Album Review: ‘It Goes On’ – Westside Cowboy
Album Review: ‘It Goes On’ – Westside Cowboy A technically brilliant and creatively fantastic piece of art By Cara Rawson 25 August 2026 Westside Cowboy, a band hailing from Manchester, have recently become the acclaimed indie band of the city. An opinion which has now only been expedited by the release of new album ‘It Goes On’. ‘It Goes On’ is the kind of album that makes you fall in love with the beauty of music again. The melodies are concise and filled with Aoife Anson O’Connell’s unique vocal harmonies. The guitars sound fresh and warrant a modern touch. The album is an ode to feeling too young for the world but tired enough to know where you are. The lyrics of ‘It Goes On’ don’t focus on being poetry; they don’t need to. They feel like an echo of the world, there is no grandiose meaning hidden between the words. They are exactly as they appear on the tin. It’s an honest expression from a band wanting to make something nice to listen to. It’s a clear, well-spoken album. Photo by Clementine Schneidermann ‘It Goes On’ is a marker of change for indie music in this decade. The fuzz and muffled sound of the rhythm section has moved to the bass while the guitar has become polished and melodic. The album holds its genre of alternative indie without trying to prove it. The drums maintain a soft percussion which works incredibly well with the driving bass. The guitars lead the build-ups and vocals accentuate in all the perfect places. All instruments play their part and converse with each other. It’s an album that entails a sense of togetherness. The soft intro of ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ with the electric guitar, vocals providing a catchy melody and Aoife Anson O’Connell showing her voice in perfect detail. The drums iconic rolls and fills create a song that nearly requires clapping along to. It’s a big sound that feels like you’re in the room with the band and an audience. Westside Cowboy have well and truly proven that they deserve every single one of their flowers within this album release. They have created a technically brilliant and creatively fantastic piece of art. You Might Also Like Recent Posts
EP Review: ‘never really here’ – Chest
EP Review: ‘never really here’ – Chest Five brilliant tracks, utilising different energies and sounds and styles, without a single wasted transition. By Sankavi Naresh 14 August 2026 Norwich-based indie band Chest are back with their EP, ‘never really here’. It’s frenetic and punchy, packed with standout hooks from beginning to end; there’s a wistful ache running through it, the kind I thought we’d lost to the 2010s. The EP opens with ‘SO BETTER NOW’, which is fast paced and guitar heavy from the first bar, building momentum, not allowing for wasted space. The last 30 seconds particularly stuck with me; the riffing builds and builds, allowing a neat transition into ‘GOSPEL’ which is slower and broodier, a proper gear change. Chest never seem to run out of fresh ideas; the hook “I haven’t slept in a couple hours” is an instant earworm that you’ll be humming without meaning to. The line “over and under, kicked out” runs through the track like a half remembered encounter, something you can’t quite place or shake. “I have a vision,” vocalist Joel Reader declares partway through; it feels prophetic. ‘MACHINE’ is aptly named, mechanical in the best way, tightly wound without ever tipping into clinical or cold. “It’s all a bit obscene” is a catchy hook that takes a step back to examine just how strange it is to be this plugged in all the time. The track is restless. It feels tuned to something bigger, a sense of permanently being switched on, and having no way to switch off. ‘JULIA’ is a completely different register, melancholic and slower. There’s a reference to Julia’s mother that hints at hurt that runs deeper than what’s happening in the song. Reader calls out for Julia across the chorus, again and again, but the music tells you what the lyrics won’t say outright: she’s long gone and calling isn’t going to bring her back. Last but not least, ‘NUMB’ slows everything right down. It’s comforting and resigned all at once, weary but doesn’t indulge in self pity. It’s numb but never empty; we feel every underlying emotion beneath that numbness. Chest let the pain linger rather than looking away from it, echoing the same restraint ‘JULIA’ showed: small stretches with no vocals at all, the instruments are left to do the talking. A relationship has been abruptly severed here, and the track can’t quite move past it. The section beginning “I had the strangest dream” strikes a chord; it’s a line that stops you in your tracks, searching for something it already knows it’s lost. Five brilliant tracks, utilising different energies and sounds and styles, without a single wasted transition. ‘never really here’ knows exactly what it is; it’s a living, breathing entity in its own right and it thrums with hurt and confusion. You can hear it in the way ‘JULIA’ can’t stop calling out for someone that won’t answer, or the wordless stretches on ‘NUMB’ that say more than the lyrics do. Chest are definitely ones to watch. You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Review: RADAR Festival 2026
