Kiss From a Siren
Kiss From a Siren Beautiful songs and otherworldly voices. The type of music you’d imagine a fairy may sing to draw you into it’s circle. Featuring a variety of up and coming artists from the UK, including recent Mercury prize nominee Jacob Alon and the ethereal Florence Rose. For those times when you wish you could close your eyes and vanish into a fairytale. People’s playlists by: Caitlin Taylor Instagram Alternative,Folk,Folk Pop,Folk Rock {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
The Garden – NEW UK FOLK
The Garden – NEW UK FOLK Alt Rock,Alternative,Folk,Folk Rock,Indie,Indie Rock We’re happy you’re here. The Garden brings the best in new UK folk. Including Ugly, The New Eves, Truthpaste and more. Plucky strings, wandering vocal passages, take a walk and return to a summer daze. We hope to See You Around. People’s playlists by: Callum Lidington Instagram Instagram You Might Also Like Recent Posts
OUTBREAK 2025 Review – Hot Sticky Hardcore
OUTBREAK 2025 Review – Hot Sticky Hardcore It was a swelteringly hot Friday, not ideal weather for heavy cotton band shirts and mosh pits, but that wasn’t going to deter any of the attendees of Outbreak festival. 2 July 2025 By Caitlin Taylor Momma was the first band we encountered on the main stage. They’re straight out of a 00s teen film soundtrack, accentuated by the duo’s strong American twang. Like most of the American acts who came over for the day, they were shocked by the heat but still managed to provide a fun set. Fleshwater followed, more on the hardcore side, with heavy guitars and bold vocals. “I want the biggest circle in the world!’ yelled a member of the band, which the British audience were initially hesitant to do, maybe due to the heat, but they eventually caught the drift. The one criticism we really had was the capacity of The Club Stage, as we didn’t manage to get in at all. We were incredibly keen to catch both feeble little horse and Jane Remover, but due to being faced with a queue that seemed to curl back around itself endlessly, we ended up just standing near the entrance and trying desperately to catch what we could. Next, we had Julie, who was our highlight of the day. They began by playing a video of someone playing the cello, which broke down as the band walked onstage. We likened them to Bar Italia’s little American cousins, lacking the nonchalance of the European indie darlings, which isn’t a negative. At times reminiscent of Nirvana, their drum work was particularly impressive. Definitely one to check out. Closing out there was a characteristically excellent set from lo-fi indie king Alex G, which featured some deep cuts and mental instrumentation we were big fans of, followed by Turnstile, a band who’ve blown up massively over the past year. A momentous ending full of moshing and jumping around, insane that most had energy after the 30-degree temperatures. It was an impressive London launch for Outbreak, with a really great selection of both hardcore and shoegaze artists. We’re already excited for next year! You might also like ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Recent Posts ⋆⭒˚.⋆
LIDO 2025 – Weekend 2 Ones to Watch
OUTBREAK 2025 Ones to Watch – LIDO Weekend 2 Weekend one was a success, and weekend two looks to be even greater. 15 June 2025 By Caitlin Taylor We missed LIDO weekend one, don’t remind us. The Jamie XX and Skrillex B2B out the sound desk and Massive Attack’s statements have been the talk of the town for the last week so there was no way we were missing this coming weekend. With 3 days of drastically different sounds, there’s truly something here for everyone. FRIDAY 13th JUNE – OUTBREAK Kumo 99 2:35pm @ Stage 2 Starting off strong, Kumo 99 are the first to take the stage at Outbreak. They’re high energy, a brilliant blend of punk and electronic. Check out their Coachella set from earlier this year if you want a taster. My only complaint is that they’re on way too early, but you can catch them later at Colour Factory too. feeble little horse 3:40pm @ The Club If you’ve not heard of this indie rock group, they just gave a banging performance at Primavera and have been backed by So Young so you know they’re cool. Perfect for fans of Pavement or Pixies. Jane Remover 4:40pm @ The Club Hyper and intense, Jane’s music is perfect to get you ready for the hardcore stuff happening later on. If you’ve been enjoying 2Hollis’s recent releases, this is one for you. SATURDAY 14th JUNE – PARTY GIRL The Japanese House 5:45pm @ Main Stage A veteran of queer indie music, she hit the mainstream last year after appearing as a feature on Charli XCX’s Brat remix album and collaborating with Fred Again. Her solo stuff is where she truly shines though, give her last album ‘In The End It Always Does’ a proper listen. Rose Gray 6pm @ The Club Well on her way to being the new it girl, Rose Gray just released her debut album this past January. She’s 2025’s answer to Kylie Minogue with super fun, catchy beats that’ll get stuck in your head. Not one to miss. SUNDAY 15th JUNE Pip Millett I have loved Pip Millett since 2018, she’s truly a special artist. Smooth RnB with cheeky lyrics, her latest single ‘Tell Jimmy I’m Fine’ is a perfect example. Clementine Douglas A truly brilliant dance vocalist who’s featured on tracks with juggernauts including David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and Chase and Status. If you love a strong voice and catchy hooks, Clementine is definitely one to add to your must-sees. Wasia Project This sibling duo started making music in their teens and have now grown as artists, making thoughtful and delicate tracks with a focus on instrumentation. They’re still early in their careers, and one to check out if you’re a fan of music that feels genuine. You might also like ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Recent Posts ⋆⭒˚.⋆
