I live in the South Hams and have heard wonderful things about a local band called Abrasive Trees, many people told me to get along to one of their shows but they always seemed to clash with other events that I had on the calendar. I finally got a tip off that they were playing in Dartington and after checking the calendar, I was free!

After seeing the show, I was mesmerised, I wanted to find out more about the band and after a conversation with the singer/guitarist, Matthew Rochford, he agreed to take part in a Q&A session. Read on to learn more about how the band formed, its members, musical influences, the local music scene and details of forthcoming live shows.

I’d heard the name SAFF JUNO mentioned a few times around the South Hams a few weeks ago, she performed at the New Lion Brewery and also at the Open Mic evening hosted by The Blackbird Collective at The Barrel House in Totnes. Sadly, I was tied up on both of the nights where she was performing so wasn’t able to see her, to make up for this, I thought it would be a good idea to do a Q&A feature with her, I approached her, she agreed, I sent some questions across and off we went.

Read on to find out about the early days of her songwriting career, her musical upbringing by her psych rock parents, songs that she covered in the early days, home producing, gigs, nerves, videos, editing and even what’s on her Christmas list this year….

A previously unseen music video for The Police’s 1980 UK Number One hit ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’ has been unearthed from the band’s archives after 41 years. The video has now been released for Christmas 2021.

PRAISE FOR ‘WAKE ME UP’:

“‘Wake Me Up’ is the most immediate & bright pop song Foals have put to tape in years.” – Rolling Stone

“It’s the fully realised disco infiltrator they’ve always threatened to write.” - NME

“Punchy and urgent, 'Wake Me Up' is the kind of escapism most of us were dreaming of during the depths of the pandemic.” – Clash

“Calls to mind Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and Notorious-era Duran Duran.” – Sunday Times Culture

“Foals are back and ready to experiment with different sounds and the result is a feel-good morsel of pure musical escapism.” – Gigwise

NEW STUDIO ALBUM

FIX YOURSELF, NOT THE WORLD - OUT 14TH JANUARY 2022 PRE-ORDER HERE

INTIMATE ALBUM LAUNCH SHOWS SET FOR JANUARY 2022 TICKETS & ALBUM BUNDLES AVAILABLE HERE

UK HEADLINE ARENA TOUR CONFIRMED FOR APRIL 2022 WITH LANDMARK SHOW AT LONDON’s THE O2, 15TH APRIL GET TICKETS HERE

Brad Barr is the lead singer and songwriter of The Barr Brothers, a folk-Americana band that’s been around for over a decade. They have toured with The War on Drugs, Calexico, Shakey Graves and Patrick Watson. Their TV performances include The Late Show with David Letterman and CBS This Morning Saturday. They’ve received constant support from press and radio including the entire BBC network, key stations such as KCRW, KEXP, WFUV, WXPN, World Café, Sirius XM, NPR as well as Paste Magazine, Time Magazine, Washington Post, Rolling Stone Germany, Q Magazine, Exclaim!, MOJO, Uncut, Brooklyn Vegan and more.

“a band far too modest to save guitar music themselves, but they’re doing a damn fine job at breathing new life in to its blackened lungs.” - THE LINE OF BEST FIT

“one of the most exciting up and coming bands out there” - DORK

“Contemporary and indelibly charming, SPINN are quite simply one of the most exciting young bands in England.” - FAR OUT MAGAZINE

Liverpool-based indie-outfit SPINN today share ‘People Should Know Better’ – taken from their forthcoming second album ‘Outside Of The Blue’ (out 4th Feb via Modern Sky UK).

Speaking about the upcoming Friday night fixture, Madness say:

"We hear there is real magic in the waters of the River Severn and we can’t wait for it to work on us and all the Madheads that come and see us at The Quarry next summer…Bring it on.”

Written and recorded at his home studio deep in the Highlands of Scotland and loosely inspired by the peerless score of the 2010 film Drive, “Somebody New” is a spacious and contemplative listen that thrives on isolation.

“The Teesside songwriter is crafting her sound, one impressive release at a time… her goal isn’t so much to sound like her influences, but rather to create like them” - NARC. Magazine

“Nicholson has consistently showcased herself as a songwriter of increasing quality, and a powerful performer... one to watch." - Record of the Day

“Nicholson is shaking off the shackles of genre expectations and coming into her own” - American Songwriter

“My new obsession... harmonies to die for!” - Sian Eleri (BBC Radio 1)

Cinematic metallers Opensight return with new single “Plot Twist”, a song inspired by 1970s crime films and hardboiled action movie trailers. “Plot Twist”, like other Opensight singles, would be that infamous and controversial lost movie from the past that you are eager to see. A buried and forgotten gem, soaked in controversy, too intense for its time but resurrected now for the delight of curious and adventurous viewers.

I couldn’t believe that it has been 22 years since I last saw SNUFF in Exeter, I remember the show as if it happened just a few years back, how time flies….

It is 2021 and as I stand chatting to guitarist Loz Wong from SNUFF about the NHS and the pandemic, I can’t help but feel a pang of excitement as I know that there’s only an hour to go until they take to the stage to belt out some oldies and newies to a packed house, roll on stage time…..

Duncan Evans is no newbie to the task of writing and performing. A former member of the black metal/avant-garde band ‘A Forest of Stars”, he yearned to explore the world beyond his berth and hone his own writing and vocal skills. With inspirations like Richard Thompson, the dark storyteller and Nick Cave, the equally dark progressive storyteller that can be compared to absolutely no one, it is no surprise that “Until Liars Fear You” boasts some of the unequaled qualities of post-punk and dark funk music.

Record Store Day, the party that's become the Largest Single Day Music Event In The World, will take place on the 23rd April, 2022

Daisy Clark wraps up 2021 with a new self-penned track, themed around welcoming in new beginnings with open arms

• Follows a whirlwind year for Daisy, which included a performance for world leaders at the G7 Summit, in her home county of Cornwall

• 2021 also saw Daisy celebrate the release of two new singles ‘Hope It Hurts You’, and ‘Front Row’ which was released in support of #WeMakeEvents

• ‘New Year’s Eve’ written by Daisy, and produced by Glen Nicholls, famed for his work with The Prodigy, Sia and Moloko

Embracing both the fear and freedom of a newly-launched solo career, Landon Lloyd Miller releases his debut single, the soulful strut "Light Is Growing" — a song with funky undertones reflecting his Louisiana roots and a personal reminder that there is rejuvenating light after moments of darkness.

There is something truly special about allowing many different ideas to inspire one’s sound, and this is most definitely happening on A Beige Kind Of Grey. This exciting new work by Tobias is indeed a great example of blending very catchy hooks with the attitude of indie-folk music, going for a more dynamic and hard-to-predict approach. Tobias makes music that should most definitely be right up your alley if you do enjoy artists such as Ben Howard, Elliott Smith, and Damien Rice, only to name but a few.

Welcome to the first in a series of ‘unsigned’ playlists that showcases the best talent from around the world. Each playlist will consist of 10 tracks, there’s no set genre so anything goes, if I like it, it’ll be on the playlist. I’ll provide details of the band/artist and information about the tracks on the playlist which will include links to their social media, please go and learn more about them if you like what you hear.

The Dome Show Set To Include Earthtone9 and Heriot

South Wales’ own pop punk trio Who Saves The Hero? Have released a brand-new video for the track “Closure” and announced UK dates alongside A Few Too Many and Hometruths! The track comes from the band’s upcoming EP which is set for an early 2022 release.