Photo by @oli.duncanson REVIEW – RADAR FESTIVAL 2026 Everything the world of progressive music has to offer under one roof [2027 Ticket Link] By George Bicknell Header Image by Oli Duncanson 9 August 2026 The thing I was immediately struck by upon arriving at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester was how much everyone attending absolutely loves RADAR Festival. Whether it was in the crowds of either stage, sat amongst everyone in the outside courtyard, or browsing the stalls at the extensive music and gaming market upstairs, everywhere I looked I could tell that the care put into tailoring every aspect of this event has successfully built such a strong sense of community. It’s easy to see one of the reasons why everyone who comes to RADAR has such an affinity for the festival, and that is the incredibly interesting lineups that the organisers curate from the worlds of progressive metal and modern heavy rock. I was only able to attend the Saturday of this year’s festival, but even then, partly thanks to the festival’s no-clash set-up, I was still able to catch such a variety of different bands. Amongst the likes of Welsh nu-metal legends Skindred, current rock radio darlings unpeople, and Australian metalcore trailblazers Northlane, there was an incredible collection of exciting smaller bands ready to explode onto much bigger stages. Photo by @likeanao “I think we might have some weebs in this crowd,” suggests frontwoman Emma Shippen before launching into a rapturously received cover of the Attack on Titan theme. If there was ever a band that’s going to feel at one with the delightfully nerdy RADAR community, it would be Dacara, who expertly weave the aesthetics and sounds of video games and anime into their energetic brand of electronic-infused metal. Dacara harnesses a level of controlled chaos for their live performances that amplifies their already lively songs to sound absolutely huge. Shippen shows off some dynamic, soaring vocals, and all of the band have great chemistry with each other onstage. For the first set of a long day of music, it was thoroughly impressive to see Dacara command such a high level of energy from the crowd, and you can only get that kind of reaction with an absolutely killer set of tunes. Photo by @oli.duncanson Someone may have visited the stage while EVILLE were powering through their set and not gotten their head around the sight of frontwoman Eva Sheldrake rapping about how good she looks in her new bikini top and dancing in said bikini top to the tune of chugging modern metal instrumentation. I can only imagine how boring life would be as that person. Luckily, RADAR is a festival that embraces individuality and uniqueness, so a band like EVILLE, who are willing to embrace fun and femininity in a genre that can be overcrowded by a lot of self-serious men, are a more than welcome presence on this stage. It helps that EVILLE’s tunes have the perfect balance of catchiness and genuine power. One minute you’re shuffling your feet to some incredibly groovy riffs and glitchy production, and then you’re being blown away by the combined harsh vocals of Sheldrake and bassist Jude Richards. EVILLE refer to their sound as ‘brat metal’ and, based on the fact that a room full of bearded metalheads were screaming along to a song called ‘BR4T MBL’, I think many people would happily hear more of something like this. Photo by @charliebluck I have been listening to Glass Bridges for a couple of years now, and one of the things I was most looking forward to was hearing Simona Cutifani’s gorgeous vocals live, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Indeed, atmospheric and propulsive alternative rock anthems like ‘Breathe’ and ‘Pray’ reach new heights live thanks to Cutifani’s emotional performance. For such a short set by a band that has only been active for a few years, you feel like you are seeing a well-seasoned live act power confidently through a string of certified classics, with guitarist Sam Canfield a particularly commanding presence onstage. With songs and performances like these, Glass Bridges are only going to continue their rapid rise, and by how busy the crowd got as the set progressed, RADAR definitely proved fruitful in getting even more fans on board. Photo by @claire.alaxandra I got right to the front for this set, which I feel like was the best possible place to take in the full majesty of Royal Sorrow’s theatrical brand of progressive metal. Getting to be up close and watch each member of the band expertly perform some of the most technically impressive instrumentation was a truly exciting honour. The band’s command of crafting addictive metal melodies was on full display; songs like ‘Samsara’ and ‘Release Your Shadow’ sounded like they could blow the roof off arenas thanks to the imposing, professional performances, particularly from the frontman and guitarist Markus Hentunen, whose vocals effortlessly slid between smooth