My Work
Featured Articles
Explore a featured selection of my writing work below. To take a look at my news stories (rather than features) across Guitar.com and MusicTech please see the news writing tabs on the side bar.
Interviews with Teen Mortgage and PVRIS in Kerrang! summer issue
This summer’s mega Download features not one, not two, but three first-time headliners: there’s the unbelievable ascent of Sleep Token, nu-metal kings Korn getting their moment, and of course, festival and stadium-conquering legends Green Day.
Ahead of their massive return to the UK, we catch up with frontman Billie Joe Armstrong about the past 18 months on their phenomenal Saviors era, as well as recent achievements like ruling Coachella and getting their Walk Of Fame star. And it’s safe to say...
Ahead of their massive return to the UK, we catch up with frontman Billie Joe Armstrong about the past 18 months on their phenomenal Saviors era, as well as recent achievements like ruling Coachella and getting their Walk Of Fame star. And it’s safe to say...
Neck Deep: “We’re lucky to be here, so it’s just being aware of that…
“We’ve spent a lot of time over the years trying to be the best that we can be,” says Ben Barlow. “That’s definitely important, but sometimes beauty is in that imperfection.”
“I think that maybe Neck Deep isn’t supposed to be perfect.”
The last time the Wrexham pop-punk giants’ frontman spoke to Kerrang!, he told us that being in Neck Deep had never felt easier. Still the case a year on, as the band – Ben, guitarists Matt West and Sam Bowden, bassist Seb Barlow and drummer Matt Powles – kick off...
“I think that maybe Neck Deep isn’t supposed to be perfect.”
The last time the Wrexham pop-punk giants’ frontman spoke to Kerrang!, he told us that being in Neck Deep had never felt easier. Still the case a year on, as the band – Ben, guitarists Matt West and Sam Bowden, bassist Seb Barlow and drummer Matt Powles – kick off...
“The bigger your heart is, it’s a superpower”: How De’Wayne took the…
june heavily explores the ‘divine feminine’. What does it mean to you?“I hope that I have the right vocabulary to speak on it being a man, but I’ve been inspired by all of the women that have come into my life. I was raised by women – my grandmothers, my aunties, my mom. I feel like we come from the woman spirit. That’s why, especially as a man, we’re doing everything to get back to them – if it’s being talented or cute, or trying to have a nice car or a nice home. I think the divine feminine pe...
Hot Milk: “Why shouldn’t we make England the home of music again?”
In England, the solution to a chaotic day tends to be the pub. And so it is for Hot Milk’s dual vocalists and guitarists Han Mee and Jim Shaw, who are currently running three hours behind schedule for their gig in Brighton this evening, marking the end of a series of intimate shows.
Of course, it's not a Hot Milk tour unless something goes wrong, and today they're dealing with all the fun and games of a tyre blow-out, and having to unload all of their gear at the roadside for it to be repaired i...
Of course, it's not a Hot Milk tour unless something goes wrong, and today they're dealing with all the fun and games of a tyre blow-out, and having to unload all of their gear at the roadside for it to be repaired i...
Album review: EKKSTACY – FOREVER
EKKSTACY is an artist who’s hard to pin down in any one genre, or compare to others. His music is completely its own entity, and that is perhaps what makes it so polarising. You either love it or hate it. But there is a case to be put forward that doesn’t need to be so black or white. His third album, FOREVER, certainly sounds rather basic on a surface level, but it serves a purpose – it’s music for the sensitive, the daydreamers, and the ponderers. It’s not meant to be flashy.
FOREVER is daze-i...
FOREVER is daze-i...
Album review: The Amazons – 21st Century Fiction
Something has happened to The Amazons. The indie outfit we once knew have been chewed up and spat out as something far more gnarly, with guitars heavily overdriven and amps cranked right up. 21st Century Fiction, described as their heaviest album yet, certainly takes a different direction. With a far more alt.rock slant, it even pulls influences of country and peppers in a dash of funky groove here and there too.
Accompanied by narratives of dissatisfaction with promised tales of certainty and...
Accompanied by narratives of dissatisfaction with promised tales of certainty and...
McFly’s Dougie Poynter on why the bass is “an unsung hero” and his obsession with the Fender Meteora
“I’ve got friends who are like, ‘which part are you playing in that song? I can’t hear it…’ I’m the thing that’s making the seat rumble!” Explains an exasperated Dougie Poynter. The McFly bassist is very loyal to his instrument. Over 20 years have passed since he joined the band, and it’s a marriage that remains sweeter than ever. His only wish? That others would celebrate and love the humble bass guitar as much as he does.McFly – completed by vocalists/guitarists Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, p...
