The Bracknall: 229, London

London outfit The Bracknall played their last, and biggest, gig of the year at 229 this past Saturday. The sold-out gig capped off a year which saw their second album chart at .., support slots with The Ks and The Enemy, and a debut big top slot at the Isle of Wight Festival.

*banner image credit: This Is Gary

Image credit: This Is Gary

Breakout year? On paper, yes. At the 229, the reality felt more akin to the festive seasons' lean into nostalgia. They had the aura of a huge band playing a smaller venue as a rare treat for their fans. Nothing about this night said a new band was making their way. Every song is rapturously sung back at the band, with the band name being bellowed out between songs

‘Good to the Bone’ was the personification of this. Frontman Jack Dacey’s vocals, boisterous but pure, carried a weight of emotion that spilt over in the crowd. Arms aloft, grown men in tears, hugging, singing, dancing, hell, one couple got engaged during it. This year may have been dominated by rock ‘n’ roll's past, but its present and future were right here. Euphoric escapism oozed from their guitars with the kind of guts and glory that leaves dirt in your fingernails and scars on the soul.

The second album, arguably a masterpiece in waiting, bathed the set in a glow of aching power. ‘Ain’t It Shame’ rose like a ready-made anthem, transforming heartbreak into collective release. ‘Get Better’ tapped into something wilder and more primal, sending the room spinning with energy, and it’s key change, oof! It drops with the ecstatic rush of a rave classic, it washes through the crowd like a lifetime’s worth of joy compressed into a single, breathless moment.

Every verse and chorus hit with the force of a triumphant return, welcomed like prodigal sons stepping back into the light. The crowd hurled their fists into the air, banishing their demons as the room ignited with a unity not witnessed since The Enemy. Brutal, beautiful, and utterly human, this was the resurrection of rock ’n’ roll. Once dormant, now blazing, its pulse thundered through the night with undeniable life.

Image credit: This Is Gary

Pastel: Shiiine On Weekender '25

“I don’t have to sell my soul”

What began as a straight-up live review, a celebration of how a new band has tapped into the soul of Shiiine and its people, changed overnight. Pastel was going to be the story: a young group reigniting the electricity of The Verve, with flashes of Oasis and Ride stitched through their sound.

Banner and article image credit: Paul Hunt Media

That was the plan.

Then, on 20 November, the tragic news broke that Gary “Mani” Mountfield had passed.

Everything stopped. The words felt hollow. As Steve Mason put it so perfectly, “we were left without the nation’s cooler older brother”. I spent the days afterwards humming ‘Waterfall’, sometimes singing it under my breath while holding my newborn and my two-year-old—often with tears running down my face, thinking, the review is pointless.

Then Shiiine On resident DJ Dan Fulham dropped his tribute to Man on Cyndicut. Grief turned to celebration. Music felt joyful and meaningful again.

From sweatbox venues to supporting Liam at Knebworth, Pastel have been blowing the competition away. As they stride onto the main stage at Shiiine, their raw power has the gravitational pull of the Death Star, hauling in a huge crowd.

Onstage they had the nerve to bite the hand that fed them, mocking their own set length, taking the piss out of the festival machine, and doing it all with that feral spark Mani never bothered to hide. Draped in pristine Spezial, they didn’t just take the stage, they seized it. Not with empty swagger, but by dragging us straight into their world. No smoke, no gloss, no industry-approved sheen. Just the volatility of youth and great songwriting.

Mani’s passing brought back memories of the kind of character he was. A lovable rogue, opinionated, defiant, challenging, and welcoming. The kind of presence the modern industry has pushed to the margins. And yet, in Pastel, that same collision of talent, attitude, and warmth is happening again.

Watching Pastel so soon after losing Mani made something clear: the lineage isn’t broken. The spirit of character, of charm, of defiance, of music that hits you square in the chest lives on.

Maybe that’s the point after all.

“I’ve got heroes blood running through my veins”

The Guest List: Market Stage, Truck Festival

Altrincham’s The Guest List played the Market Stage last week at Truck Festival, and we were there to catch their set.

