For more than two decades, THE XCERTS have taken the music world by storm with their alternative music style that seems to stand out from the crowd. Their sixth album i want to go home now is one that proves that longevity of this Scottish born, Brighton based trio doesn’t mean that passion and talent has to be compromised or sacrificed. The opening song of the album is a short and haunting interlude that is full of emotion. Named after the album title, this emotionally fuel

“Compared to where we'd been, the alternative was to end the band, so we might as well just try this and see if we fall back in love with it.” Kitty A. Austen says this almost breezily, reminiscing on SAINT AGNES’ experience recording emotionally decimating album BLOODSUCKERS, an album borne from grief and turmoil that, at times, is still overwhelming for the band and vocalist Kitty in particular. Where it could have broken them down they instead made space for the grief to e

“I was trying to create a world of mine that was similar to those games that I love,” explained Braydon Hill, the creative force behind dark shoegaze project ZERUEL. Now that the long awaited Ruin;Rebirth has arrived, we sat down with Hill to talk about the road that led there. Going from delving into the difficulties of creating music as a side-project to the unexpected creative opportunities that came within the COVID-19 lockdowns, our conversation explored the making of th

Few bands have navigated the modern release cycle quite like THE PLOT IN YOU. Rather than unveiling a traditional full-length album in one moment, the band has spent the last few years gradually constructing The Volume Series across multiple EP releases, before finally bringing the material together as a single collection. With only one previously unheard track, Carved, accompanying recent singles Silence and You Get One, the release functions less as a conventional album and

“How did we get here?” These are the blistering first words and explosive energy on NO CURE’s latest frenzied album It Is Going To Get Dark, an album that boils over with insurrectionary meaning and fury laden through its rhythms as NO CURE examine the world we live in and practically scream “Is anyone else seeing this shit?”. While the recording process saw the four-piece withdraw to a remote cabin as their musical sanctuary, this calm remoteness instead fuelled the intensit

Emerging from the unknown and compelling listeners to dance along, London based quartet MOUTH ULCERS are resurfacing the art of darkness in their EP, Silent Pictures. Reviving the sound and aesthetic of 1980s goth, MOUTH ULCERS have carved out a dedicated following with a series of singles that showcase their dark atmospheric sound. With recent live debuts, their success has been captured through sold-out shows across the UK and the Netherlands. Their debut EP, MOUTH ULCERS s

The world has woken up to Outbreak. Like it or not, at last year's London edition of the festival, we found ourselves in a place where TURNSTILE could headline the same weekend as CHARLI XCX. Now, she’s gone one step further in releasing her own “rock music”. We’re in a reality in which KNOCKED LOOSE could create a song with DENZEL CURRY, and Kim K is about to follow daughter NORTH WEST on a fourteen-date tour of her metal-tinged hyperpop across America. The same kind that Ha

ROZEMARY have moved fast. Formed on the Wirral in 2023, the band went from unreleased local buzz to a widely praised debut EP, the lies they made me believe, in the space of about a year. They've picked up comparisons to LOATHE along the way, building a reputation as one of Merseyside's most exciting heavy exports. it's harder now to breathe arrives less than a year on from that debut, and the title alone hints at a band digging further into the tension that made their debut

Debut releases often feel like introductions, but CUTSCENE arrive sounding like a band that already knows exactly what they want to achieve. A Piece Of Life blends the urgency of post-punk with thoughtful songwriting, creating an EP that feels just as interested in atmosphere and emotion as it does in heavy guitars and driving rhythms. While the band wear some familiar influences on their sleeve, they never rely on them, instead carving out a sound that feels distinctive thro

It’s hard to fully understand how huge Scissor Sisters were during the 2000s. They were everywhere, yet they managed to reach the mainstream on their own terms, being openly queer and carving their own musical direction. Formed in New York in the year 2000, they existed at first in the vibrant cabaret scene. The core musical duo of the band is frontmanJake Shears and lead songwriter Scott Hoffman, AKA Babydaddy. Their music originally existed for Jake Shears to dance to on s

Detroit has produced some of the finest rock bands in history and EVA UNDER FIRE is one of the latest to proudly carry that flag. Hailing from that gritty, iconic rock landscape, the band is back to deliver “hard rock therapy” with their latest album Villainous when it releases 10th July. Fronted by lead vocalist and song writer Amanda Lyberg who is uniquely qualified to deliver on that promise, as a licensed therapist with a background in trauma and addiction. While Love, D

Formed in New Jersey in 2022, 3 DOLLARS are fighting to stand out amongst the countless young groups itching to leave their mark in the punk scene, but these are more than your average Joes, with most members having spent at least half of their youthful lives perfecting their instruments. The proof lies within their debut EP, Plus Tax, the culmination of the four-piece’s efforts to nail a style that has already earnt them a strong local following, growing international attent

