Beau Turner, Brad Conrad Wiebe, John Corsiga & Zach Fedorowich – also known as Sleep/less, formed in late 2017, with a mission to start a band influenced by the artists they grew up with. In 2020, the band released their song “Laska,” finally shaping the sound they’ve been crafting. Since then, they have been creating an innovative, layered fusion of pop rock and pop punk.
Their latest track, ‘My Serenade’ is a triumph in every sense of the word. With a head banging start, it evokes the best of the nostalgic emotional Pop-Punk feel but in a more modern sense with the lyrics, it makes you want to hear more from this group.
Rating:3.5/5.
Check out Sleep/Less’s latest track, ‘My Serenade’ below.
Another new artist to check out! Looking forward to a mixture of genres we’ve been getting recently, it’s always so exciting to see what new blood has been making waves. Tonight we have a look at the ongoing evolution of some of the country’s leading new wave.
Kicking things off is the 19 year old ALIENBLAZE. After some initial nerves, the singer/songwriter intices us with interesting riffs and high energy to make us stand still and listen to what this one has to say. She channels that inner emo we had growing up with the warmth and appeal we have for the genre.
Okay firstly can we get a Bambie Thug headlining tour? She is ready for it! Now I first saw her support wargasm towards the back end of 2022 and now… we’re in a trance you don’t want to wake from. The hyper pop starlet comes out and her theatrics just take it to another level with her passion as well as the bite in her lyrics. She continues to push the boundaries of a genre that’s all her own and there’s nothing like her performance tonight.
There’s always a theatricallity to Bambie Thugs and always for better makes ear worm tracks that sit and fester in your brain for weeks and months on end. From here, the artist is one that enthrals her audience time and time again. Multiple viewings on a tour are needed for this artist.
Lastly we have the flying high Casseyette. You feel the tension here, but when the music slams in her performance is something else! There’s emotion all over the artists face which mixes with her vocal performance beautifully and from there the connection she has to everyone in the room is constant, interacting with the crowd as she’s fueled by everyone’s energy in the room.
Offering a mix of multiple genres, its the influences that generate the curiosity in this artist, she’s something else entirely in a new wave of artists, she fits the bill for someone who has everything at her fingertips in music. Her music is treated as if it’s old favourites, she’s an unapologetic indulgence that captivates everyone but I will say her set runs a little too short. We’re coming down from that sugar rush too soon and if this is what she’s capable of now, I can’t wait to see what comes next.
With a bang and stage filled nostalgia to where they came from (Seb’s bedroom), Neck Deep return to the UK for a headlining UK tour to re-launch where they left off in England and cause some mayhem along the way.
First to take to the stage, Scottish foursome Happydaze. Now with this roughly being their third ever show, it’s massive to see Neck Deep bringing some newbie’s along for the ride. It’s fantastic to watch some upcoming Pop-Punk take centre stage and see just where the future might lie. While they didn’t steal the show at first (some down to the technical difficulties after a song into their set) they did hit some pretty good strides and found some balance to take with them into the tour, especially since the release of their EP, ‘Underground Summer Sound‘ was released last month. Moving into their set set further, they did find some room to connect with the audience and we hope that that continues on this tour.
With this being a Leeds show, it meant that this was a homecoming of sorts for Higher Power and where they lack the intensity in their energy, the atmosphere of the whole venue turned up a lot for them. Higher Power might not be quite what most would expect where they sound something out of the 90’s grunge era but they have certainly made quite an impression on this crowd. The more heavier aspects of the crowd are one the audience responds to in some ways but their latest release ‘Fall From Grace’ does sound more updated when compared to their older material but that’s not something to be taken lightly. Did it make them more exciting to watch? Yes. Did it being everything up in the venue? Absolutely! Did people respond to them well? One Hundred Percent.
Now for Wargasm, one most exciting acts on the rise in the country at the moment. But they make you wonder, where the hell do they get their energy from? Seriously though, the chaos and extreme nature that makes the band themselves just berates you with banger after banger in a relentless wave of ecstasy. Tracks such as ‘Salma Hayek’ as well as ‘Spit’ go down really well with this crowd who do appreciate the heavier aspects what they have to offer, especially when the raunchier sounding track come out to play… ‘Drilldo’ we’re looking at you there!
It’s inevitable we’re going to see more from the band in the future and after a SOLD OUT UK headlining run of their own towards the end of 2021 as well as appearances at a number of UK festivals in the last year shows the sky is the limit for this band, who will crash through and set an example for what is genuinely possible in music which is a genre of their own making.
