Cage The Elephant: Tell Us We're Pretty

Cage The Elephant sound-tracked the majority of my teenage years, walking to school with 'ain't no rest for the wicked' bleeding through my earphones, letting 'cigarette daydreams' run my emotions and ruin my makeup, Unpeeled on vinyl sitting proud amongst my collection, it's fair to say they've seen me through a lot. They were a vital mechanism of my growth and introduction into the world of rock and roll when I first discovered the power of music. Their powerful ballads fuelled my angsty teenage years more than I care to admit.

For Fans Of:  The Wombats, The Vaccines, The Fratellis

Support:  Post Animal, SWMRS

SWMRS are the most aptly chosen support act for a band I've ever seen, perfectly amping up the crowd for the main event, with powerful punk-rock tracks such as 'Lose Lose Lose' and 'Figuring It Out'. Lead singer, Cole Becker, has a wonderful knack for controlling a crowd, 'I'm Moses, you're the red sea... PART!'. Every word he spoke was met by obedient and screaming fans, riling with excitement every time Cage were mentioned:

ARE YOU READY FOR CAGE THE ELEPHANT?

Gengahr: Sanctuary Live Review

Gengahr kicked off a string of UK shows as part of the tour for their new album 'Sanctuary', in arguably the best city they could've chosen to done so, Manchester.

For Fans Of:  Alt-J, Peach Pit, Blaenavon, Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club and Swim Deep

The boys first appeared on my radar in mid-2015 after music store Fopp tweeted that the band would be doing an intimate performance and signing following the release of their debut album. Initially drawn in by the eclectic artwork, filled with intrigue I went on to give the band a listen. Five years, 2 more albums later and here I am, with a feeling almost parallel to that of a proud mother. 

Sanctuary manages to encapsulate a plethora of emotions in a mere 10 tracks, from the Alt-J echoing 'Never A Low', to classic indie banger 'Carrion', back to 'Icarus' which mimics the sound given by their debut album. 

Support: Bessie Turner, Fake Laugh

Bessie Turner: An Interview

This song is called 'Stranger Things', but it's not about the show...

Ahead of her set supporting Gengahr on the first night of their 2020 tour, I had the pleasure of sitting down and having a chat with Bessie Turner, a down to earth independent pop artist from the south of England.  Bessie first hit the music scene with her debut single 'Big Sleep' which went on to be picked up by BBC Radio 1, which lead to a live session on BBC introducing. Turner released her first EP in 2018 titled 22:22, featuring 5 tracks, including her debut single.


Sat on the balcony of Band on the Wall half an hour before she was due to fill the room with song, admiring the stage set up Gengahr had ready for the night's performance, we discussed her new single, upcoming releases and the stories behind some of her tracks.

For fans of: Nina Nesbitt, Birdie, Abbie Ozard