#556: Introducing...Danxia

Glacial, otherworldly, woozily narcotic. All words which fittingly describe Warrington's Danxia. Though fresh-faced in the scheme of things, the band have already managed to carve out a niche for themselves, setting them apart from their contemporaries and allowing their compositional maturity to flourish.

This feature was originally written for Little Indie. Click here to read in full.

#555: Hookworms - Self-titled (Reissue)

Arguably one of the Leeds bands who held open the floodgates for the next generation to pour through, Hookworms not only laid the foundations for the city’s currently burgeoning scene, but refused to rest on their laurels once building was complete.

This review was originally written for Line of Best Fit. Click here to read in full.

#554: Big Ups - Before A Million Universes

Taking its name from a famous Walt Whitman quote, Before a Million Universes is a record built around a deft dichotomy of Fugazi-esque intricacy and unrelenting hardcore aggression. A follow-up to 2014’s 18 Hours of Static, it not only picks up where that album left off, but expands on its already far-from-rudimentary foundations.

This review was originally written for Line of Best Fit. Click here to read in full.

#553: Cosmosis Festival 2016, Manchester

There’s an unmistakable and, dare I even say, delicious sense of irony that surrounds this year’s Cosmosis Festival. Where last year’s event relished in the counter-cultural confines of Antwerp Mansion, this year the festival has moved the four miles across the city to the corporate and somewhat vacuous surroundings of Victoria Warehouse, an event space and hotel in Salford Quays. Such an upscaling of venue comes with a downside however. While this year has surely attracted bigger artists, and as a result a bigger crowd, the festival seems to have not just lost any of its DIY charm and any counter-culture credentials, but obliterated them entirely.

This review was originally written for Artrocker. Click here to read in full.

#552: Miike Snow - III

It’s been nearly four years since transatlantic trio Miike Snow last put out an album, leading some to assume the project was on the back-burner whilst members focused on solo material and production duties elsewhere. As such, a busy schedule meant ‘III’ was recorded sporadically over a two year period in various, often separate, cities.

This review was originally written for DIY. Click here to read in full.

#551: Holy Esque - At Hopes Ravines (DIY)

It’s often said that music is the product of its surroundings. As far as Glasgow’s Holy Esque are concerned, nothing’s truer. Reflecting both the stark brutalism of the city’s architecture and the imposing countryside of Lanarkshire itself, the band’s debut is a deft dichotomy of uncompromising walls of noise and sweeping sonic vistas.

This review was originally written for DIY. Click here to read in full.

#550: Introducing...Eliza Shaddad

With an artistic streak running deep through her family’s heritage, it’s unsurprising that Eliza Shaddad’s take on pop music is a far cry from the mainstream. A modern descendant of a rich line of poets and painters, including James Paterson, one of the subversive Glasgow Boys, Shaddad’s music is absolutely the product of her lineage.

This feature was originally for Louder Than War. Click here to read in full.