Editors' Picks

Joywave have been growing a considerable following, helped largely by their high energy tracks and excellent live performances.

The Dixie Chicks are a strong name in country music who are recognized well beyond the USA. Known for striking emotional chords and addressing current socio-political issues, ‘Gaslighter’ is their first single release in 14 years.

Sober is Aquilo’s first release since 2018. The duo, made up of Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher have spent two years creating and developing their new batch of raw material.

John Newman’s latest single ‘Stand By Me’ is a gentle, laid-back love song that thrives on sneaking up with its emotional undertones.

Freddie Long released his debut single, ‘Jean’ in November 2018. Since then he’s been busy carving out a career that looks like it could be a pretty successful one.

Rufus Wainwright is one of music's most established artists and can now boast 22 years in the business, from his 1998 debut album release.

After finding herself catapulted into the mainstream media in 2017, with her debut track ‘Finders Keepers’ which peaked at number 8 on the UK chart, her full debut album followed in 2019 and she has grown in confidence ever since. 

Switched Up is Oliver Malcolm’s debut single and it is quite a place to start. Having already worked with artists like IDK, Jay Rock and Masego to name a few, the 20 year old has already established himself amongst some well known artists.

Noel Gallagher is releasing quite a few singles in succession. Following on from Blue Moon Rising, which we reviewed on the 31/01/2020, this new song sees yet more creativity from the king of the 90s Indie Pop revival and gives us a great insight into his versatility as a songwriter. 

The Shires, Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, have quite a story about their formation.

It’s amazing how many young artists start their journey wanting to be football players.

Comprising of four childhood friends, Glass Animals have been gathering steady momentum since the release of their first EP in 2012.

There are many brilliant young musicians that now have various new avenues to get their music heard.

It surprised me to hear that The 1975’s have been together for 18 years.

You may have heard JP Cooper on the Jonas Blue song, ‘Perfect Strangers’. He has also appeared on ‘Get Involved’ from Craig David’s 2018 album release ‘The Time is now’.

On Valentine’s Day weekend, Kim Petras proved herself to be bold as she tapped into a sore spot that many of us choose to overlook on the special day --- heartbreak.

Two years since her debut release and 4 years since the concept of Becky and the Birds was created, Thea Gustafsson launches into a new phase of her career with her new tracks.

Ingrid Andress is one of Country Music’s rising stars. The 28 year old from Michigan made a great start to her career, with her 2019 album release ‘More Hearts Than Mine’ reaching number 12 on the US country songs list.

Sam Smith has been one of the highest profile artists in the world in recent years.

The story surrounding the Mystery Jets dates back to the birth of the band in 2003. Now, 7 albums later and many additions and losses to the line up, they’re now releasing their seventh album, motivated by the ups and downs of political protest and the turbulent last year or two in British politics.

With B Young fitting into the Afro Swing/Hip Hop movement, he has established himself as one of the UK leading lights with his recent releases.

It was 1999 when Mandy Moore released her first single ‘Candy’ and immediate comparisons were made to the other stable of teenage female pop stars of the late 90s, the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera for example.

You might be thinking the name sounds familiar, and if you’re not a Scissor Sisters fan, then you would be forgiven for misplacing Jake Shears’ face.

Emeli Sande seems to have been quieter than normal in recent years. Her dominance at the 2012 Olympics drew a huge amount of attention and new fans, but her anthems were already known to many after her debut in 2009.

One thing we certainly know is that Gregory Porter is not overrated, even if love is. At 48 years young, his voice and experience is developing more and more with each release.

The history of Phantogram is that of a long lasting friendship, leading on the creative prowess of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter to come to fruition. Forming in New York back in 2007, they can now boast a catalogue of 3 albums, 4 EPs and 10 singles, with a mix of genre influences that creates an overall unique blend that both multiinstrumentalists can produce. 

The Pussycat Dolls have been away for quite a while now. Whilst in the UK we are used to seeing Nicole Scherzinger on our screens, ‘React’ marks a return from the whole band following a staggering 10 years away. However the group are one member down with their reunion, as Melody Thornton has elected to pursue her own solo ambitions.

The Magic Gang are one of the UKs most entertaining live acts. Since forming in Brighton in 2013 they have built a reputation as a fun and high energy band that has masses of talent.

When you see that the current front man of Queen has teamed up with Nile Rodgers, one of the most influential guitarists of the last century you’re already intrigued as to what they will produce.

Some artists need little introduction and Niall Horan is certainly one of those. If you didn’t already know, he first found fame as a fresh faced 16 year old in One Direction.