*image credit: The Real McCor

Having toured with Blossoms, the buzz around The Guest List was rife on the day of Truck Festival. Talk of a new Blossoms swelled, which gave us the jitters, truth be told. What Blossoms do is perfect, and they’ve left no vacuum.

What came next was a weekend-stealing set.

On Loose Tongue and ‘Canada’, they proved to the world that guitars will groove once again. Swooning hooks that move from the darkness to the light and then fall away again. ‘Canada’, a more obviously appealing record, proved their time with the Blossoms was well spent. Set opener ‘Loose Tongue’, however, armed with a more muscular sound, saw frontman Cai Alty drag the band from their Blossoms pop instincts to the guttural post-punk howls of Fontaines DC.

This middle ground is where The Guest List was at their best. Killing pop and illuminating the underground from one couplet to the next was beautiful, yes, but more importantly, powerful! It gave their former single ‘Mary’ the space to land all of its power. Alty strayed from Chatten to Ogden in the verses, but soon, the sweet spot he carved out was his own realm to do with as he wished. His vocals twisted with turmoil and rose with righteousness before tumbling again like all great underdogs. It was a masterclass in how to make us plebs fall in love with a band.

Then, on ‘161’, they unfurled an anthem for the lost, for the brave, for 161 men from Chapel Street in Altrincham who fought in WW1. Twenty-nine died in battle, and twenty more passed upon return.  It was blessed with the songwriting classicism of The Lathums and injected with Pete Doherty’s credibility. The lush melodies of their mentors, Blossoms, chimed with the masterful scouse arrangements of The Zutons and The Coral, united to prove that music can still leave a room in awe.

Guitar music hasn’t sounded this pure since Pete and Carl recited Wilfred Owen in the same mic. Long may Manchester reign supreme!

Wunderhorse: Main Stage, Truck Festival

Wunderhorse’s incredible run in 2025 cruised into Truck Festival on a scorching Saturday afternoon. The main stage had just been set alight by the indomitable spirit of CMAT, could Jacob Slater and co fan the flames further?

*banner image credit: This Is Gary

Image credit: This Is Gary

From the explosion of ‘Midas’ to the fraught ‘Teal’ to the emotionally charged ‘July’, Wunderhorse unveiled the blueprint for being in a band. A vivid chronicle of adolescence, tangled romances, and substance-fuelled chaos.

Crucial to their success is their overriding sense of realness. As sweat pours from Slater, you can visibly see his soul being left on stage. These moments of reckless joy, intertwined with alt-rock bands of the 90s and Neil Young, was met head-on by the crowd with despairing empathy and the kind adulating self-sabotage that only a band of the moment can extract.

Amidst the angst and turmoil, lay ‘Purple’ and ‘Teal. The former a delicate powerhouse of a single. Soulful, catchy, and blessed with rock ‘n’ roll’s desperation to be heard, and heard it was! A deafening roar of joy from the Truck crowd stemmed from crowd to stage, proof that to be an outsider is still the greatest place to reside! ‘Teal’, however, was a shimmering moment of US guitars lit up by the brooding working class of the UK. Slater’s vocals embodied hope. The kind that’s born amongst life-long friends, leaving school, drinking to the wee hours, and plotting to change the world.

On this balmy evening, feeling was anything but failing!

Image credit: This Is Gary

Maystones: This Feeling, Truck Festival

Following an eye-catching support slot for The Crooks at the 100 Club, Hertfordshire’s Maystones returned on the This Feeling stage at this year’s Truck Festival.

*banner image credit: Alan Wells

Image Credit: Alan Wells

Opening the This Feeling stage on Saturday, the four-piece picked up where they left off at the 100 Club. Their brooding slant on rock ‘n’ roll drew comparison to Wunderhorse, who would grace the main stage later that evening.

Raw and enigmatic, they blitzed through their set with punk’s archetypal intensity. For some bands, playing this weekend was fun; it was an experience to tell their friends about. For Maystones, this was real life. It was now or never, and their defiant brutality was here to fight.