Wide Awake 2025 Review – A Political Celebration of Music and Community:
Wide Awake 2025 Review – A Political Celebration of Music and Community: No surprises here – Wide Awake was brilliant. By Caitlin Taylor It was a shaky start – news of legal action against the festival for not following regulations meant rumours swirled that it would be cancelled just days before but Wide Awake brushed this off and carried on. After sadly missing out last year, I was determined to drag our founder Isla along to experience the best of London Day festivals and it was well worth it. Daniel Avery did an amazing job at curating the Dazed stage which took place inside a giant big top tent. The first act we caught there was Chanel Beads who were, as always, captivating and incredibly cool. As he did at their Pitchfork show last year, Shane Lavenders requested that the lights facing that band be shut off so that they were backlit, leaving the audience with a shadow puppet-esque view. Maya McGrory (who recently released her own solo album as Colle) was particularly enchanting whenever she was on the mic. They were also joined by regular King Krule collaborator Gal Go on sax. Shout out to Hello Mary who we unfortunately missed but heard great things about from others, they’re definitely on our radar for the future. A horrible timing clash meant that while I planted myself firmly at Fcuckers, Isla made a mad dash across the park to catch parts of deBasement, Mannequin Pussy and English Teacher – but I was told they were all definitely worth the sprint. Fcuckers were just insanely fun, they had the entire crowd jumping and dancing around, particularly to their opening and closing songs ‘Homie Don’t Shake’ and ‘Bon Bon’. We also caught Nadine Shah who was a powerhouse with bellowing vocals and a crazy stage presence. She even brought out Spider from the Pogues to perform ‘Boys from the County Hell’ which prompted certain people to join arms and dance around in drunken circles – no naming names. CMAT was the penultimate act on the main stage, riding the high of her recent TikTok virality. Everyone with an embarrassingly high screen time could be seen dancing along to ‘Take A Sexy Picture of Me’. After a while, I ran off to catch Cobrah who ended up being pretty late. I wasn’t complaining though as it meant Sega Bodega (who I’d sadly resigned myself to not seeing) had extended his set past his designated time. Her eventual appearance was worth the wait, however, giving the sexiest performance of the day even featuring a very brief Cou Cou Chloe appearance/lap-dance that left everyone in the big top tent hot and bothered. Wide Awake is an undeniably political festival as shown by their refusal to give into the campaign against their headliners Kneecap which was kicked off by their divisive Coachella set earlier this year and culminated in a terrorism charge against member Mo Chara. We caught whispers of a secret set which turned out to be a speech from Jeremy Corbyn on the main stage mid-way through. He championed grassroots music venues, the power of community, and Palestine. Headliners Kneecap reinforced similar messages during their set, really hammering into the audience the importance of standing up for what you know is right despite the consequences. The support Wide Awake provides to grassroots venues should also be championed, with them providing stages for MOTH Club and The Shacklewell Arms as well as the South East London DIY skate spot The Grove. The world feels like a scary place at the moment and it’s beautiful to see so much community still remains. Walking around the festival we encountered so many fellow journalists, local musicians, and industry people all of whom were keen to chat and share thoughts/cigarettes. Afterwards, Isla texted me to say she had “the bloody best day ever” and I wholeheartedly agree. You might also like ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Recent Posts ⋆⭒˚.⋆
Our CROSS THE TRACKS 2025 Top Picks:
