Beak> have remixed ‘Bus Stop’ by Litronix and today share a video, directed by Alex Terrazas and filmed on the sunny streets of East LA by Ské üblé.
Litronix comments, “Earth is a bus stop. The… ‘in between’… another destination. Some of us wait patiently. Some of us miss the bus. We’re only here for a short period of time. But why? What is the reason? Think deep, ruminating on this question, and you won’t be late for your bus.”
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Artwork Credit : Alex Terrazas
IST IST are back with the infectious new single ‘Warning Signs’.
One of the most urgent, immediate and irrepressible tracks the band have delivered to date, ‘Warning Signs’ is a lightning bolt of realisation and unrequited love.
Of the track, vocalist Adam Houghton says:
‘”I wanted to write from a place of regret — that gut-wrenching moment when you realise pride and fear have cost you the person you love. The song is a confession and a plea, filled with what-ifs and too-lates. I wanted the repetition and directness to feel desperate, like someone haunted by what they didn’t say soon enough. It’s about confronting the pain of being without the one who grounded you and understanding too late that love requires vulnerability. The goal was to make the emotion feel raw, honest, and painfully human.”
New single ‘Warning Signs’ is an unignorable reminder of the band’s highly awaited fifth album Dagger, as produced by Joe Cross (Hurts, Courteeners, Slow Readers Club). It arrives on 6 February 2026, via the band’s own Kind Violence Records.
The new track comes complete with an official video shot by Joyce Van Doorn and edited by Shaolin Pete. Featuring live and backstage footage from IST IST’s triumphant recent tour of Europe, it’s a tantalising reminder for what’s to come at their upcoming UK comeback shows, which kick-off this week in Leeds, Glasgow, London, and Birmingham (28th November – 6th December, check dates below).
IST IST will also be hitting the road again in April 2026, with additional shows in Norwich, Exeter, Oxford, Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bristol, and Brighton, paving the way towards their biggest hometown show to date, at Manchester’s Albert Hall in May. All dates are listed below, with all tickets on sale now.
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IST IST – 2025/26 EUROPE & UK TOUR DATES
Friday 28th November – Leeds – Warehouse
Saturday 29th November – Glasgow – Oran Mor
Friday 5th December – London – 229
Saturday 6th December – Birmingham – O2 Academy2
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THURSDAY 9th APRIL – NORWICH – THE WATERFRONT ** JUST ADDED **
SATURDAY 11th APRIL – EXETER PHOENIX ** JUST ADDED **
SUNDAY 12th APRIL – OXFORD – 02 ACADEMY2 ** JUST ADDED **
THURSDAY 16th APRIL – NEWCASTLE – THE GROVE ** JUST ADDED **
SATURDAY 18th APRIL – SHEFFIELD • NETWORK ** JUST ADDED **
THURSDAY 23rd APRIL – NOTTINGHAM • RESCUE ROOMS ** JUST ADDED **
FRIDAY 24th APRIL – BRISTOL – THEKLA ** JUST ADDED **
SATURDAY 25th APRIL – BRIGHTON – QUARTERS ** JUST ADDED **
Friday 1st May 2026 – Manchester – Albert Hall
w/ Support from DESPERATE JOURNALIST + THE YOUTH PLAY
UNHAPPILY EVER NOW returns with one of its most moving releases to date — ‘To The Light’; a deeply personal alt/art-rock single.
Written as a tribute to his cat by songwriter, Stephen Watson, the song captures the bittersweet beauty of unconditional love and the ache of time passing too quickly. Its textured guitars, spacious production, and vulnerable vocal performance create a cinematic soundscape that invites listeners to feel rather than simply hear.
“He’s been with me through everything,” Stephen shares. “His presence gave me strength when I didn’t have any. This song isn’t a goodbye — it’s a promise that his love will always live in me.”
Blending influences from Puscifer and A Perfect Circle, ‘To The Light’ balances raw emotion with atmospheric artistry. It’s a song for anyone who’s ever loved — and been saved by — a soul that made life worth living.
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UNHAPPILY EVER NOW consists of Stephen Watson – lead performer and songwriter of Cleopatra Records’ recording artist, Green Jelly, and vocalist, Maria V. The band is the sonic embodiment of a world lost in time. The band merges emotional storytelling with cinematic intensity along with the haunting vocals and lyrical depth.
Drawing from influences like TOOL, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, and Stabbing Westward, UNHAPPILY EVER NOW constructs songs like time-worn ruins—beautiful, broken, and impossible to ignore.
