The Fat Angel Sings

As the end of the first quarter of the 21st century inches ever closer, our planet precariously teeters from one crisis to the next. Rather than passively sit back and watch, the high-energy Irish guitar quintet Gurriers are firing on all cylinders and confronting the ills of the modern world on their debut album, “Come and See”, a truly thrilling collection of razor-sharp progressive punk songs.

Recorded in Leeds at the Nave with Alex Greaves, “Come and See” blasts off to an explosive start with “Nausea”, giving the concept of Jean Paul Sartre’s classic novel of the same name a furious sonic makeover. Guitars screech like sirens, creating a curiously catchy clarion call for an album of raucous reflection.

“Come and See” explores many themes, be they the end of the world, the disenfranchised youth of Dublin, emigrant friends, the rise of the far right, desensitisation to violence, a pope struggling with belief and love amongst other things. “Nausea” examine how existential mundanity in the 21st century is now essentially lived in the digital realm, and society has blindly sleepwalked into this actuality without realising the full extent of its corrosive damage. Underpaid and overworked content moderators are forced to watch unspeakable horrors, as social media platforms drip feed its users dopamine, further distracting an already overstimulated and distorted cartoonish world from the harsh glare of too much reality.

“Des Goblin” channels the hypnotic energy of dance music and notes how modern narcissism is fuelled by an addiction to online personas. “Close Call” turns up the ferocious guitar intensity to eleven, a fierce hybrid of guitar pop with industrial techno sensibilities. “Dipping Out” is like a post-post-punk version of an Adam Curtis documentary, as the band cite his classic HyperNormalisation as a major source of inspiration. One line perfectly nails the disillusionment of contemporary youth, “Failed by a system that never really lets you exist.” Indeed, if Gurriers weren’t in a band they’d probably be part of a generation leaving Ireland in their droves, driven out by the soaring cost of living and the unattainability of home ownership, left to “live in debt and die in freedom”.

“No More Photos” opens with the memorable line, “Gentlemen, no fighting in the bathroom please. You’ve been caught doing too many Es” and proceeds to reference Caravaggio. Following a brief instrumental respite, simply titled “Interlude”, the album closes with a breathtaking final flourish of songs and a soaring title track, which tantalisingly hints towards an even more expansive, wide-screen sound for a future chapter. “Approachable” is a tongue-in-cheek anthem mourning the rise of the far right (“Damn, I was born in the wrong era”) that kicks off with a monstrous killer riff. “Top Of The Bill” combines an intricate guitar melody with blasts of noise and a knockout chorus, a live favourite and perfect example of how well Gurriers craft inimitable and intense pop music.

Taking their name from an antiquated and somewhat charming Irish term for lout, ruffian, or street urchin, Gurriers formed in January 2020, initially comprising Dan Hoff on lead vocals, Ben O’Neill on guitar and backing vocals, Mark MacCormack on guitar, Pierce O’Callaghan on drums and Emmet White on bass, who has since amicably left the band and been replaced by Charlie McCarthy.

Hailing from various parts of Ireland, Gurriers met in Dublin. They believed they were destined to connect creatively in a meaningful way, so they formed a band. We don’t need to dwell too much on how events in early 2020 temporarily stalled their progress. “All we wanted to do was be back in a room together and practice,” Dan Hoff recalls. “I remember one stage screaming into my pillow because of the extended lockdowns.”

Instead of doom scrolling on their phones, baking banana bread, or bingeing on box sets, Gurriers seized an opportunity to hone their vision and advance their ambition. Over numerous Zoom calls, they meticulously discussed every single aspect of the band, plotting strategies at a time when venues, studios, and rehearsal rooms were shuttered shut. The silence spurned the fledgling group on to make a bigger, more beautifully abrasive noise.

Thanks to a productive pandemic, when Gurriers played their first gig on Halloween 2021 at Dublin’s Workman’s Club, they’d evolved remarkably as a band. On the back of earlier singles including “Sign of The Times” and “Nausea”, they have received the seal of approval from The Needle Drop’s legendary Anthony Fantano and prestigious support from Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens of BBC Radio 6 Music culminating in their most recent single “Des Goblin” making it up to BBC Radio 6 Music’s A-List at 6, not bad for an unsigned band self-releasing their own music.

