"a woozy, tape-warped, scuffed up universe that had me hooked from the opening track" Paul F Cook reviews the "gritty beauty" of 'Brutamonte', the new release from Das Kope. @paulfcook.bsky.social @daskope.bsky.social

LIVE IN PICTURES: KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD (RAVE SET) + KIT SEBASTIAN AT THE WAREHOUSE, MANCHESTER Photographer Ace Cheng captured Australian psych-rock behemoths King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard going modular in Manchester with support from the globe wandering lo-fi-hi-fi Kit Sebastian.

LIVE IN PICTURES: KATHRYN WILLIAMS - ST.PANCRAS OLD CHURCH, LONDON Rupert Hitchcox captured Kathryn Williams at St. Pancras old Church, on tour supporting her 15th studio album Mystery Park.

"the perfect soundtrack for the artists, dreamers, and 9-to-5 rebels among us" Hayley Foster da Silva reviews the "refreshingly authentic" Nervous Twitch and their new album 'The Day Job Gets in The Way'.

"a big, theatrical, pop fandango of a listen" Jo Overfield reviews the 'boundless creativity' of Paul Diello on his new album 'Firework Sky'.

"Like the best watercolourists or oil painters, he captures a sense of landscape beautifully" Paul F Cook reviews the "somnambulistic poetry" of The Flower Press' new album 'Slowdance'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

LIVE IN PICTURES: U.S. GIRLS - EartH, LONDON Joyzine's Lord of Light & Dark, Mat Coffey, trained his noir lens on U.S. Girls at EartH in Hackney on the night before Hallowe'en.

LIVE REVIEW: THE LOVELY EGGS, FRANK SKINNER, POLITE BUREAUX - MANCHESTER ACADEMY The Dynamic Duo of Glenn Cobane (words) and Breige Cobane (photos) were at Manchester's Academy for the "loud & inventive" Polite Bureaux, warm up laughs from Frank Skinner, & the "infectious Lancastrian DIY two-piece"

VIDEO PREMIERE: WHERE WE SLEEP - HEADLONG Hayley Foster da Silva reviews Where We Sleep's "seductive, rousing, and restless" track 'Headlong' and Joyzine readers get a chance to the see the video here first.

“the years may have passed, but the fire is absolutely still there” Hayley Foster da Silva descended to the depths of One Ninety Four in Piccadilly to experience the "vibrant and celebratory" live performance from Wendy James.

"a sonic forcefield against the outside world" Paul F Cook reviews the "understated power of soundscapes" on ff8282's new album 'a thin membrane between her hands'. Released by 4000 Records. @4000.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

“ten femme comedians performed — each wildly different in style, but every one bringing something bold, unfiltered, & hilarious” Hayley Foster da Silva reviews the Bitches in Stitches comedy night creating safe spaces for femme comics & interviews one of the founders Fran Ayala-Rock.

“sound art at its finest” Caroline Low reviews MONO live at The Fleece in Bristol and ponders whether there is a worldwide gong hire service.

"A lot of history is about interesting people been lucky. This is particularly true in the history of finance" Gordon Wallace reviews Val Hamilton's book 'Pirates, Punters, and Politicians: How the Bank of England Was Founded' which makes finance fascinating. Released by Collective Ink Books.

"a three-and-a-half-minute slice of perfect pop" Paul F Cook reviews the "magic-hour warmth" of Adam Ross's new single ‘Drink The First Light’, out on Fika Recordings. @songsbyadamross.bsky.social @fikarecordings.com @paulfcook.bsky.social

"The Singing Loins are, according to themselves, big in Medway and Serbia" According to writer Neil Laurenson 'Camber '87', the new 'Bow Wow Wow meets The Levellers' release from The Singing Loins, "should expand their geographical reach". @neillaurenson.bsky.social

TRACK BY TRACK: DOC HORROR OF ZOMBINA & THE SKELETONES GUIDES US THROUGH ‘IN SINESTEREO’ "the undead have an uncanny knack for longevity" 'In Sinestereo' is a collection of re-recorded rarities from the past twenty-odd years takes in a huge range of musical styles but makes them all work.

