Steeped in Satire, 9 o’clock Nasty Close a Trilogy of Sorts with Chaos
There’s no act as consistently fascinating to me as 9 o’clock Nasty. They are prolific, yet their work never stales or drops in quality.
Stella Matteoni Delivers One of the Year’s Most Inventive Pop Debuts with Imposter
In a world where collaboration can mean homogenisation, sometimes what’s needed is a singular voice to create something truly innovative. Step forward Stella Matteoni and her self-produced debut album, Imposter.
Italian Supergroup Gee Whiz! Revive ‘60s and ‘70s Spirit on How To Manage A Crisis
Gee Whiz! exploded onto our radar late last year through their beautifully classic number Mr Dinosaur.
Discovery: Olive Jones’s Dynamic Debut is Soulfully Addictive
Olive Jones’s debut For Mary is one for the history books, landing with elegant intent in the modern British soul scene.
Discovery: Jessie Altman’s Sleepwalking EP May Make Dreams Come True
For her latest EP, Sleepwalking, Jessie Altman has teamed up with Grammy winners Jason Lehning and Craig Alvin to create her most polished release yet.
Deer Shed unveils expansive 2026 Wilderwild Retreat & wellbeing programme
Deer Shed Festival returns to Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, North Yorkshire from 24 to 26 July 2026 with its biggest wellbeing programme yet, introducing the new Wilderwild Retreat.
Live Review: Wry Observations, Militant Choreo and A Sea of Orange as David Byrne Asks Who Is The Sky in Manchester
Get a bunch of musicians and dancers, dress them in orange, clear the stage of any leads or amps, carefully choreograph every number, and make the best use of lighting and video;…
Beljune Enters the Calm After the Storm with Tribute To His Judy
Friendship is an incredibly important topic often left unexplored in music. It comes in many forms, including the bond between a gay man and their ‘Judy.’
In Thalassophobia, Maijah Dives Into Fear, Transformation and Her Siren-Fairy-Mermaid World
The artist Maijah has always impressed me with her ability to weave sound and imagery.
Live Review: Leeds Stylus Sees Keo Perform on the Brink of Stardom
Alternative rock ensemble Keo took the stage at Leeds Stylus on 6 March 2026, marking one of their final performances in a small, intimate venue before their inevitable ascent to indie stardom at breakneck speed.
Luna Keller Teams Up with Allison Leah for a Wistful Transatlantic Duet, Cornerstone
It’s been too long since we last covered anything by the wonderful Luna Keller and I’m glad that’s now changed thanks to her new collaborative single, Cornerstone.
CHESNEY HAWKES announces March 2026 UK Tour Dates coming to STOCKTON – Arc on Wednesday 11th March.
Chesney Hawkes became one of the biggest pop stars of his era with his irresistible mega-hit ‘The One and Only’, becoming one of the most recognisable songs of a generation. Having spent over a…
Live Review: Perth’s Psych Firestarters ‘The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets’ Set Manchester Ablaze
A relentless, riff-stacked assault from Perth’s psych firestarters. Almost two hours of whiplash twists, transcendence and total mayhem and on the night before the Brit Awards in Manchester. Across the…
Live Review: Michael Monroe & BuckCherry Double-Headliners at Northumbria University
A night drenched in Mascara, Melody and Mayhem as Punk Glam meets Hollywood Sleaze Words & Photos - John Hayhurst There’s always something faintly chaotic about a “co-headliner” tour. Two bands, two legacies, two…
Seafret Mark Ten Years Together With James Morrison Collab and Leeds Date
Seafret are a Yorkshire act who have been quietly making a success of themselves.
Discovery: Glenn Joseph Beats Explores Love Among the Stars on Sparkling New EP Space Heartbreak
Glenn Joseph Beats’ new EP Space Heartbreak takes listeners on a mesmerising, all‑enveloping journey through the stars, allowing them to dive into a drifting, glowing, quietly personal universe.
Premiere: York’s Messy Eater Won’t Let Anything Kill Their Vibe With New Single
Messy Eater is one of the most exciting acts to come out of the York scene for awhile, and we’re not the only ones who think so.
York’s New Poetry Pharmacy Might Be a Cure For Your Ills
Step into York’s latest Pharmacy, and you find rows of pills in small bottles. But the medicine inside these vials is unusual. It’s not paracetamol or codeine, but poetry.
Karen Salicath Jamali Honours Dawn and New Beginnings in Angel Sandalphon
Karen Salicath Jamali is one of the most interesting and unique artists I’ve featured on these pages.
Film Review: Luhrmann’s EPiC Shows the King at His ’70s Peak
A trio of music films have been released in recent weeks: a biopic of Jeff Buckley, a film about Paul McCartney in the ‘70s, and now we have Elvis EPiC (Elvis Presley in Concert), the most enjoyable, if least probing of the three.
Live Review: Herbal Mafia’s 20th Birthday Celebrations Kick-off with Epic Mungo’s Hi-Fi Set
Herbal Mafia celebrated the first installation of their 20th birthday series on Friday night with a line-up bursting at the seams with all things reggae, dub, and plenty of bass, headlined by renowned…
Live Review: A Youthful Punk Line-up Puts Two Fingers Up to Racism at The Basement
On the night of 27 February 2026 down in York’s City Screen basement, a cacophony of vampiric, metal-headed rockers gathered to revel in several goth-infused punk bands.
Live Review: Kula Shaker conjure cosmic fire in Holmfirth’s psychedelic bubble
A kaleidoscopic night in the Yorkshire Moors sees the Britpop survivors reborn with ‘Wormslayer’. New songs stretch wide while old anthems land with ecstatic precision. Words and Photos - John Hayhurst Holmfirth…
Live Review: Don’t Go Into The Forest: Avatar Unleash Carnival Of Apocalyptical Chaos
On February 15th, Manchester Academy transformed into a swirling pit of face paint fury, Maori Haka Firepower, and a coven of Norwegian Witches, as the Avatar “Don’t Go In The Forest” tour rolled into town with…
Preview: Lewis Capaldi Adds Conan Gray and Jacob Alon to Huge Roundhay Festival Show
Roundhay Festival continues to expand its 2026 offering with a major announcement today: Scottish superstar Lewis Capaldi will be joined by two of the most talked‑about rising artists in pop right now – BRIT…
Discovery: Bonander Turns Apathy Into Action on Politically Charged and we stood there
It’s easy to feel powerless in a world where elected and unelected officials are making decisions that are counterproductive to humanity’s overall wellbeing. With her new album, and we stood there, Bonander…
Discovery: ai12die Blends AI Satire and Sharp Hip-Hop on His New Album
We live in a world where we’re expecting AI programmes to behave like humans, but what if they fully embrace their artificiality?
Live Review: with Riffs and fffire, Franz Ferdinand Stir Up Memories in Leeds
I've never thought of myself as one who revels in nostalgia but here I am off to see another band from my youth for the first time.
The Rise and Fall and Rise of The Album
At the end of 2025, I replaced my beaten-up blue Ford Focus with a slightly more recent Ford Focus. The radio still worked but the CD player was entirely dysfunctional.