Inspired by the dark, time-bending world of the science-fiction show, 12 Monkeys, their songs speak to the ache of disconnection: the lives we’ve left behind, and the struggle of trying to exist in a present that no longer feels like it belongs to us. It’s grief without closure. Time without direction.
UNHAPPILY EVER NOW doesn’t offer answers. It holds up a mirror to what we’ve become—and asks if we can bear to look. Maybe that’s what we need most.
Blaggers Records – 2nd October 2025
Christopher Nosnibor
Continuing the thread of my review of the new Eville EP, which sees a young band push hard on the forward trajectory of a nu-metal revival, I find myself basking in the retro sound of ‘Anything,’, the latest offering from JW Paris, trashy indie / alternative trio from London. This isn’t some kind of nostalgia wank, whereby the 90s is largely misrepresented through the prism of Britpop (or grunge), but a cut that reminds us just how eclectic the 90s – particularly the first half of the decade – was. It was a melting pot of skewed guitar-led bands which were often lo-fi, ramshackle, bands who would grace the pages of Melody Maker but rarely play outside Camden, and the only way you’d ever hear any of their music would be by tuning in to John Peel, where they’d be wedged in between some weird dancy shit and the filthiest grindcore going, alongside something jangly on Sarah Records and something else entirely on Rugger Bugger records. And something by The Fall, of course.
‘Anything’, the lead track from their forthcoming EP, packs the essence of that period into just shy of three and a half energetic minutes. As much as it’s 90s indie / Britpop in its attitude, it’s the early Wonderstuff that comes through most strongly here. Before they became the beloved band of every cherry-red DM wearing sixth former, and way before the Gallagher brothers came onto the scene, Miles Hunt swaggered forth with colossal confidence, and songs that sizzled with snappy wordplay and hooks, and while I never really dug much after The Eight-Legged Groove Machine, they were exhilarating and fresh, and it’s this that JW Paris recreate here. The woo-ooh-wooooh backing vocals are a bit dandy Warhols, and there’s a lot going on, a lot of ideas and energy compressed into this neatly crafted nugget of a tune.
Relative newcomers Suspicious Liquid have crashed the York scene in a big way with some powerful live shows, and now, with an album in the offing, they’ve gifted us with a video for ‘Fish-Like Things’.
It’s the perfect introduction to the band – melding elements of stoner / doom, prog, psychedelia and even a hint of jazz, and driving them home with some big riffage, ‘Fish-Like Things’ encapsulates the weird and wonderful sound of Suspicious Liquid. The accompanying video is suitably dark and twisted, and locals have the added bonus of being able to play ‘identify the location’.
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Alternative rock artist The Quality of Mercury presents his sophomore album The Voyager, an adventurous journey that explores different terrains and sensations: exhilaration, anxiety, longing and introspection, highlighted by focus track ‘Radiate’. Nine years since his debut Transmission album, he is finally back with new music that is both anthemic and accessible, cinematic and catchy – a perfect blend of muscle and melody.
The Quality of Mercury is Pennsylvania-based artist Jeremiah Rouse, who handles everything from writing and performing to engineering. Previewed by the singles ‘Heaven’s Gate’ and ‘Ganymede’, this groovesome, graceful and grand music with space-rock atmospherics speaks to our deep need for connection. His ongoing search for meaning is woven into songs that range from bursts of excitement to moments of quiet reflection.
“The Voyager album is born from a deep place of longing — for connection, for meaning, for something beyond the surface of everyday life. It’s about the desperation we often feel when distance, whether emotional, spiritual, or physical, gets in the way of our need to connect truly,” says Jeremiah Rouse.
“At this point in my life, I’ve realized that relationships, both human and spiritual, are at the center of everything. These songs reflect that realization. They’re part confession, part exploration, part quiet hope. They come from nights of questioning, moments of stillness, and the constant ache for something more meaningful. I made this album in hopes that someone, somewhere, would feel a little less alone in their search for purpose, presence, and peace. If The Voyager helps you feel a little less alone in your search, then it’s done what I hope it would.”
Combining vintage metal codes, electronic music, and modern musicianship, Holosoil is an atypical newcomer to the prog scene. Formed out of the ashes of a previous outfit, the Berlin/Helsinki-based quartet bring their unique sound and style to InsideOutMusic.
Technical but never scholar, raw and mature, fearless to explore and borrow the codes of numerous genres, HOLOSOIL follows the likes of artists like Björk, The Mars Volta, Muse and Tool.
