Undertone. A blog about music.
-
Wednesday live at O2 Ritz review – embattled country rockers leave it all on the mosh pit floor
She may have been “sick as a dog” and visibly shaken by the fresh news of Dolly Parton’s death, but Karly Hartzman and her band still summoned a laudably committed performance in Manchester, masterfully shifting gear from glorious country crooners to vicious smash-and-grab punk in a flawless final 20 minutes.
-
Westside Cowboy: It Goes On review – it goes on… repeat
The hottest band in UK indie are on a tear; having finally released their first album, Westside Cowboy have delivered, somehow upgrading on what they had before. Matthew Rowe explains what makes It Goes On so great.
-
Phoebe Bridgers: Lost Weekend review – blockbuster return will make you believe in magic
Phoebe Bridgers’ third album improbably lives up to the hype generated by her ingeniously orchestrated return to earth: a high-budget, detail-oriented showpiece about grief and hope packed with spectacular twists and turns. When it comes to indie folk, Bridgers really is on a planet of her own.
-
Vulfpeck live at the O2 review – panto funk collective have the key to your heart
Performing a vanishingly rare UK arena show, the lovable funk group offered plenty of light-hearted musical delights for a bouyant O2 crowd, even in the absence of founding member Theo Katzman.
-
Indie pop rising star Leah Nawy on making it in New York, last minute sax solos, and leaning in to the distortion
A graduate of The New School and BerkleeNYC, Leah Nawy is now ready to make a splash in New York’s indie pop scene. She talks to Undertone about her dynamic new EP, and what it means to be in bloom.
-
Imogen Cooper/Lewis/RNS live at the Glasshouse review – a fitting send-off
Returning to the same composer that started her career over five decades ago, Imogen Cooper’s farewell concerto was an uplifting Mozart masterclass. A nuanced 27th Concerto highlighted Cooper’s talent as one of Britain’s finest concert pianists.
-
Olivia Rodrigo: you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love review – seems pretty safe
On her third album, Rodrigo leaves behind the gutsy pop punk that made her such an intriguing A-league popstar, but this expertly paced new LP features one of the finest hit singles of 2026 and proves Rodrigo doesn’t need her heart broken to write great pop.
-
The Lemon Twigs live at Brudenell Social Club review – they just don’t make pop like this any more
Playing to a packed room on a glorious May evening in Leeds, the Twigs seemed perfectly at ease on stage for this faultless set. The grand orchestration of their new album was necessarily dialed-back, but no bother: these are some of the best-written pop rock songs this side of 1970.
-
Max Cooper live at the Glasshouse review – high-tech light show beguiles and befuddles
Music plays second fiddle to visual art in Max Cooper’s impressive 3D/AD Live show, the performer partly obscured behind a screen of dazzling technicolour projections. When the shapeshifting art is the right fit for Cooper’s cerebral electronica, the result is transfixing, but this meandering show seems to be missing its guiding light.
-
Florence Road live at NUSU review – viral Irish rockers are stadium bound
The buzzy Wicklow rock group have only released a handful of songs, but have already received support from a staggering array of the global music industry’s big names. This set of largely unreleased songs in Newcastle mostly justified the hype, although Flo Ro’s live offering still has plenty of room for improvement.
-
WITCH live at Belgrave Music Hall review – Zamrock legends still living it large
It’s been 50 years since We Intend to Cause Havoc’s heyday as arguably Zambia’s most popular rock band, but Emanyeo Chanda and co were full of zip for this gleefully grungy Leeds set. All that was needed was a little more intentional havoc.
-
Six of the best new albums to listen to in May 2026
The beautiful month of May is here, and with it a host of new music to enjoy.
Want to support independent music journalism?
Undertone 