Despite one of the first things on the album you hear being synth sounds that emulate the patter of raindrops, the elevating sensation you experience throughout this record is the kind of music that you associate with sun tans and warm grass. Yes, the overall feel of the record complements this sensation, but the beauty lies in much closer inspection, as things run deeper than a promise of Spring-soaked electronica.
Art School Girlfriend has dabbled more with experimentation on her third record, Lean In. Ditching the bedroom aesthetic for a studio, this self-produced epic is the kind of electronic pop album which even those who aren’t fans of the genre will no doubt get on board with. It’s a combination of minimalist and maximalist, the kind of record that has one overarching theme but where the individual songs contained under that umbrella are clearly distinct from one another.
That raindrop-like synth on the opening track, ‘Doing Laps’, is replaced with a building and pulsing sense of excitement in ‘LYATT’ as the words “Love you all the time” are repeated over and over again, donning a beat that doesn’t ever seem to drop but instead just continues riding high and keeps you there.
ASG dabbles with funk on this record as well, which you hear in tracks such as ‘The Field’, ‘Almost Transparent’ and ‘The Peaks’. Each of these walks a similar line sonically but is completely different to one another at the same time.
In complete contrast, other songs are slow, moving, and emotional. You can hear this on the likes of ‘Save Something’ and the closing number ‘Framer’, which still keeps that electronic pop style in its heart but gives you something that you could also put on in a dark room and get lost in.
No matter what your mood, there’s a song on this record for you, and they all combine to make a platter of human emotion served on top of a tray of otherworldly instrumentation. Perhaps the rationale behind this move is the mix of emotions that ASG admits to feeling while putting this album together. It’s truly a record that embodies a specific moment in time, as what she was feeling throughout the process of making the record is reflected in the songs themselves.
“A lot of things in parallel,” she called it, “Grief, joy, love, anxiety, hopelessness, hopefulness, the effects of age, capitalism, technology.” You can call it all of those things, as they’re ever-present. But I’ll save my breath slightly and simply refer to it as a masterpiece.
Despite their name potentially identifying themselves as maverick detectives from a 1970s detective show, or cast members of East Enders, Slags are actually rooted in the famously gusty city of Chicago, and Valentine’s Day Eve saw the release of their latest, long-awaited release; the five-track cassette “Playing Pretend”.
Fusing Devo-esque weirdo electronica with kitsch sensibilities and an unwaveringly punk attitude, the tape marks a particular highlight of this year’s egg-punk offerings. Written entirely by The Marshmallow Man, who, you would have to assume, is the cardboard bloke on the cover of the EP, “Playing Pretend” is charming in every aspect of its existence, but it maintains some genuinely fantastic song writing at its core.
“Crawford’s remarkable creative momentum continues with the arrival of a new Slags EP; a sugar-rush of impish synths and roguish hooks with a punk backbone. Disarmingly playful without ever tipping into excess. I can’t help but smile to it.”
Slags – ‘Playing Pretend’ Released February 13th, 2026 on Boot Liquor Records.
Foo Fighters Star In The Latest Issue Of MOJO! In his first in-depth interview for four years, Dave Grohl unveils a new chapter in his musical odyssey, previewing Foo Fighters’ incendiary new album, “Your Favorite Toy”, while still processing the fallout from Taylor Hawkins’ tragic passing. “Why do I keep doing this?” he asks MOJO’s David Fricke. “I don’t know the answer.”
Plus! This month’s cover CD is Foo FM: 15 tracks compiled by Dave Grohl and Nate Mendel exclusively for MOJO, featuring Queens Of The Stone Age, David Byrne, Nick Cave, Hüsker Dü, Fat Dog, Pissed Jeans, Kim Gordon and more!
Also in this month’s issue: The Clash– back to the beginning; Cocteau Twins’ Liz Fraser speaks; BadCompany’s blues, and soul; Record Store Day’s hidden gems. Plus: U2; Booker T; Joe Jackson; Alex Harvey; Sunn O))); Jackie DeShannon; Hiss Golden Messenger; Courtney Pine; The Seeds; The Beat; Chris Rea; Procol Harum and more!