Gurriers played festivals throughout Europe and beyond, including SWN, Mad Cool, Reeperbahn, Left of the Dial, London Calling, Latitude, Haldern Pop, Off, The Great Escape, Pukkelpop, Pitchfork Music Festival London, Electric Picnic and All Together Now. Scheduled to play South by Southwest in Austin, Texas last March, Gurriers pulled out alongside virtually all other Irish participants, boycotting the event due to its sponsorship by the US Army. This October, Gurriers will embark on their biggest tour to date in support of their blistering debut.

Inspired by timeless first records by The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Chemical Brothers, and Black Midi, Gurriers’ first album is no ordinary debut, but an exhilarating statement of intent by five people fed up with tiptoeing politely around the chaos.

Genesis’ stunning concert at the Rainbow Theatre, in Finsbury Park, London, on 20th October 1973,

From the “Selling England By The Pound” Tour this is an epic song performed on stage by Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford. This double album showcases Genesis’ stunning concert. Genesis released their fifth studio album, “Selling England by the Pound“, on 28th September 1973. The album was supported with concert tour of Europe and North America from September 1973 to May 1974.

The prog rock giants Genesis caught in live action in London in late 1973, a mere month after the release of their “Selling England By The Pound” album. This is what many claim to be the band at the height of their powers, with their highly celebrated “Foxtrot” album not long behind them, hitting their experimental, quirky time signature peak and with Peter Gabriel still commanding the microphone. Opening with the thrusting ‘Watcher of the Skies’, Tony Banks’ keyboard stabs almost rave-like in their stabbing power, they hurtle through tracks from the latest offering ‘The Cinema Show’, ‘Battle of Epping Forest’ and the anthemic ‘I Know What I Like’ alongside “Nursey Cryme” album fan favourite ‘The Musical Box’ and a version of the epic ‘Supper’s Ready’ that stretches to nearly 24 minutes here. ‘More Fool Me’, meanwhile, which sees drummer Phil Collins step forward to sing its folksy, almost Bee Gees-like pop strains, points to where the band would be in a handful of years’ time.

Featured here, are a number of cuts from that landmark album, including fan favourites such as “Firth of Fifth”, “Dancing with the Moonlight Knight”, “The Cinema Show” and “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)”, alongside prog classics such as “The Musical Box” and “Supper’s Ready“, that stretches out over Side Four.

“Richard Manuel was a fearless original. Sweetly soulful as a vocalist and endearingly creative as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he was a vital part of some of rock ’n’ roll’s pivotal moments, including Bob Dylan’s controversial move to electric music, the original Woodstock festival, and the legendary Last Waltz. Through thoughtful research and analysis, this book places Manuel’s troubled yet inspired spirit within a musical and historical context. For the first time, Manuel’s compositions and performances are critiqued with expert commentary — alongside new interviews with family, friends, and fellow musicians, including Eric Clapton and Van Morrison. The story traces Manuel’s journey from Stratford, Ont., to Woodstock, N.Y., and beyond, beginning with his first band, The Revols, then singing the blues with Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson in The Hawks, the group that would later become The Band. Manuel’s influence was profound, his distinctive vocals infusing songs with emotion and depth. His song writing flourished in classics like “Tears of Rage”, cowritten with Dylan, and “We Can Talk”. His keyboard work added a lovable funkiness to the Band’s sound, blending elements of rock, folk, country, and blues into what would become the genesis of Americana. Despite The Band’s successes, Manuel struggled with personal demons, battling addiction and inner turmoil. Looking beyond his human frailty, this book celebrates Manuel’s immeasurable contributions to music, ensuring that memories of his voice and artistry endure.”

Having penned over 200 songs in the last six years, The Reds, Pinks and Purples release a collection of tracks, previously unreleased on physical format, that continues to romanticise the wonders and woes of the world.

Set to a soundtrack that swerves between the dark days of Television Personalities and Byrdsian twang to the Jarvis Cocker-styled rhetoric and vocal tenderness of ‘Richard In the Age Of The Corporation’ with hints of everything from Husker Du’s fuzzed splendour to the chiming majesty of The Chameleons, it’s an empowering listen.

