Live: Goa Express + Working Men’s Club – Golden Lion, Todmorden

While it’s generally all about the music sometimes the venue also gladdens the heart, and while somewhat painful for me to get to via public transport I always look out to see what’s going at the wonderful Golden Lion in Todmorden. The pub is so friendly that I don’t mind going there on my own […]

Live: DZ Deathrays + Gardenback + These New South Whales – Band on the Wall, Manchester

It’s not every day you have the chance to catch top Aussie band DZ Deathrays so I cut short a work leaving do to hotfoot it over to Manchester’s Band on the Wall. As I waited for the bands I spotted my future; an elderly gentleman of about 70 with full carrier bag and a […]

Single Review: Mercury Machine – Aurora

The 80’s wasn’t just about bright bubblegum coloured clothes and dodgy fake sun dyed hair; this is an image of the decade that is about as realistic as a happy go lucky George Michael chatting up a woman on an early Wham! video. The 80’s were also about a time where the old order of […]

Album Review: Cullen Omori – The Diet

A band I adored a few years back were those soft lo-fi retro Chicago rockers The Smith Westerns. While the guitar work wasn’t perfect live, the gentle but persuasive bounce of the Smith Westerns’ music shone through and they were one of the bands of Reading/Leeds for me back in 2011. Seven years on former […]

R&L 2018 – Artist of the Weekend, Sounds Like a Storm

This weekend marks the best three days in the British music calendar as Reading and Leeds Festivals take place. We have picked one artist, opening up the Radio 1 Stage, as our artist of the weekend who you simply cannot miss – they’re Leeds band Sounds Like a Storm.  For about 2 years now, we’ve followed […]

Single Review: Melancholy Ray – Lampshade

With a name like Melancholy Ray, you’d be forgiven for assuming the music that would be produced by the Callum Fewell’s project would be laid back easy listening. Far from it though as the Leeds band have just released their fourth, energetic single Lampshade. The track is a three minute blast through all genres of indie rock music […]

Single Review: The Attic Doctors – Sauce

North-west five piece The Attic Doctors came across our radar at the start of this month when they released their third single Sauce. The track, which was one of the first to be written by the band was always going to benefit from a successful release due to already becoming a fan favourite in live shows. The track […]

EP Review: The Goa Express – Use Your Brain

Burnley based The Goa Express have taken time out of their busy local gig schedule to release their third single; this time a four track EP Use Your Brain. Once again the boys treat us to a psych/baggy extravaganza. Opening track My Day Monday starts the EP off fairly sedately with some good crashing guitars but with a […]

Single Review: Courtyards – Backseat

The first time we saw Courtyards in January 2017, we knew they were a real talent. One of the songs on a setlist on my wall still (sad I know!) has a whole host of tracks that are now sing-a-longs at any Courtyards show – but there’s been just one track I’ve been waiting for […]

Single Review: The Hope State – Just Survive

Earlier this summer, The Hope State released their new track “Just Survive” to great acclaim from the Halfway 2 Nowhere team. The Toronto based band are the latest in a string of Canadian bands to make it onto our playlists and their infectious, honest lyrics in “Just Survive” really caught my attention when I first heard it. […]