The new issue of MOJO is on UK newsstands from Tuesday March 17th
MacGowan, the frontman of the band The Pogues, died in November 2023 at the age of 65. In tribute to him, Springsteen and The E Street Band performed “A Rainy Night in Soho” — from the 1986 Pogues EP “Poguetry in Motion” at three shows in Ireland in May 2024.
Bruce Springsteen’s new studio version of Shane MacGowan’s “A Rainy Night in Soho” is the first release from an upcoming tribute album, 20th Century Paddy: The Songs of Shane MacGowan.
The album will be released on November 13th, in three-LP and 2-CD formats, and digitally.
Other artists on “20th Century Paddy” include The Pogues, Tom Waits, Steve Earle, The High Kings, Hozier & Jessie Buckley, Johnny Depp & Imelda May, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Dropkick Murphys, Glen Hansard, The Libertines, David Gray, Primal Scream, Kate Moss, Damien Dempsey, Moya Brennan, Amble, Camille O’Sullivan, Cronin, Garron Noone, Johnny Mac & the Faithful, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Lisa Moorish & Another Day, Lisa O’Neill, LYRA, Madra Salach, Mundy, Picture This, Pinch of Snuff and The Murder Capital.
A complete list of tracks is not yet available.
Springsteen said in a press release:
Every once in a while, every once in a great while an artist comes along whose voice seems to speak to history itself. Woody Guthrie, Jimmy Rogers, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Coltrane, Patti Smith, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, John Lydon, Hank Williams, Sinatra. Geniuses all, they were both timeless and the embodiment of their moment in time. Many, unsurprisingly, led difficult lives not easily bound by the shackles of convention. They were natural rebels unable to stifle or heed the impulses that led them to their glory and personal hardships.
Great art is by nature lawless. We do not get to choose our obsessions. We do not get to dictate our blessings or our transgressions. It’s a little joke the gods play on us. Shane’s voice was so deeply real, profane and honest, his writing so flashing, alive and historically rich its genesis appeared as a mystery to all including, I believe, its creator.
The dangerous joy, the glee and courage, the humor in the face of fate, the wild ramble of a life driven towards the artistic heavens and the daily balm of self obliteration. Shane was all naked bottomless humanity. Threatening to force us to ask ourselves if we were living deeply, authentically. He was raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound. His soul was filled with the transgressive and ecstatic properties of the saints. I don’t know who’ll be listening to my music in 100 years but I know they’ll be listening to Shane’s.
Though I did not know Shane very well, I spent a lovely afternoon in his presence shortly before he passed. He was not well but he and his wife Victoria proved warm and gracious hosts. As I left, I thanked him for his beautiful work, his music, his songs, his life. I stood in his warmth, kissed him and told him I loved him.
Fifty percent of artists royalties from the album will be the homelessness organization, Dublin Simon Community.
Billy Joel continues to release a steady stream of archival rarities unearthed during the creation of his acclaimed and revelatory 2025 HBO documentary, “And So It Goes”, via his YouTube channel. New visuals include the unreleased first-ever performance of the classic hit “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (Live at CW Post),” Joel’s first TV appearance “Long, Long Time” (from WSIU The Session, February 1972), the unreleased performances of “Ain’t No Crime (Billy Joel Tonight),” “Stiletto (Live at The Summit),” in addition to the video for the 2022 mix “Allentown (Live From Long Island).”
“Billy Joel is a quiet, personal person… fishing is his thing. Billy’s from Long Island, one of those ‘overnight successes’ that took years to happen.”
Joel perform “Travelin’ Prayer” during a performance when he signed with Columbia Records in June 1973
Joel has also released a 155-track album, Billy Joel: “And So It Goes”, a digital-only companion piece that coincides with the two-part 2025 documentary of the same name that explores his life and music. The collection mirrors the tracks from the film and more, featuring iconic hits, alternative versions, and live renditions. The digital album, from Legacy Recordings, the catalogue division of Sony MusicEntertainment,
New audio also includes a brand new mix “Tomorrow Is Today (2025 Mix),” “You’re My Home (Live At Sparks),” an unreleased recording from the “Cold Spring Harbor” sessions “Everybody Has A Dream (Cold Spring Harbor Sessions),” “Vienna (Nuremberg Masterclass),” and “No Man’s Land (The Shelter Island Sessions),” an unreleased early studio session of the song from “River of Dreams”.
