In Depth by Dom Gourlay
“I think there’s a difference between tact and lies. People tend to mistake one for the other. I want everyone’s tact turned off. I think if that happened people would just do what they actually wanted to do, say what they wanted to say, rather than say what they think they should say because it’s more tactful, whether they believe it or not.”»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Much maligned in the 80s, new romanticism looks set for a resurgence. Plastic Heroes certainly think so...»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Atticus are an 18 month old four piece from Loughborough (via South Yorkshire). If you like grandiose, melodramatic guitar epics they might just be residing up your street...»
In Depth by Dom Gourlay
They may be the sons of legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb, but thanks to three critically acclaimed albums, The Webb Brothers are managing to carve their own names into rock'n'roll's JD and coke drenched annals.»
In Depth by Dom Gourlay
Already cast as being "the most exciting new band in the UK" by a rapidly growing number of devotees, Lincoln's 22-20s are currently forging the most spontaneous mix of blues and rock'n'roll since Mick Jagger learnt how to say "I used to love her, but it's all over now" in a pseudo Cockney-Texan drawl.»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Every once in a while, an album comes along that provides aural shock therapy and leaves you gasping with exasperation for days after. When that record is the artists' debut, then what else can you do except marvel at it's greatness?»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Nottingham based five-piece's first demo recording.»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
With guitars being back in fashion, and the emphasis purely focused on songwriting, it's to be expected that 9/10 new demos arriving through the post will be made by a bunch of young upstarts proclaiming themselves to be undiscovered rock gods in waiting.
With that in mind, I undid the packaging to this CD with s»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
"Sugar and spice,isn't it nice, luring disco dollies to a life of vice..." sang Marc Almond almost a quarter of a century ago, blissfully unaware that his words wouldn't go unheeded in places as far and wide as downtown Brooklyn.
It's hard to envisage whether Motormark were even born w»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Sometimes apathy can spoil a good thing...
Or at least that's my way of thinking after witnessing tonight's surprisingly poor turnout. Particularly as it was for one of Bob Fairfoull's first public outings south of the border since his acrimonious split from Idlewild earlier this year.
Funnily»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Fasten up your jackets, air those woolly socks and scrape the dandruff out of that Stussy ski-hat. Winter's on its way folks and there's nothing you can do about it, 'cept maybe live in Airport Girl's perennial summer world where dark nights don't exist, ice is for chilling soft drinks and Frosty The Snowma»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
And so the US indie circuit's fascination with all things 1979 to 1988 continues, as by the end of the first verse of 'Jenny', we've had the obligatory Cure guitar hook, XTC bass riff, and David Byrne soundalike frontman while Kim Deal hums 'Echo Beach' in the background, and y»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Vive la revolution!
They say it's grim up north, but they sure as hell didn't tell the cold souls of Wakefield, and as for the lads from Leeds...well...it's business as usual... unless your name's Woodgate or Bowyer, in which case a trip up the A1 might do the trick. But that's »
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Quirky voices, off-kilter guitars, oh so cleverly referenced lyrics – all sound familiar? Right. Err, wrong, see it’s not Mark E Smith and the latest Fall line-up, although I’m sure this Welsh trio won’t have any complaints being likened to such an incongruous institution as the Mancunian anti-hierar»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
It’s not very often that something comes along, immediately grabs you by the ears and literally DEMANDS your attention, particularly when that “something” has crossed the Atlantic and admits to being influenced by quintessentially English artists – y’see when the Yanks get it wrong, they seem to be t»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
When Robin Hood (allegedly) took on the Sheriff of Nottingham and the County's aristocracy some 700+ years ago, he probably wouldn't have bargained for 2000 people singing "Don't give me love, I want none of that stuff cos it's your MONEY I'M AFTER BABY!".
Likewise, when Miles Hun»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
What would be your ideal soundtrack for the summer?
Mine would probably include the obvious suncharmers like the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations' and Groove Armada's 'At The River' spiced with the blissful comedown of My Bloody Valentine's 'Soon' and Spacemen 3's 'Rollercoaster', »
Review
by Dom Gourlay
The story of Pete Best seems to have been repeated ad infinitum since 1963, and I'm sure the likes of Glen Matlock, Keith Levine, Andy Couzens, Siobhan Donaghy and Stephen Duffy have their own stories to tell about how they were unceremoniously dumped prior to their former bandmates' ascent to megastardom.
Joh»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
It's amazing what a bit of television coverage over the Glastonbury weekend can do.
Just over six months ago, the Polyphonic Spree played here to little over 200 aghast spectators, yet a few features in the daily press later and every man and his dog appears to be sporting ridiculously oversize»
News
by Dom Gourlay
Brighton's most famous Cramps-aspiring ghouls The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster have been forced to cancel their show at Mansfield's Mill venue on Friday 4th July due to "a sudden bout of illness" amongst certain band members.
The show was originally planned to coincide with The Mill's firs»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
A geeky Mancunian by the name of Steven Morrissey once said “Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…”, and while I’m in no way insinuating that Leeds-based four piece Fulc sound anything like the undisputed champions of 1980s indiedom, there are several moments on ‘Biting Insomnia’ where de»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
The word "change" is supposed to synonymous with the word "improvement", so in that case how come the term "Indie Pop" has moved from being a description of sensitive, gentile yet left of centre songwriting to implying everything that's wrong with modern culture, namely lads in designer clothes thr»
In Depth by Dom Gourlay
BRITISH SEA POWER are one of those bands who seem to have sprung up on the blindside, virtually unnoticed by the governors at IPC yet revered by an increasing number of adoring fans who have thrown their Stereophonics t-shirts in the bin, choosing instead to don military gear just like their heroes»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
So it's another hot summer night in June and Toby's still at large while Steph lies on her death bed and Sissy's packing her case to leave the Elstree wendy house for one last time and...
...Donna, the one who got sacked by Elastica for shooting up too many times finally »
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Thank God for unpredictability!
At a time when 99% of the demos I get to hear sound like bad copies of the Manics or The Strokes, or worse still, Nirvana wannabees, it makes a change to hear something that musically sounds like Ginger Wildheart fronting Menswear!
I kid you»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Before I mention anything about this song, let's get one thing straight - country and western music can NEVER, EVER be considered cool by anyone under the age of 60 (unless of course you had the misfortune to be born in Burnley or some other redneck outpost).
There are probably a thousand and one reasons why, but»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Sir Winston Churchill once said “We will fight them on the beaches…”, which in a parallel universe where Mansfield is a seaside town, could have some bearing on the air of antagonism seeping through the streets of this nondescript outpost.
Except of course, that dear old Winnie pro»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
It's 1987 and 'Catchphrase' is on the telly, so I look at the guide for the local cinema but all we've got is 'Flashdance', so I listen to the radio and there's Johnny Hates Jazz giving me 'Shattered Dreams'...
But what's this I hear?
Some kind of Tom Hanks soundalike in 'Radi»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Boy this is loud!
We're only twenty seconds in and already les Flames! are inciting aural anarchy - "We got the rock, we got the roll, we got the sound to get you excited!" and then...whoosh!!! High speed chainsaw buzz guitars and high pitched throat crunching screams combine to produce the most ins»
Review
by Dom Gourlay
Tonight I've been glued in front of the TV, watching the Eurovistic cringeometer rise to 4,000 (and let's face it, Austria should have won for turning Fred Durst into Antoine De Caunes over a three-minute breakfast cereal commercial).
Unlike their football teams, the Italians did fuck all, al»