REAL GONE GOES OUT: The Utopia Strong – Ramsgate Music Hall, Ramsgate, Kent 18/10/2025

It’s approximately 8:45 on a Saturday night in Ramsgate. A crowd are gathered outside of the Music Hall, and in the venue’s lobby area, various people are milling around in a frighteningly compact space. Even before getting to the gig area, there’s a feeling that this is one of the Music Hall’s busiest nights.

Everyone’s out to see The Utopia Strong – a trio made up of Kavus Torabi (Knifeworld/Gong/Cardiacs), Michael York (Current 93) and 80s snooker legend Steve Davis – who’ve just released a new album. ‘Doperider’ has been well received by those occupying the more “cult” corners of the online press, and those who’ve seen the band before know how special the live experience can be, so this is a night that has a lot riding on it even before the musicians take the stage.

Continue reading

MEGAFAUNA & HOMESICK GHOSTS – Nature Is Healing EP

An array of inaudible voices greets the listener at the beginning of this EP, almost as if eavesdropping on a field recording of train station announcements sourced from a damaged cassette. With the arrival of a repeated three note keyboard riff lurking beneath a world of ambient sounds – ranging from something that sounds like the rhythmic clatter of trains on tracks, to noises that evoke imagery of workmen shifting huge piles of rubble – it’s clear that this listening experience will be more about creating a mood than enjoying any “traditional” music.

Continue reading

ROBIN GUTHRIE – Astoria EP

The follow up to Robin Guthrie’s ‘Atlas’ EP (released in July 2024), ‘Astoria’ presents four more very laid back instrumental pieces which not only show off the one-time Cocteau Twins’ composer and guitarist’s talents, but really add new depth to his solo work. Three of its four tracks aren’t especially immediate, but in time, all of the musical sketches will feel as essential as anything from Eno’s classic years, or those fantastic discs by Jansen Barbieri Karn.

Continue reading