It’s the hottest weekend of the year so far, unseasonably warm for a bank holiday, in fact. But this weekend, at Breaking Bands 2026, it’s the start of what looks to be another excellent festival season. Let me just say from the start of this coverage with Saturday and Sunday to have their own separate … Continue reading Festival Review: Breaking Bands Festival 2026 – Thursday/Friday
Category: Reviews
Festival Review: Tons Of Rock 2026 Day 1 – Oslo, Norway (24th June 2026)
This was my tenth year attending Tons of Rock Festival in Norway, and it is always one of my favourite trips of the year. For the first few years, the festival took place in an actual fortress atop a hill in Halden, but more recently it has been located in Ekebergsletta in Oslo. The festival … Continue reading Festival Review: Tons Of Rock 2026 Day 1 – Oslo, Norway (24th June 2026)
Album Review: Blackstaff – Drowner
If you're a fan of music from the likes of Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean and Thou, and have a passion for folklore and dark fantasy, then the new EP from Blackstaff is the one for you. Drowner is a gem of a record, equally brilliant in its storytelling and its music. The … Continue reading Album Review: Blackstaff – Drowner
Gig Review: The Dirty Nil / Bruise Control / Smug LLC / Thorns – The Green Door Store, Brighton (4th July 2026)
The Green Door Store is a small but characterful venue in Brighton, and I have seen some interesting bands play in its industrial surrounds over the years. The main band I was here to see tonight were noobs to the UK touring circuit: Thorns. Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, I was surprised to see that they … Continue reading Gig Review: The Dirty Nil / Bruise Control / Smug LLC / Thorns – The Green Door Store, Brighton (4th July 2026)
Gig Review: Sunn O))) / Amber Webber and Stephen McBean of Black Mountain – The Dome, Liverpool (30th June 2026)
Amber Webber and Stephen McBean of Black Mountain open proceedings in The Dome in Liverpool. It's a venue steeped in character; as the name suggests, the main hall sits beneath a fantastic domed roof. With only two members on stage, it lets Amber's voice complement and accentuate Stephen's subdued guitar work. It's a mesmerising performance, … Continue reading Gig Review: Sunn O))) / Amber Webber and Stephen McBean of Black Mountain – The Dome, Liverpool (30th June 2026)
Gig Review: The Funeral Portrait / The Howling – Rebellion, Manchester (29th June 2026)
Not many bands can say that they sold out their first UK headline show, but that is a claim that The Funeral Portrait, hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, can now make. Off the back of their run of various US and European festival shows and their almost constant touring schedules, they had also booked their first … Continue reading Gig Review: The Funeral Portrait / The Howling – Rebellion, Manchester (29th June 2026)