Our CROSS THE TRACKS 2025 Top Picks: Can’t wait for Cross The Tracks on Sunday? These are our must-sees. By Caitlin Taylor I still count Cross the Tracks 2022 as maybe my favourite festival experience ever so here’s hoping this year is more of the same. I’m not sure where else you’ll find a lineup this talented – Ezra Collective, Jordan Rakei, Michael Kiwanuka and Free Nationals all in one place. We’ve picked out a few of our favourites you should give a listen to before the headliners, maybe you’ll find a few new favorites. ESSENCE MARTINS – 12:05 pm @ The Caboose Stage We were early fans of Essence Martins here at TNAM, and she’s only grown greater as time has progressed. Her new album Sleeping On It showcases her talent as a singer/songwriter with relatable lyrics that’ll leave you reminiscing about your last breakup. Delicate and peaceful, perfect for a Sunday afternoon. FABIANA PALLADINO – 2:20 pm @ Locomotion Stage We’re all for bringing disco back in 2025, and it’s something Fabiana Palladino has been doing over the past year. Her critically acclaimed self-titled album set her apart from your typical pop act with funky beats and smooth vocals. We caught her last year at RALLY, and again at All Points East where she performed with the legendary Jai Paul, a regular collaborator of hers. NIA SMITH – 2:15 pm @ D-Railed Stage Nia Smith is perfect for a festival like Cross The Tracks. A singer/songwriter with a reggae influence and strong soul sound, she seems moments away from blowing up to Jorja Smith levels. Last year she performed at SZA’s Hyde Park takeover despite only having released her first song on streaming services a month before. Catch her before she hits the main stage. JGRREY – 1:30 pm @ Mainline Stage JGrrey is one of my absolute personal favourites. Her first release For Keeps in 2019 is still a regular play and her newest album If Not Now? Is equally as good. She’s still a leading force in the London RnB scene despite putting nothing on streaming for the past 2 years. Hopefully, her appearance at Cross The Tracks will set the stage for some new releases..? LULU. – 12:30 pm @ Mainline Stage LULU. (the full stop is intentional!) is another artist who only started releasing music very recently but is already selling out headline shows. Her music draws inspiration from her childhood growing up in the church and her love for afrobeats, the perfect music to dance to in the sun with your friends. It’s rare to find music that feels so genuine and uplifting – we’re excited to see her on stage! You might also like ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Recent Posts ⋆⭒˚.⋆
Our GALA 2025 Top Picks:
Our GALA 2025 Top Picks: Going to GALA festival this weekend? Here’s who we think you should see. By Caitlin Taylor If you’ve never been to the Peckham Rye DJ-focused festival GALA, you’re in for a treat. It’s pretty small, but their lineups always pack a crazy punch. Last year saw Joy Orbison, Girls Don’t Sync and Chaos in the CBD take to the park, and this year is somehow even better. We’ve put together a list of our top picks, if you’ve not yet got tickets hurry up! FRIDAY Savssounds is truly up and coming with a really eclectic mix of experience behind her. Her live set for Art Beyond the Shell made Nirvana’ Smells Like Teen Spirit a song that you could grind to. She recently started the club night Altverse focusing on black alternative music featuring the likes of The Internet, Doechii and Kaytranada, and also somehow manages to juggle both being a DJ and a financial consultant – a seriously talented woman. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SAVSSOUNDS (@savssounds) SATURDAY Amaliah is super popular at the moment, playing a crazy run of shows over the summer. Other than GALA, catch her at Shangri-La, Maiden Voyage and Boiler Room in Ibiza. She started DJing in 2018 after record collecting since her teens. Her sets are varied, she plays around with house, techno and UK funky and she started the collective Borne Fruits to showcase some of the best underground music, something we can definitely get behind. If you’re maybe in the mood for something a little more retro, Portuguese-born London-based Mafalda is known for her brilliant taste in soulful disco tunes. She doesn’t believe in guilty pleasures, as she told Dust & Grooves “Good music is good music”. She radiates joy, so if you’re in the mood to feel good make sure you get to her set. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mafalda (@mafaldafromthesun) SUNDAY If you’ve been DJing for over two decades you better be good, and Michelle Manetti certainly is. Self-described as a ‘genre non-conformist’, she loves to experiment with a variety of genres from house to disco to acid. She also promotes and helps to curate multiple female/non-binary-focused club nights in East London including Femmme Fraiche. If you tend to spend your nights at Dalston Superstore, this is the set for you. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Michelle Manetti (@michelle_manetti) Millie McKee is a standout on this list. Her taste skews more into the psychedelic, with percussive dub and spiritual jazz beats. Another decade-long vinyl collector, she even manages the record store Hidden Sounds on Ridley Road. Truly a Sunday vibe, and maybe a good one to add to your itinerary if you’ve attended all 3 days of the festival and are looking for something to chill out to. You might also like ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Recent Posts ⋆⭒˚.⋆
Our Wide Awake 2025 Top Picks:
