There are very few objective truths in life and I can’t attempt to give one about the meaning of life, or the existence of God, but there is one that I can say with absolute impunity. No song ever has been made worse by the addition of a brass section.  St Paul and the Broken Bones  seem to have been living by this since 2011, swaggering from low-lit streets in New Orleans to glittering speakeasies with little but a trombone and some cigarette stained vocals. Or at least this

The band Seera lives up to their name with the release of their newest single ‘ Akhir Sarkha ’, taking us on a musical journey to explore the ecological issues threatening the earth and its beings. Seera is an all-female quartet based in Saudi Arabia that produces thought provoking music in their native Arabic, through a blend of ancient Arabic sounds with modern Psychedelic-Rock. ‘ Akhir Sarkha ’ is part of a global collaborative project called ‘The Last Scream Initiative’

As we head into the final months of 2025, we're looking back on some of our favourite live moments from the year... Wednesday the first of October was an uncharacteristically warm night for the start of Dirty Nice’s tour. Fitting, really, given they brought their warm Indie-Pop glow to District, playing to an eclectic crowd. The evening opened with two local acts. First up were Snatch , who kicked things off with a burst of loud, Grungy Hard Rock. Guitars snarled and screeche

As we head into the final months of 2025, we're looking back on some of our favourite live moments from the year... Photo Credit: @rtm.shoots.you Our country is headed towards a recession, meaning only one thing, a lack of garages for kids to play music in. Thankfully, in September, Liverpool's District gave all of those with smudged eyeliner and dyed hair a place to scream into a hazy mess of guitars. Opening the night was Pain Program , who came hurtling in like a murder o

On September 19th, what would have been Brian Epstein's  91st birthday, Liverpool celebrated the grand reopening of the Epstein Theatre  (formerly the Neptune) with an evening that honoured the city’s rich musical heritage and promising future. The honour of cutting the ceremonial ribbon fell to Comedian Ricky Tomlinson  before the show began, setting the tone for a night filled with nostalgia. The show commenced with a spirited performance from students at Liverpool Music Ac

After spending five spins around the sun producing ‘happy music for sad people’ the four-piece outfit Adult Leisure are bursting back onto the scene with their jazz-tinged, nostalgia-ridden debut project, ‘The Things You Don’t Know Yet’ . The Bristol alt-rockers are serving up a ten-track run of jangly gems on a well-polished silver plate, garnished with effortlessly cool collaborations with saxophonist John Waugh . It’s an album that oozes with 80s pop influences on standout

Alright (okay) have been around since 2021, since the release of their debut single ‘Coffee’. Since then, their style and sound, and presence in the local music scene has flourished. They are now known across Liverpool for their energetic live shows, praise deemed unsurprising upon listening to their latest EP ‘Decent (Fine)’ . The opening track, largely instrumental, introduces you to the sonic direction of the project, opening with mysterious guitar melodies, before being i

Celtic heritage is once again in a renaissance in the industry, with bands such as The Murder Capital and Kneecap , to Fontaines D.C  and CMAT  proving they should be at the forefront of crowds nowadays. Move aside Ireland, Brògeal , an Alternative Folk band from Scotland are here singing shanties to feel-good tunes in their debut album ‘Tuesday Paper Club’.  Fourteen tracks cover the album, starting strong with ‘Tuesday Paper Club’ , a beginning number chiming in with drums,

Ian Curtis, Mark. E. Smith and Joe Strummer walk into a bar. There’s no punchline to that, they just probably sat and wrote Shame’s new album 'Cutthroat' . You can only really imagine it being written in a bar, in a notebook that’s been forgotten since primary school, the cartoon images blurred by sticky beer rings, smudging the longing for drugs and bright lights into the disgust at politicians and estate agents. The night becomes hazy, as the album becomes brilliant.  Phot

We spend the majority of our evenings hopping between the sweaty basement venues that keep the local scene alive, scouring smaller shows for the best new emerging talent across the north-west. However, every once in a while it’s a good for us to experience the other end of the spectrum and sample the very biggest stars performing in sold out stadiums to get a taste of the shows the bands we cover dream of playing. Photo Credit: @okaynicolita What better opportunity to do this