Album review: Superheaven – Superheaven
Opener Humans For Toys stomps in with the unforgettable darkly hazy tones that put this band on the map, and delves into the pessimism dredged up by a world that seems constantly on fire. Elsewhere, the band look inwards. On Sounds Of Goodbyes, they pick apart the feelings that surfaced at the time of their break away, mirrored in the sounds of guitars whining and sulking, where closer The Curtain grapples with a thirst to not want to waste time anymore, and finding a way back to self-rediscover...
Lamb Of God’s Mark Morton picks his favourite non-metal guitar players
“This record, more than anything I’ve done, reflects the kind of music that I’m a fan of in my personal time, and the kind of stuff I spend time listening to,” says Mark Morton. The Lamb Of God guitarist is talking about his new solo album, Without The Pain, a project which leans into his southern rock roots.The album comes after Morton launched his memoir, Desolation, last year. With such a personal account of navigating addiction, mental health, and his heavy metal career within its pages, piv...
Album review: Teen Mortgage – Devil Ultrasonic Dream
A laid back, misfit aura oozes out of Washington D.C. duo Teen Mortgage, and they’ve bottled it in their debut album, Devil Ultrasonic Dream. It’s not the sort of carefree mindset that’s frivolous and without worry, more of a ‘the world is going to shit and I’ve had enough’, anti-rat race and anti-bullshit, no-fucks-given vibe. Hell, even their name alludes to the endless ways to sacrifice your livelihood to the powers that be, all to simply survive.
Across its fast and fizzy 11 tracks, Devil U...
Across its fast and fizzy 11 tracks, Devil U...
“We’ve been fortunate to have so many hurdles… it allows us to have a…
Completed by guitarist Dan Fuson and bassist/producer Austin Luther, Winona Fighter experiment with all the exuberant colours of punk on this project. Marking their first full-length release through Rise Records, they’ve also stayed true to the genre’s DIY roots by pulling the whole thing together themselves.
“We didn’t put anything on the record that we can’t achieve live,” Coco says. “We’re lucky to have been able to keep it so in-house. It was just me, Austin and Dan – we were the only ones w...
“We didn’t put anything on the record that we can’t achieve live,” Coco says. “We’re lucky to have been able to keep it so in-house. It was just me, Austin and Dan – we were the only ones w...
Lambrini Girls: “It’s time for the genre of ‘women in music’ to be…
“Blind delusional ambition” was the secret to Lambrini Girls getting their band off the ground. As good a tactic as any, but they certainly wouldn't have been catapulted quite this far if it wasn't for the passion and persistence that underlies everything they do and stand for.
The Brighton-based duo, Phoebe Lunny and Lilly Macieira, have been running rings around the UK punk scene over the past three years. They’ve played countless riotous shows and fests, most recently bringing the chaos to Al...
The Brighton-based duo, Phoebe Lunny and Lilly Macieira, have been running rings around the UK punk scene over the past three years. They’ve played countless riotous shows and fests, most recently bringing the chaos to Al...
“Endometriosis pain during sex is excruciating – how can I have a normal sex life?”
The average waiting time for an endometriosis diagnosis may be over eight years, but once you’ve got that, it’s likely to be another 18 months before you have surgery.
Sophie Lloyd on her blossoming solo career, and neurodivergence in music
“The thing is, I have always seen myself as a solo artist,” shares Sophie Lloyd. It was a year ago that we last spoke to the shredder, when her debut album Imposter Syndrome had just landed. Though sitting before us with the same cheerful glimmer, something’s changed.Lloyd has always had a strong sense of self, right from her tone and playing style, all the way to her purple branding that has become so synonymous with the 29-year old Londoner, she pretty much warrants her own Pantone shade. That...
Lindsay Ell on the guitar renaissance, touring with Shania Twain, and her comforting new EP
“I think I was putting all of my priority on the things that I would achieve, compared to being like, ‘all right, I love myself as I am, as I show up in this world,’” says Lindsay Ell, her lilac hair illuminated against the dark walls of her studio. The past five years have been tough for the country-pop creative, and that’s just scratching the surface.Among busy work schedules and personal battles, Ell realised she wasn’t being kind to herself. In 2023, she was diagnosed with an eating disorder...
Live review: Bambie Thug, Dublin The Academy
“Happy Halloween,” Bambie Thug swoons into the mic. Scantily clad but painted as a ouija board, they swagger across the stage in their platform shoes. A fully packed-out Academy in central Dublin is bewitched.