Additionally, the original 1985 release “Greatest Hits Volume I and II” returned to vinyl on August marking the 40th anniversary of one of the best-selling records of all time.
2025’s two-part HBO Original two-part documentary, Billy Joel: “And So It Goes” was directed by Emmy® winners Susan Lacy. Part one of the revelatory documentary debuted on HBO on July 18 with part two premiering one week later. (It is also available to stream on HBO Max.) The running time for each part is nearly two-and-a-half hours. Part one made its premiere at the opening of the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival on June 4 at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Of note, in some of that coverage, was the revelation that Joel had attempted suicide, not once but twice, during the early phase of his career.
The timing of the documentary’s release is all the more poignant given Joel’s announcement on May 23 that he has cancelled all of his concerts due to a brain disorder.
Billy Joel: “And So It Goes” is described as an expansive portrait of the life and music of the superstar musician, exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his song writing. With unprecedented access to never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs, along with extensive, in-depth one-on-one interviews, the documentary intimately explores the life and work of Joel, whose music has endured across generations. Among those reflecting on Joel’s career are Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Sting and Garth Brooks. The most pivotal person in his career, Joel’s first wife, Elizabeth Weber, is a constant presence in part one, as featured in archival footage and in an extensive interview made specifically for the film.
In part one, Joel looks back on a childhood as the son of working-class parents on Long Island, the loss he felt at the age of eight when his father left the home, and his entry into the business of music. Acknowledging the mistakes he made along the way, Joel put everything he lived through into his music. As he went from keyboard player in local bands to striking out on his own, he discusses the love affair and first marriage with Weber that became the fuel for his early song writing hits, such as “Just the Way You Are” and “She’s Always a Woman.” His collaborators and peers illuminate his musical gifts, and Joel delves into the business deal he made that led to the writing of “Piano Man.”
After signing with Columbia Records, his career took off—with wife Elizabeth as his strong-willed manager—and years of hits and record-breaking tours followed, as he continued to channel his personal experiences into his music. While he chafed against the critical response to his music, struggled with his relationship to alcohol, and navigated a complicated personal life, a near fatal motorcycle accident impacted his ability to play piano and left his future unclear. How would he rebuild his career and move forward with his life?
“I’ve realized that life doesn’t always have a happy ending,” Joel says at the conclusion of part one.
In Part two: With his eighth studio album, “The Nylon Curtain”, Joel changed his musical focus by reflecting the grit and aspirations of the Everyman with songs such as “Allentown” and “Goodnight Saigon.” He recounts his complicated reunion with his long absent father and discovers the secret story of how his Jewish grandparents survived Nazi Germany which he distilled into his philosophical ballad “Vienna.” Recovering from years on the road, Joel vacations in St. Barths where he meets his future wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley, who would become the mother of his first child and the inspiration behind the hit “Uptown Girl.”
Dedicated to his craft, but uneasy with fame and the spotlight, Joel persevered through romantic and professional setbacks, choosing to reinvent himself time and time again. Later, with the support of his fourth wife Alexis Roderick Joel and their children, and through his collaboration with Elton John, a return to his classical roots, and his historic residency at Madison Square Garden, he continues to find a safe space in his music.
The documentary’s title is taken from the Joel song included on his 1989 album, “Storm Front”. While being interviewed on the red carpet prior to the 2024 Grammy Awards, Joel was asked, “if you could pick one song that was the definitive… song of your entire catalogue, what would it be?” His surprising answer was immediate, “And So It Goes.” The flummoxed interviewer, Laverne Cox, had clearly never heard of the song, and had no follow-up question.
In the announcement, Lacy said: “For those who think they know Joel’s story, as well as those who are not as familiar, I believe this two-part film is both a revelation and a surprise. I was drawn to his story as someone who knew little at the outset, and was astounded at how autobiographical his songs are and how complex his story is. We are gratified that Bill trusted us with his story, which we have told as honestly as possible, diving into territory which has not been explored before.”
