Jamie T review – indie scamp rapper makes a triumphal comeback
After four years away from the limelight, Jamie Treays gave a confident, unapologetic performance of some deep and weighty new material
Jenny Hval: Blood Bitch review – intriguing experimental pop
(Sacred Bones)
Julia Jacklin: Don’t Let the Kids Win review – impressive indie country debut from Australia
The debut album from Julia Jacklin was trailed by an ear-catching single called Coming of Age, in which Jacklin, over cheerily grungey backing, announced: “I gotta find myself a girl / Who makes my straight toes curl.” It proved to … Continue reading
Kaiser Chiefs: Stay Together review – nondescript but still full of hooks
You could argue that Kaiser Chiefs’ poptastic approach killed off louche, literary 00s indie – its death knell a chorus of embarrassing dads bellowing along to I Predict a Riot. A decade on, however, and all that is a distant … Continue reading
Gruff Rhys: Set Fire to the Stars review – indie hero turns jazz-era soundtracker
The velvety, lounge-pop ying to Trent Reznor’s dark, industrial yang, Gruff Rhys here makes a subtle and successful deviation into the world of soundtrack composition. The score for the critically panned 2014 film Set Fire to the Stars, a drama … Continue reading
Goat: Requiem review – globe-trotting psych-rock from mystery Swedes
Goat claim to be a loose collective from Korpilombolo, Norrbotten County, Sweden – but beyond that their identities are a mystery. In live performance they wear outlandish masks and multicoloured robes similar to those available at an incense-and-candles emporium near … Continue reading
Blossoms review – Mancs of many parts
The new darlings of northern indie rock blend familiar riffs with a chart-friendly polish and an understanding of their audience
Pixies: Head Carrier review – not bad, but no late reflowering
(Pixies Music/PIAS)
Public Access TV: Never Enough review – a debut fans of rock’n’roll will love
The big problem facing Public Access TV is outlined on End of An Era: “They say the kids don’t like rock’n’roll any more,” sings John Eatherly. There’s the rub, because the music on Public Access TV’s first album is about … Continue reading
Pixies: Head Carrier review – indie-rock veterans fail to match past glories
The re-formed Pixies of 2016 are a very different proposition to the manic, caterwauling outfit that burst forth in the late 1980s. Not only has the personnel altered significantly – bassist Kim Deal left the band in 2013, and her … Continue reading
Slaves: Take Control review – Tunbridge Wells’ ironic punks lose their appeal
Related: Slaves: meet the young Kent punks putting the party in the political Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman of Slaves are a post-ironic punk band; their modus operandi being that if you’re a pair of millennials from Royal Tunbridge Wells … Continue reading
Honeyblood review – exciting, crunchy sugar-rush racket
Stina Tweeddale and Cat Myers’ ambitious comeback tour lives up to expectations: these are songs of emotional triage splintered with killer riffs
Warpaint: Heads Up review – all tuned up
With their third album, LA indie girls Warpaint have discovered a sense of purpose – and a handful of seriously catchy songs
Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam: I Had a Dream That You Were Mine – review
The Walkmen were a bug-eyed, curveball-throwing New York outfit of the 00s whose fairy godmother never quite outgunned fate. With the band on hiatus, raw-throated lead singer Hamilton Leithauser found himself studio-bound with Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, game for a … Continue reading