They’ve travelled a long journey from cock-in-sock-rocking, party animal funk-punks to stadium-filling, radio-friendly millionaires in three decades, and their longevity and cultural relevance to consecutive generations of fans is matched by very few.
A beginner’s guide to iconic British rock heroes Led Zeppelin, featuring discography guide and playlist.
by Ed Biggs The success story of Tigermilk, the beautiful and understated album by Belle & Sebastian that turned out to be first record of a two-decade long career that the band themselves didn’t expect to last more than a few months, was and still is one of most heartwarming throwbacks in recent pop history. Formed by lead singer and songwriter Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David in Glasgow in 1996 for
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by Ed Biggs With their debut studio album marking its 20th anniversary of its release in May 2016, it is well beyond time that the Super Furry Animals were recognised as the geniuses they are. With the exception of the globe-conquering success of Radiohead, the Furries are the most original and consistently inventive British indie group of the last quarter of a century. Arguably the last great Creation Records band and
by Ed Biggs In the two decades since Ash first demolished the British charts with their debut album 1977, few can claim to have been such a quintessentially ‘singles band’ as the Northern Irish three-piece. Rock music’s perpetual adolescents, stuck in a Neverland-like mindset of endless childhood summers, first romances and house parties, their singles were the essence of teenage lust, of unrequited desire, of both shyness and youthful confidence.
by John Tindale and Ollie Rankine Live At Leeds is now in its 10th year, and has already built a strong reputation for itself as being the best inner city festival in the UK. But after creating a certain degree of excitement, the news of headliner Jess Glynne pulling out mere hours before the festival’s start the day hardly begins on a strong note…
by Ed Biggs So, the Purple Reign is over, with the sudden and shocking death of the unique pop icon Prince on Thursday last week (April 21st). At the time of writing, what is known is that he was discovered in an elevator at his sprawling Paisley Park home / studio complex that morning, with his publicist confirming his death just a few hours later. He had been hospitalised less than
by Ed Biggs Few bands from the indie explosion in Britain during the 1980s were, and remain, as iconic and impenetrably mysterious as Cocteau Twins. Formed in Grangemouth in Scotland in the early 1980s, the three-piece of singer Liz Fraser, guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Will Heggie (replaced by Simon Raymonde in 1983) sounded quite unlike anything else on the indie scene during the fertile ‘80s, and the curious magic they
by Ed Biggs The ninth annual Record Store Day is imminently upon us – a day still very much needed despite the much-vaunted revival in vinyl sales. Not only will independent record stores enjoy a significant bump in income, a chance to empty and replenish their stock with fresh releases, but newcomers will also get the chance to experience for the very first time the curious enjoyment that comes from rifling
by Ed Biggs Having recently passed twin milestones – the release of their thirteenth studio album Super and the 30th anniversary of their first, Please – it seems like the ideal time to take stock of the Pet Shop Boys’ career and their impact on pop music. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have adapted to keep themselves on or ahead of the curve for three decades, and still retain that sense
