The evening started with a picnic, yep, my photographer, a good friend and me were sat outside the Great Hall in Exeter chowing down on a selection of savoury nibbles as the queue grew for tonight’s performance which featured the one and only Frank Turner performing new songs form his forthcoming album Be More Kind as well as a slew of older treasures for his army of die hard fans who had travelled as far as the deepest, darkest depths of Cornwall to catch their idol in action.

There really are some MONSTERS OF ROCK performing at this year's DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, we're so excited about the whole thing which takes place from 8th - 10th June at Donington Park, we wanted to share with YOU some of the best videos that we could find of the bands who will be gracing the ZIPPO STAGE this year.

There is never a chance that your soul will fail if you always strive to fill your life with positive and all-encompassing emotion. No, that doesn't mean hugging every person, dog or tree you happen upon –although that is admirable; it means embracing the new, the myriad sounds around you, the feelings, the textures of life.

There really are some MONSTERS OF ROCK performing at this year's DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, we're so excited about the whole thing which takes place from 8th - 10th June at Donington Park, we wanted to share with YOU some of the best videos that we could find of the bands who will be gracing the MAIN STAGE this year.

Mallory Knox have been heralded as one of the most exciting upcoming UK rock bands. Their second album ‘Asymmetry’ and latest album release ‘Wired’ granted them the coveted Top 20 in the UK Official Album Charts, alongside all their singles to date having been play listed on BBC Radio 1, including 4 consecutive A-list singles. 

We caught up with James and Joe at The Cavern in Exeter ahead of their gig, here's how we got on....

After recently attending and enjoying the output of a number of incredible acts hosted by Paradise London Live at the Hard Rock Cafe in the heart of London, I was looking forward to tonight’s event where Talentbanq, a London based company who represent a carefully curated selection of the UK’s best independent artists to deliver outstanding live performances were showcasing three of their acts.

From time to time, the stars align and things just seem to “come together”, this was definitely the case for Torville Jones who goes by the more recognised name Tokio Myers when he won Simon Cowell’s televised talent show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. It was also a case of the stars aligning for the general public too, think back, did you feel the same way when Paul Potts won? Or that performing dog? No, you didn’t!

It’s not very often we get invited out on a school night and when we do, I am really selective as to whether I can attend as it’s usually a struggle getting across London during rush hour to get to the venue in time. I recently received an email invite to attend an evening in the downstairs room at the Hard Rock Café in the heart of London, I’ve been there before but never for an evening event, I checked the calendar, it was free, I was there!

Read on for our full summary of thee evening.

Joseph Arthur and Peter Buck, (of R.E.M. fame) will release their debut album, Arthur Buck, on June 15th, 2018 via New West Records. The 11-song set was produced by Joseph Arthur and mixed by Tchad Blake (U2, Arctic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, The Black Keys) with all of its songs co-written by the duo.

New York indie-rock group, We Are Scientists, with ‘Megaplex’ - their sixth studio album smoothly skates the line between real life political satire and an alternate dystopian reality.

Roxanne de Bastion was in London performing upstairs at The Lexington in Angel, she was there to promote her new book 'Tales from the Rails' which is a collection of stories she wrote whilst travelling around Europe. Read on to find out how the evening unfolded. 

“the Scots-Sudanese singer's best song to date, and it bodes more than well for the forthcoming record” – The Line of Best Fit

“Nakedly confessional” – FADER

“Impeccable vocals…emotionally packed…powerful and energetic…raw and candid” 
– Wonderland

“Her candidness, susceptibility, and alluring delivery combine for a cathartic excursion”
- Stereogum

"A band with big ambitions and an even bigger sound” - CLASH
 
“Ever wondered what a mix between Arctic Monkeys and Placebo sounds like?” – KERRANG!
 
“Dead! Have taken themselves to the next level from being just another up-and-coming rock group” - UPSET
 
“Genuinely powerful” – ROCK SOUND

It follows the recent unveiling of A Boat to an Island on the Wall, the first new music that Ben and his band have shared since the release of his number 1 charting second album, I Forget Where We Were, in October 2014. It welcomes in a new full length record, Noonday Dream.

If Jamming Station is successful, the funding will ensure the launch of an important new outreach project, Sound Life, which will mean that the gigs, sessions and workshops will become accessible to young people who are not currently able to afford the service, and will also mean that new ways can be explored of reaching those kids who might not have the confidence to even attend a session.

Your VOTE is needed to help them secure this essential funding, please read on to find out how YOU can help to make a difference.

Two-time Billboard award winners WALK THE MOON announce the release of their highly anticipated album ‘What If Nothing’ after a string of successful UK tour dates.

Back In January, we reviewed Black Coffee, the epic collaboration between Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa, in which Beth Hart performs a vocal masterclass. Well, Beth is back showing another face of her vocal vocabulary, this time in a faultless recording of her live performance on March 7th, 2017 at an intimate concert at NYC’s Iridium Jazz Club which featured songs from her latest album Fire on the Floor and from throughout her career. It’s been 13 years since the release of her last incredibly successful live album, Live at Paradiso, read on to see what we thought....

The mighty Jazz Jamaica have rightly earned their reputation as “one of the UK’s leading good-time bands” (The Independent) from their many exuberant live performances and dynamic album releases over the past two decades. 

We caught the band live at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, read our live review below....