They lit up the struggle of working-class bands through their angst-ridden desperation to prove themselves. Whilst the songs may not have been fully formed, they all banged, and they all had flourishes of excellence that would keep this captivated crowd coming back for more.

Image Credit: Alan Wells

Rolla: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

Manchester’s Rolla headlined This Feeling’s stage at Truck Festival two weeks ago today, and we were there to catch them.

*banner image credit: This Is Gary  

Image credit: This Is Gary  

Back in March Rolla supported Pastel on their UK tour. at the Dome in London, on a bigger stage, with a better PA, Rolla emerged from wannabes to serious contenders. Maintaining their intensity, they sounded fuller and broader, allowing more into their world of chaos.

This rich vein of form was carried into their headline slot and was a lesson to any young band watching on. The loyal, faithful got their fix, but their broader sound spread a wider net. Luck by lick, you could feel the unsuspecting inching closer, yearning to become one of the faithful.

Former single ‘Hey You’ was the finest exponent of this newfound confidence. While the mayhem of their early sound remains prominent, there’s now space for Luke McConnell and Tom Paddon’s guitars to breathe. The Nick McCabe-esque blasts from ‘Rolling People’ and the deranged glory of ‘Come On’ soared through the tent like the devil singing it’s the nature of my game.

Bassist Luke Gilmore was in fine fettle. His bass lines thundered with devastating effect on ‘We Owe You Nothing’ and throbbed with violent anticipation on ‘Hey You’. He set the tone throughout the set, allowing frontman Gilmore to bound around the stage like a loose cannon.

They professed to owe us nothing; they delivered a hell of a lot!

Image credit: This Is Gary

April Tapes: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

Chesterfield via Sheffield outfit April Tapes were second up on This Feeling’s stage on day 2 of Truck Festival this year. Sweltering heat had migrated in to challenge the hangovers and comedowns of day 1 overindulgence. Could they blow away the cowebs?

*banner image credit; Rhona Murphy

Image Credit: Rhona Murphy

They say timing is everything in music, and, in a testing heat, April Tapes’ blend of meandering introspection was the perfect tonic. Thoughtful prose and melancholic licks, which occasionally strayed into moments of euphoria, coerced a tentative crowd back to life.

Former singles ‘Reyt Fast’ and ‘Those Days’ breezed through the tent, suggesting their name will climb festival bills sooner rather than later. The former stomped its way to hearts and minds like lost indie underdogs Polytechnic and Two Wounded Birds, but with frontman Max Stokes’ indie take on Jonathan Richman, April Tapes are set to outrun the underdog tag. On ‘Those Days’, the coming-of-age sounds of The Goa Express came to life through the brooding guitars and rueful lyrics.

From their latest EP ‘Dead in Water’, ‘Salt Rock’ and ‘Grunge’ burned Brightest. The former was a gentle foray into the world of Seafood and Six By Seven. Whereas ‘Grunge’ saw bassist Bethan Evans take lead vocals and drag their outsider status to the edge of mainstream.

Truck Festival has a great knack for putting over new talent, and in 2025, the offshoots of a new era emerged. Out goes the spoken word post-punk craze, and in comes the likes of Maystones, The North, and April Tapes. Bands which blur the lines of indie and punk with melody and teenage angst always at their core.

The Bracknall: This Feeling, Truck Festival

Essex DIY success story The Bracknall played This Feeling’s stage at Truck Festival recently. Last time out in London, they headlined Lower Third with a stunning set. This slot was just thirty minutes, could they condense their form into a smaller slot?

*banner image credit: This Is Gary

Image credit: This Is Gary

From the moment the haunting pianos drop on ‘No Way Back For Me’, the air changes at Truck Festival. Rock ‘n’ roll had entered the festival and, through its dogged sense of glory, was going to leave a resounding mark upon all who witnessed.

