Music

Venue: Camden Assembly 28.2.18 Photos: Grant Bailey (@grantbeam91) 2018 is going to be Fizzy Blood's year. The alt-rock quintet have just completed their first UK headline tour, ending in a packed-out performance at the Camden Assembly, which is their first show in the capital since Joining Jamie Lenman and friends in Tufnell Park for the first (and hopefully annual) Lenmania. TLE were their to capture the band at their London stint. Expect bigger venues the next time they come round...

Sitting through the trailers at the cinema yesterday I couldn't help but think things have all started to get a bit complicated in the arts and entertainment biz. Wes Anderson's latest offering about canine pets that are exiled to a vast garbage-dump was the first to pique my curiosity, soon preceded by a bunch of old wrestlers that are trying to save their local pub and other such peculiarities. It's almost as if Hollywood's insistence to stick to the same blend of actors...

Now we're cooking, 2018. Things are always a little snoozy in January, but February has picked up the slack in good form with some solid, brave and unusual releases. To start, there's plenty of fun to be had with new drops from DON BROCO and a sweet, sultry cut from Ravyn Lenae. Rolo Tomassi's cheerily titled Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It is actually their most buoyant and creative record in years, while the quirky ensemble effort on Richard Russell's Everything...

Venue: Heaven, London 15.2.18 Photos: Graham Berry ( Black Tea Photography) Amenra and Boris on a co-headline tour? That's a lot of heavy squeezed onto a single stage.The pair of bands swung through London last week, bringing one of the darkest displays Heaven has (likely) ever bore witness to. TLE photographer Graham Berry and writer Jay Hampshire got themselves along to this supreme evening of post-metal to sacrifice their stereocillia to some seriously dense slabs of heavy music. Read Jay's...

Venue: Heaven, London 15.2.18 The cavernous, lightless depths of London’s Heaven are more than fitting surroundings for the dual headlining tour of Boris and Amenra, two acts renowned for their sheer sonic intensity. The venue’s vaulted ceilings and towering stage are an apt visualisation of the lofty esteem that they are held in by the extreme music community, and its performances like tonight’s that remind us why their elevation onto such a high pedestal is deserved. Of the two, drone...

Southbank Centre’s iconic Brutalist venues, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, will reopen on Monday 9 April 2018, following over two years’ extensive redesign and refurbishment. They open with a programme of events that pays tribute to the historic legacy of the venues, and the many legendary artists who have performed there over the past fifty years. A dynamic blend of contemporary and classical work sees vibrant performances, events, installations and a free programme for all ages across the venues....

Stormzy cleaned up at tonight’s Brit awards, winning best male artist and best album for “Gang Signs & Prayer.” But the biggest talking point of the ITV music awards was this blistering performance of a new song that asked: "Theresa May where's the money for Grenfell, what you thought we just forgot about Grenfell?" Stormzy has used performances before to make sure people do not forget about those that died and were left homeless by the tragic blaze. At his...

Singer-songwriter Hero Fisher is back with the new track 'Lonely'. The British-born, French-raised and London-based artist has collaborated with Alison Mosshart and Boy George in the past, with her 2015 debut album winning her fans in The Horrors and Blur. Fisher’s new song ‘Lonely’ is a masterclass in reinvention. Rich in ambience and with a slow crawling beat, her subtle and tender vocal performance evokes a deep sense of isolation amidst the cluttered mysteries of daily life. Drums, pianos and synths all...

Hammersmith Apollo has seen many great performances in its time, but on Saturday the venue was tinged in sadness as the final ever performance by Wild Beasts took place. The four-piece band from Cumbria announced last September that their decade long adventure was coming to an end. While the reason behind the split was hidden behind a veil of abstract quotes from the band members, it was clear that the shouts from the crowd to ‘stay together’ were falling on...