Tom Hanks is listed as an executive producer along with Gary Goetzman, Todd Milliner, Sean Hayes and Steve Cohen.
Our new single “I Just Can’t Get Over Losing You”, Underneath its poppy exterior, “Look For Your Mind!“, contains an undercurrent of paranoia and suspicion. “I do think that now is a time of insanity,” admits Brian after pausing for thought. “You really have to hold onto your own mind if you don’t wanna lose it.”
New to this album is the inclusion of the live members Reza Matin (drums) and Danny Ayala (bass), as well as Eva Chambers of Tchotchke. With the D’Addario brothers, Brian and Michael, previously having handled everything in the studio themselves, this shows a newfound sense of freedom.
The ringing guitars of ‘I Just Can’t Over Losing You’ may create a familiarly pleasing mood, but when the bridge comes in at an unexpected time, the chorus is cut in half, and Brian and Eva’s harmonies build to its euphoric climax, the conventions for a pop song such as this are broken.
The Lemon Twigs’ two previous Captured Tracks albums, “A Dream Is All We Know” (2024) and “Everything Harmony” (2023), certainly indicated something of a ground zero in their then five album career. “It was the beginning of making records that we would listen to ourselves,” says Michael D’Addario, the younger Twig brother, now aged 26. By the time of “A Dream Is All We Know” and the future Michael classic “My Golden Years”, The Lemon Twigs’ new era had truly begun.
their album “Look For Your Mind!” out May 8th, 2026 on Captured Tracks
Out of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal in the early ’80s came two world famous bands – Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. But the lost heroes of that golden age were Diamond Head. The band was formed in 1977 in the Midlands town of Stourbridge by guitarist Brian Tatler, singer Sean Harris, drummer Duncan Scott and bassist Colin Kimberley. They took their name from a solo album by Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera, and took their inspiration from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.
In Brian Tatler they had a master of riffs, comparable to Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, and in Sean Harris they had a singer who came on like a young Robert Plant.One British critic proclaimed Diamond Head “the natural successors to Led Zeppelin”. Sounds writer Geoff Barton added to the hype by boldly stating: “There are more good riffs in your average single Diamond Head song than there are in the first four Black Sabbath albums.” For all that hype, this was one great band that never made it big.
While Iron Maiden and Def Leppard went on to superstardom, Diamond Head missed out. But with three great albums in the early ’80s, Diamond Head were one of most influential bands of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal era – and a huge influence on one band in particular. As Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich would say: “Diamond Head was fifty per cent of what ended up being Metallica. We got the whole thing about riffs and structuring from them. The other fifty per cent was Motörhead.”From the start, Tatler and Harris were the dominant figures and songwriters in Diamond Head. The pair were still teenagers when they created the song for which Diamond Head would always be remembered – “Am I Evil?”
Tatler recalled : “I loved Sabbath’s Symptom Of The Universe, and my goal was to have a riff even heavier than that.” Adding to the heaviness was an intro lifted from Gustav Holst’s Mars, The Bringer Of War. In this epic song was so much ambition, but for the 17 year-old Tatler, emulating Zeppelin, Sabbath and Purple seemed an impossible dream. “I thought I had to be a brilliant guitarist like Ritchie Blackmore,” he said. “I’d have to practice in my bedroom for fifteen years!”For Tatler, and so many young hopefuls in the late ’70s, punk rock was a revelation.“Seeing the Sex Pistols on TV, playing three chords, was a lightbulb moment,” Tatler said. “I didn’t want to play punk rock, but I thought, ‘Let’s go!’
