Articles by Sandra Blemster

Manchester quartet, The Slow Readers Club are back with their sixth studio album Knowledge Freedom Power. Following on from their 2020 Top 10 album The Joy of the Return which was released around the time […]

Ah, Voice of the Beehive, that takes me back. They first came into my existence somewhere back in 1987 with their video “I Say Nothing”, a dayglo, kickass ‘indie’ record that went straight for the […]

First conceived in 2017, a year in which King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the Australian psychedelic six, released five new albums, it’s only just arriving now. Band member Stu Mackenzie states: “I think of […]

I Don’t Belong Anywhere is October Drift’s follow-up to their debut album Forever Whatever in 2020. The Taunton quartet have been playing most of their lives (since age 13) and are Alex Bispham (bass), Chris […]

Arthur Brown is back! The original God of Hellfire releases his new album Long Long Road this week, on his 80th birthday, featuring multi-instrumentalist Rik Patten. Arthur Brown released the pulsating, career-defining track, Fire, in 1968, […]

‘I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you…!’ The people of Sale, Manchester, were treated to a visual/aural experience this Friday evening. Arthur Brown, rock legend of the mesmerizing 60s track Fire, is […]

Vocalist and guitarist Brian Molko and bassist Stefan Olsdal who make up Placebo, return, this time as a duo, following the departure of drummer Steve Forrest in 2015. It’s been almost nine years since they […]

Richard Ashcroft releases his new album Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1 on October 29th. It contains 12 newly recorded acoustic versions of songs from his time in The Verve (including the classic Urban Hymns album) and […]

James releases their 16th studio album on June 4th, All The Colours Of You. Recorded partly before the pandemic, it’s produced by Jacknife Lee, the Grammy award-winning producer for U2, REM and The Killers, to […]

October Drift returns with their acoustic EP Naked released on Physical Education Records on 6th November. This follows on from the success of their debut album Forever Whatever, released earlier this year, which received critical […]

Back in March, I reviewed the fourth studio album by The Slow Readers Club The Joy of the Return. I hardly expected, seven months later, to be reviewing a follow-up but then we’ve had a […]

Manchester band Doves release their fifth album The Universal Want on 11th September 2020. Made up of Jimi Goodwin (vocals/guitar), Jez Williams, (guitar/vocals) and brother Andy (drums/vocals) plus unofficial tour fourth member Martin Rebelski (multi-instrumentalist […]

Manchester band Proud Mary are back after a seven-year break with their new album Songs From Catalina, out 26th June. Proud Mary comprises Greg Griffin (vocals), Paul ‘Spot’ Newsome (guitars, bass, keys, drums, harmonica and […]

The Hightown Pirates was formed by Simon Mason. He penned the critically acclaimed rock n roll memoir Too High Too Far Too Soon: Tales from a Dubious Past in 2013. Back in the 90s, Mason […]

Manchester’s The Slow Readers Club are back with a fourth album, The Joy Of The Return, out on March 20th via Modern Sky UK. It’s recorded at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool and produced by […]

October Drift don’t take shortcuts. With their own personal style of intense guitar-driven, emotionally charged music the Taunton, Somerset quartet of Kiran Roy, Chris Holmes, Alex Bispham and Daniel Young have toured around the country […]

Brix & The Extricated are back to release their third studio album Super Blood Wolf Moon on 25th October nearly a year on from their last one Breaking State, which saw them move on from […]

Temples return with their third album Hot Motion on ATO Records, their first on this label. First appearing on the music scene back in 2012 with the single ‘Shelter Song’ they have brought their own […]