"full of clever arrangements & smart touches helps keep the listener guessing" Simon Tucker reviews the "big leap forward" of 'A Soul to Borrow', the new EP from Nick Wilkinson under the name Wilks. Out on Bricolage. @wilksmusic.bsky.social @bricolageg5.bsky.social @situcker.bsky.social‬

LIVE IN PICTURES: THE MOLOTOVS - ELECTRIC BALLROOM, LONDON Rupert Hitchcox was at the Electric Ballroom, London to capture the night’s action as The Molotovs brought their incendiary live show to Camden ahead of the release of their third single, ‘Rhythm Of Yourself’.

"worthy of becoming a yearly tradition for any music lover, not just in Wales" Thomas Hill reports from Cardiff's Sŵn Festival featuring Pushbike, Piss (the talk of the smoking area), Pale Blue Eyes, Gruff Rhys Getdown Services, Babymorocco and Bramwell. Photographs by Charlie Harris.

TRACK BY TRACK: THE SCARAMANGA SIX GUIDE US THROUGH ‘DEARTH’ 'Dearth' is the second album of the bands 30th anniversary year, Paul & Steven Morricone, & Gareth Champion talk to us about tales of browny, purpley, grey songs, songs about writing about songs, & a brief dabble with drum&bass.

NOW & THEN: BRIAN O’BRIEN OF YOUR HETEROSEXUAL VIOLENCE LOOKS BACK AT 1982 Editor Paul Maps talks to Brian O’Brien from the cult psychedelic punk band about 40 years of Your Heterosexual Violence, the reunion, a new album, plus he picked 5-tracks from 1982 & 5 from 2025 for our readers delectation

"This American four-piece from Hawai’i sound like they’ve stepped straight out of a sun-drenched skate park and into your favourite scene from 10 Things I Hate About You." Hayley Foster da Silva reviews 'Welcome to Heck' the new "punchy, honest and gloriously unfiltered" EP from Aura Bora.

"You can hide but you can’t run" Paul F Cook reviews the 1938 French classic film 'Le Quai des Brumes' ('Port of Shadows') now available as a 4K restoration. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"the creativity of Devo, the manic playfulness of The B–52's, and the angular-ness of Franz Ferdinand" Neil Laurenson not only reviews the party starting single 'The Forces of Evil’ and interviews the titular twosome from The Adventures Of Bert & Henry. @neillaurenson.bsky.social

TRACK BY TRACK: MYLITTLEBROTHER – THROWING DARTS AT MAPS mylittlebrother have gone track by track to give Joyzine readers a glimpse behind the music on this collection of "harmony drenched nuggets of indie joy". @mylittlebrother.bsky.social

"as satisfying as a murmuration at dusk in summer" Paul F Cook reviews the mellifluous vocals and soaring strings of Annie Gardiner's new single 'Hero's Hem', taken from the forthcoming album 'Sleeping Dogs'. Released on her own Crystal Fuzz label @paulfcook.bsky.social

"Orchestra Gold harness the energy of their sound to focus everything into a hugely uplifting and joyous whole" Paul F Cook reviews the "rhythmic bounce of African traditional music & riff-heavy punch of psychedelic rock" on Orchestra Gold's new album 'Dakan'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"a seething, funny, defiant epic" Neil Laurenson goes song by song on Pulp's 30th anniversary edition of 'Different Class' and cherishes "the anger, and the hope, and the humour". @neillaurenson.bsky.social

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: THE NOISY – PHILADELPHIA The first in a series with bands on the Audio Antihero label. We jump on the tour bus with The Noisy who show us their Philadelphia as well as picking some of their favourite Philly tracks. Their new album is out now! @audioantihero.bsky.social

NOW & THEN: CHRIS T-T LOOKS BACK AT 2003 Chris T-T was one of the first people reviewed by editor Paul Maps back in 2003 and over 20 years later Chris looks back as his albums 'London Is Sinking' and '9 Red Songs' get a vinyl re-release.

"garage rock with the anger of 80’s post-punk" Paul F Cook reviews the "splashy growl" of Clutter's new single 'Superstar'. Out on the always amazing PNKSLM label. @paulfcook.bsky.social @pnkslm.bsky.social

"a perfect accompaniment to the time of year as it provides the same warmth and golden glow as an open fire" Paul F Cook reviews the "rotational and hypnotic" delight of Julie Odell's new EP 'Disappearing Act'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"Even though it’s a retrospective, every track sounds as fresh and vital as ever" As one of her all-time favourite bands Hayley Foster da Silva was the one to review the "energy, heart and brilliance" of The Subways 20th anniversary edition of 'When I’m With You'.

