It's been an excellent month for music, which is just what we needed to start our end-of-the-month series of album favourites. We'll be exploring the best albums of every month, with no genre left unturned. Plus, stay tuned for the albums we're looking forward to listening to in March...

Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next

We barely had time to get over 2018's Sweetener before its follow-up Thank U, Next arrived earlier this month. Full of attitude with a touch more fun, it featured an empowering title single, the unapologetic 7 Rings and the rather hilarious Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored. We love Ariana's self-loving new attitude to life.

Continue reading: February Favourites: This Month Brought Us Ariana Grande, Ladytron, Sleaford Mods And More

Beat-Herder Festival 2017 Preview

By Holly Williams in Music / Festivals on 05 July 2017

Crystal Fighters Sleaford Mods Kelis

Hitting Dockber Farm near Sawley in Lancashire this month.

Sleaford Mods, Crystal Fighters and Kelis are just some of the big names headlining the main stage at this year's Beat-Herder festival, proving it's as eclectic and surprising as ever in its 12th year. Genres from soul to old school dance and electro swing are scattered among the 20-odd stages at this Lancashire festival - 'odd' being the operative word.

Beat-Herder Festival 2017

A church, a hotel, a high society hideaway and a working men's club are just some of the places bands and DJs will be entertaining the inhabitants of Beat-Herdershire this year. Each stage is carefully crafted and committed to its theme, down to the tiniest and funniest details.

Continue reading: Beat-Herder Festival 2017 Preview

Bunch Of Kunst Trailer

Sleaford Mods are an abrasive post-punk duo from Nottingham who enjoy singing about everything from working-class philosophy to the greed of the British government. Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn first met in 2009 when they were both struggling with their solo music careers. Who would have thought that by 2014 they were teaming up with The Prodigy and Leftfield the following year? They went from playing grimy back rooms in various pubs to selling out shows in Berlin and even getting the chance to perform on the Peel Stage at Glastonbury, and this film sees the process of the writing of their critically acclaimed eighth studio album 'Key Markets'

Continue: Bunch Of Kunst Trailer

Andy Peterson's Top 10 Albums Of 2015

By Andy Peterson in Music / Festivals on 22 December 2015

Gengahr Sleaford Mods Years & Years Foals Tame Impala Jamie XX Father John Misty

Andy Peterson's picks his top albums of 2015

10. King Midas Sound ft. Fennesz- Edition #1
Kevin Martin (AKA The Bug), poet Roger Robinson and singer Kiki Hitomi joined forces with Viennese avant garde composer Christian Fennesz to chart almost certainly the most enveloping travelogue of the year. The journey itself proved deep and magical.

9. Gengahr - A Dream Outside
One of the features on 21st century music is how 2nd and 3rd generation disciples of truly great bands - in this case golden oldies like the Beach Boys and Teenage Fanclub - are managing to make their inspirations sound so cool. London quartet Gehgahr replaced the now departed retro-future outfit Avi Buffalo in our hearts, to great effect.

Continue reading: Andy Peterson's Top 10 Albums Of 2015

Glastonbury 2015: The Biggest And Best Surprises Of The First Line-Up

By Holly Williams in Music / Festivals on 29 April 2015

Glastonbury Festival Motorhead Kanye West Franz Ferdinand Sparks George Clinton The Family Stone Mavis Staples Roy Ayers Lionel Richie Pharrell Williams Mary J Blige Gregory Porter Sleaford Mods Chemical Brothers Super Furry Animals

Motorhead, FFS and George Clinton make for exciting surprise additions.

Andy Peterson's Picks Of The Year 2014

By Staff Writer in Music / Festivals on 23 December 2014

Illum Sphere East India Youth Flying Lotus Chris Clark Diplo Sleaford Mods Aphex Twin

10) Illum Sphere - Ghosts of Then & Now
Former occasional turntablist for those funky divas Radiohead, Ryan Hunn created a record that blended jazz, drum & bass, hip-hop and soul amongst many others, channelling his famous live sets into an always fascinating whole.

9) Downliners Sekt - Silent Ascent
Fabrizio Rizzin and Pere Solé echoed everyone and no-one on this, their third album. Others made comparisons to Autechre, Burial and Booka Shade, but the reality was the duo were obsessively working their own deeply underground but still magical groove.

8) Objekt - Flatland
I'm not even sure we know definitively what "Dark Techno" is, but this second album for TJ Hertz under the Objekt banner proved to be far less dystopian than some anticipated. Flatland in truth was just as indebted to Detroit as Berlin, but it's sleek, clear lines were a lesson in intelligent design.