Entertainment

By Will Bateman (@WillBateman6611) 5.8.15, The Islington, London The Islington is an intimate venue for any band making their debut appearance in the capital. The Mynabirds appear on stage amidst dim lights and red floor-to-ceiling curtains, singer-songwriter/pianist Laura Burhenn (who you might recognise from now-defunct Seattleites The Postal Service) exuding a playful and welcoming presence. The band seem genuinely grateful to their audience, Burhenn acknowledging the trials they must have endured to get to the show. "So you're the brave...

Beach Slang look set to return in October with their first full-length release The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us. To when your appetite Beach Slang have also released lead single 'Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas', sounding like a serrated Title Fight enjoying a beach beer on a twilight summer evening. Not sure what that sounds like? Take a listen below. The album drops on 30th October through Big Scary Monsters and promises more of the husky...

Leeds brawlers Blacklisters have released another track in the lead-up to second album Adult, due to drop on 18th September. In June 'Cash Cow' thrashed its way down our earholes with gleeful abandon. Now 'I Knock Myself Out' is here to finish the job in a hail of fuzzy bass and dark, unrelenting punk. Check it out below. Blacklisters will be heading out on a UK tour this autumn in support of Adult. Blacklisters Tour Dates 18th September - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 25th September - The...

By Kane Power (@ElHeavio) The name Vera Grace conjures up a certain image; a kindly grandma, a shuffling old dear with a sunhat playing a game of bridge. Not an ideal association for a hardcore band. Their name doesn’t seem to reference anyone famous, such as US metalcore act Norma Jean, and since I can’t find anything obvious after a quick search, I like to think it’s just an ode to the sweet grandma of one of the band members....

Reading quarter Echoic are putting the finishing touches on Testify, their debut EP, set for release on 23rd October. If lead single 'Burn' is anything to go by their release will be a soaring slice of wonky alt-rock. Check it out. Echoic are also heading out on tour in support of Testify this Autumn. Dates below.                  

London duo Pertini have released a video for their debut single ‘Blackfriars Bridge’, directed by SXSW Film Award winner Marko Anstice. Check it out below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoIMVnOplEU It all comes together like an unsettling dream, the disjointed stop-motion and repetition creating an uneasy atmosphere to complement Pertini's lo-fi electro. The track, produced by Marc Pell from Micachu and the Shapes, is released digitally on Friday August 14th.

By Kane Power (@El Heavio) The new album ‘Smoke’, from York based band The Bastard Sons, starts exactly how you should start a rock n roll record; minimal intro, a rockin’ guitar riff and some spell-it-out gang chants to rival late 90’s thug-core legends Skarhead. Add some high-range screams á la The Bronx and you’ve got yourself one hell of an opening track. I was so encouraged by this song, emphatically titled ‘The Bastard’, that it took the next two...

By Declan Roberts (@DeclanMR) Unlike 2012’s Given To The Wild - a beautiful sun-kissed rock opera - The Maccabees fourth effort is a step into sublime noise. Recorded in their beloved Elephant and Castle studio, Marks To Prove It is a ‘whole’ record, an album designed to be listened to from start to finish with a complete narrative. They kick off in unabashed fashion with the title track, a stop-start rollercoaster that’ll have you head banging like a Maccabee-loving-puppet. ‘Kamakura’...

By Myles Longfield (@myleslongfield) This year, the UK will play host to some of the biggest sporting events in the world. Athletes will come from all over the globe to play at tournaments like Wimbledon, the Ashes and the Rugby World Cup. Those living in London will get to see most of this action, given the capital’s world-class stadia and infrastructure. It’s a win-win situation for everyone as Londoners get to see top-level sport that those living in most other towns...