Clash Magazine

If 2023 was shaped by flux, by a deluge of new music, then the coming 12 months could bear witness to the return of a few icons. Looking at the release schedule, we can already anticipate some massive releases, alongside some much-hyped introductions.

It might seem unexpected to come across Timothée Chalamet in an intimate North London venue on a Tuesday night, but not at a SOFY gig. Here, he’s more of a regular than that old bloke down your local pub. Well, the cardboard version of him is, anyway… Such is SOFY’s …

Walking into SWG3 feels like entering the Berghain of Glasgow’s alternative scene. Dim lights, low ceilings, brutalist architecture and more micro-fringes than you can shake a stick at sets the tone for the night ahead. Delivering the music – scratch that – delivering one of the city’s hottest gigs of …

George Riley is embracing her “Sexy Era”. Doing away with what she terms her “Sad Gurl” phase, the London artist is moving beyond a period of introspection and embodying the uninhibited spirit of a club siren.

Chaos & Commotion… it’s an accurate description for most of our mad, modern lives where things don’t always make sense. In SOFY’s world however, things are a little bit brighter. Navigating moments of transience over the last 18 months with her indelibly tongue-in-cheek tone, the artist’s new mixtape offers a …

Swedish underground artist on her love of alternative culture, signing to a label and her new pop focused music...

The group’s retro-driven pop truly stands out in the era of Dua Lipa’s more commercialised brand of disco.

“Out of all the music I was making, this made me feel the most me.” This is how artist Georgia Notts, one half of New Zealand electronic pop titans BROODS, describes her new solo project Georgia Gets By. Her debut EP ‘Fish Bird Baby Boy’ is due for release on …

London-based alternative rap trio, Frozemode, are quickly gaining a cult following. Formed of I.V. GATLIN, Lisong and Cho-Hollo, their hair-raising, moshpit-inducing live shows at underground UK venues have earned them a place as one of the most hyped homegrown acts this year.

What struck me most when talking to global pop sensation, Madison Beer, was how considered she was with her answers; how diplomatic. Not that Madison’s graciousness should come as any surprise, but cynics might attribute this to effective media training. Personally, I think that does Madison a disservice. After years …

“For the average lover, heartbreak isn’t a stranger.” It’s with this sentiment that Mnelia created her latest EP, ‘Closure Tapes’, her “heartbreak bible.”

Friends of The Last Dinner Party, Dream Wife and even Wolf Alice who they toured with last year, Glasgow’s Lucia & The Best Boys are cementing their status as one of the UK’s hottest bands. They’ve been in no rush to rise to the top; forming eight years ago, this …

Summer nights, Spanish beers, delicious food and great live music. This could be the ideal set up for an evening on the streets of Barcelona. But with the return of SON Estrella Galicia’s showcase event, it is Paper Dress Vintage on Hackney’s Mare Street where the fiesta of music, beer, …

Summer… no other time of year compares to the sun-soaked few months of bliss, where cans in the park with pals and showing off dodgy tan lines become more important than anything else. But nothing beats being able to soundtrack this time with music that blends into the moment so …

“A clump of blonde hair and maybe Gollum’s body,” daine deadpans. That’s what defines ‘dainecore’, according to the artist themselves. Onstage, their long, white-blonde hair hangs down, obscuring their face. It’s become a running joke with their fans, who will tweet “a blonde wig in a stupid place,” in reference …

Since their debut in 2016 and through member formation changes, the NCT Dream members grew up on the stage. Now they have finally brought their second tour, the ‘THE DREAM SHOW2: In A DREAM’, ever further beyond borders. After sold-out arena shows in South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Hong …

Her husky, soulful voice earned her a BRIT Rising Star nomination. John Lewis snapped her up to sing their Christmas advert. She’s only a few years into her musical career, but Lola Young has already had quite the impact. Arriving in 2019, the South Londoner’s debut record ‘Intro’ led her …

Hamish Hawk is living the dream. The last 18 months of his decade-long musical career have been his most fruitful yet. His music is reaching more ears than ever before and he’s also bagged critical acclaim and awards nominations along the way, including last year’s SAY (Scottish Album of the …

“I’ve always been that kid that likes making noise.” Alt-pop riser SOFY is currently on a trip down memory lane, describing how she and her brother used to put on shows for their parents as children. “When I was really little, I’d make a guitar out of a tennis racket …

Age is just a number, so they say. Our wisdom may grow along with our time spent on Earth. But with No Windows, a young Edinburgh duo years ahead of their game made up of vocalist Verity Slangen (aged 18) and multi-instrumentalist Morgan Morris (aged 16), it’s safe to say …

Saint Jude’s journey into the world of music hasn’t been an easy one. DJing was the South Londoner’s first pursuit. But his prospects were hindered significantly due to developing tinnitus at a very early age. However, cutting out music completely wasn’t an option for Jude. He found solace in creating …

Art is about connecting with people’s emotions, and music as a medium can help people understand both the feelings of others and those of our own. On renforshort’s debut album, ‘dear amelia’, the artist elicits both.

Imagine finishing school early to pursue music, being picked up by a record label from a DM and later finding your music gaining the seal of approval from Matty Healy of The 1975. Sounds pretty dreamy, right? For beaux, this was his pathway into the music industry. He’s now set …

‘Cold Memory’ is soaked in Australian sunshine, flavoured with relatable songwriting and tastes sonically serene. The new album from Melbourne trio Jade Imagine follows on from their 2019 debut, ‘Basic Love’, and is imbued with notions of connection. Listening to this is like a comfort blanket; soothing at first, then …

As the likes of Black Country, New Road have championed in recent years, it’s becoming fashionable for bands to fit an inconceivable number of band members onto cramped live stages. KEG, a quirky seven-piece outfit of self-confessed “stinky boys”, are no different...

After five patient years, SZA has finally released the Deluxe version of her second studio album, 'Ctrl'. Now, we all remember when the original 'Ctrl' dropped back in 2017 - after all, it was a pivotal moment for contemporary R&B. And - if you were anything like me - you …

A lot has happened in the six years since Glasgow’s godfathers of punk Baby Strange last released a full-length album. Pandemics, politics and pertinent new faces in music have all taken to the fore. Yet, in ‘World Below’, Baby Strange distil the same tenacity and straight-talking viewpoints of the world …

Still only 19 years old, JBee’s music is an incredible reflection of his personality; honest, straight-talking and emotional, whilst at the same time emphatic in the way in which he attempts to motivate and inspire those around him. Through making music that is deliberately more reflective and vulnerable, JBee has …

Glasgow has long been a city for producing creative talent in abundance. But one of its latest musical exponents, The Ninth Wave, have been setting themselves apart from the pack...

A raw, poetic scholar in the purest form, Kojey Radical has teased his debut full-length LP like one would a soap opera cliff-hanger. Radical’s latest work reads like an exploration of the Black British experience in musical form. Oscillating somewhere between socially conscious brainstorms and bravado-filled outbursts, Radical feels more …