For 10 years, Ghostpoet has been giving us a blend of music, that he might say is unidentifiable. Not limiting himself to one area has been a stroke of genius and has allowed for his productions to move in and out of the Hip Hop mould and experiment with other mixes to get his creative side across.

Mr Eazi, whose real name is Oluwatosin Ajibade is a 28 year old musician who is bringing his roots from Nigeria into mainstream music in the form of Banku, an afro fusion blend of modern hip hop and trap genres.

It has been 6 years since Porter Robinson’s first album release ‘Worlds’ which catapulted him into the mainstream media.

It is safe to say that the music industry is changing very quickly. It could be argued that it’s not always in the most positive ways, but for others it is.

Lovelytheband released their debut single ‘Broken’ in 2017 and since then have really taken advantage of the publicity. Their initial release saw them top the alternative charts for 9 weeks and gave them an exposure most bands only dream of.

It’s been a while now since we first saw Fleur East, way back on the 2005 X Factor show, when she was part of Addtictiv Ladies. Work followed as a solo artist, but she is probably more familiar as an individual performer on the 11th series of the same show, where she was far more successful.

This North London based group are really something different and refreshing in UK music, with a blend of Indie, pop and even afrobeat to name a few influences you can hear in their tracks.

Demi Lovato first rose to fame in way back in 2002 in Barney and Friends, before the Disney success of Camp Rock shot her further into the world of international stardom.

It would be difficult not to include Liam Gallagher’s review, seeing as both Noel and Liam have released new material within a day of each other.

There’s been a lot of hype in recent weeks about a possible Oasis reunion, and whilst for many people that would be incredible, it must not detract from the fact that both Liam and Noel have new releases with their own solo projects this week.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that Sleep Token are a bit different to your regular band. For starters, they’re clandestinely clad, wearing black from head to toe, faces obscured by masks and black body paint doused on all the parts not quite covered by their robes. 

The Weeknd delves into a polychromatic hyper-reality in his latest rollicking single ‘Blinding Lights’. In recent years, the Canadian singer-songwriter of Ethiopian origin has not shied away from the dramatics, his sound exploring a range of themes, emotions and stylistic forms.

Okay, I’m going to hold my hand up and say before I reviewed this song, I hadn’t come across Trixie Mattel, and hearing Malibu for the first time took me a little by surprise.

It was 2003 when the world first got a chance to hear All Time Low. Their style has evolved over the 17 years they’ve been together and they now boast a full and accomplished catalogue of high profile songs and they tour (a lot), which has kept them at the top of their game as a performing band.

With ‘Love In The Dark’, Jessie Reyez continues along her upward trajectory to achieving global stardom; the single is brooding, emotional and powerful, functioning as the perfect vehicle to stretch out her vocal cords, reveal her vulnerabilities and explore a high-value production aesthetic for the accompanying music video.

Country music is definitely cool again. With lots of young artists leading the way, the genre often finds itself back in mainstream media.

There's a very strong chance you’ve heard Yael Naim’s music before, even if her name might not be familiar. 

For longtime Paramore fans, Hayley Williams’ debut single ‘Simmer’ is well worth the wait. For over sixteen years, Williams has been the undisputed face of the alternative rock act as its cherished lead singer and has essentially grown to become a musical and fashion icon for rock and punk communities all across the world.

The Who, Madonna, Talk Talk, Black Sabbath, Bo Diddley, Queen and Big Country all have something in common with some of their music and James Smith can now join that list - I’ll leave the answer to the end, but it’s not too tricky a puzzle to solve. 

Badly Drawn Boy releases ‘Is This A Dream?’, his first song in seven years.

Prior to ‘This is the Place’ Tom Grennan has released, or been featured on three other tracks that have made it into the top 75 of the singles chart.

Pearl Jam formed in 1990, which means that this year will mark 30 years as a group (29 since their release of their first album).

Louis Tomlinson’s new song ‘Walls’ is the title track of his latest album out next week.

Meghan Trainor is a name you’re more than likely familiar with. All About That Bass was her first major release with manager Troy Carter, and it became one of the fastest selling singles of all time reaching number one in 58 countries - an impressive feat to say the least. 

Ashley McBryde is one of Country Music’s newest stars and the American born artist from Walden, Arkansas has already drawn nominations for tracks on her soon to be released second album, Never Will, which Martha Divine is taken from.

Manchester born GZ Tian is a rising star in English music. He raised a lot of excitement with his 2018 debut single release ‘Laid Back’ and has grown a steady following who have been anticipating more from the young artist.