Former single ‘Get Better’ tapped into the key changes that made us all fall in love with Noel for the first time around, and through the gutsy vocals of Jack Dacey, bred an underdog status that demanded everyone’s emotional investment.

Image credit: This Is Gary

Anthemic sing-alongs nailed, they then brought the noise and confusion with ‘Make It Happen’, Visceral guitars and violent vocals united on this righteous line in the sand. Defiant self-belief on a gargantuan scale roared through the This Feeling tent. As they hit fever pitch, Ed Smith announced himself to the festival as a generational guitar talent. His explosive solo stared into the devil’s eyes and made Satan sit down!

‘I Don’t Understand It’ from their debut album closed proceedings with such grandeur you’d be forgiven for thinking it was Knebworth. The bluesy bohemia of early Kings of Leon collided with the windswept glory of Soundtrack Of Our Lives on the weekend’s one true moment of majesty. Layer upon layer of melody, hope, and togetherness fed through the band with an ease that led them to fold in ‘Love Spreads’. There was an ease and confidence to their playing which offered hope to bands to stick with it. The spotlight may take a while to come, but when it does, be ready, know who you are, and unleash it upon all and sundry with unwavering integrity.

The Bracknall’s latest album and this performance prove a working-class hero is still someone to be, that rock n roll will never die and that maybe, we could all see things they’ll never see once again.

Image credit: This Is Gary

The North: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

Leeds outfit The North burst onto the scene in January in our New Band Spotlight and then straight onto John Kennedy’s Xposure show on Radio X. It felt fitting that radio icon Kennedy would introduce them for their debut festival slot at Truck Festival in the This Feeling tent.

*banner image credit: Alan Wells

It may be seven months later, but that fiery momentum at the start of 2025 was burning bright still. Wave upon wave of teenage angst and indie-punk rock was unfurled upon a packed tent.

Image Credit: Alan Wells

In an era of post-punk excess, it felt natural that what would come next would be a melodic rock ‘n’ roll band as the antithesis. However, through gritty licks, snarling vocals, and a furious yet melodic rhythm section, The North realigned post-punk to its biting best.

On ‘She’, they tapped into the more eloquent moments of Bloc Party’s debut. As they chased victory and caressed dreams with their angelic licks, they came of age and took a generation with them.

On ‘Soundtrack Your Soul’ they can march into any festival and light it up with an instant classic. On record, it’s divine. Live, it was an enthralling joyride of teenage hope destined to overspill and save souls!

It may have been their first ever festival, but The North proved they are the real deal!

Image Credit: Alan Wells

Good Health Good Wealth: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

Last year, they breezed into the This Feeling tent at Truck Festival, mid-afternoon and stole the effing show. Effortless, playful and slick af, GHGW laid bare their credentials.

*banner image credit: This Is Gary

Image Credit: This Is Gary

Fast forward a year, and they headline the same tent. There’s a national tour to support, and anticipation for a debut album is sky high.

Pressure? What Pressure!

Frontman Bruce Breakey, resplendent in his white Sergio Tacchini tracky top, had a poise and grace to his delivery that said farewell to the smallest stage of Truck Festival and gave a knowing smile to main stage.

On ‘Snatch’, he put all of the UK’s grand stages on notice. With the smoky groove of Baxter Dury and the attitude of Audio Bullys, he is taking the sound of a cult classic to the precipice of a cultural anthem.

Breakey’s progression is notable, but it’s Simon Kuzmickas where the stark improvement lay. Twelve months ago, Kuzmickas looked good and was a fine aide to Breakey. In 2025, he comes as his equal. Excelling with solos, dipping the tempo with delicate licks when needed, he is now a master of his craft and together they feel force to be reckoned with.

Image Credit: This Is Gary

Sleeper: Chinnerys, Southend

90s icons Sleeper took to Chnnerys in Southend last Friday to play for Indie Cult Club.

Since their return in 2017, Sleeper have been gracing big stages and Festival headline slots. So it was a rare treat for the 600 who crammed into the seaside venue on a balmy summer’s evening.

*image credit: Oscr Visuals

And what a treat it was!