Okay so… Neck Deep. Oh my god these guys are so insane to watch. I’ve never seen a Leeds crowd react in such a positive way to a Pop-Punk band. No wonder why they’re favourites ey? It feels as if the band have combined everything that makes them exciting for this setlist (including playing one of their most popular tracks ‘A Part Of Me’) from their early days to the latest record, ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’ shows that they’re not another Pop-Punk band who just writes soppy lovesick hit after hit, they want everyone to enjoy it and reconnect after so long (pardon the crowd collectively crying four tracks into the set for ‘Lime St’) as well as celebrate one another, where ‘She’s A God’ being one track which celebrates the women in the audience.
Neck Deep just hits differently. It’s as if a surge of energy hits in the crowd and then their stage presence just combines with the dizzying spins every member in the band performs in a sight that has to be seen to be believed.
With these final tracks played out (Gold Steps & In Bloom) , Neck Deep always manage to show how much of a lasting impression they leave on the community that has gathered to watch everyone on this lineup.
It’s no secret that the bands are all so genuinely happy to be thrilled to be playing music on a stage again but it’s so good to see them use every ounce of energy in their person to provide one of a show that the audience will be sure to not forget anytime soon as everyone leaves smiling big.
It’s been some months since Slam Dunk Festival, the last time I was able to watch Boston Manor take to the stage and since then, they’ve dropped their latest effort, the EP ‘Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures’ which has some absolutely insane tracks on there and ended up being some people’s favourites of the year. We caught the show with amazing supports from up and comers Jools, the utterly fantastic Movements and the headliners themselves, Boston Manor.
First up were UK based Jools. It was hard to pin them into a corner, genre wise. That’s what I love about some bands, you never know who’ll just intrigue you or make them obsessed on a first time listen and I have to say they’re quite mesmerising. With only a handful of single release under their belts, they’re certainly making strides to be on this tour but it also meant they have a lot to prove. With some great clear vocals and crashing melodies, they’re a band whom I expect to blow up in a massive way on the touring and festival circuits soon. With their tracks being such genre bending curiosities full of political and social issues, it’s no wonder they’re becoming more relevant as well as a band that the audience warmed to over the course of their set.
Movements were just so special to watch. I’d been listening to them for a while now nand certainly wasn’t disappointed by the Post-Hardcore outfit. With their older material off ‘Feel Something’, it was a very energetic and atmospheric set at the same time, which is something that seems impossible for most, but childs play for this band. It was a strange combination I have to point out but they were clearly winning over everyone tonight as the room filled to near capacity where it was an emotional rollercoaster by the time they were finished. Frontman Patrick Miranda got the crowd going again and again, egging them on to become a little more involved than they’d like which kept everyone roused and summoning the energy to have some pits open up. The bar was set by them and needed the headliners to smash through it entirely.
Now Boston Manor were as mental as you might expect from the videos and images you may have seen from some social media. With their set just beaming with massive energy and even bigger mosh pits, not to mention more crowd surfers than this place is usually used to. Being in Yorkshire and them being a Lancashire band did stir a little bit of controversy but they’ve been playing over in Leeds for so long I think the crowd just decided we’ll claim them as our own.
What filled the night was just utter and total carnage, with track such as ‘England’s Dreaming’, ‘You Me & The Class War’ just opening all the wounds in the aggression for the pits to open up in a way we’ve not experienced in a while, with every track gaining more traction on par with every studio version with the scorching melodies of the crowd joining in to keep the unrelenting energy going.
As things start to climax, one of their more recent tracks in ‘Carbon Mono’ hits in a way the others just don’t. The pounding electricity drives the audience into a frenzy before they even take their leave and now we just want more from them. Now that the tour is complete it’s just a matter of imagining what will come next from this band.
Emma Peridot is driven to create music that will capture the hearts of masses, all the while remaining unapologetic about who she is. Her alt-pop sound blends elements of pop-rock and electropop, and her lyrical content examines traditional themes of love, lust, angst and heartbreak, while also getting vulnerable about anxiety, self-doubt, and insecurity. As a young, LGBTQ+ pop artist, it’s all about the journey of documenting her experiences in a way that resonates with all those who feel misunderstood.
‘Could’ve Been’ starts off as your standard melodramatic Poppy noise but then escalates into a more Rock Remix to send chills all the way down your spine. An amalgamation of the fusion to what happens when you have the clashing in the best of both worlds, it’s this that keeps you wanting more and you will but the end of the track.