The Royston Club  have grown steadily over the last two years, cementing themselves as one of the current top indie newcomers. The release of their second album ‘ Songs For The Spine ’ earlier this year saw the Wrexham based foursome announce their biggest UK tour to date. It was in Manchester, a city that’s been central to their meteoric rise, where the boys announced their arrival to the scene.  Photo Credit: Liam Vaughan Shouts of ‘Royston, Royston, Royston’ fill the room

Home Counties  want you to dance with discomfort.Their new album, ‘Humdrum’ , is full of twitchy, body-shaking songs about the world-weary disillusion of Britain’s young. And who can blame them? It’s an absolute shitshow out there. Powerless in the face of increasing social division, media gaslighting and persistent government fuck-upery, Home Counties , like many, have concluded that you might as well be dancing, if only to feel something other than dread.   Photo Credit: Lu

The melancholic rage of Larlin’s  latest release ‘Limbo’ further   enhances their presence on the music scene. This powerful single portrays the frustration of vulnerability and heartbreak embodied within a hard-hitting bittersweet rock anthem. The impactful vocals of Maryann Hoar drive home the contrasting themes of love and despair; resonating delicately in the verses, before erupting into a chorus that pours ambition. ‘ Limbo’ is the perfect portrayal how the ambivalence o

As soon as the bubbling electro tones of Ailbhe Reddy’s latest single ‘Align’ hit your ears, you can’t help but be sent into a dream-like state. The soothing yet melancholic pulses are contemplative and moving. They make you feel like you’re sat on a train reflecting on cherished memories and love lost; it’s a sound that has a bittersweet, futuristic edge that could have fit seamlessly into the ‘her’ soundtrack.   Photo Credit: Su Mustecaplioglu Ailbhe’s soft, rounded vocal

Reform are on the rise, people's dad's are painting roundabouts and our our public sectors are struggling. It has always been music that has led the charge against these situations, and 2025 is no different.  KC Blackwater's newest single 'Machina Vult' is a politically charged anthem, warning against Andrew Tate and tech oligarchs, in a Kneecap -esque power ballad. They are punk to their core, with furious guitar and thrashing drums, the pace of 'Bad Brains'  and the rage o

Milk & Bone , one of Montreal’s most exciting emerging Electronic Pop duos, released their latest single ‘Hoops’ last month. Part of their upcoming EP, ‘A Little Lucky’ , set to be released in December, ‘Hoops’  is an energising taster of what’s to come. The track has an upbeat and enticing sound from the get-go. With sweeping melodies and a feel-good chorus, ‘Hoops’  delves into late-night confessions of yearning and desire. Produced by Chromeo , the single layers tones and

There is a time in everyone's life when they think about hell, a lot. Maybe you've just got the videos back from a night out, maybe you laughed at a stranger tripping over or maybe, in the case of Bad Self Portraits , it's when you think about what Jesus is doing with his alone time.  The contemplation of this has led, luckily for us, to an Ethel Cain - esque grapple with religion in the form of ' I Think I'm Going To Hell' , the title track off of Bad Self Portraits debut a

Bulgarian Cartrader’s  single ‘Toothpicks’  is a dynamic, layered track from his latest album ‘Greetings from Soulgaria’ . After a long-awaited return, the album dropped on the 10 th  of October and is a whimsical medley that defines Bulgarian Cartrader’s  bold new chapter. Tracks like the electronic slow-builder 'Meditations' and the muted, groove-laden 'Palace Gates' showcase their range and knack for a rounded production, yet 'Toothpicks' is undeniably our favourite. Photo

Big Sleep will do anything but let you sleep. The band, made up of Rónán Connolly , Matteo Poli , Aidan Gray and Naiara Clarke   Lafuente  are slowly taking the Indie-Scene by storm, embarking on their next tour later in October, kicking off with a hometown show in Dublin.  Last month the Indie-Rockers returned with their latest single, ‘Don’t You Wanna’ . A track that speaks to those of us who want to let their hair loose and just have fun. This is the third single the Dub

Indie-Folk songwriter Lucy Spraggan is a 2010's icon. In the midst of featuring on The X-Factor, she landed a Top 40 single with her singalong hit 'Last Night' which encapsulated the chaotic tongue in cheek antics of the Indie scene of the time. Since then she has gone on to release 7 studio albums, selling over 150,000 records. Now, she is returning with her brand new album 'Other Sides Of The Moon' which features reimagined songs from her discography along with new track