It spurred us into action.” In this moment, Diamond Head were not alone. Across the UK there were other young heavy metal bands inspired by punk’s DIY ethos, cutting demos and self-financed singles, playing in pubs and clubs. By 1979, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal was in full swing. Diamond Head were in the right place at the right time. What they lacked was the heavyweight management that Def Leppard had in Peter Mensch and Cliff Burnstein – whose clients included AC/DC – or that Iron Maiden had in the aggressive Rod Smallwood. Diamond Head were managed by Linda Harris, Sean’s mum, and her partner Reg Fellows, who bankrolled the band with profits from his cardboard box business. As Leppard and Maiden signed to major labels, Diamond Head missed out. “We had Sounds raving about the band,” Tatler said. “I wondered, how come record companies aren’t knocking on the door? It was extremely frustrating.”
Their answer was to make a self-financed album on their own label, Happy Face. It was recored in a week at the Old Smithy studios in Worcester, and featured four songs later covered by Metallica: “It’s Electric”, “Helpless”, “The Prince”, and “Am I Evil?“
Also included was “Sucking My Love“, with a riff that was later echoed in Metallica’s Seek & Destroy. The album was titled “Lightning To The Nations”. The initial pressing of 1000 copies had pure white sleeves with no band name or title printed, hence its alternative name, ‘The White Album’. “LightningTo The Nations” was one of the defining albums of the NWOBHM. In 1980, with the movement at its peak, debut albums arrived from key bands including Leppard, Maiden, Angel Witch and Girlschool. Only Maiden’s was as great as Diamond Head’s.
In Sounds, writer Paul Suter said of Diamond Head: “They’re going to be stars.”In July 1981, Lars Ulrich, then 17, travelled from Los Angeles to London on a pilgrimage to experience the NWOBHM first hand, and at the Woolwich Odeon in London he saw his favourite band on stage. “I finally experienced the mighty Diamond Head face to face,” he recalled. “This was the pinnacle – true heavy metal heaven!” After the show, Ulrich schmoozed his way backstage and befriended the band. And after he returned to California, he kept in touch with Tatler, writing to him in late 1981 to say that he had formed his own band, named Metallica. Tatler later admitted: “I never dreamed that this kid and his band would conquer the world.”
Living On Borrowed Time
Eventually, Diamond Head got their major label contract with MCARecords. At the company’s insistence, the band’s second album “Living On Borrowed Time” featured a new version of “Am I Evil?.” There was also a song that was written to order as “the single”, in the style of early Foreigner, titled “Call Me”. Most impressive of all was the album’s opening track, “In The Heat Of The Night“, with echoes of Zeppelin in its measured power.
In March 1982, when “Borrowed Time” entered the UK chart at No.24, it was, Tatler recalled, “a fantastic moment for us”. Even so, Diamond Head were at this point playing catch-up to the NWOBHM’s two leading bands. Def Leppard had already started to make waves in America with their second album “High ‘N’ Dry”, and Iron Maiden had a huge hit with their third album, “The Number Of The Beast”.
In California, Metallica’s early club shows would regularly include as many as four Diamond Head covers. But there was no backing from MCA for Diamond Head to tour in America, or even Europe. Instead, after 14-date British theatre tour, and an appearance at the Reading Festival in August 1982, the band began work on a new album. The intention, as Tatler said, was to “push the boundaries”.
In doing so, they opened up a Pandora’s box. “The difficult third album,” Tatler admitted. “A cliché, and it was true for us.”Diamond Head were fast outgrowing their heavy metal roots. As Tatler explained: “We loved The Police, U2’s War and Siouxsie & The Banshees. We tried to pull in everything we could.” They were also reaching for the kind of sophistication that Def Leppard achieved with visionary producer Mutt Lange on the 1983 album “Pyromania”, which elevated arena rock to a new state of the art.
Diamond Head’s producer Mike Shipley had served as engineer on “Pyromania“, but the way that he and Lange worked with Def Leppard – “perfection mode”, as Tatler called it – was for Diamond Head a major problem. “We would struggle to play to a click track,” Tatler said, “and that started to fracture the band.” During the recording, bassist Colin Kimberley and drummer Duncan Scott departed. “Colin quit, and we fired Duncan,” Tatler confirmed. “It was terrible, really. We should never have done it. We were under pressure. Debts were mounting. But we lost something when Colin and Duncan went.