Less than a year since the release of her debut single, 17 year old Sophie Powers today announces that her debut EP ‘Red In Revenge’ will be released via Set Records on 22 April 2022. The news comes alongside the release of Sophie’s new single ‘U Love it’, which features alternative rapper $atori Zoom and is brimming with the spellbinding energy of Sophie Powers’ unique hyperpop-punk hybrid. She continues to control her artistic vision by directing the accompanying music video for the track and designing her look for the clip (as has been the case for all her music videos).
“The song title ‘U Love It’ alludes to the feminine power that the song itself carries,” says Sophie. “My intentions while writing this song were to prove that you can feel pretty and desirable while feeling dominant and powerful. Even with all of the amazing change happening right now, it still feels like there’s a lot of stigma surrounding the idea that to feel “feminine” you cannot be strong and independent-minded. In the song, both lyrically and performance-wise, I try to embody Megan Fox’s character and persona in “Jennifer’s Body”, a girl-eater who is confident and beautiful. Not saying I’m confident 24/7, but when I do feel good or want to feel better about myself, this song would be the first one I would play. It’s for the girls, gays, non-binary folk, and anyone and everyone in between who needs to be reminded of their power, and who they are!”
Check out the video for ‘U Love It’ below.
Sophie Powers will be touring the UK in support of NOAHFINNCE in September 2022.
The touring dates are below.
UK Tour Dates (supporting NOAHFINNCE): Sept 08, 2022 Birmingham, UK – The Castle & Falcon Sept 09, 2022 Oxford, UK – The Bullingdon Sept 10, 2022 Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy 3 Sept 11, 2022 Leeds, UK – The Key Club Sept 13, 2022 Glasgow, UK – Oran Mor Sept 14, 2022 Nottingham, UK – Bodega Sept 15, 2022 Cardiff, UK – The Globe Sept 16, 2022 London, UK – O2 Academy Islington
Manchester-based artist Heart Of Gold have released their latest single and video, “Bright Lights”.
With transitional themes of dwelling on the past, heartbreak, longing, and acceptance, vocalist Michael McGough reaches for the hand of those who are attempting to navigate their own story’s plot twists. Notes of reminiscing accompany this piece’s overwhelming feeling of moving on and by the end, the idea of starting over doesn’t seem so hard to stomach.
“Bright Lights is a conversation I have with myself about holding on to the reminder of what’s to come,” McGough says on the new track. “Whether it’s leaving a relationship or losing someone yet allowing myself time to grieve while simultaneously focusing on moving forward. Lyrically it demonstrates that despite growing and moving on, you’re still hit with flashes from the past, but you use it to ready yourself for better things.”
Memphis May Fire have announced their seventh album Remade in Misery. The album arrives on 3rd June via longtime label Rise Records.
Regarding the process of crafting the new album, Mullins says, “The last nine months have been such a refreshing journey for us. We knew that releasing singles for this long, without any news of an upcoming album, would come with challenges, but we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. We’re finally at the point of announcing the entire body of work, and I can genuinely say we are just as excited now as the day the first single dropped.”
He finishes, “Remade in Misery is undoubtedly a new season for MMF. We have truly rediscovered who we are as a band through these songs, and we can’t wait to bring them to life on upcoming tours.”
“Our seventh single has arrived and it’s one of my favorite MMF tunes of all time,” shares Mullins. “‘Make Believe’ feels significantly different from the rest of the singles and it offers a whole new flavor that our fans haven’t heard from us before. The song is about enduring so much pain that you feel like you are losing your grip on reality, questioning everything you’ve ever known, and starting to wonder if life is just a simulation. Having had a lot of success with therapy in my own life, I’m a huge advocate for it and I’m excited to announce that we will be donating 100% of the proceeds from the ‘Not the Same’ tee in our merch store to The Refuge Center For Counseling in Franklin, Tennessee.”
Check out the Cover Art, Tracklisting and stream the music video for ‘Make Believe’ below.
Blood & Water Bleed Me Dry Somebody Death Inside The American Dream Your Turn Make Believe Misery Left For Dead Only Human The Fight Within
Imogen Mahdavi may have grown up in humble beginnings, but the East Londoners music has been her escape into an optimistic future with her bright sound. Her poetic songwriting is deeply connected to the feelings ‘we’ve all experienced and haven’t found the words to say out loud’ accompanied by a voice that is something truly unique.
