music

Interview: Hannah Grace on her new EP Devoted

/ James Fenney

Life is always in motion around us. Just when we think we have things figured out, a new day will bring fresh challenges to knock us back down to square one. The world is endlessly growing and changing, and it expects the same of us in order to keep up. Thankfully there are a few constants in life for us to cling on to, such as how the good will balance out the bad in the end if you give it time. For every heartbreak there’s a new love that blooms, with each ending there’s a chance for a new beginning, and even on the darkest days there’s a silver lining to be found. For instance, there’s no day bleak and dreary enough to dull the warm glow of Belwood favourite Hannah Grace’s soulful honeyed vocals. Her new EP Devoted contains some of her most raw and personal lyricism to date, detailing her own struggle to find a guiding light in the darkness, and yet at every turn her tender voice offers a comfort and familiarity that feels like a safe port in a storm. We were lucky enough to chat with her about this gorgeous new collection of songs and how they came to be. Continue reading →

Top Tracks: The Last Dinner Party – Sinner

/ James Fenney

There are so many different versions of ‘us’ – the version our friends see, the one we save for colleagues, the facade reserved for strangers in the street etc. – that sometimes it’s hard to know which one is the real thing. Sometimes we create a whole new self without meaning to; we open our minds to new ideas, wantonly dive into new experiences with reckless abandon. A sense of freedom is unleashed like Pandora’s Box, and you’re left unable to be the same quiet naive person you once were. An in a band like The Last Dinner Party, with such a finely attuned aesthetic of theatricality, and at the centre of a vortex of hype and acclaim, there’s the added difficulty of figuring out where the charismatic revelry of your goth rock alter ego fits into the bigger picture. Their new single ‘Sinner’, which fittingly explores a more dark, feral and indulgent sound than their stellar debut, reflects on the desire to reconcile all those disparate facets. Longing to have every version of yourself, no matter how different from each other, loved equally as equally important parts of your identity.

Top Tracks: Nieve Ella – Your Room

/ James Fenney

The post-gig blues are a well documented phenomenon at this point. That moment of crashing back to reality after the escapism offered by live music. Yet somehow I’m still riding the high from summer festivals. It’s amazing the power one magical weekend has to lift the weight off your shoulders, unwind the knot that’s been at the pit of your stomach, and help you rediscover a version of yourself that you forgot how to be. But with her new single, Nieve Ella, one of my favourite festival discoveries of the summer, offers a reminder that such a release is an exception to the rule that good things take time. ‘Your Room’, taken from her EP Lifetime Of Wanting out 1st September, acknowledges that the first step to unravelling that emotional knot in your gut is allowing yourself to let go. Being able to walk away from the past, admitting that something wasn’t meant to last or was a mistake from the outset, having faith enough in yourself to turn over a new page. This delightfully dreamy dose of bedroom pop is a reminder that no matter how long it takes to lift the weight that’s been holding you down, the most important step is recognising that it’s there and believing that you deserve better.

Top Tracks: Matthew And The Atlas – This Place We Live

/ James Fenney

I think it’s the responsibility of every generation to leave the world better than they found it, ready for the next generation that follows. It’s a simple prospect when talking in broad strokes, but on a more personal level, a parent trying their best to do right by their child, things get a lot more complicated. Making mistakes is part of life, it’s how we learn and grow, but every decision carries more weight when it affects a child as well as ourselves. Each path you’ve taken to get here is second-guessed, thinking whether you could have provided a better life had things worked out differently. Wondering if the things you strive to provide are what’s most needed, trying to find the balance of letting them make their own mistakes and protecting them from the same pitfalls that made you stumble. ‘This Place We Live’ sees Matthew And The Atlas reflect on the nature of parenthood. The title track from their forthcoming album, out 13th October, its stripped back arrangement gives Matt Hegarty’s distinctive voice room to shine. His weathered baritone lends a wisdom and gravitas to the track as he resolves to give himself room to make mistakes and grow as a parent, as well as fretting less about where the road is leading and instead savouring sharing the journey together.

Live Review: Barn on the Farm Festival 2023

/ James Fenney

Between the general post-pandemic challenges that faced live music as a whole, an uncharacteristically wet and windy weekend, and a line-up and sweeping festival layout changes that both felt like a mixed bag, Barn on the Farm had a shaky return in 2022. It forced me to keep my expectations in check for whatever came next, but with every addition to this year’s line-up adding more buzzworthy names, farm favourites and artists from my ultimate Barn wishlist, I felt anticipation rising that 2023 would be something special. Little did I know just how special… Continue reading →

Live Review: Hozier, O2 Academy Sheffield, 21st June 2023

/ James Fenney

The summer solstice – midsummer, the longest day. It’s always fun when a gig falls on a significant date, and this one couldn’t have felt more fitting. In folklore it’s believed to be a day when magic is at its strongest, and who better to capitalise on that energy than Hozier. His lyricism steeped in myth and legend, his deep soulful vocals adding gravity to his words; his music feels like it expounds ancient wisdom already even without the added magic of the solstice. Fitting too as it’s a time associated with growth and vitality, a blessing for the harvest yet to come. As a special warm-up gig for his upcoming tour, exclusively for fans who preordered his upcoming album Unreal Unearth, it was a celebration of the bounty that summer’s end is set to bring. Continue reading →

Top Tracks: Rachel Newnham – Nobody Loves You Like I Do

/ James Fenney

There are two sides to love – the love we give and the love we receive. The latter needs little explanation; we all want someone to care for us and support us unconditionally, someone who understands us and finds joy and comfort in being around us. It’s a need built into every soul, and in a way being that person for someone brings its own reward. It feels good to be there for someone, to be their rock, their shelter from the storm. When you feel like just one tiny person in a big wide world, it can bring solace to know that to one person you are the world. However, as up-and-coming singer/songwriter Rachel Newnham attests on her debut single, sometimes there’s little comfort to be found when the love you give far outweighs that which you receive in return. The poignant indie pop balladry of ‘Nobody Loves You Like I Do’ is a tender reflection on how it feels to be under-appreciated in a relationship, setting yourself on fire to keep someone else warm, and yet holding on regardless as you still have so much love to give.