Clash Magazine

Over the last half-decade, Scottish singer-songwriter Lizzie Reid has been quietly making her mark as one of her home country’s most in-demand musicians. Playing in the bands of fellow rising Scottish talents Jacob Alon and Katie-Gregson MacLeod lately has established her presence as a true musician’s musician. Her solo material, …

It’s been almost a decade since South London trio PVA originally formed. Their bold, curious style of electronic/dance music caught the attention of Ninja Tune in 2020, with whom they went on to release their dynamic debut album ‘Blush’ a couple of years later. Sexuality, identity, vulnerability… these core themes …

To be an artist is to be perceived, and to be a woman – especially a young woman – is to be perceived even more. Alessi Rose is both the observer and the observed; an artist navigating the hyper-visibility of modern life while turning that gaze inward. “Everything is so …

Hailing from an altogether different type of Newcastle (down under) are an exciting new Australian outfit called dust. Their visceral brand of cathartic, confrontational guitar music not only picks up on the coattails of post-punk’s resurgence in recent years, but the four-piece also offer an acute lens of self-inquiry through …

Tough Cookie are more than your average alt-rock band. Currently cutting their teeth among grassroots venues across the country, this Clash writer chats with the band on the last leg of their support tour with punk duo The Pill at Omeara in London.

Multificated, genreless, singular, unique… you’ll have likely seen these descriptions thrown upon every new band or artist cutting through the grain of today’s music industry. But when it comes to Bricknasty, it takes a bit more than buzz words to define what they’re all about.

Melbourne/Naarm trio Acopia are not just another band to lump in today’s burgeoning scene of classically shoegazey, modern anxiety-ridden guitar bands. The group walk their fine line of emotional weight and sonic restraint with poise. On album three, ‘Blush Response’, the band delve deeper into vulnerability whilst building on the …

Dua Lipa’s sold-out Saturday night show at Wembley Stadium wasn’t just a concert; it was a coronation. Ten years on from her first London show, the Radical Optimism world tour arrived at the UK’s biggest venue with a bang (and several dozen fireworks), cementing her status as a bona fide …

If your current music cycle is feeling a little beige, PUNCHBAG are the perfect remedy to shake things up. The South London sibling duo are made up of Clara Bach and her brother Anders. Their fluorescent brand of energetic pop is infectious. Pair this with their pertinent lyrical focus on …

There aren’t many bands like Cloth. The Glasgow duo – made up of twin siblings Rachael and Paul Swinton – have a knack for being simultaneously dynamic and intimate. Soft vocals, gritty guitars and abstract rhythms pepper across their previous 2023 album ‘Secret Measure’, released on Mogwai’s Rock Action label, …

Few modern figures in UK jazz can compare their rise in stature to that of Emma-Jean Thackray. Her individualistic versatility sprawled across her 2021 debut album ‘Yellow’. Its widespread critical acclaim came as no surprise, with appearances on the likes of Later… With Jools Holland soon following and her position …

There’s something about a packed-out, school-night club gig that makes a pop star in the making feel inevitable. Rose Gray’s sold-out headline show at Colour Factory last night – a sweaty oasis in the otherwise desolate intersection of Hackney and Stratford – was just that. Held upstairs but carrying a …

Divorce are defying the conventions of what a band can be. Their innate balance of humour and heart-on-sleeve sentiment is magnetic. A sense of otherness in their binary-less band environment provides the beat to their diverse heart. Most importantly, their songs are sensational, and their debut album ‘Drive To Goldenhammer’ …

When it comes to music and fashion, cycles of what’s come before tend to repeat themselves, but with a newer, modern edge. With his latest EP ‘Eaten by Worms’, Swedish alt-pop artist Varas is bringing back the effortless cool of the late 90s / early 00s. Think of the dark …

At its core, ’11:11′ is about time—how it moves, how it stills, and how time is a necessity to let the music breathe. And while Biig Piig describes the album as a moment of self-discovery, its release is not an endpoint but a new beginning—not a full stop but a …

With big labels, DSPs and an unregulated internet monopolizing audiences and splintering attention spans, it’s harder for emerging musicians to delineate their own space and make an impact. More than ever before, tastemaker lists feel essential; a considered, curated selection of artists, bands and collectives pushing genre conventions into thrilling …

Rose Gray’s sweaty, euphoric dance floor record, ‘Louder, Please’, is a 12-track homage to dance music and club culture, filled with hedonistic tales of all-in nights out, love lost, and love found.

TSHA’s album 'Sad Girl' captures the complexities of the human experience; that pain and joy can coexist, that they are both important in shaping who we are, proving that evolution—both personal and musical—comes from embracing it all.

Opening up is never easy – especially for artists. But more often than not, those who have the capacity to scrutinise and share their most personal facets, are those who resonate with listeners on a level of authenticity that matters most. Colombian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Ela Minus, reckons …

“Did I just really wish that my ex couldn’t go to see her favourite artist because I was the support act? Yes. Yes I did.” In the aftermath of an EP-inspiring breakup, rather than go to the gym (“I wish it was, but it could never be me”), London-via-Caernarfon singer …

Throughout their career, Halsey has been lots of different things to different people. She was the blue-haired 19-year-old singing about her Brooklyn boyfriend and lilac skies (‘Badlands’); the 23-year-old offering an elaborately stylised ‘Romeo and Juliet’ concept album (‘Hopeless Fountain Kingdom’); the 25-year-old navigating the blurring lines between Halsey, the …

Each year, as the leaves turn to amber and rust, and your whimsical light-weather jacket puts in its final shifts before Big Coat season, Cardiff is transformed into a metropolis of music’s up, coming, and already mighty acts from far and wide. Across three days and nine stages, artists from …

Charli xcx’s sixth studio album hit 2024 like a runaway train. It was supposed to remain a cult classic: 2022’s ‘Crash’ was Charli’s extravagant bid for the mainstream; ‘brat’ was a return to the club. The now-iconic chartreuse cover was even a budget-conscious decision, made on the assumption that few …

Son Estrella Galicia’s showcases have been abundant of late – and for good reason. They’re not just about great food, music and (of course) beers, their ethos spreads much wider; focussing on what it is that brings people together through music...

Cutting your teeth as a new artist is far from easy. Glaswegian singer songwriter Murdo Mitchell is certainly aware of this. An endearingly honest musician, his home city’s burgeoning troubadour scene has been something of a phenomenon of late, spawning the likes of Scottish superstar Gerry Cinnamon and more recently …

A ‘Party Rock Anthem’ record for the Indie Sleaze renaissance, The Dare’s hedonistic and uninhibited debut album, ‘What’s Wrong With New York?’ wears an unapologetic attitude towards desire and penchant for feral behaviour.

Mal Not Bad (aka Theodora Mallory Fleming-Hauser) is an endearing artist in all true senses of the word. They may seem relatively low-key, but that makes discovering Mal’s music all the better...

Scotland may be relatively small, but its five-and-a-half million inhabitants sure know how to use their voice. From the inimitable rasp of Paolo Nutini to the chart-topping melodies of Lewis Capaldi – or even those twin brothers from Leith who havered about walking 500 miles – Scottish artists have some …

Being a distinct artist is becoming harder than ever among today’s saturated pool of musicians. But French-British artist Camille Jansen knows a thing or two about standing out. With Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen soundtracking the road trips of her youth, her innate blend of folk, country, and experimental rock …

Margo Raats strives for profound connection. For the past two years, the alt-pop singer-songwriter has been working hard on her debut EP, ‘Paper Paradise,’ unwaveringly dedicated to building her own universe, all while studying and working several jobs to make ends meet. Having moved from a ranch in the Belgian …