Gang Colours – The Keychain Collection

Gang Colours - The Keychain Collection

By Stephanie Stevens-Wade

Gang Colours is the young Southampton producer Will Ozanne, armed with a debut album that’s modern and mournful, smooth and soulful and an open door welcoming you into his electronic adventures, daydreams and childhood memories.

It was Mercury-nominated Ghostpoet, who was signed onto Giles Peterson’s Brownswood label back in 2010, who requested Ozanne to remix his hit ‘Cash And Carry Me Home’. As Brownswood’s recent signing, Ozanne already has last years EP In Your Gut Like A Knife under his belt and his debut album The Keychain Collection is something of similar beauty. … Continue Reading

The Big Pink – Future This

The Big Pink - Future This

By Stephanie Stevens-Wade

After their support slot for Muse’s arena tour back in 2009 The Big Pink‘s confidence and cockiness led them to convince themselves they would be bigger than the headlining trio. With the release of their debut album A Brief History of Love that year they were only starting to show people their natural proclivity for pop. But UK multi-instrumentalists Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze have unleashed another bold statement – their second album Future This. … Continue Reading

Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood Of Colour

Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour

By Stephanie Stevens-Wade

Back in 2006 we saw Enter Shikari play Take To The Skies hit ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’ in a box room full of sweaty fans. The times of the Cheerios t-shirt small crowds and songs of obscurity later morphed into Common Dreads, which introduced chanted political ramblings and dubstep into their sound. A Flash Flood of Colour unites those two incredible albums to create something louder, angrier, heavier, more mature, pumped with adrenaline and drenched in political anguish.

Opening song ‘System…’ is a climax of strings, background guitars, ambient synths and Rou’s gentle spoken words which gradually transform into a heavy vocal joined by the band’s chants leading you into ‘…Meltdown’. “This is going to change everything” roars Rou at the beginning before the huge filthy breakdown of jittery bass, guitars and dramatic strings followed by a drum and bass infused chorus. … Continue Reading

Muso’s Guide Singles Club: 28th November 2011

by Stephanie Stevens-Wade

After last week’s ‘girls’ theme I can safely say that this week is a pic’n’mix week, from British indie groups to Australian solo artists, wannabe pop stars to has-been rockers. The last week in November is the last window before the Christmas covers and re-releases take over the charts and airwaves, so enjoy this carefully picked selection before another TV advert persuades you to download ‘All I Want For Christmas’ again. (I may have thrown one festive single in for good measure as the week ends in December after all and I just couldn’t help myself!) … Continue Reading

Thisquietarmy – Resurgence

Thisquietarmy - Resurgence

By Stephanie Stevens-Wade

The electronic one-man band has become some sort of fashionable music project in 2011. When listening to the likes of Washed Out, Zola Jesus and Youth Lagoon’s new material this year I thought that that the lead singer was surrounded by an array of musicians helping to create the complicated addictive sounds – I was wrong. Abolishing the responsibility of fame hungry band members, solo projects are popping up everywhere and are going down a treat. Simply eliminate the idea of the harmonica tied around the neck with a drum brace and ankle cymbals and replace with effects pedals and a laptop. … Continue Reading

The Joy Formidable – The Big More EP

The Joy Formidable - The Big More EP

By Stephanie Stevens-Wade

When Dave Grohl chooses one of your songs as his track of the year you know you’re on the right path as a band.

The subtle release of A Balloon Called Moaning back in 2009 lead to The Joy Formidable’s much anticipated debut album The Big Roar at the beginning of the year, and what a year it has been for them. The trio have spent the year touring, gaining recognition in America and spending their summer in festival glory, filling tents across the UK. … Continue Reading

We Were Promised Jetpacks – In The Pit Of The Stomach

We Were Promised Jetpacks - In The Pit Of The Stomach

By Stephanie Stevens-Wade

The young Scottish indie rock foursome We Were Promised Jetpacks have soared over that second album hurdle and created something more mature, ferocious and louder without leaving behind the superior elements of their debut.

In The Pit of the Stomach’s sound is far from the peace and tranquillity in which it was recorded. Sigur Ros’ Sundlaugin Studios in Iceland definitely got the band focused in order to record the big rock album they were destined to release. Unlike These Four Walls they were able to piece this album together carefully. With this time and precision in mind they still recorded it in three weeks before following Jimmy Eat World on tour in North America. … Continue Reading

Marcus Foster – Nameless Path

Marcus Foster - Nameless Path

By Stephanie Stevens-Wade

Following the release of his Tumble Down EP, Marcus Foster’s first studio album Nameless Path is brimming with so much confidence and maturity it’s hard to believe he’s only launching his debut at 24. … Continue Reading

Scott Matthews – What The Night Delivers

Scott Matthews - What The Night Delivers

By Stephanie Stevens-Wade

What the Night Delivers isn’t an account of a lonely evening with a bottle of wine and a flickering candle or strolling through rowdy city streets at night. Unlike the dark isolated album cover, the third instalment from the British singer/songwriter Scott Matthews is more like an adventurous dream with a sense of love, loss and discovery conveyed through ingenious lyrics that fit together like a puzzle with a concoction of beautiful instrumentation. … Continue Reading

In the Woods Festival Review

by Stephanie Stevens-Wade
Photos by Joshua Lawrence

For a majority of music lovers the start of summer is the start of festival season: overpriced tickets, boxes of wine, headache-inducing lights shows and portaloos that burn your nostrils. Whilst you’re packed like a sardine in the crowd dodging the flying cup of ‘cider’ spinning above, a day festival, set in a secret serene Kentish woodland sounds like heaven. … Continue Reading