I somehow got to write about Japanese #hardcorepunk for The Guardian. Chatted to members of Lip Cream, Death Side, The Nurse and Bastard for it. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...

🚨New gig!🚨@creatorvc and I are launching a new newsletter: Flashback! Join us as we explore the genre classics that defined the '70s, '80s, and '90s. This week we revisit Joe Dante's 1984 classic Gremlins, the perfect mix of merriment and mischief! www.letsflashback.com/p/the-gift-o...

For Metal Hammer's 'Best of 2025' edition I had a chat with Leah B. Levinson about Agriculture's brilliant 'The Spiritual Sound' LP for @theflenser.bsky.social and waxed lyrical (albeit in capsule form) about albums by Rwake, Gaahls Wyrd and Castle Rat.

Rules of Discogs no. 4757: if someone asks for photos of a record, there is no way they are genuinely going to buy that record.

Loving the new album from Every Face Becomes A Skull. Punchy, desperate #emo / #hardcorepunk with what sounds like a big Torches To Rome / Rites Of Spring influence. efbas.bandcamp.com/album/be-of-...

Spoke to sword 'n' sorcery doom metallers Castle Rat about their new LP and the trials, tribulations and logistical nightmares of trying to cram an entire fantasy world in the back of a tour van. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...

Looking forward to him clarifying his views on the Crisis / Death In June connection in a nuanced piece for The Sun, five days after the controversy dies down.

I've long felt that the generosity of Cosey Fanni Tutti's work is overshadowed by the 'transgressive' reputation of TG, and that her art / porn actions and music have been rather siloed. It was a pleasure to try and put that straight in this profile for The Observer observer.co.uk/culture/inte...

Dug into the history of post-rock / chamber music act Rachel's with Rachel Grimes, Christian Frederickson, Will Oldham and Corey Rusk. If you only read one article referencing both Squirrel Bait and Arvo Pärt this year, make it THIS one. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/s...

Band photos where no other member is holding an instrument, but the drummer INSISTS on holding their drumsticks.

Did a supremely fun interview with GWAR's Blöthar the Berserker for Metal Hammer a lil while back, and it's now online. We discussed parenting advice, cleaning tips and how they get so many world leaders to take part in their live show. www.loudersound.com/bands-artist...

Mother Nature's 'Loving, Joyful and Free' LP is such a ripper. Weird, untethered hc that mixes up the hip-stomp primitivism of Negative Approach with the snarky weirdness of early Tar Babies. Yeeha. #punkrock #hardcorepunk collective-zine.co.uk/2025/08/02/m...

Debut from MOVINGDIGGINGTEETH is a solid slab of fast, blasting hardcore with hints of Floridian swampiness. Feels like a debt is being paid to the output of 625 Thrashcore, Slap A Ham and Bovine Records. #hardcorepunk #fastcore #powerviolence #sludge collective-zine.co.uk/2025/07/25/m...

Split System and Les Lullies share a sweet lil slice of 7" vinyl, with both bands boshing out some pretty fantastic garage punk. #punkrock #garagepunk #hardcorepunk #garagerock collective-zine.co.uk/2025/07/24/s...

Reviewed the new Pharaoh Overlord album for @thequietus.com. It's a wonderful, hymnal slice of stoner-kosmische for fans of Om, Daniel Higgs, SUMAC and (of course) Circle. It's out now via @rocketrecordings.bsky.social. #stonerrock #drone #krautrock #heavymetal thequietus.com/quietus-revi...

Another damn fine slice of melodic punk from Moving Targets - heartily recommended if you dig Hüsker Dü, Wipers, Arcwelder, Sugar and all that good stuff. #punkrock #hardcorepunk #postpunk collective-zine.co.uk/2025/07/21/m...

Meatwound's 'Macho' LP is a thoroughly enjoyable chunk of gnarliness that mixes up #hardcorepunk, #sludge and #noiserock. Recommended for folks who dig Unsane, Condominium, Rabbits and all that good stuff. collective-zine.co.uk/2025/07/23/m...

