Covid-19 was the catalyst. A life-changing event that forced Matthews to reassess, he decided to scale a musical Everest, setting himself new challenges, digging deeper than before to find new ways to communicate through song. Unable to tour or collaborate with musicians, he had only his own head space in which to operate. And so, he created ‘New Skin’, a daring and audacious record swathed in Eno-esque electronica and Thom Yorke-centric uncovering that channels the driving energy of ‘80s Springsteen. Rock and ambient. Acoustic and electro. Matthews fuses insistent guitars and pulsing beats with the sort of angular, early ‘80s synths that Vince Clarke pioneered. It is bold and fearless, experimental, and compelling. ‘New Skin’ inhabits a rare terrain.

Released 28 May 2021

(30 years to the day of the original)

The band will be playing ‘Seamonsters’ live in full on 29 May on Dice TV

Consequence Of Sound “... One of the most uniquely crafted breakup albums ever written”

Punk and new wave legend Billy Idol will be returning to the city of Las Vegas with a series of performances this coming October. It’s all going down at The Cosmopolitan, a luxury hotel, casino, and resort on the famed Vegas Strip.

COURTING are a Liverpool four piece who write and rehearse in the basement of a city restaurant and draw inspiration from the creative melting pot of Merseyside. The group are influenced by a range of artists such as Parquet Courts and LCD Soundsystem, all while maintaining a very British identity.

“An amazing talent” Tom Robinson BBC Radio 6
"Engaging melodies and smart lyrics" Americana UK
“Absolutely Lovely” Frank Turner

For fans of the band, they know what to expect, scintillating vocal harmonies, lush melodies and beautiful, well crafted songs, created by three of the most talented women in the UK. Whispering Bob Harris is a big fan, as are we having seen them for the first time YEARS ago on a small stage at a Devon based festival.

KID APOLLO is a solo artist, a songwriter and a self confessed tortured bedroom producer. His new single ‘Shameless’ was released recently and to help celebrate, we thought it would be fun to spend a day with him in his workspace. It’s fair to say that every musician has their own way of doing things - take a look at how the Derry-based artist approaches his music.

RIVA TAYLOR is a British singer songwriter who recently released her latest offering ‘Magic’. She enlisted the support of producer Jakwob, who has worked previously with Celeste, Little Simz and Charlie XCX. After hearing the track for the first time, I wanted to learn more about this amazing artist so thought it would be good to feature her in our ‘Introducing’ section.

Read on to learn more about Riva’s influences, her ‘Come Dine With me’ menu choice and her views on what can only be described as a very male orientated festival lineup for 2021/2022…..

The Libertines are pleased as punch to announce a fifteen-date Christmas jaunt across the UK in November and December, including two shows at London’s O2 Forum the scene of the bands legendary shows in December 2003.

After being rescheduled a couple of times, everyone (including me) are keeping everything crossed that we might be able to attend ATTITUDE FESTIVAL in September. The lineup looks IMMENSE and I thought it would be good to chat to as many bands as possible ahead of the festival so people could learn a bit more about them, check out their music and hopefully, be in the room when they take to the stage to do their thang.

One of the first bands I contacted was THE OOZES, I knew nothing about them prior to sending the questions and I will definitely be checking them out in more detail ahead of the festival. Here’s how we got on….

I had the pleasure of watching a fabulous live stream last night featuring the talents of Frank Turner and Emily Barker, the event was called ‘Barker-Turner Overdrive’ and featured some super talented musicians who accompanied Frank and Emily as they performed some timeless duets.

Opening with a breezy synths, the pop beat kicks in with a summery vocal that is guaranteed to lift your spirits. ‘Lavender’ harks back to the electronic output of the 80’s with present day production values that make it shine like a star!

Conrad Ashton, a singer-songwriter based in the North-East, UK has just released his latest single ‘Those Were the Days’. We delve into a couple other tracks to give you a real flavour of this emerging artist.

Record Store Day is the annual event which celebrates the unique culture of independent record shops and the art of vinyl. The event shines a light on the hard-working music lovers behind the counter who play a key role in championing local music and talent.

Cast your mind back a few years and you may remember a live music event that took place in a rustic barn just off the A30 in Cheriton Bishop, if you were a BIG fan of the event, you may remember its humble beginnings in a barber shop in Exeter’s city centre. After a brief hiatus (okay, it’s probably been 3 years), Sarah Lacey, the brains behind the event has decided to stoke the fire once again and has managed to form a close working relationship with an organic farm in the village of Ide, just on the outskirts of Exeter where, on a monthly basis, live music events will be hosted for your listening and viewing pleasure.

I caught up with Sarah recently to chat about the reasoning behind the third coming of the event and what we can expect going forwards….

NewDad are an alternative indie rock band from the West Coast of Ireland. After forming in secondary school for a music project, they spent years playing in bassist Áindles front room trying to hone their sound before it was ready for release. They soon picked up recognition from BBC6 Music, where they are now regulars, and Spotify playlists, gaining them lots of traction since their first self release ‘How’. On 26th March 2021, NewDad released their debut EP ‘Waves’.

“Fantastic song writing and a resonant, rich voice, Josh exhibits real skill as a musician and singer" - Huffington Post ‘Ten Artists to Watch’

"The vocals of Savage sounds both familiar and undoubtedly unique" - Ear to the Ground

"Absolutely stunning" - BBC Introducing

Listen to new track ‘Slow it Down’ NOW

“Drug Store Romeos, a.k.a. British teens Charlie, Jonny, and Sarah, craft intricate and intoxicating indie rock soundscapes that belie their tender years.” The FADER

Featuring 36,000 bees, over a million Facebook views and one isolated doughnut…

Released 2 April 2021 Through Flip Flop Records