If ever there were a time for Suede to turn up and remind us it’s worth sifting through hateful politics and brain-melting pop culture for a splinter of brazen positivity, it’s today.
Suede – Bloodsports
Charlie Ivens
Hurts in Berlin: Lessons in Pop 2013
Electro-pop titans-in-waiting disguised as buttoned-up Slavic accountants. Charlie Ivens tackles Hurts amid teutonic hysteria
Eurosonic 2013: Finns Can Only Get Better
Charlie Ivens casts an in-depth look over Europe’s largest music showcase festival and finds gold in the Finnish offerings.
Eurosonic day 3: Holland of hope and glory
A leather armchair by a toasty open fire in a hotel lounge is a far more convivial spot to catch a new band than a draughty canvas marquee
Eurosonic Day 2: Dutch Courage
The crazy continues in Groningen, as the Brit nominations announcement have little discernable effect on the still-partying throng
Eurosonic 2013 is (nearly) go!
We’re off to the 28th Eurosonic festival/conference doodah in the Netherlands city of Groningen this week. And excited too.
Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Ball – Twickenham Stadium, London 08/09/12
Charlie Ivens reports on an uneasy mix of Broadway excess, post-Weimar sleaze, thudding techno and cloying self-help affirmation techniques.
The Morning After: Charlotte Church at Brighton’s Green Door Store
Charlie Ivens headed to Brighton’s Green Door Store last night to see how Charlotte Church is faring in the world of indie rock.
“When you’re young, the idea of being an outsider has a certain romance attached to it” : Best Fit meets Xiu Xiu
Best Fit speaks to Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart in a transit van, to find out what drives his music making and if lyrically, any subject is off limits.
Amanda Palmer – Village Underground, London 18 & 20/06/12
Palmer’s Kickstarter-funded theatrics yield pop-up art happenings, a last minute horn section, vegetable related performance and a whole lot of drama.
Jennifer Left to release debut AA-side single
Brighton singer’s ‘Black Dog’ c/w ‘Hushabye’ plus remixes streaming now, single launch and festival dates announced
The Great Escape 2012: Parallel Worlds
The temptation for artists to chase the zeitgeist must be overwhelming at times, but Charlie Ivens noticed a wonderful subsection of The Great Escape who are well and truly shunning the trends, and creating fantastical shows in the process.