2019’s comeback album, ‘The Modern Age’, as credible a comeback as any from the Britpop contingent, featured thrice in the set. ‘Look At You Now’ cuts through the mid-90s singles with Louise Wener’s elegant performance and Jon Stewart’s warped homage to the Pixies on guitar.  ‘The Sun Also Rises’, crisp and aloof, worked the room like an IT girl, knowing everyone's secrets. Meanwhile, ‘Cellophane’s hooks hit like a hammer while Wener served up a boisterous vocal to unite a rapturous crowd.

Elsewhere, the set is littered with classics that lit up the UK from ’94 to ’97. ‘Statuesque’ shone brightest as the Southend faithful bounced in unison, defying their years. Stewart’s playing was muscular and aggressive, allowing Wener to parade the stage and perform the song instead. ‘Delicious’ sounded as cute and vibrant as ever, and ‘Sale of the Century’ blitzed its way through the sweat-filled room with the freedom of a teenager coming of age.

This summer may be about other 90s bands, but Sleeper proved their tales of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll will live forever with the same potency.

Pulp: The 02 Arena (Friday), London

Just over a week ago, we witnessed Pulp’s return to London as they played a sold-out 02 Arena. With no support, the Sheffield icons played two sets. Could they pull it off, or would it stray into the self-indulgence of Springsteen?

*image credit: Indie Cult Club

Backed by an orchestra and a stunning set display, they launch in their new album with ‘Spike Island’, ‘Grown Ups’, and ‘Slow Jam’ to remind the twenty thousand in attendance that this is not a nostalgia fest.

Despite the disco-enthused prowess of Spike Island and later in the set, the lush orchestrated pop of Tina, it’s hard to escape the power of their past. ‘Sorted For E’s and Whiz’, ‘Acryllic Afternoons’, and ‘F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D’ prove yet again that counter-culture and indie can offer moments of alternative euphoria still.

Cocker, playful throughout the show, revisited the darker times of ‘This Is Hardcore’. Twenty-seven years after its release, The Fear echoed through the arena. Once a raw reflection of personal trauma, now a towering anthem forged from the wreckage of heavy drug use and its fallout.

On, ‘Disco 2000’, the band and crowd marched back into their triumphant 1996. It was an ecstatic release of joy the set never got close to again. Wave upon wave of blissful emotion soared as Pulp reminded everyone that once, the freaks, geeks, and outsiders once ruled the charts.

Indulgent? No. Missing a support act? Yes. However, Pulp was right; we did, and do, want more!

Bless. - Blesstival, Camden

London’s Bless. hosted its inaugural all-dayer at Camden’s Elephants Head this past bank holiday. The event gave some of the UK’s finest new bands - Electric Sheep Inc., Cade Rain, and Ecko - a taste of the capital’s rock ‘n’ roll heartland.

*banner image courtesy of Martin Bailey

That was, until Bless. walked on stage.

More seasoned? Yes. World-weary? Not a chance. Punk’s energy, mod’s charm, and indie’s penchant for anthems oozed from the band at every turn. Bless may have given everyone a leg up today, but they blew them away on stage with a breathtaking performance.

Frontman Joei Silvestre is Britain’s best-kept rock ‘n’ roll secret. His Jarvis-like figure, his northern soul shapes, and an intense charm made even the oldest souls in the crowd want to be him — a skill few frontmen possess in 2025.

Last year’s single, ‘Skeleton Dance’, fired out with glints of The Clash and Dead 60s in its eyes. Playful and charming but always rebellious, they toy with cadence like a cat masterfully playing with its prey.

Frenetic and rampant throughout, the band could have walked off after ten minutes and changed lives. However, when you have a stonewall classic like ‘Daddy Didn’t Make It As A Rockstar’ in the locker, you leave knowing you’ve played the best song in any venue across Camden on any given day.

From the firesome to the angelic, Bless. have proved yet again they’re a force on the UK guitar scene — and they deserve the break that will entice the masses.