and soaring. I know there will be many curious attendees in that crowd who won’t be able to get those choruses out of their heads after that set, and the sight of the band triumphantly headbanging over their guitars in perfect synchronicity is an image I won’t be able to get out of mine. Photo by @charliebluck If you came to the festival looking for a party, London nu-metal sextet BLACKGOLD were the band to provide you with everything you could’ve hoped for. A fair few ‘masked’ bands tend to shrink behind the costumes that hide their identity, but that is certainly not the case with BLACKGOLD. All the band members were bursting with so much charisma and energy that the small stage could barely contain them, which, between that and the several enthusiastic crowd-surfers they inspired into action, surely gave the brilliant security team quite the headache. The hard-hitting guitar riffs combined with frontman Spookz’s old-school hip-hop flow to create a delightfully nostalgic yet irreverent sound that would get even the most cynical listener bouncing
Ones to Watch: RADAR 2026
Ones to Watch: RADAR 2026 It’s that time of year when mind-bending riffs and sweaty circle pits fill the O2 Victoria Warehouse as part of RADAR Festival. 2026 promises to be another celebration of everything metal and progressive, but here are TNAM’s picks for who you should definitely keep your eye on. By George Bicknell 29 July 2026 Graphic Nature This London quartet has spent the entire 2020s dropping banger after banger, taking the sounds of nu-metal and giving it a distinctly modern, British edge. Having experienced their sets first-hand a few times now, I can’t wait to hear that crushing guitar sound signal the opening of a truly terrifying mosh-pit again. Eville Describing their trademark sound as ‘brat metal’, EVILLE has combined hyperpop and metalcore to create an incredibly addictive sound, and the commanding, attitude-filled presence of frontwoman Eva Sheldrake makes them a true must-watch. Maebe Hearing the work of instrumental progressive metal and math-rock band Maebe is an utterly transportive experience that mostly reminds you of the joy you get from witnessing musicians who have truly mastered their craft get the chance to show off their skills. Royal Sorrow Blending elements of theatrical, symphonic pop with intricate, progressive metal instrumentation, Helsinki’s Royal Sorrow sound absolutely huge, but the scope of their sound never stops their songs from being emotionally and sonically hard-hitting. rozemary Coming hot off the release of their scintillating second EP, ‘it’s harder now to breathe’, Merseyside’s rozemary are bringing metalcore back to its hardcore roots in excitingly manic fashion. Glass Bridges An alternative rock band firmly on the rise, Glass Bridges seem destined to conquer much bigger stages very soon with their atmospheric instrumentals, gorgeous vocals and choruses that sound like they should be raising the roof off arenas. – Buy tickets here – You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Single Review: ‘Zero’ – Long Distance Runner
Single Review: ‘Zero’ – Long Distance Runner ‘Zero’ opens with a swell of rising feedback, howling like wind through the trees before independent guitar lines gradually emerge. By Eli Callingham 14 July 2026 ‘Zero’ is the debut single from West London instrumental outfit Long Distance Runner. Comprised of members of Mandrake Handshake and Dead Dad’s Club, the track offers the first glimpse into the band’s improvisational and immersive sonic world. Over the past eighteen months they have become a fixture of London’s grassroots circuit, selling out The George Tavern for just their sixth ever show and holding a month long-residency at Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes, establishing themselves as a formidable live act. Photo by Jude Jansen – @jude.jansen With a three guitar lineup that summons the vast scale of post-rock, intricate interlocking parts weave around one another forming a sonic tapestry in real time. Echoes of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky sit alongside the delicate, twinkling gleam of Midwest emo, while the clattering breaks and rhythmic precision evokes the motorik pulse and spirit of Jaki Liebezeit. ‘Zero’ opens with a swell of rising feedback, howling like wind through the trees before independent guitar lines gradually emerge. The track unfolds with great patience, drifting between frenetic surges and moments of quiet restraint. Each instrument feels locked in conversation with the other, as ideas emerge, dissolve and reappear with effortless fluidity. It carries the listener across imagined landscapes that feel at once wistful, expansive and quietly transporting. The band’s improvisational spirit is central to ‘Zero’. Originally conceived as an impromptu addition to their first live set, existing without set structure and changing shape with every performance. Even in its recorded form it retains that openness, offering an introduction that feels alive, fierce and wholly absorbing. Long Distance Runner Support Alt-rock veterans Swervedriver for a first UK tour later this year, starting with Village Underground on 23rd October. [Tickets Here] You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Video Interview with Ain’t