Her soothing calm tone is both self-assured and easy to drift the night away with romanticism. Against the backdrop of soaring harmonies, the dream pop singer has found her own lane carving a sound that is both sensual, strong, and incredibly original. In a new age of uplifting inclusivity Imogen is confidently blending her Iranian heritage into western pop, drawing on dream-like vocal runs, riffs, and horns.
“Late Night Calls” is sensual, vulnerable and sexy. Revolving around heartbreak, the track is brooding and seductive, yet uplifted with unexpected sonics compelling you to dance, with Mahdavi revealing, “In some ways I think I needed to cry it out and dance it out at the same time”. She continues, “It all felt so painful to write and yet all this energy came out in the songs. It’s like my mind didn’t know where I needed to be but my heart knew in a few months of healing I would want to dance and scream and smile again. I just trusted the process.”
Without making any artistic compromises and featuring bold and sexy live horns, Mahdavi expresses, “This is a really exciting era for me. It feels like the start of the artist I’ve been searching to become. Late Night Calls is my first real heartbreak record. I’ve always written about my relationship with myself, my loved ones, and happy romantic memories, but this year tested me. It’s about watching the person you love, moving on with someone new, literally a nightmare of happiness in front of me.”
Imogen has had tastemaker support from the likes of Official Spotify and APPLE editorial playlisting, BBC radio, USA radio, as well as publications like Clash, i-D, Earmilk and Wonderland Magazine.
LA based punk rockers Death Lens released their new single and video “Abrupt”, which will appear on their upcoming album No Luck, set for releaseon April 15th on Secret Friends Music Group. The band has also shared a limited edition 7” version of “Abrupt” exclusively through Smartpunk, available for purchase here. Ahead of it’s streaming release, “Abrupt” received massive airplay on SiriusXM Faction Punk, tied as the #1 most played song of the last 7 days. Apple Music has added the song to their New In Rock and Breaking Hard Rock official playlists, with Amazon Music adding it to their Breakthrough Rock playlist. The song will also be prominently featured in an episode of the MTV series Ridiculousness.
“Abrupt” showcases Death Lens doing what they do best – performing punchy SoCal style punk rock with a style heavily influenced by skate culture, hardcore and social awareness. More aggressive in their songwriting approach than pop-punk leaning peers, the group blends caustic riffs and catchy melodies together with explosive results. The band is proud of their working class, multi-cultural roots and showcase this with lyrics that speak to the hardships of life with an undercurrent of positivity and resilience. The official music video adds a compelling visual narrative to the track and showcases the bands singular personal style.
The band cites the following as the themes of their new single:
“The anxiety of quarantine, Zoom meetings and living in a ‘groundhog day’ type of life during the pandemic.“
Experimental Rock/Metal outfit WYVERN have dropped a new video for their track, ‘Amnesia’.
Speaking of the video the band stated, “This music video is the result of 6 month of intensive work by Elisa Lecourtois. She’s a passionate artist and a good friend of ours, she always wanted to try animation and we thought her drawing style could really fit to a song like Amnesia. It’s a work of collaboration, Elisa did the drawing, animation, storyboard and directed the project. Aurélie, the bassist of the band, worked on all the colors and Laurent, the keyboardist, worked on special effects. We’re so happy that this project came to life and very proud to release this first animated episode of Radiations !”
“Amnesia” is a track taken from the band’s upcoming album “Radiations” due for release via Wormholedeath worldwide.
Set It Off have released their new track, “Who’s In Control,”
“Who’s In Control” taps into a troubling experience that all creative minds encounter: being paralysed by an influx of fear and outside pressures. In Set It Off’s case, the ever-evolving Alternative group sings of questioning who is actually controlling their identities in the midst of expectations for artists to become musical machines. “Who’s In Control” is their third single from their upcoming record, Elsewhere, available everywhere on Friday, March 11th.
Set It Off has been exploring the theme of neon macabre in their latest releases, and “Who’s In Control” is no exception; the single screams the most like a horror movie— almost as though the listener is being chased through a house of mirrors. An unsettling shrill shocks listeners in the opening seconds, leaving them on edge as they’re hit with a suspenseful Pop-Punk sound and lyrics of being poisoned by negativity. A feeling that the band knows all too well, singer/lyricist Cody Carson relays his thoughts about negativity getting the best of him: “everyone loves feeling like they have control over their own life, their own decisions, or their overall destiny, but sometimes outside voices scream so loud at you that they shake you up and make you adjust your path.” “Who’s In Control” thus acts as the band’s acknowledgment of that fear.
Almost Anything Music 