Canterbury
We had three complete songs “To The Devil His Due” “Makin Music”and “Knight Of The Swords” all either recorded live or demo’d on Sean’s four-track, which had been bought by our manager Reg. We set about writing more songs so we had enough for a full album. We had rough versions of “One More Night” and “Ishmael” , but they went through some hefty re-writes. It seemed that as soon as we signed to MCA our good material began running out.
We demo’d eleven songs, nine of which made the album. Sean was by now a perfectionist and something was either “brilliant” or “shit”; there was no middle ground. Once we had enough songs, we de-camped to the rehearsal room. We had the place all to ourselves, we could leave our equipment set up and spend every day working on song arrangements. The downside was that it was a bleak out-building with no heating other than a little wood-burning stove which our roadie, Andy Kitchen, kept stocked during the cold winter months of January and February. Lunch consisted of pork sandwiches from the butchers next door. We worked diligently on the new songs trying to perfect them for the album that was originally intended to be produced by Mike Hedges, but when he pulled out we decided to use the renowned engineer Mike Shipley to jointly produce it with ourselves. Recording began on 28th February 1983.
The band fell apart after that.”The band’s third album, named “Canterbury”, was completed with bassist Merv Goldsworthy (later of AOR band FM) and drummer Robbie France (later a founding member of Skunk Anansie). The recording budget came in at a hefty £100,000. On a purely artistic level, “Canterbury” was a triumph, a hard rock album both modern and classic. “To The Devil His Due” had the pomp of Zeppelin’s Kashmir. The title track had shades of early Queen. And if there was one song that should have made stars of Diamond Head it was “Makin’ Music”, the flagship single, a euphoric anthem that sounded like the future of rock.
“It was a very bold and adventurous, album,” Tatler said. “We probably tried too hard. Too much too soon.” But the music was not the problem. The real problem was a manufacturing fault that rendered the first 20,000 vinyl copies of “Canterbury” unplayable – jumping all the way through. All but a handful of copies were returned to retailers, and in September 1983 – just a month after Diamond Head played to an audience of 60,000 as the opening act at the Monsters Of Rock festival at Donington Park – “Canterbury” duly limped into the UK.
By the end of 1983, as Metallica were revolutionising heavy music with their debut “Kill ’Em All,” Diamond Head had been dropped by MCA. They recorded demos for a fourth album, tentatively titled “Flight East”, and with a beautiful song, Today, that sounded like U2. But among the big labels there were no takers.
In 1984, Metallica’s version of “Am I Evil?” was released as the b-side to the single “Creeping Death”.
But in early 1985, Diamond Head quietly disbanded. “I felt that Sean was aiming to go solo,” Tatler said. “And really, we needed a break from each other.” In the late ’80s, Tatler led a new group, Radio Moscow, but failed to get a record deal. Sean Harris teamed up with guitarist and former Kerrang! cover star Robin George as a duo named Notorious. The debut Notorious album was made at huge expense, but a stinging review in Kerrang! – in which writer Jon Hotten goaded: “Never in a million years, boys” – proved prescient. The album was deleted three weeks after its release in 1990. “A complete disaster,” Tatler said.In the wake of these defeats, a Diamond Head reunion was inevitable. An album begun in 1990 was eventually completed in 1993, with Tatler and Harris backed by drummer Karl Wilcox and bassist Pete Vuckovic, who went on to lead the band 3 Colours Red.
Death And Progress
The album, titled “Death And Progress“, had all the hallmarks of classic Diamond Head – power, melody, riffs aplenty. It also featured guest appearances from two big names. Megadeth leader DaveMustaine, He too a Diamond Head fan since the days when he was briefly in Metallica, played on Truckin’. Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi co-wrote and played on “Starcrossed (Lovers Of The Night)“,
Another figure instrumental in Diamond Head’s comeback was, of course, Lars Ulrich. The multi-million selling Metallica album – aka ‘The Black Album’ – had made them megastars, and for a huge open-air gig at Milton Keynes National Bowl on 5th June 1993, Ulrich chose Diamond Head to open the show. “It was our biggest ever gig,” Tatler said. “And it turned into a nightmare.”