Video Interview: Chatting Music with Ain’t Alternative,Rock After our stage with Still Listening at The Great Escape, we caught Ain’t for quick chat on the pier. They let us know their favourites from their own catalogue as well as their recommendations for what we should be listening to. Watch the interview then listen to everything they mentioned on Spotify here. You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Ain’t Recommends
← Back Artist Playlist,TNAM.UK Playlist AIN’T A playlist featuring artists chosen tracks and our TNAM staff picks from the rock band Ain’t. Alternative,Rock {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
In Conversation with Modern Woman
IN CONVERSATION WITH MODERN WOMAN INTERVIEW By Caitlin Taylor 14 June 2026 The first time we caught Modern Woman was at The Lexington in a show packed to the absolute brim, full of heavy guitars and thundering vocals, despite frontwoman Sophie Harris confessing she was exhausted after travelling down from Manchester. A band on the rise, fresh off the release of their debut album Johnny’s Dreamworld and soon to be embarking on their first headline tour, we took our chance to ask them about their work so far as well as what’s to come. Your performances are full of energy, how does playing live make you feel? Do you prefer being on stage when compared to being in the studio? We love playing live. I think playing live is the best bit for all of us, especially when you play a new song to an audience. It feels nice to read a room. I like being in the studio a lot too, though, but it’s different. We’re almost ready to go into the studio to record the next one soon. When we recorded Johnny’s Dreamworld we tried to replicate the live setting as much as possible in the studio, I know Joel Burton the producer really wanted to capture that. So they intertwine in a lot of ways. What’s your favourite song to play live? I always enjoy playing Dashboard Mary, we always play it at the end of the show, it feels like it wraps the set up well. Do you have a favourite venue to play or visit? There are lots of venues we have loved playing – we always enjoy playing in Scotland and Ireland. We played a really fun show in Dublin and I love how much the crowd moves in Glasgow. Recently, we played at the Cabaret Sauvage in Paris with Ezra Furman – that was like an indoor circus tent – one of our favourite shows yet. You’ve said some of the songs on the record started as solo work, how did it feel to move into working with a band? It was how the songs were always meant to be played, I think, I started playing some of them solo because I hadn’t met the band yet, so it was a way to play and meet new people. But I always imagined and wanted most of them to have a full-band backing. When we started working as a band, it felt very natural, they all brought their own essential parts to the record, that’s how I knew I had met the right people to work with. Photo by Sal Redpath This album took over two years to record. Talk to us a bit about your songwriting and recording process, are you very collaborative in your approach? I usually write on guitar, bass or keys at home, just because that’s what I was used to doing – so when Modern Woman formed I had these songs I wanted to translate to a full band. The later song, Johnny’s Dreamworld, developed slightly differently though. The groove Juan and Adam formed under the chorus/ verse parts went on to become a key part of the song, and something we ended up changing the song structure to accommodate. I would say it’s the most important element of the song. Then David brings really essential atmospheric bits through tape, keys and strings. I would say everybody in the band is a very essential member and their input is necessary for Modern Woman to be what it is, they elevate the songs in a crucial way. As for recording, Joel Burton sort of joined in that mix as producer and saw the songs from the outside. He translated them really well from the live to the recorded, he is very talented. We did as much as we could live in the room, with as little overdubs as possible. Your album/single covers for Johnny’s Dreamworld have been really interesting. What was the thought process/story behind them? Thank you! The cover art was inspired by Justine Kurland. Sandra Ebert, the photographer, she’s very talented, captured it really well. We wanted to present the moment like a still from a film, and surreal/ almost dreamlike. I’ve always been interested in impulses that lie under my own life and others’ – that push/ pull – and I’ve always made a concerted effort to allow that to come to the surface through songwriting, live performance, and even the cover. As a literature graduate, did any books or authors have a direct influence on Johnny’s Dreamworld? Or are novels something that inspires your music generally? I don’t know if they had a direct influence, because