Shows at this time of the year were made for Bambie – the extravagance, the dark magic of it all. In fact, it feels as though this should be a yearly tradition. This isn’t their first Halloween gig rodeo, though, having conquered London for their Samhain celebration in 2023, but on Irish s...
Shows at this time of the year were made for Bambie – the extravagance, the dark magic of it all. In fact, it feels as though this should be a yearly tradition. This isn’t their first Halloween gig rodeo, though, having conquered London for their Samhain celebration in 2023, but on Irish s...
Album review: Meryl Streek – Songs For The Deceased
‘Don’t let these pricks stop you,’ he yells on Fine Jail, calling for the listener to live artistic lives and do whatever feels fulfilling. Even more universal is If This Is Life, making sense of the guilt we may feel for being unhappy with the lives we have, even when we still can feel blessed for the little things. You can be grateful that you have somewhere to live, and still be pissed that you can barely cover the rent.
Songs For The Deceased is a bleak but important listen. It is an anti-s...
Songs For The Deceased is a bleak but important listen. It is an anti-s...
Lambrini Girls: “This is exactly what was meant to come out. This is…
Lambrini Girls went old-school rock’n’roll for the making of their debut album. Not musically, but energetically. With very little time and plenty of alcohol, the Brighton duo managed to whizz through its recording. After all, where Lambrini is in the name, there’s inevitably a few bevs in the game.
“I think there was a manic surrender where we were like, ‘Right, studio’s booked. We’ve got to have something by the time we go in there, so we’re going to write some songs and they’re going to be wh...
“I think there was a manic surrender where we were like, ‘Right, studio’s booked. We’ve got to have something by the time we go in there, so we’re going to write some songs and they’re going to be wh...
Album review: Skegss – Pacific Highway Music
There’s no bad vibes hanging around Skegss. The New South Wales twosome are back with their third LP, and it’s an optimistic snapshot of being gracious with yourself, and not holding on to any regrets or mistakes. Fittingly titled Pacific Highway Music, it’s exactly the sort of record that would make a coastal trip feel that little more sentimental.
Tradewinds brings a hopeful introduction, with its combination of dreamy synth and guitar creating the kind of soundscape that makes you feel nostal...
Tradewinds brings a hopeful introduction, with its combination of dreamy synth and guitar creating the kind of soundscape that makes you feel nostal...
Venusian Death Cell: The story of Ireland’s spookiest band
Venusian Death Cell has just one member, yet it’s still considered a band. Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, the death metal act has been active since 1989, though you won’t actually find all that much about them online. With the dark nights of winter well upon us, it is only fitting then that we dive into the lore that’s shaped this band to be one of Ireland’s most unique heavy artists.
The man behind the band – and its only member – is David Vora, though he also goes by the moniker of Vortex. Tho...
The man behind the band – and its only member – is David Vora, though he also goes by the moniker of Vortex. Tho...
The classic Cure song that was almost scrapped
Could you imagine a world without The Cure’s greatest hit? Well, an existence without their 1985 track ‘Close To Me’ could have been a reality, as Robert Smith very nearly scrapped the material under the belief that it was nothing more than “average” during the recording process for their sixth album, The Head On The Door.
The track was released as the second single from the album and reached a peak position of 24 on the UK Official Singles Chart, though it went on to become certified Platinum...
The track was released as the second single from the album and reached a peak position of 24 on the UK Official Singles Chart, though it went on to become certified Platinum...
Album review: The Linda Lindas – No Obligation
The Linda Lindas are the coolest kind of cool because they don’t even have to try. They simply just are. Through their lyrical honesty and hands-on approach, their music is both easy to digest and hard-hitting. No Obligation is a continuation of the quartet's confident and colourful brand of punk, but this time things are pushed a little further afield creatively.
The evolution since 2022’s Growing Up is palpable, with instrumentation more robust, and the net of their lyricism spanning wider and...
The evolution since 2022’s Growing Up is palpable, with instrumentation more robust, and the net of their lyricism spanning wider and...
YUNGBLUD: “The way rock survives, thrives, prospers and gets bigger…
Fookin’ hell, it’s actually happening. Bludfest, the inaugural one-day music festival created by YUNGBLUD, has taken over the enormous Milton Keynes Bowl. The venue that has hosted the likes of Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Muse and Green Day is once again the home of the historical.
“Rock is different. It’s got a new energy to it, whether people like it or not,” the man behind it all, YUNGBLUD, tells Kerrang! backstage. “The way it survives, thrives, prospers and gets bigger...
“Rock is different. It’s got a new energy to it, whether people like it or not,” the man behind it all, YUNGBLUD, tells Kerrang! backstage. “The way it survives, thrives, prospers and gets bigger...
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