At this year’s LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY, we took the opportunity to shoot backstage portraits of London-based electropop band NINA. We’ve been tracking the band since we first met at the same festival last year, working with them on their north UK dates towards the end of the year, after which they ventured on a US tour with ERASURE. This year, they’ve already featured their My Mistake track on a Mercedes-Benz TV advert, and are working on their album while doing some shows in their adopted home city and Europe. Continue reading LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY 2015 – NINA photo shoot →

We were blown away by Natalie Findlay et al aka FINDLAY at last year’s LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY, and this year we’re geared up for another Findlay explosion. Catching her this time on the Cargo Stage as part of the new festival layout on the chilly docks, we were prepared for this show to be less intimate though no less spellbinding than the incredible Zanzibar experience last year. Continue reading LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY 2015 – FINDLAY →

Glasgow-based band HONEYBLOOD have been racking up praise for their catchy grunge-pop tracks and killer gigs, while clinging on to a DIY approach. I’ve been keeping an eye on them for a while and finally had the chance to see them live at this year’s LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY 2015. I was expecting them to be good live, but wasn’t prepared for just how impressive they would be and how brilliantly written their tracks are. The word has certainly been getting around, as their well attended set at the Baltic Stage on a chilly Sunday afternoon proved. Continue reading LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY 2015 – HONEYBLOOD →

London-based electropop band NINA warmed everyone up on the chilly Sunday of LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY 2015. We’ve been tracking the band since we met fortuitously at LSC last year, and worked with them on their north UK dates towards the end of last year, after which they ventured on a US tour with the inimitable ERASURE. This year, they’ve already featured their My Mistake track on a Mercedes-Benz TV advert, and are working on their album while doing some shows in their adopted home city and Europe. We were delighted to catch them again in Liverpool, this time on the Cavern Stage of the new dock-based layout. Continue reading LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY 2015 – NINA →

LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY 2015 snuck up upon us as we gathered ourselves for another eclectic lineup of acts, local and international. Relocated onto the docks, the festival has lost its small-town feature, tossing that out for a more mainstream affair, much to the chagrin of many a journo and punter. Along with the relocation came bitingly chilly winds and so out with the winter gear… indeed, not the ideal time of year for an outdoor dock-centric festival in the north of England, but hey, we were prepared to take it on and give it a chance. Continue reading LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY 2015 – ALL WE ARE →

KATHLEEN HANNA is a much-loved iconic singer and performer. Despite cancellations last year due to ill health, her new band THE JULIE RUIN were determined to get over to the UK and here they were in the flesh, finally at Leeds. Knowing that the London show would be absolutely flooded with fans, we made a point of seeing them ahead at the more intimate and (in my humble opinion) atmospheric venue of The Brudenell Social Club. Continue reading THE JULIE RUIN finally let loose in Leeds and London →

Here in the UK, we’ve had a great 2015 so far, bearing witness to brilliant touring bands, some established, some breaking through big, including WARPAINT, SLEATER-KINNEY, COURTNEY BARNETT, SCREAMING FEMALES and KARIN PARK, and in a matter of hours, we’ll soon be catching up with Tokyo’s coolest avant-garde synth band GROUP A who are right now embarking on their first ever Europe mini-tour. At the same time, we’re desperate to see ex-HOLE drummer Patty Schemel’s new band UPSET with lead vocals by ex-BEST COAST / VIVIAN GIRLS’ Ali Koehler who have been touring the US with the fabulously chilled COLLEEN GREEN Continue reading Queens of Cool: WARPAINT, SLEATER-KINNEY, COURTNEY BARNETT, SCREAMING FEMALES, KARIN PARK, GROUP A, COLLEEN GREEN, UPSET, THE JULIE RUIN →

The Hi-Fi in Brisbane’s West End was absolutely packed to the rafters with eager fans for COURTNEY BARNETT’s headlining show as tickets were snapped up well in advance for her Australia tour promoting latest album Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. Courtney had also originally planned on doing a little in-store performance at Jet Black Cat Records – the response on Facebook was so overwhelming they had to resort to a lotto system, but in the end 50 lucky people were able to attend a less crowded show earlier in the day. Continue reading COURTNEY BARNETT in Brisbane →