The band was under-rehearsed. Tatler, suffering from a bout of shingles, could barely move on stage. And having wisely chosen to begin their set with “Am I Evil?” – the Diamond Head song most familiar to Metallica’s audience – they blew it when Sean Harris appeared, to general hilarity, in a Grim Reaper costume complete with a cardboard scythe. “It looked ridiculous,” Tatler groaned. What Tatler later discovered was that Harris had already decided before this show that he wanted out, and that the Grim Reaper act was symbolic.
As Tatler explained it: “His message was: ‘Diamond Head is finished, I’m moving on. “Death and Progress.’ So that was that.”
There was another brief reunion in the early 2000s. Tatler and Harris recorded a new album with Wilcox again on drums and Eddie Moohan on bass. The band laid down some strong material – the heavy “Medusa’s Gaze” a throwback to the early days, “Music Box” a lighter track reminiscent of the “Canterbury” era. But the album was never released, and Tatler eventually decided to move on with a new singer.In 2004, another Midlands-based vocalist, Nick Tart, got the gig with Diamond Head.
The new-look band toured with Megadeth and Thin Lizzy, and recorded two solid albums – “All Will Be Revealed” (2005) and “What’s In Your Head?” (2007). In 2014, Tart left the band by mutual consent, and was replaced by Swedish singer Rasmus Bom Andersen. Two years later, on the album that was titled simply “Diamond Head“, Andersen proved an inspired choice, with Tatler still conjuring up riffs that Metallica would kill for. This was followed in 2019 by another powerful studio album, “The Coffin Train”.
Tatler has since taken a new role as guitarist with fellow New Wave Of British Heavy Metal survivors Saxon. But he’s not yet finished with Diamond Head. As he explained to Planet Rock: “I do it because I want to, not because I have to. The Metallica royalties have made a huge difference to me and my lifestyle. Buying a house. Not having to work.” Metallica also brought Tatler and Harris together again in 2011. As guests at Metallica’s 30th anniversary event in San Francisco, they joined their hosts on stage for a blast through four classic Diamond Head songs.“I don’t think of Diamond Head as a failure,” Tatler said. “But in life you make your own luck. Metallica had back luck, but they just moved forward. And that’s what Diamond Head should have done in the ’80s, instead of throwing in the towel too quickly.”There are, Tatler said, many other great bands that never made it big. King’s X was one. Lone Star was another – their album “Firing On All Six” was world-beater, but it just didn’t happen.”
What Brian Tatler takes from all his years in Diamond Head is a hard-earned wisdom.“ We were labelled ‘the new Led Zeppelin’. I mean, wow! But it was a blessing and a curse. There could never be another Led Zeppelin just like there could never be another Beatles.“ Not many bands get to the top,” he said. “Talent is not enough. You need what Lars had, that will to succeed. We just didn’t have enough of that in Diamond Head.”
British heavy metal icons Diamond Head release the animation video for “The Messenger”. The track is the second single taken from the upcoming live album “Live and Electric” out this week.
“‘The Messenger (Live at the Cambridge Corn Exchange)’ Is a very powerful track. It started life in my head when I was watching Cradle of Filth live on the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise” remarks founding member and lead guitarist Brian Tatler. “They played a song with a fantastic groove which reminded me of Tobacco Road by the Nashville Teens. I thought to myself ‘that’s brilliant, I will try and come up with a riff for a groove like that’ and so I came up with “The Messenger” riff (everything comes from somewhere). We recorded it for the album “The Coffin Train” and played it live on the 2022 UK and European tour opening for Saxon. It always sounded good live, even next to classic Diamond Head songs like ‘The Prince’ and ‘In the Heat of the Night’. We recorded all the shows on the UK tour and thought this version at Cambridge was the mightiest. Heavy Metaaaaaaaal!”
With a thunderous crunch and genuine ‘in-your-face’ production that places the PA up against your ears, “Live and Electric“, is a live album that delivers every nuance of that four-letter word thanks to a song selection that covers Diamond Head’s seminal career, and a sound that leaves you breathless in the stalls and smelling the sweat and leather of a classic British Heavy metal night.