The pathos and irony of the glorious track, ‘The World Doesn’t Need Another Band’, sets out the band’s store – it’s a measured and quietly outspoken rant at lacklustre opposition peppered with a gorgeous guitar break. Meanwhile, ‘I Only Ever Wanted To See You Fail’ rumbles with an Eddie And The Hot Rods pre-punk riff before dissolving into a tale of self-doubt and remorse, bemoaning others’ good luck. ‘Toxic Friend’ is from the book of the TVP’s Daniel Treacey with an upbeat chorus that smacks of all that was good in old school indie in a hail of fuzzy logic and guitars.

The Reds, Pinks and Purples “Donaldson’s best work hides allure within a bigger picture, like a jangle-pop egg hunt” Pitchfork.

Returning with ‘caroline 2’, the eight-piece collective embrace a bolder, more expansive sound. Going beyond their debut’s explorations of repetition, slowness and space, the new album pushes further into dynamic contrasts — organic and electronic, raw and refined. Launched with the striking single ‘Tell me I never knew that’, featuring Caroline Polachek’s unmistakable vocals, “caroline 2” showcases a fearless interplay of layered instrumentation, warped vocal processing, and moments of both euphoria and melancholy. Intentional and immersive, this next chapter solidifies caroline as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary music.

Due: ‘caroline 2’, out 30th of May via Rough Trade Records

To be released in July, Panic Shack’s self-titled debut album represents a serious level up. Linking up with producer Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, Perfume Genius, Yard Act), it finds the band expanding their gutsy punk sound into fuller territory, packed with vocal harmonies, synths, electronic experimentation, and even a trumpet at one point.

f there’s one thing Panic Shack know, it’s how to have a good time. Comprised of Sarah Harvey (vocals), Meg Fretwell (guitar/backing vocals), Romi Lawrence (guitar/backing vocals), Em Smith (bass/backing vocals) and Nick Williams (drums), the band formed in 2018 as a middle-finger to the “members-only club” atmosphere of indie and punk scenes – not just because they’re male-dominated, but because they make playing music seem out of reach or, even worse, boring. “Boys make it look so hard,” Em says, rolling her eyes. “Whenever I see someone on the floor fiddling with their pedals with a face like a slapped arse I think, you’re making this look so unattainable and it’s actually so fucking easy.”

This carefree approach gives Panic Shack’s music the same effect as popping a bottle of Prosecco – explosive, intoxicating, and delightfully chaotic. With barely any music available online, they built a word-of-mouth following off the back of their live shows, which have been praised for fusing “thrashy early LA-style punk with choreography that owes something to the Go-Go’s and Iron Maiden all at once” (The Guardian). That quickly snowballed into tours with the likes of Bob Vylan and Soft Play, and festival appearances at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Green Man, End of the Road, SXSW and more.

Released in 2022, their acclaimed “Baby Shack EP” bottled the lightning they have on stage, cementing their ability to blend killer hooks with a contagious sense of humour. The first vinyl pressing – splattered pink, obviously – sold out almost instantly.

Over 11 breakneck tracks, Panic Shack never lets up or loses momentum. It opens with the rising sound of chatter, glass clinking and laughter, most of which was recorded in the beer garden at an Amyl & the Sniffers gig. Fizzing with the anticipation of walking into a club at the start of a night out, it feels like party-punk’s answer to the intro of Spice Girls’ ‘Wannabe’. From there, the bouncy bass line and blistering guitars of ‘Girl Band Starter Band’ kick in, and the band pulls you into their world the way a friend would grab your hand and drag you onto the dancefloor. “Four iced lattes / Sit outside / Smoke a rolly / Sun is shining / People watching / Things are moving / Got us talking…” Sarah chants, the pace ramping up like a heartbeat beginning to race.