You can get your first taste with their debut single ‘Look Up’, a raw 3-minute display of energy and technicality, marking the band’s first ever release.
Watch the video here:
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HOLOSOIL, formerly known as R3VO, is a band founded in 2019 by Victor Nissim (bass) and Jan Kurfürst (guitar), later joined by Altaïr Chagué (drums). The name change occurred after Emelie Sederholm joined the band as lead vocalist, following the departure of Eleonara Barbato. Although most of the band members are based in Berlin, Germany, Emelie lives in Helsinki, Finland while Victor and Altaïr are both French. The result is a gathering of eclectic musicians, manufacturers of a freaky, explosive and sophisticated sound.
Signed to InsideOutMusic in 2023, the formation was previously featured as R3VO in Metal Hammer magazine, performed at Euroblast Festival 2023 and was notably approached by Trinity Music to open for Scottish band Vukovi.
The release of 3 additional singles will lead up to HOLOSOIL´s debut EP, out in 2026.
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Christopher Nosnibor
It says something about the organisers when you book a ticket for an all-day event having only heard of two of the bands on the bill, and don’t even feel the need to research the others. The previous three Utterly Fuzzled events have rapidly built Jo and Pete Dale a reputation for curating lineups of remarkable quality from the region and further afield – such a reputation that today was down to its last nine tickets the day before – impressive considering that it’s running alongside a storming sold-out three-day event up the road at The Fulford Arms. It’s worth noting that this is all happening a couple of miles or so out of the city centre, where there is only really The Crescent and The Barbican within close proximity of the city walls. What can we take from this? There is still a strong demand for live music that isn’t mainstream, isn’t tribute acts, and that the scene in York – thanks to a number of hardworking people – is thriving right now, with a rare abundance of homegrown talent and a strong sense of community at its heart. And the Utterly Fuzzled events encapsulate all of that and more, being almost a mini-scene of their own – not in a snobbish, self-serving way, but quite the opposite, offering ‘no questions asked’ discounted tickets, and espousing an ethos of inclusivity.
With these events, there will always be something new to stimulate the ears, and in keeping with the DIY ethos that’s perfectly summarised by the stage backdrop, they always find ways of opening proceedings with some homespun flash of warped inspiration. Today, it’s Iris the Gong. Said gong is a feature of their events, and on this occasion, she becomes the star, where initially, Jo Dale serves up some dramatic crescendos and crashes. Pete then steps up to forge altogether sparser atmospheric sounds, utilising all parts of the gong and using a large beater to creates low hums. Then it’s open to the floor for some audience improvs, culminating in a few face-wobbling smashes.
It makes for quite the intro for Troutflies – one of the two acts I was aware of in advance, and who have featured on here recently. They’re loose and li-fi, with melodica drones, various bits and pieces clop clopping and scraping, samples and guitar that’s by turns laid back and scratchy wavering through some half-songs – sort of low key, a bit slowcore, quite Silver Jews, a bit Pavement before Slanted and Enchanted, and at times gloriously atonal and off-key, and as far as time signatures go, they’re out the window. Reuben Pugh drawls rather than sings, and it all works, in the sense that yes, it’s supposed to sound like that. It’s not for everyone, and it takes a certain amount of guts – or madness – to get up and make such a spectacular cacophony.
Troutflies
Late substitutes Orchard, from Scarborough, are loud and fast and abrasive. Angular punk noise with guitar and drums, shared vocal duties. The guitarist could save himself some work by buying a tuner, but kudos for his ability to tune by ear. What matters is that they really do attack the songs – songs in favour of immigration, about depression, about the country’s lurch to the right, and play with passion The guitars are gritty, the drumming hard and expressive, the vocals shouty. On the strength of this outing, which concluded with guitarist Joel clarifying that his previous comment about making a onesie from Nigel Farage’s skin did mean skinning him alive and wearing it, leaving some nonplussed expressions, their album, released at the end of the month will be killer.
Orchard
St Christopher are perhaps one of the city’s best kept secrets, not least of all because of the infrequency of their live outings. This is their only one of 2025. They’ve been going since 1984 and have had releases on legendary labels including Sarah Records. They play solid indie / alternative rock with close harmonies. Their 80s background is evident, and that’s a positive. They’re incredibly tight and assured, with a really full sound. They may not have released anything in a while, and may not have attained quite cult status… yet, but as also rans who are still running, there’s time yet.
