Entertainment

”I've booked you in for the usual soapy tit wank farewell at No. 10.”

By Declan Roberts (@DeclanMR) For a trio from Liphook, an unassuming town in Hampshire, Blaenavon certainly make an impact. Their back catalogue, which includes the Koso EP and debut double A-side single 'Into the Night / Denim Patches' jumps rock barriers many fear to cross, and their new EP, Miss World is a step up in momentum for the band. The shattering opening chord of 'Hell Is My Head' accompanies a delightfully basic Nirvana-esque drum line, with a space-echo guitar...

By Kane Power (@ElHeavio) Maintaining relevance in music over a long period of time is a bit like trying to bail out a sinking ship. At first it’s simple, you are young and fit; easily able to keep up with the tide, and even when you do get a bit tired, there’s a load of crew members to help keep you afloat. However, as your journey progresses into decades, your trusty bucket gets holes and your crew desert like rats....

By Mani Khawaja (@manikhawaja88) I've never really heard a rock band from Italy, much less a post-hardcore/indie-punk one, so I was pretty intrigued when I heard about LAGS and their debut album, Pilot. My interest was only further piqued, when I found out that the band's drummer was also an internationally renowned athlete who has represented his country on numerous occasions. The album kicks off guns blazing with the high energy track, aptly titled 'A Push and A Rush'. With...

By Rob Foster @futuresinfinite There’s no doubting that when it comes to political fashion, devolution is one of this Parliament’s essential items.  Following the Scottish referendum, the much-vaunted “Northern Powerhouse” schemes & the introduction of the Cities &Local Government Devolution Bill, the recent deadline for local proposals to be submitted to DCLG saw over thirty detailed bids put forward.  Cities, regions, counties & as yet unnamed combinations of local areas in England are bidding to assume greater powers & responsibilities from...

Rob Foster @FuturesInfinite interviews Simon Parker author of Taking Power Back Published by Policy Press Local Devolution in England is at the forefront of political thinking at the moment, although like all seemingly overnight sensations it’s taken a long time to arrive. Do you think its time has finally come, that genuine devolution really is going to happen? What would you say are the biggest obstacles? Well devolution is happening & it is real, & we’re seeing substantial powers going...

By Declan Roberts (@DeclanMR) Imagine a sunnier, tropical version of Wu Lyf or an up-tempo Copacabana Hard-Fi and Sun Club is what you get. Mixing Splashh melodies with booming vocals Sun Club’s The Dongo Durango promotes a paradoxically rebellious and systematic sing-along. ‘Summer Feet’ opens proceedings in exotic fashion. ’Worm City’ is quite something. Think Jonathan Higgs from Everything Everything teaming up with the surrealistic elements of Bowie’s Kingdom. Hard-hitting, extravagant and vibrantly interesting. ‘Carnival Dough’ rumbles accordingly but duller...

Strictly Come Dancing star and BBC presenter Jeremy Vine has hit back at fans telling him to quit the competition, vowing to give it his all until he's voted out. The Radio 2 broadcaster, who is keeping a diary of his Strictly journey on his official website http://jeremyvine.tv has posted a message from a Strictly viewer calling him a ‘bovine’ and suggesting he ‘MOVE ON’. In response, Vine posted a video in which he talks directly to ‘Martin’, the person...

By Kane Power (@ElHeavio) Among the plethora of ‘next big online music hub’ start-ups this year is a company that promises to ‘stand out from the crowd’; Stereotribes. A kind of Kickstarter/Bandcamp crossover, Stereotribes caters for artists or anyone with an even slightly music related project, providing a central site for media and integrated crowd-funding capabilities. I was invited along to the beta website launch on Friday night and I’ve got to be totally honest, my first impression was along...