One cool track apiece from two UK acts. Every Face Becomes A Skull are a bit revolution summer, a bit Sarah Kirsch and a bit spiky 90s US indie. Fuzzy Heart have a Sebadoh / Pixies thing going on, which I can also get behind. #punk #emo #posthardcore efbas.bandcamp.com/album/tour-s...

Earlier this year The Coming Strife put the Four Winds Away demo out on vinyl. It's a grand slab of turn-of-the-century metalcore, admirably skirting between brutality, melody and overblown pomp. #metalcore #emo #hardcorepunk #angelcore collective-zine.co.uk/2025/07/07/f...

The Coffin Mulch / Mick Harris collab is brilliantly weird: works for fans of The Body, Sightless Dog etc. but also makes me think of that colourful patch that gave us acts like Scorn, GOD, Blood From The Soul etc. #deathmetal #industrial #noise #grindcore collective-zine.co.uk/2025/07/02/c...

Book telling the history of Laughing Hyenas? Yeah, I'm here for it. www.jcardpress.com/shop/p/laugh...

Jenn D’Eugenio is frickin' cool, and I love this interview that @spinal-bap.bsky.social did for Discogs about her ongoing obsession with Black Sabbath's 'Master Of Reality'. www.discogs.com/digs/feature...

Spoke to two of the minds behind BBC2's Moviedrome, which was less a film show than an initiation into a weird, wonderful secret society. Here began my love for films like The Terminator, Q – The Winged Serpent or Le Samouraï #cultfilm #horror #scifi #filmnoir www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

Lovely news that there's a Policy of 3 vinyl discography on the way. #emo #posthardcore #punkrock stonehengerecords.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-15

Belated review of the Underdark CDEP, which is a thoroughly decent slice of turn-of-the-century screamo. FFO Level Plane, Hand Held Heart, Blood Of The Young and suchlike. #emo #screamo #punk #hardcorepunk #skramz #posthardcore collective-zine.co.uk/2025/07/01/u...

Wrote about the debut album from Osmium for @thequietus.com, which features Oscar-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, sound designer Sam Slater and chaps from Emptyset and Senyawa. It is honestly quite a thing. thequietus.com/quietus-revi... #drone #industrial #noise #doommetal #experimental

A lil while back I interviewed Kuunatic for Metal Hammer: a band whose music encompasses psych, folk, drone and traditional Japanese instrumentation. It's up online now. #psych #folk #drone #experimentalmusic #psychedelia #kuunatic www.loudersound.com/bands-artist...

New Class Tourists EP is a real rager: sneering, scrappy, political hardcore that reminds me of Blitz, Toxic Reasons and Articles Of Faith. | #punk #hardcorepunk #postpunk collective-zine.co.uk/2025/06/25/c...

The debut LP from Hubert Selby Jr. Infants offers up a hearty mix of crunchy noise-rock and blurry melody, a la Arcwelder, Jawbox, Swervedriver and Sugar. #noiserock #punk #posthardcore #hardcorepunk #indierock collective-zine.co.uk/2025/06/19/h...

New Haress LP is absolutely wonderful. A hypnotic, immersive piece of work FFO Lungfish, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Slint. Review via @thequietus.com here: thequietus.com/quietus-revi... #folk #postrock #ambient #indierock

Few nicer surprises than new music from Nina Nastasia being out there in the world. ninanastasia.bandcamp.com/album/songs-...

Grim Harvest demo is great - an ugly, feral mix of screamo, death metal and black metal from folks who've been in Battle of Wolf 359, Savage Realm, Jackals, Meandgoliath, Crows An Wra etc. #screamo #hardcorepunk #emo #metalcore grimharvest.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2...

