Gwenifer Raymond's Tiny Desk Concert is borderline ridiculous in its virtuosity and wonderful. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ2E...

Thinking of Antarctic Monkeys, Kazabian and the Clone Roses at this difficult time. ("Iconic"? Sod off. If anything the set-up it replaced was nearer the term) www.leicestermercury.co.uk/whats-on/mus...

Our Sunday Leicesterval headliners/stars @bugeyemusic.bsky.social have announced their second album (The Shape Of Things, 15th May) and a banger of a dark electro single. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PreN...

Our new album is out today! 'The Lost Score' is a collaborative album with classical-jazz pianist Meg Morley and is out now on red vinyl via Lo Recordings. Six years in the making 😅 Thanks for hanging on in there! X haikusalut.bandcamp.com/album/the-lo...

Going to do a Q1 playlist very soon but mary in the junkyard really are securing their place as a subtly special band. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYWF...

Leicesterval favourites and Riotous Collective emissaries @velvetcrisis.bsky.social have released their debut EP. The sweary one is indeed included. velvetcrisis.bandcamp.com/album/there-...

Listening to Angine de Poitrine.

Also, isn't this MEMORIALS single excellent? Pro tip for submitters: we love us some droning organ. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGof...

Should have posted this the other day, but Leicesterval local heroes Velvet Crisis just released their second single. velvetcrisis.bandcamp.com/track/dark-a...

My Best Unbeaten Brother (ex-Nosferatu D2/Superman Revenge Squad) are releasing a new single every month, and the latest is just as good as its title. mybestunbeatenbrother.bandcamp.com/track/psychi...

Leicesterval 2026, then. Apologies to everyone we gave second hand anxiety to on Saturday night, but it all worked out very well in the end. Thank you to all the bands, everyone who came, to Nik on sound and everyone at Firebug. Leicesterval 2027 is in the books for February 27th & 28th...

Jemma Freeman & the Cosmic Something can unfortunately no longer play Leicesterval tomorrow due to ill health. We are endeavouring to find a replacement.

Our new album is streaming everywhere. Check out Bandcamp for hi-res download, lyric booklet, limited-edition CD and new merch. projectoverload.bandcamp.com

Leicesterval news: unfortunately Schande have had to pull out through illness. The Marlinas, another Riotous Collective graduate, step in as openers. A few other notes on our other socials, but the key one is TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE (as they will be on the door both days) wegottickets.com/f/16033

Leicesterval update soon, but in the meantime listen to this, noisy disco-post-punk fans. goodnewssheffield.bandcamp.com/track/tanzivat

Do like the way Toronto's cootie catcher mix barbed jangle with what sounds at times like the audio file malfunctioning. www.youtube.com/watch?v=A86Y...

Four days away from Leicesterval now, so here are the all important stage times. We expect to finish at latest around 10.30pm on Saturday and (in terms of live music) 8.30pm on Sunday. Right now there are sixteen Saturday/weekend tickets and too many Sunday tickets left. wegottickets.com/f/16033

We promised a while back that we'd be posting more on here about favoured new music, and then didn't. So here's a rough list of the tracks we've most enjoyed in the last few weeks.

With nine days to go there are at time of writing EIGHTEEN Saturday/weekend tickets for Leicesterval left (would also appreciate more Sunday sales, ta) wegottickets.com/f/16033 Also, please welcome Coventry slacker indie-rock trio Trust Club to open Saturday.

Unfortunately Mayshe-Mayshe has had to pull out of Leicesterval for health reasons. Replacement TBC.

Finally down to twenty tickets remaining for the Saturday Yeah Yeah Noh are playing on: wegottickets.com/f/16033

Always surprised Urgh! A Music War, filmed in 1980 and released in 1982, isn't better known/available. Live Police, OMD, Bunnymen, XTC, Dead Kennedys, Go-Go's, Steel Pulse, Numan, Magazine, Au Pairs, Joan Jett, Cramps, Devo, Pere Ubu, Gang Of 4, UB40, Klaus Nomi... www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-8y...

Are we all bemused by PinkPantheress doing The Weakest Link? Apparently major pop stardom now puts you on the same level of general public fame as John Hartson.

