In the aftermath of its glorious reopening weekend The Talking Heads has once again bravely championed the local music scene with the appropriation of Rock’s most ancient and sacred ritual – a Battle of the Bands competition. Taking place sporadically over the next few months, with two heats in Southampton and six in Portsmouth, undiscovered…
As part of Takedown 2012, the Guitar Central stage saw The Cube turn into a heavy, adrenaline fuelled arena.
Welsh rock band Lostprophets released in January a series of gigs across the UK and Ireland, including a date with Southampton Guildhall on May 2nd. The announcement came after snappy new single ‘Better off Dead‘ was offered for free via the band’s Facebook page on January 6th. The sextet’s fifth studio album, Weapons, was released on April…
Back after a one-year hiatus, the one-day rock and metal festival Takedown returned last month. This year it was hosted by the University of Southampton, and featured a bigger lineup than ever. This review focuses on the performances of the Monster Energy Stage (the main stage), which was located inside Garden Court (also known as…
Impressive performances from the up-and-coming Fixers and All The Young while the Kaiser Chiefs showcased a polished performance, worthy of their status.
After the highly anticipated release of their third album Given to the Wild, fans of The Maccabees, including myself, simply couldn’t wait for them to take it on tour. Before the show, guitarist Felix White said how lovely it is to play in a venue as beautiful as The Guildhall and said how great it is to be…
The line-up for this years NME Awards was certainly a diverse one. The four artists spanned a great variety of genres, ranging from NME cool list topper Azealia Banks’ fast-pace hip-hop via Metronomy’s electronic pop, all the way to the traditional indie of Two Door Cinema Club and Tribes. The combination of such varying artists…
February saw James Morrison’s long awaited return to the stage as he stopped off at Southampton on his nationwide tour. The gig was well received and definitely worth the long wait as fans heard an eclectic mix of singles, originating from his former and current albums. After an hour-long wait, the support act Rainy Boy Sleep…
AIM, Livesoc and Rocksoc came together once again for the annual Roc Party at The Cube, with a lineup that ranged from national major label artists to local indie talent. First up were the university band and unsigned act Ideawake, who mixed bouncing rhythms, tight musicianship and charming vocals into a concoction that did a rather…
Opening with a side-splitting anecdote about having spent the afternoon scouring Winchester’s only council estate for the tell-tale signs of a certain kind of salesman (which he described as a BMW in the driveway), Beans on Toast set the tone of what has to have been one of the most entertaining gigs I’ve been to…
The band show off their potential and skill with an energetic performance at a packed out Cellar.
On March 14th, winner of the Best Female Solo Artist in 2011 at the Brits, Laura Marling graces Southampton’s Guildhall. The English folk musician continues her UK tour, preceding dates around Europe in addition to earning herself a position in the line-up for the hugely anticipated Californian based festival; Coachella. Aged just 22, Marling has…
Brand New are a diverse band. Their music covers a huge amount of genres; from the pop-punk tunes of Your Favourite Weapon to the experimental ballads of Daisy so one would expect their gig to be a journey covering a whole plethora of differing emotions that vary with their music. Unfortunately, it felt like something…
This year the 18th of March sees the return of the Takedown Festival, making its debut at its new home, our own Southampton University. The line-up boasts an incredibly impressive roster of bands currently representing the best the UK underground has to offer. Spread over four stages across the campus, a multitude of artists from…