Burned into my brain: Fugazi at The Forum x3 Total Control squat gig The Hellacopters + The Hives at LA2 Low at the Union Chapel, 2001 Converge + Canvas, upstairs at the Garage The Monks at the Boston A Silver Mt Zion at Clintons, 2004 Electric Chair at NRS Lungfish at the Underworld + Freebutt

Can't believe these little idiots have the brass neck to call themselves 'deer'.

Bad Breeding's 'Blood Manifest' EP is a cracker: three scabby anarcho punk rippers and a fuggy, drawn-out nightmare that has a Dystopia-n sense of sickness about it. #punksky #coresky #hardcorepunk #anarchopunk collective-zine.co.uk/2025/05/21/b...

This is the story of Dolly Mixture. The original girls who play in a band. ‘Teenage Daydream’ by the absolutely divine Debsey Wykes is out 25-09-25 What a joy. RT:tinyurl.com/3cf7y4r2 M:tinyurl.com/78z94zrr HMV:tinyurl.com/yz77z22f R:tinyurl.com/p5wmy5wr

"What if Rocky fought a giant space armadillo?" Cracking piece on Peter Manoogian's interstellar slugfest, Arena, courtesy of @adamfleetwriting.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

The Last Bias LP is a tasty blast of taut, tangled emo / post-hardcore - very much recommended if your tastes run to bands like Drive Like Jehu, Policy Of 3 and The Red Scare. #punksky #coresky #emo #posthardcore collective-zine.co.uk/2025/05/19/l...

Oh I agree, the detail work that's been applied to these interdimensional ghouls is just exquisite.

The demo from Welsh power violence act Loach is a gnarly blast that nods to the likes of Crossed Out and Godstomper... #hardcore #powerviolence #punksky #coresky #punk collective-zine.co.uk/2025/04/25/l...

New Picket Wounds EP is a neat, gnarly dose of crusty, sludgy hardcore. #coresky #metalsky #punk #sludge #hardcore collective-zine.co.uk/2025/04/23/p...

New Industrial Puke album is a satisfyingly feral blend of crust and death metal. Review up here: collective-zine.co.uk/2025/04/21/i... #deathmetal #coresky #metalsky #punk #hardcore

I am usually all over whatever The Last Survivors release, so it somewhat grieves me that I was only lukewarm to their side of this new split. Vaxine, thankfully, pick up the slack. #punk #hardcore #coresky #punksky #uk82 collective-zine.co.uk/2025/04/10/v...

Spoke to Paula and @davelombardo.bsky.social for Metal Hammer. Discussed the new Venamoris album (out via @ipecac.com), how the duo's work is evolving and Paula's journey back to making music. Because I am an inveterate nerd, I also mentioned Swing Kids. www.loudersound.com/features/pow...

Earlier in the year I had a lovely chat with Divide & Dissolve's Takiaya Reed for Metal Hammer. We talked about writing her first symphony, and how that process connects with her new record for @bellaunion.bsky.social. #dronesky #metalsky #doomsky www.loudersound.com/features/how...

Split System are one of my favourite punk band's right now. Songs that punch you in the heart and lodge in your head, played with world-is-ending abandon. Review of their latest 7" here: collective-zine.co.uk/2025/03/20/s... #punksy #coresky

Rwake's 'The Return Of Magick' offers up an epic and compellingly bleary mix of doom, psych and backwoods mysticism. Review up here... #metalsky #sludgesky #doommetalsky

New Rothadás LP is absolutely brilliant: huge, slurping death-doom with just the right amount of heraldry. Review up here: collective-zine.co.uk/2025/03/28/r... #metalsky #deathmetalsky

Reviewed the new Earth Ball album for @thequietus.com. Out now on @upset-the-rhythm.bsky.social, Actual Earth Music is a joyous, intimidating, brain-melting release blurring together psych, noise and free jazz. Best avoided if you have a bit of a headache. thequietus.com/quietus-revi...

Emo revisionism has just gone too far now.