Inspiral Carpets: Chinnerys, Southend

Manchester icons Inspiral Carpets played Southend’s iconic seafront venue Chinnerys last week to a sold-out Indie Cult Club crowd. Last time in Southend, the Inspirals were supporting the Happy Mondays at Cliffs Pavillion. They stole the show that night, this time out, they were after souls.

Image Credits: Gas & Shutter. Courtesy of Indie Cult Club

‘Two Worlds Collide’ gave the set a euphoric crowning glory, the kind that people will talk about for years to come. With every passing year, it carries more weight and emotional heft. Lost lives, lovers, and chances of redemption flood the senses as Stephen Holt’s divine soul vocal causes eyes to close and hearts to open. Pin. Drop. Moment!

The poignancy continued to flow from the band on ‘Beast Inside.’ As Holt decreed, “guess a man is no man / If he doesn’t have the beast inside,” the band and crowd united in a powerful moment of self-reflection.

When they stepped on the power, punk’s riotous energy coursed through them. A thunderous rendition of ‘Joe’ bordered on insanity as chaotic drums and Boons iconic organ riff locked horns. ‘I Want You’ was at it’s destructive best, flailing into the ether like a lost soul with nothing to lose. Devastatingly good.

Three decades after their debut, the Inspirals have found a vein of form that hit dangerous levels of intoxication at Chinnerys. Mooooooooooooooooooooo.

Electric Sheep Inc. - Blesstival, Camden

Rhyl’s Electric Sheep Inc. played the inaugural Blesstival at Camden’s iconic Elephant’s Head this past Sunday.

Frontman Christian Pimley dedicated the set to the recent passing of The Alarm’s Mike Peters. His impassioned speech about local icon status led into the groove-laden ‘Moosha Mosh’, where wayward Happy Mondays-style guitars set the stage for Pimley’s star to rise.

Resplendent in a charcoal Fred Perry t-shirt, Pimley strutted and danced with magnetic appeal. Eyes front and centre, his diminutive figure delivered a colossal lyrical assault. The ambition of Ian Brown and the poetry of Shaun Ryder collided to herald the UK’s next cultural icon:

“I’m a poet, I’m a liar, I’m a military coup”

On their latest single, ‘Cough Syrup’, the pace drops slightly, allowing Cameron Kelly and Jack Jones to ring out through this intimate setting as if it were Brixton Academy. Josh Jones’ basslines crunched with raw sex appeal, while Pimley’s angelic “oooo oooos” cut through the bombast with near-divine power.

The lyrical flow, the storytelling, and their full-bodied dive into the rock ’n’ roll aesthetics of Ecko and Bless were a joy to behold. Camden briefly reclaimed its soul. Guitars felt cool again - more than that, they felt vital.

The Bracknall: Lower Third,London

Essex outfit The Bracknall headlined London’s Lower Third for Teenage Cancer Trust last week. It follows the release of their stunning second album ‘Falling Out of View’.

*all images courtesy of Gary Walker

There’s an aura growing around The Bracknall post-release. After ten years of hard graft, everything appears to have fallen into place. The tour supports with The Enemy, plus the Isle of Wight, and By The Sea festival slots have come to a band the guitar scene is desperate to see triumph.

Said desperation was in full voice at the Lower Third. Unsigned bands never used to walk on stage, and have their name bellowed back. As the band rightly said on stage, “What are radio stations fucking playing at” in not playing them and the support bands Rolla and The Slates. The popularity and talent are there, and so, sadly, are a bunch of 90s has-beens with no vision beyond the drudgery of Dave Grohl and reunion tours in charge.

As on the new album, ‘Get Better’ flows into ‘Everything I’ve Ever Known’. The former sends the ultras into a frenzy as frontman Jack Dacey’s vocals hit a fever point that he never ceased from. Then, on ‘Everything I’ve Ever Known’, Kasabian’s early volatility and Noel’s key change magnificence ooze from the soul of the band into the hearts and minds of a sold-out crowd. Every time Dacey melts into ‘I don’t need your permission / I said I’d never listen’, tears filled eyes, and hearts burst forth as the realisation that bands still fucking matter becomes tangible in the room. The guts, the glory, and the utter desperation of it all was a striking moment for anyone lost and downtrodden. Never. Give. Up!