LIVE IN PICTURES: SAINT AGNES AT THE GRACE, LONDON Photographer Rupert Hitchcox was at the gig to document Saint Agnes bringing pre-Hallowe'en carnage to London.

"another tiny, but perfect, vignette from With Sun, a study on life and how to make it a little more palatable" Paul F Cook reviews the "unforced strength" of With Sun's new single 'Shoebox'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

LIVE IN PICTURES: KIRA MAC, WREX + HELL HOTEL AT ISLINGTON ACADEMY, LONDON Photographer Rupert Hitchcox gets up close and personal with Kira Mac on their 'Defiant' tour with support from Wrex and Brighton's Hell Hotel. #emo #metalcore #altrock

LIVE REVIEW: ECHOBELLY - ELECTRIC BALLROOM, LONDON "the entire room was singing and smiling, & it felt less like a gig and more like a joyful reunion" Hayley Foster da Silva jumped in a time machine to visit her 90s-self & enjoy the timeless music of Echobelly at the Electric Ballroom in London.

"its own trippy trip down memory lane through its use of old recordings and its pastoral-tinged neo-neo-psychedelia" Neil Laurenson reviews 'Stone Tape Theory' the new album from Spincycle. @neillaurenson.bsky.social

LIVE IN PICTURES: JOHN GRANT + LYNKS - NEW CENTURY, MANCHESTER Joyzine's photographic Lord of Light & Dark, Mat Coffey, was at Manchester’s New Century to capture the "golden voice and a sharp wit" of John Grant supported by the "bold and tongue-in-cheek electronic pop" of Lynks.

"Bechdel’s ability to explore her characters’ lives with nuance & depth mixes delightfully with her sense of the absurd" Hannah Boothby was at Foyles in London to see Alison Bechdel talk about her body of work & new graphic novel 'Spent'. @alisonbechdel.bsky.social @someotherthoughts.bsky.social

"a confessional ballad that channels the unease of late-night solitude" So says Pictish Trail of his new single 'Torch Song'. Paul F Cook reviews and also sets out Oct/Nov tour dates. @pictishtrail.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

NOW & THEN: THE SCHLA LA LAS LOOK BACK AT THE MID-NOUGHTIES You can watch the new single 'Up For it' exclusively on Joyzine and we asked the Schla La Las to reflect on their 20 years making music and give us their track choices from 2005 and 2025.

OUR LIFE IN 10 SONGS: PIP BLOM AND WILLEM SMIT Pip Blom and Willem Smit are both in bands, in a relationship & just released their own album under the name Long Fling. They have brought us 10 cracking tracks for our readers to enjoy including Micachu and the Shapes, Parquet Courts & The Breeders.

"stone molecules and earth vibrated by subterranean sound systems" Paul F Cook reviews Llyn Y Cwn's "monolithic, tectonic" dub re-working of his album 'Megaliths'. Out on the Cold Spring label. @coldspringrecords.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"fizzes and crackles with so many ideas that collide and explode into such exciting music" Paul F Cook reviews "the wonderful collage of a relationship" captured on Pip Blom and Willem Smit's self-titled album under the name Long Fling. @pipblom.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"luxuriate in the incredible mise en scène of this stylish romantic thriller with a phenomenal score" Paul F Cook reviews the "Chain smoking coolness & effortless charm" of the 4K restoration of Jean-Jacques Beineix's classic 1981 film 'DIVA'. Released by @studiocanal.co.uk @paulfcook.bsky.social

MY LIFE IN 10 SONGS: PROBLEM PATTERNS Hot off the back of her review of their EP 'Boring Songs For Boring People’, Hayley Foster da Silva chats to Beth from the band about early musical loves, first gigs and 10 songs that they love. EP out on @ilovealcopop.bsky.social

"It has the wide-eyed wonder and gathering momentum of all the best Springsteen songs" Neil Laurenson reviews the "maudlin and ecstatic" joy of My Mercury's new single 'Before'. @neillaurenson.bsky.social

PLAYLIST: HADDA BE SHARE 12 TRACKS ABOUT DESK JOB LIFE With their new single 'New to the Office' now out long time friends of Joyzine Hadda Be have given us a playlist of their favourite office-themed songs to round off the end of our collective working week. joyzine.org/2025/10/10/p...