By Graham Hiley. Back in 1996 a young Frank Turner came to the Southampton Guildhall to watch a Battle of the Bands contest. There and then he vowed he would one day be standing on that stage taking part in the competition. Although he never actually got to...
Music
The Young’uns come to Turner Sims, Southampton
Image by Michael Hughes. Acclaimed North East folk act The Young’uns are celebrating two decades of singing together with a spring 2025 UK tour, bringing them to Southampton’s Turner Sims this month. The much-loved trio – comprising Sean Cooney, Michael Hughes & David Eagle – will also each be...
Self Esteem announces new album and record store tour
In support of her new album, A Complicated Woman, Self Esteem, AKA Rebecca Lucy Taylor, has announced an intimate record store tour, including a date in Southampton on 24 April. The album, due for release on 25 April, is the follow up to the hugely acclaimed BRIT and Mercury...
Southampton band, Regent, announce new single, I Feel For You
Following the release of their sophomore album and a string of singles last year, Southampton-born band Regent return this April with a new track titled I Feel For You (out 25 April) – a tale of lost love and liberation. Opening with euphoric drums and Britpop-indebted guitar twangs, I...
Album review: Rats! Rats! Rats! – Bloody Hello & launch party
By Sam Wise. For us the highlight of Victorious Festival last summer was not, as predicted, The Pixies, on the promise of whom we had bought the tickets. No, the real stars of the event, for us, were Gosport punk/grunge duo Rats! Rats! Rats!, who we caught on one...
Southampton artist Lucy Kitchen named Turner Sims’ Turn It Up local associate for 2025
Turn It Up is development opportunity for musicians from Southampton and SO postcodes. Launched in 2024 by University of Southampton music venue, Turner Sims, the inaugural winners of the scheme were folk duo Pegasuses. Supported by funding from Arts Council England, the programme aims to help local musicians turn...
Teenage Waitress – a Rock n Roll Powerpoint on Songs, comes to the Railway, Winchester
Southampton’s Daniel J Ash, who writes and records solo music under the project name Teenage Waitressis putting on a special gig with a twist on in Winchester on April 26. He explains: “As a songwriter of quite a few years, and a lecturer in songwriting at the University of...
Front Line Assembly come to Southampton this month
Vancouver-based electro-industrial scene legends Front Line Assembly have been pushing the boundaries of their genre for almost four decades since being founded by Bill Leeb in 1986. Exploring beat-driven electronic body music with forays into corrosive industrial metal, the core FLA duo of Leeb and long-term cohort Rhys Fulber...
Erasure’s Andy Bell comes to Bournemouth on spring tour
Image by Sean Black. Andy Bell has recently shared a new track, ‘Dance For Mercy’, the latest to be taken from his forthcoming solo album, Ten Crowns – set for release on May 2nd. The album coincides with a spring 2025 tour – full details below – beginning on...
Milly Thimaras’ Southampton album launch
By Charlie Hislop. Milly Thimaras appeared on the local music scene from London a while back, and next month she launches her new album ‘Bullets’ with a special charity gig at Papillon on April 25th in conjunction with the charity War Child. ‘Bullets’ has been in the making for...