Our Wide Awake 2025 Top Picks: Wide Awake is back this Friday! Here’s who you need to catch By Caitlin Taylor Don’t tell the others, but Wide Awake may be our most anticipated festival this year. It’s brought to you by, and champions of, many beloved grassroots London venues like The Shacklewell Arms and MOTH Club. If you love the indie scene and alternative music, it’s where you need to be this Friday. MERMAID CHUNKY – 2:45 pm @ Wide Awake Stage Mermaid Chunky call themselves an “audio-visual duo” rather than a band, which seems pretty accurate. They’re one for the art students or those who spent their lunchtimes at drama club – expect face paint, big costumes, and a sound your parents probably wouldn’t really ‘get’. Maximalism at its finest. True Blue – 2:15 pm @ The Grove DIY Stage True Blue is a project by Maya Laner, the bassist of the synth-pop band Porches. She’s a multi-instrumentalist who has put out a series of great experimental pop singles over the past couple of years. Having previously opened for Wide Awake alum Caroline Polachek, she possesses a similar dreamlike feminine quality. UGLY – 1:30 pm @ Wide Awake Stage Ugly are ever-evolving, in many ways unrecognisable from their 2016 debut. They’re a vocal-heavy 6 piece who treat their music like art – part rock, part folk, part theatre. If you’re a fan of Wide Awake regulars Black Country New Road, give them a listen. deBasement – 6:00 pm @ The Grove DIY Stage If you were big into Brat summer last year but now are looking for something new then deBasement should be your soundtrack for 2025. Their catchy playful lyrics and party beats could draw comparisons to The Dare, MCR-T or Six Sex. They’re perfect if you grow a bit bored of guitars and are ready to party. ENGLISH TEACHER – 5:45 pm @ Wide Awake Stage Yeah, we know everyone is probably already planning to see English Teacher, but seriously you should. Their rise has been deservedly meteoric since the release of This Could Be Texas in 2024 but we’ve been diehard fans since the release of Polyawkward, their debut EP. Their set last weekend at The Great Escape was electric and we’re sure this will be no different. You might also like ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Recent Posts ⋆⭒˚.⋆
New Interview: Emma Bradley
New Interview: Emma Bradley British singer-songwriter Emma Bradley has never shied away from vulnerability, but her latest EP, Winona’s World, marks a bold new chapter—one that embraces shadow, solitude, and self-definition. Inspired by sonic auteurs like Imogen Heap, James Blake, Bon Iver, and Danny Elfman, Winona’s World is a cinematic, emotionally charged journey through themes of abandonment, queerness, mental struggle, and bittersweet memory. 19 May 2025 By Isaac Phelan Currently Listening to: What began as a reckoning with artistic identity—intense enough that Emma briefly considered changing her name—transformed into the creation of Winona, a fictional alter ego who gives voice to her darker emotions. Through this character, Emma explores the parts of herself often hidden or “swept under the rug,” using music as both refuge and revelation. Self-produced and independently released, the EP not only showcases Emma’s evolution as a musician but also marks her reclamation of creative control. I sat down with Emma to talk about the making of Winona’s World, building sound from silence, and why stepping fully into her own name — and voice — might be the most radical act of all. Winona’s World emerged from a deeply introspective period where you considered creating an entirely new persona. Can you share more about what sparked this urge and how you eventually reconciled with staying true to Emma Bradley? I made this EP honestly nearly by accident. I was in a very strange place where I felt really creatively uninspired, and nothing I made was feeling good to me. I was also pretty burnt out. I started messing around on my laptop and writing in a really different way from how I’ve previously approached making music, and that somehow triggered such a different sonic. When I had finished the final demos of the project, I felt a bit like… this was a big departure from the music I had out, but also this feels like music I’ve always wanted to make. It felt too different to my other music at first and also felt a bit too vulnerable, so I decided to release it anonymously under another name, ‘Winona’. She’s like my shadow, and I gave her all the darker feelings that I had carried around and had followed me in my life. I sat with it for months and months and got really close to releasing it as a side project. But after playing the music to some people and seeing the reaction, I was like wait, I am really proud of what I made and I want to own that. People were like ‘Emma don’t be stupid, you have to release this yourself’, I’m glad I listened to them. The EP explores themes described as “shadows of a feeling”—emotions often neglected or suppressed. How did immersing yourself in these emotions impact you personally and creatively? I think giving myself the space to be entirely honest with myself was very freeing and healing. I think I was too scared to go there in my music previously. But music has always been how I process things, and making music alone like this really allowed me to do it fearlessly without thinking ‘ah, is my co-writer gonna think this or that about me’. I tackled some topics on this project that I definitely wouldn’t have felt comfortable