St Christopher
All Ashore pack five bodies onto the little stage and bring some uptempo, vaguely twee late 80s / early 90s indie vibes. They’ve obviously put some co-ordination and consideration into their outfits, and they’ve got some very bouncy friends along who make for a lively front row.
All Ashore
Not that Knitting Circle struggle to land gigs, but if you want to play more, one simple solution is to put them on yourself. Knitting Circle are dependably good. Since the departure of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jamie, who penned a number of their songs, things are inevitable different, but reconfiguring as a purely guitar-based trio has forced them to really home in on their focus. Guitarist Pete plays with no pedals, serving up a clean, crisp, choppy sound. ‘Fox’ is a standout in a set that’s consistent and tight, sounding more than ever like Gang of Four crossed with Shellac. As ever, ‘Safe Routes’ is powerful and moving. We need peace. We need humanity. If only this room was a microcosm of the world.
Knitting Circle
Mammoth Penguins serve up a set of tight indie with hints of US influence, alt rock with a dash of country. Another power trio, they serve up a chunky sound which provides the bed for some narrative lyrics. Said lyrics aren’t always slick or poetic, but they’re real life, and they’re a ban which grow on you as the set progresses. By the end of the set, they’d won over the entire room by virtue of their sheer quality.
Mammoth Penguins
Tonight’s lineup was perhaps the most diverse and unpredictable of the Utterly Fuzzled series to date, but the mixed bag nature, when coupled with the warm atmosphere – and cheap beer – really made it something special, something akin to listening to an episode of John Peel. You might not love all it, but the quality is undeniable, and you know you’ll discover at least one new act you dig. It’s everything that’s missing from music lately. And it’s so, so much fun, restoring faith in humanity, and uplifting in every way.
17th October 2025
Christopher Nosnibor
Raoul Sinier first caught my attention with the release of Guilty Cloaks, although he had already built a substantial catalogue of strange and surreal works in the preceding years, notably Brain Kitchen (2008) and Tremens Industry (2009). After Welcome to My Orphanage (2013) and Late Statues (2015), I rather lost track – something which is clearly to my detriment – and then he fell silent following Death, Love and Despair in 2018. Perhaps that title was a revelation beyond any of the contents or accompanying notes. It’s not anyone’s business, regardless.
What matters is that the arrival of Army of Ghosts is a welcome one, and one which is heralded in the accompanying press release with the fanfare that ‘Raoul Sinier is back — more hybrid and unpredictable than ever’. We go on to learn that ‘His new album is a bold fusion of everything that made electronic music iconic, layered with sample work straight out of hip-hop’s golden age. Add in overdriven guitars, throbbing bass, flashes of rock, prog, and funk, and you’ve got a sonic landscape that’s as explosive as it is unique. Floating above it all is Sinier’s signature ethereal voice, a haunting counterpoint to the beautiful chaos below.
Melancholic yet sharp, lyrical yet raw, his music walks the line between introspection and confrontation.’
The appeal of Sinier’s work is its inventiveness – although with Guilty Cloaks, I will admit that I was drawn by a certain post-punk vibe, too – and Army of Ghosts is certainly inventive.
The album’s first song, ‘Phony Tales’ switches between Phantom of the Opera theatrical verses and brutal industrial choruses worthy of Trent Reznor. It’s not just the surge of sound, but the crashing, metallic bin-lid snare that dominates the mix and completely spins your head. It may only last two minutes and ten seconds, but it’s intense.
Much of Army of Ghosts is intense, but in different ways. The drums are uncommonly dominant, and Sinier’s vocals often invite parallels with A-Ha’s Morten Harket, but crucially, said vocals are wrapped in a broad range of forms. ‘Brace Yourself’ offers a lethal cocktail of this, and that, and the other, led by some trip-hop drumming and proggy guitar work, before tapering out with a dark, sonorous bass. It’s that same insistent, baggy beat and Bauhaus-meets-metal explosion which shapes ‘Disperse’, a word which has enhanced implications and resonance of late.
In its eclecticism, Army of Ghosts comes up trumps. ‘Walking Through Walls’ offers springy post-punk energy in the vein of Bauhaus at their best, while the title track straddles post-punk and Nu-Metal, and then post-rock, with sludgy bursts of low-end distortion and…piano. Unexpectedly, it calls to mind the stylistic swathe of Bowie’s 1: Outside, an album which knows no borders.
