Features

Jacob Alon talks identity, memory, and debut album ‘In Limerence’

Jacob Alon: Legend Has It

With their unforgettable croon, Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon conjures up dark fairytales and intimate fables — but ‘In Limerence’ is a debut album that’s as much rooted in fact as it is fiction.

23rd June 2025

Cork band Cliffords talk Irish identity, breaking through, and new EP ‘Salt of the Lee’

Cliffords: “We don’t want to be a great Irish band, we want to just be a great band”

One of 2025’s most thrilling new prospects, Cork quartet Cliffords aren’t interested in flash-in-the-pan industry fads — they’re in it for the long haul.

23rd June 2025

On The Record: Olivia Rodrigo should headline Glastonbury 2024

On The Record: “Not only has Olivia Rodrigo got the ‘GUTS’ to headline Glasto, you bet she’d have the glory too”

Ahead of next week’s Worthy Farm extravaganza, we revisit our predictive pitch — originally published back in 2023 — for why Olivia Rodrigo topping Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage would be a headline set for the history books.

20th June 2025

Finn Wolfhard on life beyond Stranger Things, coming of age, and his debut solo album ‘Happy Birthday’

Finn Wolfhard: New Horizons

As he rapidly approaches the end of a trajectory-changing chapter in his life, Finn Wolfhard is blowing out the candles on the next with his debut solo album, ‘Happy Birthday’.

19th June 2025

McKinley Dixon on his genre-bending, mystical fifth album ‘Magic, Alive!’

McKinley Dixon: For His Next Trick…

A master of genre-bending, boundary-pushing reinvention, on fifth studio album ‘Magic, Alive!’ McKinley Dixon is casting story-led spells of a different kind.

19th June 2025

Queens Of The Stone Age on the creation of their one-of-a-kind concert film, Alive In The Catacombs

Queens Of The Stone Age: Songs For The Dead

Fulfilling a vision that’s been brewing for two decades, QOTSA bassist Michael Shuman and director Thomas Rames discuss stripping things down alongside the Parisian dead for their eerie, one-of-a-kind concert film, Alive In The Catacombs.

18th June 2025

Westside Cowboy talk winning Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition, their No Band Is An Island initiative, and debut EP ‘This Better Be Something Great’

Westside Cowboy: “It’s really important to feel that healthy sense of pushing each other up”

Rapidly climbing the rungs and notching up the wins, Westside Cowboy are the buzzy Britainicana newcomers determined to let down the ladder behind them.

18th June 2025

Dublin band Sprints reflect on ‘Letter To Self’, gear up for a packed festival season, and look forward to their incoming second album

Sprints: Bring It On

After celebrating debut album ‘Letter To Self’ with 103 shows last year, Dublin quartet Sprints are set to be one of the highlights of 2025’s festival season. With a packed live schedule on the horizon, it’ll double as the perfect opportunity to road test some new material…

17th June 2025

DIY Label Spotlight #7: Big Scary Monsters

A monthly focus on those crucial cogs in the wonderful new music wheel.

16th June 2025

For One Night Only!: AURORA curates her dream gig

The ethereal alt-pop star gives us an insight into her ideal night out.

16th June 2025

HAIM talk cutting loose, letting go, and rejecting fear for fourth album ‘I quit’

HAIM: Calling It Quits

Now over a decade into their career, HAIM have long since hit their stride — and, having already spent years navigating the industry’s infamous fickleness, on fourth record ‘I quit’ they literally “don’t give a fuck”. With a period of break-ups, overthinking, and crippling self-doubt now behind them, the LA sisters are letting their hair down, ready to abandon fear and embrace a summer of vulnerability, freedom, and fun.

13th June 2025

All the best Madrid restaurants, bars and sights to visit around 2025’s Mad Cool Festival

The best restaurants, bars and sights in Madrid to visit around 2025’s Mad Cool Festival

Headed to this year’s edition of the iconic Spanish festival? Here are just a few of the must-visit spots you should mark on your map.

11th June 2025

London Grammar talk ‘The Greatest Love’, headlining London’s LIDO Festival 2025, and looking ahead

London Grammar: “We want to evolve, but we’re not chasing commercial goals”

The Nottingham-formed trio talk ‘The Greatest Love’, headlining London’s LIDO Festival, and looking ahead.

10th June 2025

Barry Can’t Swim on his meteoric rise, headlining All Points East Festival, and incoming second album ‘Loner’

Barry Can’t Swim: Dancing In The Dark

After rapidly rising through the ranks thanks to his 2023 debut ‘When Will We Land?’, Scottish producer and DJ Barry Can’t Swim is on the verge of his biggest summer yet, but the build up’s not been entirely plain-sailing. On new album ‘Loner’, Josh Mainnie tries to make sense of the rollercoaster he’s been on over the past two years, while reminding himself of who he is as an artist along the way.

5th June 2025

ratbag on her cartoon band, multi-media creative world, and new EP ‘kissing under an (almost) full moon’

ratbag: “I really don’t want to be restricted by anything, in any capacity”

Meet the 21-year-old Auckland multihyphenate who is taking world-building to a whole new level.

3rd June 2025

House Of Protection talk leaving FEVER 333 and expanding their horizons for new EP ‘Outrun You All’

House Of Protection: “We’re in this for the long haul - we’re going to outrun everyone”

Two EPs into their new joint venture, longtime friends and hardcore veterans Stephen Harrison and Aric Improta are establishing themselves as one of the most versatile, forward-thinking acts in heavy music.

2nd June 2025

Rico Nasty talks overcoming industry obstacles and trusting herself for third album ‘Lethal’

Rico Nasty: Killer Instinct

After beginning to feel pigeonholed by internal doubt and industry pressure, Rico Nasty realised she needed to go back to basics and trust her gut: on third album ‘LETHAL’, she’s unearthed the most potent version of herself yet.

29th May 2025

The Last Dinner Party’s L. Mayland on going solo for debut EP ‘The Slow Fire Of Sleep’

L. Mayland: To Sleep, Perchance To Dream

The Last Dinner Party’s Lizzie Mayland on their band’s brush with burnout, searching for home, and striking out alone with solo EP ‘The Slow Fire Of Sleep’.

28th May 2025

Toronto punks PUP on finding humour in hardship and fifth album ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?’

PUP: Dog Days Are Over

After over a decade in the game, Toronto punks PUP still know how to make light of the darker moments of life; five albums in, they remain focused on embracing the moment.

27th May 2025

DEADLETTER’s Zac Lawrence on ‘Hysterical Strength’, festival season, and their upcoming second album

DEADLETTER: “The music seems to have really resonated with people out on the road”

Having cultivated a fierce reputation via their frenzied live shows and last year’s debut ‘Hysterical Strength’, this summer’s set to be another scorcher for Yorkshire troop DEADLETTER. Ahead of a packed festival season, we catch up with frontman Zac Lawrence to dive into what lies ahead.

27th May 2025