Loose Articles have supported the Foo Fighters, New Order and Gang Of Four, and now they're headlining the Sunday of Leicesterval. Ticket link (live music ends before 9pm on the Sunday): wegottickets.com/f/16033 @bugeyemusic.bsky.social @thecosmicsomething.bsky.social @knittingcircle.bsky.social

We see a new Mclusky track (from an EP due 20th March), we post it. Simple. www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2OO...

Playing at @sweepingthenation.bsky.social's LECIESTERVAL weekender at the end of the month!

@jetstreampony.bsky.social's 'schrammelig' luminous take on power-pop and post-punk headlines the Saturday of Leicesterval 2026 in less than four weeks' time. Also featuring @jyotimishra.bsky.social @junkwhaletheband.bsky.social 28 Saturday/weekend tickets remain: wegottickets.com/f/16033

Produced by James Murphy. soundcloud.com/rip-magic/5w...

I hadn't intended to make new music recommendations a weekly thing, but with "other stuff" that's how it's turning out so far. So... www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNH6...

If you're going to Winter Sprinter at the Lexington, keep an eye out for our lovely Leicesterval flyers. If you're not: wegottickets.com/event/676095

They haven't even been away for very long but it's still great to have @fightmilkband.bsky.social back. Beefier, too, maybe closer to their live power. fightmilkisaband.bandcamp.com/track/sounds...

Quick thread of stuff we've liked in the last week. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt2U...

ROUGH TRADE EXCLUSIVE! KOKO EXCLUSIVE! INSTANT SELL-OUT EXCLUSIVE...LY SORRY!

🍅NEW DOUBLE SINGLE OUT TODAY!🍋‍🟩 Lime n Soda + Old Tomato are out now! Stream them everywhere mostly (not sp*tify), or buy from bandcamp! We recorded these over a lovely sunny weekend in May last year at the hut!

Reminder that Bowie's death was announced at 7am GMT on 11th January, so you didn't have any reaction ten years ago today.

Leicesterval news thread: - there are fewer than forty weekend/Saturday tickets left. Every previous year since lockdown the Saturday has sold out by the end of January. Don't let us down. wegottickets.com/event/676095

Memorials - Verity Susman from Electrelane and Matthew Simms from It Hugs Back and Wire - have been around for a bit but I think this might be the best thing they've done. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GTR...

Having been teasing it for ages we finally have Heavenly return album details to share - Highway To Heavenly (good title), February 27th. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdAv...

Ben Parker (Superman Revenge Squad, Nosferatu D2)'s band My Best Unbeaten Brother are setting out to release a single a month. The journey of a million miles (twelve months) begins with this step: mybestunbeatenbrother.bandcamp.com/track/someti...

Yet more press for Leicester's own Unglamorous Collective, featuring Velvet Crisis and Boilers, both of whom are playing Leicesterval in now less than nine weeks' time with plenty of tickets still available (next post) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Melody Maker's tips for 1996. Bit small, sorry.

Happy new year, everyone. There will absolutely definitely be more stuff posted here throughout 2026, and also hopefully at least one of the things we started planning for our 20th anniversary back in April will actually come to fruition for the 21st anniversary.

Time for our annual project listing the most played old Christmas songs of Christmas week across UK radio, as per the airplay chart compiled by Radiomonitor, and seeing how they compare to their position in the same chart this time last year.

NEW BLOG The twenty best albums, in our opinion almost certainly alone, of 2025. sweepingthenation.blogspot.com/2025/12/stns...

NEW BLOG The twenty best albums, in our opinion almost certainly alone, of 2025. sweepingthenation.blogspot.com/2025/12/stns...

NEW BLOG STN albums of the year, 40 to 21. sweepingthenation.blogspot.com/2025/12/stns...

NEW BLOG STN albums of the year, 40 to 21. sweepingthenation.blogspot.com/2025/12/stns...

NEW BLOG And we're off! Albums of the year, numbers 60 to 41. sweepingthenation.blogspot.com/2025/12/stns...

NEW BLOG And we're off! Albums of the year, numbers 60 to 41. sweepingthenation.blogspot.com/2025/12/stns...