When Southern rock and folk artist Jason Isbell spoke to The Fix in January of 2016, he had already been dubbed – on the back of 2015 album Something More Than Free – “arguably the most revered roots-rock singer-songwriter of his generation” by Rolling Stone Magazine. It was quite the coup for our little website to ensnare an interview with a musician held in such high esteemed. These, however, are different days. In the near nine years since, Isbell is an established force in American music, acquiring six Grammy Awards, and an attendant notoriety that has gleaned a fledgling acting career whi ..read more

It was a Pitchfork article from August 2020 that has led me here to the Americana folk rock group’s sell out show at Strange Brew. In that piece, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes declared The Felice Brothers his favourite band and announced his being awestruck as to main singer and songwriter Ian Felice’s lyrical aplomb. Oberst is no slouch himself; he achieved something of an apex of elegant wordsmithery in 2005 magnum opus I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning, and was voted Rolling Stone magazine’s Songwriter of the Year in 2008. Such endorsement bodes well.  Tonight’s opener ‘Wonderful Lif ..read more

The Libertines leaned into their mythos of old-timey English romanticism when Vera Lynn’s ‘Well Meet Again’ and ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ opened the curtain to their previous visits to the academy in 2015 and 2019. This time it’s quite different – and distinctly un-British – as Creed Bratton from the US version of The Office grabs a microphone and intros the band. It’s a surreal moment, particularly considering that Bratton is required to tell a mostly baffled audience who he is in the first place. The Libertines of 2024 march on to the stage; a sharp looking Carl Barat is suited and booted ..read more

As ever, Forwards Festival brings a heady dose of late summer frolics – the final throws of festival season tinged with a hint of melancholia as those involved celebrate the end of another sunlit cycle. Traders make their final sales before packing up their wares for winter storage. Musicians run through their summer setlist one last time before going on hiatus to plan for a new album and a new tour. The revellers soak up as much sun, music and expensive tinned booze as they can before the autumnal nights draw in. Forwards, now in its third year and a well-established part of Bristol’s musical ..read more

The August Bank Holiday weekend of 2024 will hopefully be a significant marker in how live music events can engage with the global climate crisis and enact a substantial reduction of carbon emissions at future events. Tonight, at a 30,000 strong headline performance on the Downs, hometown heroes Massive Attack have embarked on the admirable feat of attempting the lowest carbon footprint ever for a one day music festival. In 2021, the group commissioned a report by decarbonisation specialists Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and subsequently proposed a roadmap to ultra-low carbon emi ..read more

After its former incarnation as Downs Festival, starting in 2016, next weekend sees Forwards Festival back at the Downs for its third year. Reverting back to its Saturday and Sunday format (2023 was hosted on Friday and Saturday), a packed line up of thirty plus acts will play across three stages over a two day feast of live music. Headlining Saturday night on the West Stage is South London hip-hop star Loyle Carner. Having appeared on the Downs Festival’s smaller stage in 2019, Carner’s placing at the top of the bill at this year’s festival is testament to an impressive career ascent in the y ..read more

There’s something of an end-of-the-party feeling in the air as the 90s alt-rockers take to the amphitheatre stage. The Ohio band’s set provides the finale to a full Sunday line-up, featuring two stages and a dozen acts, at this year’s Bristol Sounds. It’s the last performance of this year’s event and the closing gig of a seven date UK tour in commemorating the 30th anniversary of 1993 album Last Splash. It’s also the final day of festivities over at Worthy Farm where, yesterday evening, The Breeders nailed a sprightly 18 song set on the Park Stage. Seemingly, the only thing subverting the vibe ..read more

After headline shows by Skindred and Gentleman’s Dub Club last week, and James Arthur and BUSTED over the previous two nights, the reformatted Bristol Sounds stands on the precipice of an unprecedented second weekend. The growing sight of the goth-like, emo-esque aesthetic of dark clothing, fishnet stockings and black eyeliner among the harbourside patrons is an indication of alternative rock band Placebo’s enduring cult appeal. Tonight is the only sold out show of this year’s event. However, with latest album Never Let Me Go garnering critical praise upon its release in 2022, this may not be ..read more

Called up as an eleventh hour substitution at this year’s Dot To Dot Festival, Prima Queen’s thirty minute set of hummable choruses and effectively twinning vocals at Strange Brew that evening, felt like a somewhat fortunate happenstance. In discovering that the transatlantic best pals – Kristen McFadden hails from Chicago while Bristolian Louise MacPhail is on home turf – were supporting Birmingham indie popsters Swim Deep, a novel thought sprung to mind: “Why not go and review a support act for a change?” Thus, I find myself in Rough Trade’s intimate back room for the slightly-earlier-than-u ..read more

“You know, I sometimes think about retiring” says Richard Hawley one song away from this evening’s three song encore, before asserting that it’s audiences like tonight that make him want to keep going. The 57 year old singer-songwriter and guitarist is now in his fourth decade as a recording artist but, in baring witness to tonight’s show, one hopes that his long musical journey – starting with his membership of The Longpigs, and later, a brief stint in Pulp, two Mercury Prize nominations and eight solo albums – will continue for decades more. Hawley strides on to the stage with his five ..read more