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Leon Riccio
Jul 21, 20232 min read
EP REVIEW: DUCKBOY, 'Tragic Love Songs to Study to [Vol. 5]'
The new pop-punk project from DUCKBOY aka Aristos Petrou - of hip-hop duo $uicideboy$ notoriety - sees the artist return to his punk...
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Leon Riccio
Jul 3, 20231 min read
REVIEW: Post-hardcore Pinewall's debut single, 'X Games at the Vatican'
The debut single from post-hardcore outfit Pinewall, “X Games at the Vatican,” introduces the band as competent, confident, and exciting,...
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Leon Riccio
Jul 3, 20234 min read
REVIEW: Self Esteem headlines Bristol Sounds 2023
Self Esteem, Anna Calvi, Lynks, and Divorce played Bristol Sounds 2023 on Sunday, bringing the five-day festival to an explosive...
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Leon Riccio
May 5, 20233 min read
Album Review: 'What Still Gets Me', Shit Present
The new album from surf-rock/emo-revival band Shit Present, titled “What Still Gets Me,” appears as a light-hearted singalong pop-punk...
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Leon Riccio
May 5, 20238 min read
REVIEW: Outertown Festival, Old Market Bristol
One of Bristol’s most historic streets burst into life last weekend (April 16) after buzzing crowds rushed from venue to venue during the...
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Leon Riccio
Apr 8, 20232 min read
Swelt release three-part video series DUG IT OUT
Bristol’s post-rock pundits Swelt released the concluding entry of their three-part video series DUG IT OUT on Friday, April 1,...
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Leon Riccio
Feb 20, 20232 min read
GIG REVIEW: Shit Present at The Exchange
Bubblegum-grunge outfit Shit Present played a charming bedroom-y set at The Exchange, Bristol, just a month after releasing their latest...
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Leon Riccio
Jan 16, 20235 min read
EXTRA LIFE: Charlie Looker's art-prog brainchild returns to the fray
“In general, authoritarian structures in artistic situations yield really cool results,” art-rock heavyweight Charlie Looker tells me,...
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Leon Riccio
Dec 8, 20226 min read
Bristol punk gig raises funds for wildlife hunt saboteurs
Outside an unassuming pub to the east of Bristol city centre, a young punk - bleached jeans, studded jacket, towering black mohawk -...
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Leon Riccio
Nov 23, 20227 min read
INTERVIEW: TOUTS on their post-pandemic and post-punk growing pains
It has been one hell of a busy year for Derry-bred punk trio TOUTS, releasing three singles, an EP, and touring the UK in the space of 11...
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Leon Riccio
Nov 3, 20224 min read
INTERVIEW: How Alex West is keeping Reading’s music scene thriving
At the heart of Berkshire’s ever-growing music scene lies the monthly BBC Introducing gigs, where local bands and artists perform at a...
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Leon Riccio
Oct 25, 20225 min read
Nothing Will Change Events and the heart of Reading’s DIY scene
When I first heard that math-punks Masquerader were putting on an entirely DIY show at the Rising Sun Arts Centre, my expectations were...
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Leon Riccio
Oct 17, 20223 min read
COURTING: The Reading gig, the latest album, and the agogo
Glitchy post-punk outfit Courting played to a packed-out Facebar while stopping through Reading on the last leg of the tour, following...
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Leon Riccio
Oct 15, 20222 min read
REVIEW: Gag Salon's 'Get a Load of This Guy' feels like dad-dancing into oblivion
Recorded immediately after a 12-hour Megabus voyage, ‘Get A Load Of This Guy,’ the debut EP from art-rockers Gag Salon introduces,...
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Leon Riccio
Oct 12, 20222 min read
GIG REVIEW: Split The Dealer at The Victoria, Dalston
Split The Dealer played a thrilling high-energy show of rap/rock/pop at the swanky bar-and-venue The Victoria in Dalston last week,...
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Leon Riccio
Sep 27, 20225 min read
HELLCAT: Raging on against trap-metal conventions
Charlie Stokes has grown bored of putting themself at-ends with what the trap-metal scene promotes. Instead of folding to the pressures...
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Leon Riccio
Sep 18, 20223 min read
BBC Introducing: MIYA MIYA, Munboi, and Emily Craig at the Purple Turtle
This week’s BBC Introducing gig brought a line-up of pop-infused talent to the Purple Turtle’s stage, showcasing an acoustic-pop set from...
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Leon Riccio
Sep 13, 20222 min read
GIG REVIEW: The Straights at The Facebar, Reading
The Straights injected a refreshing vibrance into tried-and-tested rock-and-roll throughout their show at The Facebar this weekend....
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Leon Riccio
Sep 6, 20225 min read
Split The Dealer and Deva St. John - an odd day out
“You can drive slower,” Louis says to me impatiently, his full weight balancing between the side of my car door and thin air as he...
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Leon Riccio
Sep 4, 20223 min read
Deva St. John wear their colours with Pride
Punching a hole through the dull clouds overhead, Deva St. John threw a coarser tone into their incendiary live display of heavy pop-rock...
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