Destroyed by Madness

Grail Guard Still No Future TNS records 6th March 2026 As Great Britain flakes and falls apart once again, Grail Guard represent the righteous anger of the disaffected, bullied and blamed. It's impossible to separate the politics from the pop, as the message is what matters most here... although the razor-sharp songwriting amplifies it to the level of being unforgettable, with the instrumentals offering a taut canvas for frontman Riaz Rawat to unleash personal and political fury. This Midlands' quartet deliver their debut album via TNS Records, an compromising packet of ten punk rock anthems that are as hook-filled as they are caustic. Lead single People Just Like you motors along on Philthy Animal drumming, Steve Jones' indebted guitar squeals, and observational lyricism that flips the script on that oft-heard racist comment to point it back towards those that are truly responsible for the current plight of our sad country. It's followed by an even more visceral slice...

ONE DIMENSIONAL CREATURES Tolerance Paradox 07.11.25 (BKD Music) A squeal of feedback, a jangly chord sequence, and a lonely droning guitar note welcome the listener to the raw and frustrated world of One Dimensional Creatures . Here you will find plenty of sonic references to the alternative boom of the early '90s, but shot through with an eloquent take on the state of modern living, and a typically British immediacy and sense of melodicism. The opening salvo of "Media Mass", "Favourite Sporophyte", and "So Long, It's a Shame About the Fish" neatly encapsulate the urgency of the band; all slashed chords, clipped vocal phrasing and earworm hooks wrapped up in fuzzed out licks. It is sticky-floored basement bar vibes in the best way possible, and you can just imagine the energy of 50 people crammed into a small space as the band blasts through the goth-punk romp of "Old Tommy" and "Not Me" , or the glam-grunge of "Peter Pan...

The claustrophobic atmosphere at Tank Subculture is reminiscent of a brutalisy Berlin rave bunker, and at odds with the warm romance of Bologna itself. I arrive early, by accident rather than design, which was fortunate given the rather painful requirement to register as a 'member of the club' in order to even buy a ticket for the show, but at least my unusual lack of tardiness means there's no queue to contend with. The staff are patient and helpful, despite my embarrassingly English lack of language skills, and I'm soon inside with beer in hand (an early birthday present to myself) and bobbing my head to Massive Attack's Mezzanine which is being pumped out of the speakers. So far, so good. The venue starts to fill around 10pm - the black-clad throng harnessing an ability to make the small venue pbysically grow in size - and an air of anticipation starts to build. Soon, the lights drop, the soundsystem falls silent, and Years Of Denial slide onto the stage. An 808 ...

SINKR No Sign Of Light 24.10.25 (self-release) Manchester-based alt-rock tunesmiths continue their fine run of form with the release of a chaotic and emotionally intense second album, No Sign Of Light. The overall tone references a sweet spot between the late-80s and early-90s where guitar-based bands had a certain freedom to build their own sound without fear of having to fit into a certain category. The rise of independent labels and DIY networks meant these bands had time to grow, and a discerning audience to support them. Ironically, the 'alternative' moniker became somewhat of a catch-all term for anything that crossed genre boundaries or was punk-adjacent in terms of spirit, if not necessarily sound, and was soon beaten into formulaic predictability across the decade that followed. SINKR sound like a band out of time, with an ability to blend a range of styles, feelings and textures with an authenticity and confidence that means they sound like nobody else but themselves,...

LIVE AT ZEPHYR'S Sheffield 8th May 2025 Feral State / Shreds. / 77SPEARS / Class Tourists The drive along the winding roads that snake from red rose to white rose county build anticipation ahead of a first visit to Sheffield's coolest hangout, Zephyrs. Nestled in a courtyard just a short stroll from Brammal Lane, it's the perfect spot to catch up with friends in the sunshine in-between ear-pummelling sets from tonight's rad cats. Squealing feedback introduces Class Tourists, self-described raw, frenetic hardcore punk from wakey / 5 Towns. This three piece does what it says on the tin, whilst also mixing in elements of crust, streetpunk and even some jaunty ska-riffs. Set opener Fat of the Land sets the vibe with rapid fire vocals that are spat out across a smeared sonic soundscape. Tracks like N.Y.A and This Is Not a Song follow suit, whilst Time is rooted in bouncy drums and subtly melodic bass. I love the atonal guitar solos and leads that crop up throughout the set, ...

