O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London Friday 21st October 2016 This is my first visit to the Shepherd’s Bush Empire and I absolutely love it. Built in 1903 as a music hall, it became the BBC Television Theatre in 1953 and…
View More Katatonia with Vola and Agent Fresco
When time finally runs out for the human race, what will we be left with? We face increasing uncertainty about the future, the dwindling availability of resources, the extinction of species, the greed and consumption which plunders our planet with…
View More Thence – We Are Left With A Song
Progressive rock speaks to us directly, intensely, profoundly; it elicits all manner of feelings, evokes a gamut of passions and emotions and forces to the surface thoughts and ideas which startle and surprise. It takes hold of us, resonates and…
View More Oak – Lighthouse
The seemingly innocuous appearance of Barack Obama’s voice at the start of Another Hope is a pivotal and profoundly brilliant seminal moment for this exceptional third solo album from Dec Burke. Taken from his New Hampshire primary speech in 2008,…
View More Dec Burke – Book of Secrets
The Clore Ballroom, Southbank Centre, London Saturday 17th September 2016 As we enter the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre, London, we are immediately met with a lively, invigorating and happy buzz. It is the penultimate day of the…
View More Flux
Wolverine are an invigorating breath of fresh air. Although having their origins in death metal, the cradle which once rocked this Swedish based band has been well and truly left behind as, by their own confession, they have relentlessly explored…
View More Wolverine – Machina Viva
Theories of Flight is a delightfully surprising and quite beautifully crafted mosaic of poignant lyrics and powerful, captivating music whose ultimate strength comes from being taken together rather than as a collection of individual tracks. Repeated listens bring a dawning…
View More Fates Warning – Theories of Flight
2016 has seen a veritable outpouring of releases which express and embody a seemingly deep-seated contemporary preoccupation with despair and despondency. Melancholic gloom is finding strong, heart-felt resonances in the work of many song writers, bands, musicians as well as…
View More Airbag – Disconnected
Sound. Big, big sound. Glorious walls of sizzling, throbbing, energetic sound which sweep you along and enthusiastically caress you with a fizzing sense of vibrancy and effervescence. Eight years on from the highly regarded Experiments in Mass Appeal (mark that…
View More Frost* – Falling Satellites
‘Start the Sound’ Tour Islington Assembly Hall, London Saturday 18th June 2016 A Panic Room gig is always a cause for eager anticipation. Their live performances are, without fail, musically thrilling, emotionally intense and warmly uplifting. At the same time…
View More Panic Room