Across the album, the lyrics are conversational, often stemming from in-jokes, while the subject matter spans the full range of the feminine experience. Whether it’s everyday stuff like browsing Hinge (‘Unhinged’) and remembering everything you need to stick in your bag because your dress has no pockets (‘Pockets’), or broader societal issues like the impact of toxic tabloid culture on body image (‘Gok Wan’) and sexual harassment (‘SMELLARAT’), no topic is too frivolous or too vast. There’s no point-scoring or political commentary to be made here, though. The songs spring naturally from the way they live their lives, which is, more often than not, with a great deal of enjoyment.

Irresistible because of their simplicity and charming because of their familiarity, Panic Shack are the answer to a question that, quite frankly, isn’t asked often enough: what if the funniest girls you know started a band? The sonic equivalent to a coming-of-age film unfolding over a single night, Panic Shack takes the shape of a bender, beginning by approaching a bar and ending with an impassioned speech at sunrise about how much you love your friends. Swerving the expected topics of sex and romance, the entire album revolves around the ionic bond between the four girls.

“This band has taken us on the most mental journey that nobody else will fully understand,” says Meg. It’s only right, then, that their debut marks a celebration of that as much as it does the start of a new journey entirely. “We’ve always wanted people to come in and be part of our world, and this album is every part of who Panic Shack are. The party side, the angry side… It’s a story about us, really,” Sarah explains. “That’s why we named it after the band. We can’t help but be ourselves.”

With an openness that feels singular, Indigo De Souza sings of heartbreak that feels beyond reason, of love that defies all odds, of unabashedly living in truth, speaking up for yourself, protecting your energy, of being afraid of the world but facing it anyway.

I wrote “Heartthrob” as a way to help process something that is often hard to talk about—the harmful ways I’ve been taken advantage of in my physical memory. ‘Heartthrob’ is about harnessing anger, and turning it into something powerful and embodied. It’s about taking back my body and my experience. It’s a big fuck you to the abusers of the world. A sarcastic, angry cry for all bodies that have ever been touched in harmful ways. Big thanks Elliott Kozel for making this music with me and showing up every day as a friend and collaborator. Thank you Jesse Schuster, Jonathon Smith and Landon George for playing on this song. Ya’ll are sweeties. Thank you Neta Ben Ezra and Seth Dunlap and the whole team and all our lovely actors for bringing this music video to life. I had so much fun goofin around with everyone.

‘Precipice’ takes the unafraid self-expression that has already earned Indigo an army of devoted fans and backs it up with deeper explorations of melody and pop influence without ever sacrificing depth or intention.

“I feel constantly on the precipice, of something horrible, or something beautiful–something that will change my life for better or for worse. This is about change, and how we can accept it, or push it away, but it is always there, carrying us in some direction, and cannot be stopped.” — Indigo De Souza

With a room full of fine pickers and a set of Hollywood orchestral cues to kill for, Cory Hanson proclaims ‘I Love People’. On his 4th solo album drills down (baby) on a dryly parallax worldview, with songs about all those people he loves and all the crazy things they get up to. As ringmaster for a circus show of classic folk and rock tropes, Cory tugs at our heartstrings with expert misdirection, embracing tradition by throwing it out, into the wind. Followers of Cory’s twin arcs as solo singer and Wand member will be intrigued to learn that the line-up here is the same band that recorded last year’s “Vertigo”. Yep, Wand — their Masters of Unbounded Space robes traded in for Wrecking Crew trucker’s caps, as they reel out licks both tasty and smooth, like chops-meisters of yore. That’s Robbie Cody co-producing behind the desk, Evan Backer playing bass and arranging strings and horns, Evan Burrows on drums and percussion and Cory on piano, guitars and voices and songs.

Travelin’ light and puttin’ up dry, ‘I Love People’ bugs out to the what-the-fuck?-ness on the edge of town spied now and again on Cory’s previous solos, “Pale Horse Rider” and “Western Cum”. Here though, the simmering shades of Rider’s quiet horror and the bursts of Cum’s cartoonish, gun-slinger bravado have given way to an ever-more impartial view of life on the ground, tinted in gossamer sepia and other nostalgic tones. Written over the past several annums, Cory’s songs ensnare the 70s singer-songwriter in a feedback loop, drawing additional inspiration from the indelible everyman melodies of the American Songbook. With gilded threads and emboldened needling, ‘I Love People’’s songs are rendered with immediacy and a deep-pile Hollywood production sound that radiates affluence and comfort, even in the darkest and coldest nights way out beyond the range of any signal.