What’s not to like about Drive-By Truckers. Firstly, the band creates a wonderful image of a group of middle aged men who could bear a slight resemblance to ZZ Top. Secondly, what music are they going to play? Probably a rock theme...

You may think Malka sounds familiar. Perhaps you've heard her music before, or you could know her work from her time as leader of 6 Day Riot.

Tim Chadwick learnt his craft in Dublin’s singer songwriter venues and quickly enhanced his reputation as a powerful songwriter, who wasn’t afraid to put real emotion into his music. Sore Thumb is no different, it is refreshing in the way it tackles personal issues, which the more you read about Tim Chadwick, the more you respect him as a person and musician. 

It's been 7 years since Ella Eyre’s collaboration with Rudimental on the award winning ‘Waiting all Night’, which went on to win the 2014 Brit award for single of the year.

Douglas Dare is a London based singer-songwriter who originally harks from the West Country. With a piano teacher for a father, he was always exposed to music and this helped him develop into one of the UKs most talented multi instrumentalists.

When you get a brief biography of a band and you hear that their influences range from the Rolling Stones to Hip Hop greats, you know you’re in for a great tune.

Artists come and go, and if they stay around for more than 10 years, there’s very often band member changes. Not so much with Little Big Town who have been together for 22 years, and have the original 4 members all still loving their craft.

The Canadian multi-instrumentalist has been around now for nearly 14 years, but a car accident has meant that there has been an understandable hiatusher production for a couple of years.

Gengahr are just about to start a tour which sees them crossing continents, all the way down to Auckland in New Zealand to spread the word of their latest album, Sanctuary, which is due for official release on the 31st January.

Fake Laugh has established himself as a serious contender now as an artist that can compete in the streaming charts with his unique sound and brand.

Billy Ocean has been back in the mainstream public eye more and more over the last few years, making regular radio appearances and still performing his hits around the world.

Ireland can be proud of its contribution to popular music, not just the superpower of bands like U2, but with a huge range of tradition, pop and more eclectic artists, there is a new wave of excitement being created through talented artists who are being given opportunities to showcase their undoubtable talents.

Seafret are a London based Indie-pop duo Jack Sedman and Harry Draper. Originating from Bridlington, their name reflects their closeness to one of England’s coastal towns. Since their first EP release in 2014 they have been consistent in their production of songs that are growing them a loyal army of fans around the UK. 

With four previous UK number ones, an impressive total of 67 weeks in the UK top 10 over their four decade career and over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Pet Shop Boys need little introduction.

British rap has evolved steadily over the last 40 years and is more mainstream now than ever. It's getting young people into a genre of music that they can really relate to.

What's not to like about David Keenan. His journey into music is something of fairy tales - running away from his home in Dundalk in Ireland at the tender age of 17 to find the ‘disappeared’ in Liverpool.

We all want to start the New Year happy, so Oh Wonder’s new release would be the perfect place to start. The alternative pop duo of Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht have released some awesome tracks since their first EP in 2015.

Hannah Grace could soon be ruling the music world with beauty in her music. 

You may not have heard the name of Camden Cox before, but this London based singer is about to get a lot of attention for her style, vocal delivery and natural talent.

The resurgence of folk music, thanks largely to bands like Mumford and Sons and artists such as Ben Howard, has opened the door to many new talents who can now commercially make inroads into the music industry.

If you’re going to have music with rap in it, you have to be able to show passion and anger, and not just with the vocal line - it has to come through all of the musicianship.

With Nomeansno now officially retired, Fugazi on indefinite hiatus and Sonic Youth extremely unlikely to tour again after the acrimonious marital split of Kim and Thurston there’s very slim pickings, gig wise, for those of us Generation X’ers with an affinity for US post-hardcore, indie, noise rock.

Upcoming Irish singer-songwriter Megan O’Neill impressed a London audience on Thursday, marking her final performance of 2019. After a successful year - including opening stadium shows for the legendary Sir Tom Jones, playing at key UK country music festivals (British Country Music Festival, Country 2 Country, Body & Soul) her fans seemed keen for her closing headlining gig at The 229 Venue.

Lana Del Rey finished her USA fall tour on Tuesday night supported by a range of special guests, including Lukas Nelson (son of the great Willie Nelson), former The Walkman frontman Hamilton Leithauser, Nikki Lane and Lissie; the acts were seemingly included to suit the Nashville music culture and crowd, adding a little extra spark and interest to the show. This ultimately invoked a country theme for the event, which seemed to favor the city's music scene.