End of the Road Festival is situated in Wiltshire’s stunning Larmer Tree Gardens which hosts a big spread for a ‘medium-sized’ festival. The wooded area is great, full of areas to explore and gardens to wander in, and the main space has plenty to keep you busy in between bands. I arrived just in time on the Thursday to catch Beige Banquet and their shimmery post-punk riffs. This krautrockesque quintet were tight and a good band to start the festival with. Next up was Deerhoof who I’ve been a fan of for a long time. Their music is playful and…
Author: Hugo Beynon
The HU blends heavy metal, with Mongolian throat singing, and traditional Mongolian instruments, to create a unique metal sound. The group hailing from Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia has been disrupting the airwaves since their debut singles (‘Yuve Yuve Yu’ and ‘Wolf Totem’) went viral in 2018 gifting the band over 25 million and 37 million views respectively. Their debut album ‘The Gereg’ came out late last year and their subsequent 23 date European tour has sold out on every date sending the band into high acclaim. The band gave an excellent performance to a packed-out venue playing through their debut album…
Joe Armon-Jones and his ensemble played their trance-like fusion of dub and jazz on an incredibly wet and windy Sunday night in Brighton’s seafront venue, Patterns. The keyboardist and producer released his first solo album in 2018, which showcased him as a songwriter and arranger with his unique dub jazz. He was one of the founding members of Ezra Collective and he has also been a long-time collaborator with saxophonist Nubya Garcia. After only just managing to make it to the seafront venue without getting blown into the sea from Storm Ciara, I was richly rewarded. Joe and his ensemble’s…
I first saw Metz on their first UK tour in Brighton, 2013. It was a cold, wet November evening, and they played in The Haunt to what must have been 20 to 30 people. Still one of the best live shows I’ve ever been to. I got to see them twice after that, once in Brighton to a bigger crowd, a few hundred, at the Concorde 2, 2015, and then in London at The Garage to a nearly sold-out crowd of just under 1000 people, 2017. Last month, I got to see Metz perform at Chalk, the venue formerly known…
‘Titanic Rising’ remains one of my favourite albums from 2019. Released last April, the album received critical acclaim for its incredible orchestration, production, and writing. The beautiful string arrangements supporting Weyes Blood’s stunning voice and backing vocals are real standouts on the album. Both give the music elegance and have a Phil Spector, Beach Boy-esque quality with an enormous sound, especially on tracks like ‘Everyday’ and ‘Picture Me Better’. The album’s rich instrumentation and arrangements are coupled with the ominous and ambient synths and darker passages noticeably on tracks movies and mirror forever. The album has a brilliant balance of…
Flamingods are a four-piece alternative rock band from Bahrain and the UK. Their album ‘Levitation’ was released earlier this year which was met with bountiful press coverage and praise. ‘Levitation’ saw Flamingods expanding on their influences (which are already noticeably eclectic) with nods to Turkish psych, disco, and funk. Their music has been described as “exotic psychedelia” with their pairing of multiple Eastern genres with Western Psychedelia. Flamingods’ show at Brighton Komedia was a real trip. The quartet played a tight, mixed set moving from more rooted disco beat tracks to drawn-out experimental songs with roaring solos. The group finished…
Just Mustard released their debut album ‘Wednesday’ last year to high praise, earning them the support slot on the UK tour for fellow upcoming and Irish group Fontaines D.C. Their music has been described as a combination of trip-hop and shoegaze, with influences from My Bloody Valentine with their shoegazy guitars, and from Massive Attack with whispery vocals shrouded in mystery. Let’s not forget the impeccable rhythm section with standout basslines and tight drum parts. Most notably on the song ‘Pigs’. Just Mustard’s show at Brighton’s Prince Albert was packed with the room brimming. They played their latest singles and…
Since my first visit in 2016, Green Man festival has really outdone itself with another incredible lineup, great comedy, films, literature, idyllic scenery, and lovely Welsh beers. This year’s sold-out Green Man was packed with heaps to do and see. I think this may well be one of the best laid out festivals I’ve been to; the perfect size to see a bit of everything and get the full festival experience. Luckily, the weather held out for most of the festival, with many sunny skies making it easy to sit (or snooze) on the raised slopes by the main stage…
With Sharky’s colourful EP ‘Fruit’ comes her new video for single ‘Touch’. A dreamy detached video that compliments the psychy pop production and dreamy vocals. The contrast from black and white to colour, the digital graininess and late night filming give the video a lovely nostalgic feel that pairs up to the single brilliantly. Sharky has released a string of sonically-inspiring singles which have garnered support across BBC Radio 1xtra and 6Music. Now she returns with her debut EP Fruit; a provocative 5-track collection of genre-bending melodies, bubbling beats and otherworldly vocals which can be compared to the likes of…
I had wanted to go to Download ever since the spectacular 2012 line up. I was excited to finally see the UK’s second biggest festival, which is also one of the biggest rock and metal festivals in Europe. In the build-up to the weekend, there had been numerous reports of “biblical rain” and “people leaving before music had started” so a last-minute dash to buy a pair of wellies was definitely the best decision of the weekend. Whilst I was preparing to face the most awful weather I may have ever confronted – wellies, ponchos and bin bags all stashed…