really delving into in a writing session, to be honest. The whole process has made me feel a lot more confident in myself and how I want to express things / how my own ideas for production and writing are just as good as anyone else’s ideas. ‘That Door’ is improvised, actually, I’m pretty sure the final vocal on there is literally the first thing that came out of my mouth when I hit record. So yeah, the whole thing was definitely intimate haha. In creating the alternate world inhabited by Winona, did you find yourself drawing from fictional inspirations or real-life experiences more heavily? I have been hugely inspired by Tim Burton films for my entire life. Alongside that, I’ve always been drawn to magical, eerie films like Coraline, E.T. and Donnie Darko etc. Those films are kind of my creative blueprint. I learnt piano by listening to film scores until I could play them. So I definitely was drawing from those worlds when I was making this project. It’s all super abstract but the actual meaning behind the songs is very rooted in and inspired by my real-life experiences. So I guess it’s a mixture of both. You mention artists like James Blake, Imogen Heap, Bon Iver, and Danny Elfman as influences. How did these influences guide the evolution of your sonic style on this EP? I am such a massive fan of all of those artists and I think I had just listened to their work on repeat especially during the time I made this EP so it felt like accessing that influence came quite subconsciously. Danny Elfman is a big one, especially on Bad Apple. I wanted that song to feel like a film score. His work makes me feel everything. Also, the plug-in I used on my vocals throughout the project was very Imogen Heap / James Blake / Bon Iver inspired. I never really want autotune on my vocals when I make more singer songwritery music but for this, it felt like it was just part of it and it kind of sets the scene sonically. I think all of those artists are just really unafraid to do something different and it made me not overthink my choices when I was writing. Like not once did I think ‘Is this too weird?’, I just sort of rolled with it and it was a lot of fun. Departing from your label and management to produce independently sounds both liberating and daunting. What were the biggest creative challenges you faced, and how did overcoming them shape your music? Honestly, creatively I didn’t really feel any challenges. I sort of just did my own thing and didn’t
‘An enchanting event’ – Florence Rose at the George Tavern (18.05.25)
‘An enchanting event’ – Florence Rose at the George Tavern (18.05.25) Written 18.05.25 Last week Florence Rose debuted a new show, turning the George Tavern into a fairy garden to mark the start of spring By Caitlin Taylor Currently Listening to: A couple of days before the true Spring Equinox, Florence Rose and her troupe of artists took to the George Tavern’s historied stage. It was a night for those who grew up on Florence & the Machine and Stevie Nicks, equally as encapsulated by their flowing dresses and their haunting vocals. Mads Jensen, a newcomer to the London music scene, opened the show immediately setting the tone. With her long hair, lace skirts and bare feet, it was difficult not to picture her as a medieval bard. The instrumentation was impressive, the violin in particular, and it was a surprise to learn that this wasn’t her usual band. She spoke about her fascination with religious texts and the impact they’ve had on her music, providing depth to her already impressive lyricism. The mysterious duo eternally yours followed with their first ever live performance. One song expressed their desire to be somewhere else, the opposite of how everyone in the room appeared to be feeling. They enchanted the crowd with gorgeous harmonies, leaving them wanting more – which hopefully is soon to come. Qazi and Qazi could give anyone a lesson in how to captivate an audience; their echoing vocals were reminiscent of Snow White singing to the birds in the Disney classic. They both began and ended their set unaccompanied, a testament to the power of their voices. With a sweet little singalong in the middle and delicate hand choreography throughout, they were magical to watch. And finally Florence Rose took to the stage. Likely feeling the relief of a successful event, she gracefully launched into her set. Her performance tied a bow around what was already a dazzling night, managing to combine elements of all the previous artists as well as bringing her own unique touch. She could be likened to Adrienne Lenker, Joan Baez, or any other female singer who manages to find strength in their softness. It was beautiful. Florence also brought together an amazing collective of creatives who deserve credit: Jennifer Tett (@jennifer_l_h_tett) and Charlee (@unadored) managed to create an immersive fairy grove inside the classic London venue with flowers and vines strewn across the stage while various artists hung back pressed against the bar sketching the night’s events. It was an enchanting event, something you’d imagine would take lace inside a fairy circle. A testament to embracing the beauty of being gentle. We can only hope this becomes a tradition.