Recorded in 2022 on the band’s tour with Saxon, “Live and Electric” takes in performances from Aberdeen, Blackburn, York, Cambridge, Cardiff and Bexhill, creating in the process an unmistakably British energy which is superbly recorded and mixed by Jay Shredder, with singer/frontman Rasmus Bom Andersen mastering. By now, the rock and metal scene knows all about Brian Tatler, whose riffs have genuinely defined a genre as well as influencing one of the world’s biggest-ever rock bands, Metallica, but the contribution of Andersen to these Diamond Head performances is explosive as he bursts with power, presence and personality.
The first single taken from “Live and Electric”, “Helpless”, is released today. Founding member and lead guitarist Brian Tatler recalls of the song: “In September 1979 the song “Helpless” began life as a riff I was playing by an obscure punk band. I was playing it at the 5th fret and singer Sean Harris said ‘play it at the 2nd fret but play it faster’ and the song took shape. It has always been a powerhouse live and one of the songs that has never left the set list. Metallica covered “Helpless” on their “$5:98″ EP in 1987 which introduced it to a whole new set of Metal fans.”
The seamless way in which old classics such as “The Prince” and newer stormers like “Belly Of The Beast” thunder down the tracks is a testimony to the lock-tight no-nonsense foundation that Paul Gaskin (bass), Andrew “Abbz” Abberley (rhythm and lead guitar), and Karl Wilcox on drums add to the alchemy and the balance of respect plus reinvigoration for treasures “It’s Electric”, “Helpless” and “Am I Evil?” is electrifying.
“Live and Electric” is a true roots representation of Britain’s metal communities, and a wonderful live celebration of Diamond Head’s distinctly British heavy metal music which feels as fresh, vital, and important now as it ever has before.
Charlotte Cornfield’s new album “Hurts Like Hell” is out later this month, and the third single is “Lost Leader,” which features Christian Lee Hutson. “This is a hard song,” she says. “But I also think it’s a little bit funny. Tragicomic maybe? It’s about a tormented frontman character whose personal demons and poor behaviour are getting the best of him. The story is told in second person but there are two perspectives represented here: the struggling artist and the disappointed fan. Christian Lee Hutson sings the part of the ‘lost leader,’ and though he only has a few lines he delivers the hell out of them.”
Cornfield is a sharp-eyed songwriter, who, like her contemporary Courtney Barnett, is particularly adept at both reinforcing and undercutting the emotional core of her narratives with quotidian detail and slacker silliness: “Music is my bread and butter,”
Cornfield began identifying the thesis statements of her favourite albums at a young age. Growing up in Toronto, Cornfield describes herself as a “real CBC kid”: Her father worked at the Canadian public radio station as a jazz and classical music radio producer, while her mother worked as an editor at a parenting magazine called Today’s Parent.
By 2019, Cornfield had already released two critically-acclaimed records, but she decided it was time to pursue music full time. She quit her day job and released 2019’s “The Shape of Your Name“, a breakthrough for Cornfield in Canada followed by her 2020 EP “In Your Corner”.
From the album “Hurts Like Hell”, out March 27th, 2026 on Merge Records / Next Door Records.
Scottish indie greats Trashcan Sinatras are back with their first new music in nearly four years and “The Bitter End” is as sweet as the rest of their catalogue.
The veteran Ayrshire jangler pop release an instant classic single… oh yes it is! Just over three minutes of burbling, pumping later period energy, this track finds Frank Reader and his compadres older, maybe a bit more frayed at the edges (but then they always were, in a good way…) singing of regrets but tinged with hope as well. And is it true that this is their first new music release since 2016? And “more new music” is promised…
A timeless guitar chug/riff starts things off, more instrumentation is added and the vocal kicks in – a timeless melody redolent of TFC, The LAs but most of all The Trashcans themselves – “In memory of a friend, I’ll meet you again…”. A great roaring guitar solo, a touch of strings, Christ what else could anyone possibly want for a pure pop orgasm…? Well?
It is another triumph from one of Scotland, and the world’s, most underappreciated bands – as ever there is adversity but out of it come such beautiful melodies, harmonies…
The Fat Angel Sings 