Two decades deep into their slow-burning crusade, WITCHSORROW return with The Devil And All His Works, an album that doesn’t so much revisit doom metal’s foundations as sink back into them like they were carved in stone. This is not a reinvention record, nor does it pretend to be. Instead, it is a reaffirmation of purpose: heavy, patient, and utterly committed to the genre’s most monolithic traditions. From the outset, WITCHSORROW make it clear they are still operating on the

In the midst of one of the hottest weeks in Britain, it’s quite ironic that EMPIRE OF THE SUN would be headlining the legendary Alexandra Palace for three nights, with a show of extravagance, gravitas and style. Covered in sweat but nonetheless feeling the vibes, the ten thousand strong crowd of Ally Pally were treated not only to the talent of this band but the effort of their production design. Starting off the night were SKYSCRAPER who with the lighting of incense, took th

After nearly a decade away THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN return to London for a triumphant show of chaos and power showcasing why they are the reigning monarchs of mathcore. The weather outside is boiling, the venue working as a sanctuary from the blistering heat. The crowd, already sweaty, lacked any of the lethargy you would expect. Opening tonight was FRONTIERER, who managed to get the crowd moving from the moment they played their first note. Crowd surfers within a band’s fi

Manchester’s Deaf Institute played host to one of the hottest alternative bills of the summer as Florida genre-benders NEVERTEL brought their UK and European headline tour to the city, also accompanied by Australia’s rapidly rising metal-core outfit OCEAN SLEEPER. With NEVERTEL following the momentum of their recent single Otherside as well as OCEAN SLEEPER doing the same with the release of Peace When I’m Dead and Break the Cycle, this was a tour that felt significant well b

Liverpool's CUT SHORT have spent the last few years quietly building a reputation as one of the UK's most promising rising heavy bands. Sharing stages with Wargasm UK, Dream State and Heart Of A Coward, while earning support from BBC Radio 1, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer and Rock Sound, they've steadily proven they are more than another name in the ever-growing metalcore landscape. Their latest EP, Modern Affliction, is further evidence that the hype surrounding them is well deserv

Things are really kicking off now: not only do we have the iconic 2000 Trees festival next week, but we've also had a solid slate of tours sweeping the UK. METALLICA, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, HAYLEY WILLIAMS, and so much more that the summer has to offer. In the off-time, though, we're taking in these recent singles from bands both big and small. Here's what we've been listening to lately: 156/Silence - Proxy Idols Fresh off the back of a tour supporting THORNHILL as well as a hu

With a varied career of staggering highs and massive lows, it’s fair to say that California artist TYLER, THE CREATOR, born Tyler Okonma, is one of the most controversial musicians alive who still manages to get radio plays. From being banned from entering countries for lyrical material, to winning Grammys and performing six consecutive sold-out nights at the biggest arena in Los Angeles, he has done it all, all whilst writing and producing almost the entirety of his own cata

Dutch death metal group SAVAGE are finally ready to release their first studio EP. Featuring members from ENTRAPMENT, they’re not exactly new to the scene, but as SAVAGE, their sole release until now was a fairly promising demo from 2023. In those three tracks they made it clear what they’re here to do - harken back to old-school death metal, taking clear influence from ENTOMBED (specifically their earlier releases under the name NIHILIST). They further this goal on Septic T

Engraving their furious sound into the underground hardcore scene, MARTYRS SAINT are now ready to step from the shadows and unleash their epic debut EP From Strength To Strength. Hailing from Bristol, the four-piece band have created an EP that has a quality and weight of 20 artists performing together. It’s a marker of how seamless they’ve become as a unit and the force they feed into their sound to portray such power and intensity that translates to their live shows. While

On one of the hottest days the UK has experienced this year, with temperatures soaring into the mid-30s, three of post-hardcore and alternative rock’s most influential bands arrived at OVO Arena Wembley to celebrate landmark albums that helped define a generation. What unfolded was far more than a nostalgia tour. It was a celebration of perseverance, friendship and community, delivered by artists who continue to perform with the same passion that built their reputations over

10 years on from his previous band APPOLLONIA, Vincent Mery has made his triumphant return to music with his brand new project HEX DIVIDED, a one-man project of epic riffs and hooks, commanding drumbeats, and searing lyrics delivered with a silkiness that threads into powerfully husky notes. You won’t need to wait long to appreciate HEX DIVIDED’s taste of alt-metal with the impending release of the EP Hex Divided I, a short but sweet collection that shows the evolution of his

Another year, another Download! It's almost ceremonious how important Download is to the British heavy music scene. For one weekend, Castle Donington is the proving ground of the world's best alternative music acts, ready to lay siege to an over 95,000-strong crowd. This is the make-or-break moment, a chance to see artists find their place or fall. How an artist fares at Download can catapult the trajectory of their careers in real time. It's safe to say there were a lot thi