in the moment I just wrote about what I was interested in. But I do think reading has always been very important to me, so I’d hope I’ve absorbed a lot through that, and that comes out when I do write. There are many writers I love, I know that Alice Oswald, Octavia E Butler, Cal Flyn, Sharon Olds were significant to me in different ways when writing lyrics. What’s a song everyone should have on their playlist? Nature Boy – Ella Fitzgerald, written by Eden Ahbez, but I love her performance. Are there any smaller or underground artists you think more people should be listening to? Prewn and Nina Winder-Lind. What’s coming up this year that you’re excited about? We’re really looking forward to playing Green Man again, and End of the Road, we love playing festivals. We’re doing a mini-tour at the end of this year in the UK – and it’s the first one we’ve done as a headline! You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Modern Woman Recommends
← Back Artist Playlist,TNAM.UK Playlist MODERN WOMAN A playlist featuring artists chosen tracks and our TNAM staff picks from band on the rise Modern Woman. Photo by Sal Redpath. Alternative,Rock {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
“The Only Person You Should Be Trying To Impress Is Yourself” – In Conversation with Flooding
“THE ONLY PERSON YOU SHOULD BE TRYING TO IMPRESS IS YOURSELF” – IN CONVERSATION WITH FLOODING INTERVIEW By Eli Callingham 11 June 2026 Arriving in Brighton for The Great Escape as part of their first UK and European tour, Flooding delivered one of the festival’s most absorbing sets. Packing out the upstairs of The Prince Albert, the Kansas City trio moved effortlessly between moments of delicate restraint and glorious onslaught. Showcasing the dynamic songwriting that has quickly made them one of the most exciting names emerging from the American underground. Fresh from completing the UK and European leg of the tour before heading onwards to Canada and beyond, frontwoman, guitarist and songwriter Rose Brown took some time out to speak with us about artistic growth, musical envy, finding confidence on stage, and artists and experiences that continue to shape Flooding’s output. What has been inspiring you lately lyrically, emotionally, or even texturally? I get inspired by characters, fictional and real. I like to experiment with retelling stories of people who parts of me identify with. It brings out emotions you didn’t think existed inside of you and you can really surprise yourself. Looking back at the earliest version of Flooding, what parts of the band’s evolution would surprise you most? My stage presence now would shock 20 year old me. I used to wear ill-fitting boyish clothes to fit in with the poorly dressed men who dominate the music scene and had my guitar hitched up so high it was practically in my armpit to replicate how it feels to play guitar hunched over alone in my bedroom. And I could barely move out of the fear of playing the wrong note. Now I trust myself a lot more on stage, and I’ve found that wearing dresses and high heels makes me feel more like myself and in turn more confident (and playing my guitar strapped low as hell does too). Your output displays a real command over contrast and intensity, what’s a song/project/band that completely changed your understanding of dynamics? When we first started the band, I was a bit naive to the whole 90s quiet-loud thing. Our dynamics came from my bandmates giving me a fuzz and overdrive pedal and showing me exactly how to use them, not anything intentional on my part. But soon after we established our dynamics, I dove really deep into PJ Harvey who I saw myself in a lot and am very inspired by as an overall artist. You’ve spoken a lot about the Lawrence/Kansas City scene and how it feels to be a part of it. What do you think makes a local scene feel alive instead of just aesthetically or sonically cohesive? I think musical envy is a big creative driver. If you get jealous of your friends’ music and it pushes you creatively, that’s actually a good thing and you should be grateful that you’re involved in a scene with inspiring output. A lot of music scenes (local or not) don’t have that. What’s a genre or scene we’d be surprised you’d be into? Reggae As you’re currently touring the EU/UK are there any spaces you’ve played, will play or have visited that you love? Our favorite place on our EU/UK tour was Amsterdam. We stepped out of Amsterdam Central station and it felt like spawning in The Commons in Wizard 101. We would be very grateful if we were able to visit that city again. Similarly, are there any EU or UK artists you’ve seen or heard of that you’re excited about? After our UK tour together, we have come to the conclusion that Tummyache is the best band in the entire country, and massively underrated. Another case of musical envy that got me really excited about writing music again. What’s something you’ve learned through making music that you wish you understood earlier? The only person you should be trying to impress is yourself. {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts