Entertainment

By Declan Roberts (@declanmr) After five years you'd expect some change of sound in a band, and that's exactly the case with Mini Mansions. Their self-titled debut focused on dream-pop melodies and Kinks inspired lyrics. 'The Great Pretenders' is a darker and fiercer affair that casts a shadow over their previous form. The backing vocals on lead single 'Death Is A Girl' echo with a sinister nature and the aggressive drops on 'Vertigo' make for an exciting listen. 'Freakout!' is...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Passarella Death Squad, the Anglo-Japanese fashion label has created 16 exclusive artworks for the iconic American adult brand ‘Penthouse’. Each image has been photographed, cropped and doctored by designer Danny Passarella to achieve the effect. Danny says, "While considering this project I was especially compelled by the allure of the hidden, so I wanted people to look a bit deeper than they normally would at a Penthouse image. "Normally it’s the figure and the nudity...

By Rob Foster @futuresinfinite In 1995 Will Hutton’s “The State We’re In” entered the bestseller lists and encapsulated a moment of change for Britain’s politics. Following the end of Thatcher’s reign and the fracturing rancour of John Major’s term as Prime Minister, Hutton’s diagnosis of need for a radical shift from Thatcherism to “stakeholder capitalism” captured (fleetingly, at least) the prevailing mood that would bring Tony Blair’s New Labour to power. It was a rare example of a work of...

By Grant Bailey (@GrantDBailey) Escaping a really dire Christmas party - This was the premise under which Conor (guitar), Steve (guitar) and Jonathan (drums) first went into a rehearsal space and made simultaneous loud noises. With material Conor had been writing since his previous band ended the trio began creating fledgling pieces of music that would eventually become the songs that comprise debut EP "LTKLTL”. The addition of bassist Ali happened several months later after Steve had asked him if...

By Dan Gleabals If you haven’t at some point in your life waved your hands about making Light Saber noises imagining you’re defeating Darth Vader then this isn’t the video for you. Star Wars VII is fast approaching, but not fast enough, so for the second time this year legendary VJ Eclectic Method (aka Jonny Wilson) revisits the first six movies, this time taking on the trusty Jedi’s Light Saber. The original lightsaber sound effect was developed by legendary sound...

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...