If you look back on what you achieved in your late teens and early twenties with a grimace, it’s probably best to avoid learning anything about Billie Eilish. The first artist born in the 2000s to have a No.1 hit, Eilish was just seventeen when she won all four main Grammy categories with her debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Praised for her creative production and her introspective, thoughtful songwriting, Eilish has rivalled artists twice her age ever since she entered the industry – although admittedly, at that time, said artists would have been only twenty-eight… Billie ..read more

Wireless will take over Finsbury Park once again this summer from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 July. For one epic weekend, the London park will be HQ to a legion of hip-hop, drill, rap and afrobeat legends. The festival has just announced Phase 2, which means a second bill of names (some first-time performers, some returning) joining headliners Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, J Hus and Doja Cat. With only a few months left to go, it’s time to plug into the playlist, brush up on your lyrics and read this handy guide to July’s biggest weekend.   The headliners  Nicki MinajNicki Minaj  The ..read more

A rotating graphic head made up of white dots. 80s-style videogame walk-on music. A warm-up DJ. Welcome to a Porij show. The four-piece are releasing their debut album Teething this week, and after abrupt line-up changes within the band and a reputation that exceeds their physical output, having weathered the path to whatever stability looks like when you’re in a touring band in 2024, tonight they’re in the mood to celebrate. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Porij (@porij_) “‘Guys you’re gonna make me cry, it’s too early. Simmer down everyone,” vocalist Scout ‘Egg’ Moore beams ..read more

It’s 30 years since Wet Wet Wet released ‘Love Is All Around’, which is roughly how long it seemed like it spent at the top of the UK charts. The cover version of The Troggs’ 1967 single was recorded for the soundtrack of Richard Curtis’ seminal rom-com Four Weddings And A Funeral, and went on to spend an incredible 15 consecutive weeks at No.1. An accolade that is still yet to be bettered by another UK artist, it was a song you simply couldn’t ignore nor avoid. You could feel in your fingers, you could feel it in your toes, and you could feel it going round and round and round in your head fo ..read more

Before the release of their seventh studio album EBM in 2022, Editors had been close to calling it a day. “We had just released a Best Of,” reflects frontman Tom Smith, “you’re forced to kind of take stock and evaluate what you’ve been doing. We’ve made three records with Chris [Urbanowicz] in the band and another three with Justin [Lockey] and Elliott [Williams]. Lockdown happened and yeah, we were sitting around thinking about the big things.” Instead, a creative gust ushered in by new member Benjamin John Power (Blanck Mass) allowed the band to lean in closer to their darker and industrial ..read more

“Is anyone thirsty?” Rhys Kirkby-Cox asks a breathless London KOKO crowd. “Thirsty for tequila?” Moments before, the Everyone You Know (EYK) frontman was belting out the riot-inducing lyrics to their drum and bass roller ‘anarchy’. A Prodigy-influenced Delta Heavy collaboration that saw KOKO viscerally explode; complete with kaleidoscopic lighting, a charging circle-pit and a friendly “mosh manager” – easily spotted thanks to his bucket hat and tattoos. Rhys declares his friend is in the crowd to ensure everyone stays safe and has a good time. There’s no doubt they succeed in this endeavour ..read more

Despite being one of the most influential and widely-owned albums of the last century, there was a period in the mid-nineties where the future of Play, Moby’s fifth and most famous venture, was hanging by a thread.  In fact, following the release – and critical panning – of 1996’s Animal Rights, an homage to the heavy punk and hardcore scene Moby loved as a teenager (and a huge departure from his signature sound, which included 1991’s Twin Peaks-influenced banger ‘Go’), Moby was on the verge of quitting music altogether.  Luckily though, after reported mixing and label ..read more

The buzz behind ‘Espresso’, the latest hit of bubbling disco-pop from Sabrina Carpenter, has got us thinking. Is this grounds for another list? An excuse to have a robust plunge into the moreish blend of music and coffee? It’s only worth a shot. Here are 15 songs inspired by the dark little bean to perk you up for the day, and if you hadn’t already assumed by now, we took some creative licence… ‘Cappuccino’ – MC Lyte An old skool hip-hop head-nodder, MC Lyte heads to the city’s best spot for a cup of cappuccino, but gets caught in the crossfire of rival gangs. It was just a dream, but someho ..read more

Once members of rival bands, it was 41 days into their summer break when high school musicians Deryck Whibley and Steve Jocz decided to join forces. Landing a deal with Island Records at the age of just 19, Ontario’s Sum 41 have been on a wild ride ever since. Rising to prominence in the early 2000s with their debut album All Killer No Filler – featuring ground-breaking hits ‘Fat Lip’ and ‘In Too Deep’ – for the last 27 years the Canadians have expertly straddled the line between pop punk and metal.  Playing some of the world’s best venues, attending prestigious awards shows, an ..read more

Pearl Jam’s three “eras” form an unevenly distributed Neapolitan ice cream: zeitgeist-defining megastars and monolithic rock lifers either side of oddball fugitives from fame. Eras one and two are boldly flavoured slivers, the latter is an oversized slab of strawberry that extends into infinity. The most interesting of the three isn’t the one that placed Pearl Jam on a collision course with Nirvana for the title of Seattle’s most important band. It’s what happened immediately after. The double whammy of Ten and Vs brought overwhelming popularity but also introduced artificially constructed feu ..read more