Sinier knows how to spring surprises, and the wild intro to ‘Spectral Ocean’ is indeed wild, a furious flurry of violin, layered and awash in echo abruptly giving way to a low-slung thunderous bass groove that’s got goth stamped all over it and would have been perfectly at home on the new Rosetta Stone album – and that’s before we get to the brittle, picked guitar and sturdy mechanical drumming that pumps away relentlessly. After the widescreen expanse of the moody ‘Distant Wildlife’, which builds to a dark, slow-burning climax, driven by a dense, throbbing bass, the final track, ‘Neon Sign’ pairs things back and goes all out on the haunting atmosphere, with serrated guitars cutting through drifting synths and a contemplative vocal performance – before suddenly closing with a blast of drone metal straight off Earth 2.
The thing about Army of Ghosts is that it is both detailed and direct, sometimes simultaneously, but it is never predictable. The song titles do not offer a clear overarching theme, but the ghostly and paranormal hover in every shadowy corner of this theatrical and imaginative set of songs – a set that’s wildly varied, but consistent in its quality. Raoul Sinier is most definitely back, and this is very much a good thing.
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Christopher Nosnibor
Anyone who suggests that the fact most gig lineups are male-dominated because there is a lack of female representation, or of quality female fronted acts on the rock scene is simply wrong. Tonight’s killer lineup is undeniable proof to the contrary.
Innovation Way really aren’t innovative in any way, playing a set that’s 50% originals and 50% emo covers, but it’s clear that they’re just starting out, finding their feet and their identity, so I’m not going to give them hard time over it. The originals don’t feel quite as evolved in terms of songwriting, but the only way to develop is to be given opportunities to try out, and they play well, really well, and one day they’ll be playing 90% originals and stretching further – and what’s more they’ve brought a lot of their uni mates down, so the place is busy. That means tickets sold and money over the bar. These are good things right now. It does seem strange to me that people in their twenties are now picking up on music that was big around the time they were born, but I suppose this is a generational thing. I’m just more surprised by the idea of an emo revival than a grunge revival.
Innovation Way
On the subject of developing, I had fully expected to report that Static Lives look very much like Weekend Recovery, and their sound isn’t a million miles away either. But this is not the case: having started out with the same lineup but new material, they’ve reconfigured as a five-piece, with two guitars, synths, and the vocals shared three ways. Having have just completed their first headline tour, which sold out, their place third on the bill was more likely due to travel needs than anything else. No two ways about it, they’re good: they bring the energy and look to be really enjoying themselves. The sound is full, there’s details and dynamics happening all over. The diminutive bassist whacks out some chunky low-end while also contributing a considerable amount of the vocals. This new division of labour means Lori can focus more on guitar and also being part of a team rather than the primary focus, and she seems to revel in this freedom.
Static Lives
Returning to the grunge revival, Blair Bitch Project bring Sabbathesque riffery and hints of folk horror married to gnarly grunge stylings. Despite the bassist being a late substitution, they’re tight and solid, and play with a confidence that carries not only the band, but the crowd. The drummer and vocalist switch for the third song and it’s a real heavyweight, with explosive riffery and thunderous percussion and a low-registering, gritty bass. Mid-set, with the drummer still on vocals, they deliver a cover of ‘Plump’ by Hole delivered with the raw intensity of the original. They get slower and heavier as the set progresses, and towards the end drop a second Hole cover, this time a ragged rending of ‘Teenage Whore’. There’s no question as to their influences, and they play with so much force that it’s hard to fault.
Blair Bitch Project
“Anyone else got a sweaty crack?” asks the singing drummer of WENCH! before introducing a song about men who shouldn’t have access to the internet, bursting with angular guitar and shouty vocals before ripping into a roaring scream and gut churning riff. Yep, they’re from Hull, they’ve no filter and they’re fucking phenomenal – and they don’t even know it, which makes us love them all the more.
Wench!
They, too, bring some Sabbath-inspired riffery, but there’s a whole lot more to them than that, not least of all high-octane punk, with the energy and aggression amped up to eleven. A measure of their structure is the fact the guitarist has two pedals, while the bassist has eight: the rhythm section dominates, and there’s wah-wah and shedloads of distortion on that dominant bass that shapes the songs in a unique way. Their set is a relentless rush, and the channel their feminist fury into the most glorious guitar-driven exorcism. Aesthetically, they are the absolute definition of punk, and the adrenaline rush they deliver is direct and pure.
Yes, yes, and YES! THIS is what it’s all about.
Aural Aggravation 