Long Reads

After a two-decade hiatus, Birmingham outfit Plone have returned with a new album, ‘Puzzlewood’, and it’s packed with nostalgic vintage synth sounds. So why on earth has it taken them so long?

You will most likely know the name MJ Cole from his dominance of the 1990s garage scene. His latest solo outing, ‘Madrugada’, takes him back to his roots, but not in the way you might think 

‘Howl’, the album from John Foxx And The Maths, seems spookily prophetic given these strange and unsettling times. We talk to Foxx and his Mathematicians – Benge, Hannah Peel and former Ultravox axeman Robin Simon – about heavy electronics, contorted guitars, violent violins, and howling into the void

With its rich rave history, the Bang Face weekender is an aural assault/celebration of all things day-glo and old skool. Just days before the coronavirus shuts down the live music world, we find ourselves at the last party in town

With new album ‘Abolition Of The Royal Familia’, The Orb have taken the blueprint of their 1991 ‘Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld’ debut and given it a 21st century sheen. We meet Alex Paterson and Michael Rendall to talk Eno, ‘The Crown’ and all things orbicular

From his studio on a remote Scottish isle, Johnny Lynch is channelling The Beta Band and serving up his very own life-affirming lo-fi pop as The Pictish Trail

Going down to the woods and big surprises is music to the ears of producer and sonic artist Nicolás Jaar. His audio-visual residency in the Shock Forest went down a bomb, so to speak

With a thoroughly 21st century attitude that mashes up styles, sounds and influences, Parisian three-piece Juniore are producing their own unique take on 1960s French pop

Silent since 2004, the return of Hull’s finest with a brand-new EP is cause for some celebration. Parking up in the nearest hostelry, sit back and enjoy the very good company of Fila Brazillia