‘Getting Up Again’ and ‘Falling Out Of View’, conjured a great sense of drama. The former soaring and tumbling with heightened anguish, rock ‘n’ roll’s disgrace, and a defiant bravado that legions would line up behind to defend. On ‘Falling Out Of View’, they made the ethereal sound like working-class sublimity. Its potency sucked the audience into their heads, putting their financial worries, relationship woes, and hopes for their kids in full view of their eyelids. Then, the singalong choruses, and the sumptuous licks offered the escapism to blow them away.

Such was the emotive power of the new album in the set; you’d be forgiven for thinking that nothing from their debut cut. ‘Good to the Bone’ and ‘Going Nowhere Fast’ were greeted like old friends, and ‘I Don’t Understand It’ was merged into a devastating performance of ‘Baba O Reilly’.

Nothing encapsulated the evening quite like , ‘I Don’t Understand It’:

“It ain’t the life I'm living / but it’s the one I'm chasing after”.

The industry might have pulled the ladders up for rock ‘n’ roll types in the past fifteen years, but there are other routes to success now. Frank Turner, Shed Seven, and Gerry Cinnamon, among others, have forged paths through the barriers to play massive gigs. May The Bracknall be the next!

All The Young: Chinnerys, Southend

Stoke’s All The Young made their second appearance at Southend’s Indie Cult Club this past week, supporting My Life Story at Chinnerys.

Their unexpected return in 2022 threw up questions from fans. Where had they been? Why are they not massive? When they released the long-awaited second album ‘Tales of Grandeur’, it was as though they’d never been away. Back came the euphoric anthems. Back came hope!

With the heavyweight power of ‘The Horizon’ making Chinnerys feel like Wembley Stadium, that hope was not misplaced. The stomping glory of ‘Another Miracle’ put Ryan Dooley back a pedestal with the greats as his vocal yelps with emotion and digs in with rock ‘n’ roll’s defiance.

New single ‘Demons’ cut through their archetypal hedonism with DMA’s pop sensibilities and the kind of masculine self-reflection the world has been craving in the wake of Jack Throne and Stephen Graham’s masterpiece ‘Adolescence’. Few can say they wrote a good single thirteen years into their careers, ATY can boast a great one and Southend knew it.

On ‘The First Time’, if anyone was in doubt, ATY reminded Southend they have the perfect live anthem in their repertoire. Guttural emotion and explosive guitars washed over the room to set souls free.

All The Young complete their tour tonight at the iconic Sugarmill in Stoke. Roll on the next one!

Rolla – The Dome, London

Manchester’s Rolla celebrated the release of their new EP ‘We Owe You Nothing’ supporting their home city peers Pastel at The Dome in London.

*Banner image credit: Gary Walker

Image credit: Gary Walker

Rolla’s appeal is an immediate one. Visceral explosions of sound have come easy to them. In 2023, they released their debut EP ‘Nothing Less Than Everything’, and they broadened their sonic universe to include the work The Verve, Stone Roses and BRMC. On record, it gave them a counterpoint to their archetypal snarling sound.

At The Dome, both sides of their arsenal came of age. The likes of ‘We Owe You Nothing’ and ‘What Kid’ retained their intensity, but their dabbling in more sonic exploration has allowed them to provide space for everything land. What was once a good right hook has become a flurry of heavyweight punches. Violent basslines, crushing drums, and psychedelic licks came the London crowd in a joyously brutal wave of destruction.  

On the EP, ‘A Beautiful Lie’ is a welcomed break from the chaotic storm they create elsewhere. On stage, it becomes another animal—an intricate and delicate psychedelic exploration mixed with angelic lullaby moments that hold crowds in awe.

