Music

By Declan Roberts (@Declanmr) There has been much talk lately of guitar music’s fall from grace, the genre supposedly fading in popularity as its one cutting edge grows dull. I however look at it in a completely different light. 2015 has an impressive roster of records coming out that look set to keep guitar music fresh; Drenge, The Vaccines, The Maccabees and Palma Violets to name but a few. But you don’t need to look ahead to see the saviours...

By Alex Jones Part of the Arcade Fire family, Will Butler may not have been your first guess for which member of the nine strong indie legends would stray into solo territory. Then again, there’s so damn many of them, any bet would’ve been an outside one. The bassist/keyboardist/percussionist takes centre stage on this, his first full-length release away from the band. Actually, calling it “full length” might be a bit deceiving. Policy is only eight songs long and is...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Monday 15th June at the Royal Albert Hall will be a night to remember, celebrating the life and works of legendary blues guitarist Lead Belly. Van Morrison, Jools Holland and Laurence Jones had already confirmed some time ago, but now a number of great new artists have joined the an ever-growing lists of acts. Billy Bragg, Eric Bibb and Walter Trout are just a small selection of musicians, that have now announced their intentions to play. Lead Belly Fest is a...

By Esin Huseyin (@Esin_Huseyin) Bush Hall, London, 26/2/15 Grant Nicholas took to the stage last week to showcase his debut solo album Yorktown Heights. This full UK tour follows on from his sold-out shows earlier this year. The venue was beautiful Bush Hall, an intimate and decadent Victorian music hall - perfect for the likes of Grant Nicholas. The crowd slowly shuffled into the room awaiting the support act, only instead of five-piece WINTERHOURS we were greeted by one fifth...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  “You have no idea how great the London Symphony Orchestra can sound in a great concert hall," Sir Simon Rattle told the BBC’s Will Gompertz ahead of a sold-out London residency with the Berlin Philharmonic at the Barbican. As news trickled through today that he is to join the LSO in 2017, one has to wonder, will this prompt a rejuvenation of British classical music? LSO is undoubtedly one of the greatest...

By Declan Roberts (DeclanMR) Making a second solo record when you're one half of the Gallagher brothers must be a very difficult task. Sure enough, we're not talking about Liam here. He's knocking around somewhere tapping his feet in secret to his brother's new single 'Ballad of the Mighty I' which even sounds like an ode to the triumph of Noel's non-stop rocket trajectory to victory. And now that always superior shoegazers Ride have returned to the limelight Liam has found himself kicked...

By Esin Huseyin (@esin_huseyin) Last week I got the chance to catch up with Kate, front woman of Gallows Ghost, a 6 piece band with influences in folk and electronic rock and roll. With the arrival of their EP Arrows, we get behind the band to talk about some of their best performances, hobbies, and influences. TLE: For people that aren't familiar with you guys, how would you describe your sound? GG: We have described it as electronic rock and...

With ten years, one name change and three critically-acclaimed albums under their belt, why aren't Leeds hard rockers Hawk Eyes on the radar of every punk, metalhead and heavy music enthusiast in the country? It's hard to say, but with the release of their  latest album 'Everything Is Fine' earlier this month; 'the most thrilling and visceral of listens',  the band looks set to seize a slice of the recognition they deserve. We caught up with Hawk Eyes drummer John Mackenzie at...

By Grant Bailey (@GrantDBailey) Tomorrow (25th Feb) the BRIT Awards return for their 35th year to crown the best in modern pop music. Chances are the event hasn’t gone by you unnoticed, with BRITs Week and the social vote building hype throughout February. You probably have your favourites to win too, with British artists such as Sam Smith, FKA Twigs and Alt-J making big waves in the last 12 months, while huge hits from John Legend, Taylor Swift and 5...