends, much of the music spawned at the time now seems to have a curious timeless quality about it. Fast forward to 2016 and big cascading synths sound as fresh as ever. This stunning debut double A side single (remember those?) from electropop artist Baum Jr draws inspiration from classic video game and film scores in a style which he has christened ‘next-gen 8-bit’. On ‘When I Grow Up’ he dusts off the hit track from forgotten 90s alternative rockers Garbage and breathes new life into it. The transformation is miraculous, and the expansive soundscape he has created continues even further with his track ‘Heroes’ which boasts a brilliant beat and addictive electronics. Baum Jr has tapped into influences from years gone by, but by all accounts the end product sounds like something from the not too distant future which we just happen to lucky enough to experience slightly ahead of schedule.
Live Review: Foy Vance, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, 12th Nov 2016
It’s been a great year to be a Foy Vance fan. He released his incredible new album The Wild Swan earlier in the year after signing to his dear friend Ed Sheeran’s record label Gingerbread Man Records. His track ‘Coco’ has been getting heavy airplay on BBC Radio 2 and the music video for ‘She Burns’ featuring Lucy Hale of Pretty Little Liars fame has been getting a fair bit of attention too. 2016 also saw him gathering new fans performing in front of ever larger crowds supporting the one and only Elton John on tour. Even though I have seen him live twice already I naturally leapt at the chance to see Foy in action in Leeds as part of his Wild Swan world tour. Continue reading
The Bataclan reopens
The Bataclan concert hall in Paris has reopened it’s doors on the eve of the first anniversary of the terror attack that claimed 90 innocent lives. Sting performed a charity set in remembrance of those that died, with the night’s proceeds going towards charities that benefit the victims and their families. There have been reports that Jesse Hughes, frontman of Eagles of Death Metal who performed at the venue on the night of the attack, was denied entry. This is due to the controversial claims he made about the security staff being involved in co-ordinating the attack.
Live Review: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, O2 Academy Leeds, 10th Nov 2016
When Colorado based singer/songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff made the bold move to hang up his life as a folk troubadour and instead decided to forge a new path in the form of old school rhythm & blues, I doubt he saw the success waiting for him on the horizon. With his eponymous debut album with his new backing band The Night Sweats he became one of the biggest breakthrough acts of 2015. With his infectiously fun and soulful performances he has been wowing audiences at some of the biggest festivals, appearing on some of the most popular tv shows and winning fans on both sides of the Atlantic. I caught him at the O2 Academy to see the main man in action. Continue reading
Leonard Cohen passes away
As if we haven’t lost enough amazing people this year it seems that 2016 has at least one more soul to take. Folk legend Leonard Cohen has passed away aged 82. Widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, known for his dark tones, unique humour and haunting lyrics. He has left behind an immortal body of work including such songs as ‘Suzanne’, ‘Bird on the Wire’, ‘Everybody Knows’ and most notably ‘Hallelujah’ which reached a wider audience due to Jeff Buckley’s famous cover version. His death follows just weeks after the release of his 14th studio album You Want It Darker, which received universal critical acclaim and will be remembered as his final swansong. An unparalleled artist whose influence is too expansive and densely knit to ever fully unravel, his loss comes as a keen blow to many music lovers across the globe.
Honeyblood – Babes Never Die
Belwood Music 