EDITORIAL COMMENT: Record Store Day 2019 – Was it worth it?

…And so ends Record Store Day for another year.

As with previous events, we enjoyed the build up more than the event itself. There’s a pleasure in perusing the list of releases, wondering if any of your favourite bands will issue a must-have coloured vinyl LP, or keeping your ear to the ground for oddities that might even be too obscure or limited to make the main list. We’ve enjoyed sharing our top picks for the day with fans and readers…and as always, we’ve raised eyebrows and a wry smile at photos on social media of middle aged men who’ve abandoned their families to sit on a fishing stool under a blanket outside of their favourite stores at 6 AM. You’ve got to admire that kind of tenacity – especially on what turned out to be a particularly Arctic April, weather wise.

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ROY SHAKKED – Know Nothing EP

Using the name Holmes, singer/songwriter/producer Roy Shakked released an unmissable covers album – the appropriately titled ‘Covers’ – back in 2011. The following years found him disappearing into a busy schedule of work: a full length album of originals appeared in 2012 and following his relocating to Israel, by 2015, he was became a member of a new band The Bright Wild. Roy’s music continued to be hidden in plain sight over the next couple of years with his compositions appearing on numerous TV shows and adverts in the US and his need to create new sounds eventually yielded a new solo EP in December 2017. Continue reading

Watch: Josh Ritter shares new video for ‘All Some Kind of Dream’

Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter has a new album out at the end of April.  Recorded in collaboration with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, ‘Fever Breaks’ is one of his finest records to date.  Taking in a couple of rockers, a track heavily indebted to moody Springsteen and a whole world of Ritter’s own alt-country charm, it’s a record we think fans will love.

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The Church to make rare UK visit

Australian rock band The Church will be making a rare visit to UK shores in June 2019.  The handful of scheduled gigs are to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their best known album, 1989’s ‘Starfish’, home to the cult hit ‘Under The Milky Way’.

More info about these reunion shows can be found in the press release below.

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Watch the video for Banshee’s ‘Bubble’

Banshee are an alt-rock band from Glasgow.  Taking influences from Paramore, they’ve been creating a very radio friendly pop-rock sound since 2016.

Released to digital platforms at the end of March, their second EP ‘Bubble’ finds the band crafting tighter and even more commercial sounding songs without losing the root of the music that first gained them fans.   

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