Tag: music
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Hideki Naganuma’s Jet Set Radio: how a video game helped birth a musical generation
Jet Set Radio was once long forgotten, but following recent news that the game could possibly be making a return, Alex Walden is here to analyse the musical side of the game and the soundtrack’s cultural significance.
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Couch live at Band On The Wall review – eight-strong funk group go all in
Every song was a showstopper for a celebratory final night of Couch’s debut international tour in an ambitious show packed with unrelenting funk-pop grooves, countless glorious solos and the best Harry Styles cover money can buy.
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Rianne Downey live at Oporto review – bigger stages await
Her songwriting ability may be still developing, but Rianne Downey already owned the stage at Oporto, a low-key venue that felt far too small for a vocal talent of this calibre.
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Jockstrap live at Belgrave Music Hall review – a delightfully dark fever dream
At their best when basking in strobe lights and stage smoke, Jockstrap proved their credentials in Leeds as artists at the cutting edge of electronic music. No other artist can even begin to sound like them.
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Jacob Collier live at O2 Apollo review – in a league of his own
Charming, effervescent and incomparably brilliant at every instrument he can get his hands on, Jacob Collier’s performance was a treat to witness in the beautiful surroundings of the Apollo, even if his catalogue of genuinely great original songs remains frustratingly slim.
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Jeff Rosenstock live at Belgrave Music Hall review – songs to tear the roof off
Critically acclaimed punk rocker Jeff Rosenstock marked his return to the UK with an explosive, sweat-drenched performance in Leeds, packed with clever changes of pace, raucous singalongs and underlying anti-capitalist rage.
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The Beths live at Brudenell Social Club review – bubbly, light and a little safe
10,000 miles away from home, the fact that New Zealand indie rock outfit The Beths sold out Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club is remarkable in itself. What’s more, Elizabeth Stokes’ confessional yet light-hearted compositions were warmly received, even if her set lacked ambition.
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Lizzy McAlpine: five seconds flat review – indie-folk star raises the stakes
She may be yet to firmly establish her own distinctive sound, but Lizzy McAlpine strikes gold on several occasions on this sophomore LP destined to be one of the more compelling and consistent breakup albums of the year.
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Cory Wong: Wong’s Cafe review – nothing new from a band in disguise
Cory Wong’s latest project is ostensibly Vulfpeck’s sixth album, and it’s perhaps telling that the band have avoided official recognition for their efforts – Wong’s Cafe feels rushed and uninspired from start to finish, and is home to some of the most unremarkable songs in the band’s history.
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PinkPantheress: to hell with it review – a strong start and a promising future
20-year-old student PinkPantheress shot to instant stardom into 2021 after her short and sweet garage tracks found a keen audience on social media. But does her debut mixtape live up to the hype? Alex Walden seems to think so.
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Orla Gartland live at Leeds University Stylus – great songs worthy of bigger occasions
Despite being in desperate need of an extra bandmate or two, Orla Gartland had plenty of strong enough material to give the crowd exactly what they wanted in Leeds. Unlike her friend and peer dodie, however, her live act still has plenty of room to grow in the years to come.
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Sam Fender: Seventeen Going Under review – arena-worthy classics to feed the soul
Whilst Fender’s expansive, often breathtaking sophomore record may not be flawless, it has more than its fair share of genius songwriting and lyricism thanks to a potent concoction of sepia nostalgia and brave sociopolitical lessons for the here and now.
Undertone 