Every time Rolla goes away, they come back with better songs. This time was no different, except live, where the progress is so vast it’s almost unimaginable. Pastel has opened the door for bands that thrive on all-or-nothing tropes; Rolla is the next through the door, and the world is infinitely better for it.

Pastel: The Dome, London

Manchester’s Pastel finished their UK tour at London’s Dome in Tuffnel Park last Saturday. It’s their first tour since their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Souls In Motion’ was released.

*Banner image credit: Gary Walker

Last time headlining in London at the Garage, the band crossed over. A magical performance blessed with a spellbinding psyche that enticed a crowd into a unifying moment of escapism.

Image credit: Gary Walker

With the album not charting as well as they might have hoped, could they cope with the pressure? Could the band do it again?

Form is temporary. Class is permanent.

In the past, their gigs have been a display of talent—of a band with the songs and attitude to define a generation. Pastel is now toying with its crowd like master performers. The adrenaline rush of ‘Gone Too Fast’ is dipped into the Verve-eseque soul of ‘Leave A Light On’.

From then on, everything was beguiling, seemingly slight of hand as the Mancunians ascended to their throne as the band of the moment. The atmosphere hit a fever pitch amidst lysergic fog emanating from James Yates and Joe Anderson’s guitars. The guttural anthemia of ‘Heroes Blood’ and the rolling majesty ‘Deeper Than Holy’ spiral into the sweet release of ‘Isaiah’. It lands the band in a realm of glory, of a world where bands don’t have to serve up wet-fisted indie and half-baked Arctic Monkeys lyrics. In Pastel Land, bands are great, and they strive for more!

‘Souls In Motion’ may not have graced the heights of the album charts it deserved, but the people know. They have spoken. Loudly, in numbers, and with arms aloft, they ushered in their new heroes.

Image credit: Gary Walker

Dogs – Olby’s Soul Café and Pioneer Club

“When something’s good  / It’s never gone.”

Fourteen years have passed since we last saw Dogs on stage at Dingwalls. Earlier this year, a shock post from their social media account announced they would support The Rifles at Olby’s Soul Café in Margate and the Pioneer Club in St. Albans. We were at both to witness their comeback.

It may have been The Rifles’ name up in lights in Margate, but night one belonged to the prodigal sons Johnny Cooke and Kevin Iverson. War stories from 100 Club gigs were swapped with the glee usually reserved for kids going to bed on Christmas Eve.

Chants of “We are the dogs” went up every few minutes. The atmosphere built with the electricity that diehard fans thought would never return. If this was supposed to be a bit of fun for Cooke and Iversen, it was anything but for the crowd.

Images courtesy of Sean Kelly.

The fourteen years of hurt never stopped us dreaming.

Cooke, visibly nervous, introduced himself with a whisper. The fallen icon riddled with self-doubt was eased back into things by Iversen’s divine version of ‘Turn Against This Land’. Step forward Dogs’ loyal fanbase. ‘Tarred and Feathered’ followed to unleash an outpouring of love, grief, regret, pain, angst, joy, and ecstasy.

I know that was then, but it could be again!

Cooke may have entered nervous, but he left victorious. He found his snarl on ‘This Stone Is a Bullet’ and ‘London Bridge’. His poetic cadence oozed its rhythmic flow on ‘By The River’, and on the classic ‘Tuned To A Different Station’, he found the voice that, for some, was one of its generation!

In the ode to Orwell’s ‘1984’ ‘Winston Smith’, the crowd is sent into a spin of emotion. The melodic uplift at “Because I know there's something / I just can't get to it” soared, releasing the torment of what might have been, what should have been for this eloquently powerful beast. A mini stage invasion ensued on ‘Dirty Little Shop’, sending memories of the 1234 Festival’s glorious chaos to the fore.

On night two in St. Albans, Cooke and Iverson were a different animal. The nerves banished, Cooke stepped into his role of performer, and their harmonies were enriching. It was less emotional, a more typical support slot of winning people over, and win they did.

It’s too soon to say if we have our band back, but we’re out of this jail and will be dreaming for now!