REASON TO LEAVE Do or Die Self-release 28/02/25 Southport’s finest purveyors of heartfelt skate-punk amp up the melody and urgency whilst trimming the fat on lean and mean new single Do or Die. A funk bass line and tom-bothering halftime    groove precede the tight riffing and snappy songwriting which we have come to expect from RTL. Whilst the verse rips along in customary fast-punker fashion, the chorus smashes together a street-punk rhythm with gorgeous 80s new wave backing vox, a neat twist on the gruff call and response gang vocals usually heard in these circles. It’s almost elegant in execution, adding a yearning quality that acts as a counterpoint to the frustration felt elsewhere in the song.  Lyrically, the song explores the everyday frustrations of walking through the mirrored walls of our minds in 2025. Rather than drowning in a swamp of self-pity, our narrator rallies himself to seek positive action and pushback against the grain, imploring anyone who is liste...

BLOB HALFORD The Thin Line Between Confidence and Arrogance (03/10/24 self release) Greater Manchester and Florida make for unlikely musical bedfellows. One gave us Miami bass, bro-country, and 50 years of chart-bothering pop, whilst the other is famous for its swaggering clash of indie rock and club vibezzz, plus Simply Red. But from this unholy tryst step Blob Halford, a Transatlantic love-child full of slinky, satiric, sexy charm. Welcome to your new favourite band. Engineering a sound that nods to none of the aforementioned cultural touchstones, although these MFs have an abundance of swag, this Manchester-settled duo serve up a potent hybrid of ballsy blues riffs and fiery funk grooves that are delivered at punk intensity with a large helping of garage-psych weirdness.   Kicking off with the raucous boogie of Y’all Gonna Love Me Or Not?, the band deliver a relentless opener that cranks the volume up to 11 whilst offering a glimpse of an alternative universe where James Brown l...

THE BATTERY FARM O God Rare Vitamin 26/07/24 The Battery Farm find their gutter-punk vibe shifting slowly towards the nine concentric circles of Hell on bleak new single O God. It’s an unsettling listen that’s mired in existential dread, like Alice peering through the looking glass and realising all is not what it should be, or the protagonist’s inability to feel emotion in Camus’ literary classic, L’Etranger.  Marching drums precede a stuttering beat that welcomes the listener with an implied death waltz, replete with snaking bass-line and stabs of dissonant six-string noise. Benji’s vocal exclamations pierce the trap-infused rhythms across the verse as he lures you into a conversation with his maker about purpose, meaning, and dogma. You can feel the unease as instrumentation pulls against vocal cadence before a dramatic pause provides just enough air for a whispered plea to escape the downward spiral.  And then… the release. Molten guitar tones smother a doom-laden riff as ...

COTHEL Rewind   Self-release 14/06/24 A plucked guitar and jazzy chord progression opens up Rewind, the new single from Liverpool’s COTHEL, gently opening the door for two and a half minutes of laid back psych-folk. Imagine it’s 3am at a woodland festival and you hear the faint sound of melody in the distance, so you wander over to investigate and come across six otherworldly humans vibing on their instruments amidst a collective comedown… you get the picture.  It’s a lilting affair, round bass tones and finger-snaps proving to be the only rhythmic requirement as vocals drift away at the end of stanzas, folding in on themselves in a pillowy cloud of loveliness. Delicate backing vocals introduce themselves midway through the song to add a tender warmth to the already cozy proceedings, whilst polite synths embalm everything in a coat of sugary bliss.  And just like that, it’s over. Intriguing and intimate, Rewind is well worthy of being played on a loop until the band offer...

THE STRANGERZ With… Fruit / Femur Sacred Trinity Church 25/05/24 It’s grey and drizzly, but it’s the Friday of a spring bank holiday weekend and Sacred Trinity Church is playing host to a night of left field, pop-infused art-punk… so I’m heading out. Nothing screams DIY like the lead singer marking an X across your wrist on entry to the venue, or a hand-written ‘Do not touch’ sign sellotaped to a carefully balanced PA speaker. These are marks of authenticity, a reflection of the commitment, bravery, and insatiable need to create and communicate that flows through the blood of any artist. Forget the corporate mega-arenas and £40 tour tees, its evenings like this where the communal feel, warm welcome, and sheer volume of raw rock & roll makes you feel alive. There’s even a nice selection of @Marble beers tinned-up in the fridge courtesy of the classy and thoughtful hosts at Sacred Trinity Church. The Atlas Easy Pale is a delight btw. Anyway… to the music.  An ultra-processed bass...