Placed and displaced among gorgeously outfitted musical arrangements, ‘I Love People’’ people are kin to their threadbare folk forbears. Song by song, their occupations, social positions and dispositions unravel like silk into the wind.

While they perform, Cory loiters backstage, gently pulling at the curtain to reveal silly details hidden in plain sight inside America’s broken heart. It doesn’t come as a surprise, and it’s not strictly funny, either: a giddy mash of the two, the delirium that comes from finding what you think is “true” is someone else’s “false.” When maps won’t help you find out where you are anymore, you’re as normal and horrible as the next person, playing out your days in a place of constant activity with your parallax view progressing invisibly into a limbo beyond the horizon. That’s your freedom for you, and it might be more sad, more terrifying — if it weren’t so much fun! Even though their subject won’t stop squirming, Cory and his merry men have constructed a timeless still life with ‘I Love People’, simply by living for the fun and love of it all. Just like the rest of us!

“I Love People”, available on LP/CS/CD/Digital on July 25th, 2025, from Drag City.

The Black Keys have confirmed that their 13th studio album, “No Rain, No Flowers”, will be released on August 8th. The duo also launched the title track from the follow-up to 2024’s “Ohio Players“. It’s available below, along with the complete track list.

Its title may refer to Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney’s dramatic experiences of 2024, when they were force to abandon a badly organized tour and fired their management as a result. Carney later observed: “Shit happens, and you just have to move through it.”

They  collaborated with songwriters Rick Nowels, Daniel Tashian and Scott Storch on the 13-song collection.

“I had worked with Rick Nowels on Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence,” Auerbach said in a statement. “We’d never really collaborated with a keyboard player or someone who writes on piano the way he does, but it clicked immediately.” Carney added: “We wanted to go straight to the source – into the room with people known for their songwriting. Daniel Tashian was one of the first people I met after moving to Nashville, and we’ve been fans of Scott Storch forever.”

Their 13th studio album delivers an eclectic sound shaped by the energy and spirit of the band’s wildly popular Record Hangs: dance parties where Auerbach and Carney take turns spinning rare, but truly potent, cuts from their impressive collection of vinyl 45s for baying crowds of longtime fans and new converts alike. More than two decades into their career, The Black Keys consistently continue to create music on their own terms, fueled by instinct, passion, and a refusal to settle. ‘No Rain, No Flowers’ is a testament to the band’s deep commitment to their craft and their enduring creativity.

The band’s Dan Auerbach said: ““This whole album was really laboured over with a lot of love. We hope you feel that.”

These New Puritans have dropped a striking new album, “Crooked Wing“, via Domino. Haunting yet radiant, the group’s first LP in six years was produced by Jack Barnett and Bark Psychosis pioneer Graham Sutton and executive produced by George Barnett. “This album is both more surreal & somehow more direct than anything we’ve ever done,” George commented. “A crooked wing is an ear, you have one on each side of your body, and they have a rippled shape. Maybe if you’re lucky they can help you fly.” Caroline Polachek is there to aid in the effort on the standout single ‘Industrial Love Song’.

The cult duo returns with one of 2025’s boldest and most immersive records, shifting from the brutal to the beautiful. “Crooked Wing” cements TNP’s status as visionaries—defying genre, rejecting convention, and delivering their most moving, powerful work yet.

“Crooked Wing” is These New Puritans’ long-awaited fifth album—their first in six years. Produced by Bark Psychosis pioneer Graham Sutton and Jack Barnett, and executive produced by George Barnett, it features an unpredictable line-up of collaborators, from Caroline Polachek to veteran jazz bassist Chris Laurence.

The cult duo returns with one of 2025’s boldest and most immersive records, shifting from the brutal to the beautiful. “Crooked Wing” cements TNP’s status as visionaries—defying genre, rejecting convention, and delivering their most moving, powerful work yet.

released May 23rd, 2025

2025, Domino Recording Co Ltd