Why the term ‘mainstream’ is bad for music
The term ‘mainstream’ in music is complex and detrimental. It is thought to mean music liked by a huge number of people that has managed to make it into the…
GoGo Penguin at Concorde 2: Jazz in the mainstream?
Jazz music today exists in a peculiar space of seemingly both simultaneous loss and revival. The not-original-but-now-renewed crossover of jazz and rap music, and the successes of film phenomenon La…
The Brit Awards 2018: A Year of Grime and Politics
There is no doubt that the Brit Awards are less entertaining than they used to be. 1995 saw the Blur vs Oasis battle seemingly decided with a Blur win, 1997…
The Wombats: ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ review
Three years after their last release, The Wombats are back with their long awaited fourth album ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’. Since ‘Glitterbug’ reached number 5 in the charts…
Bonobo: Brighton-boy Rounds off World Tour in Hometown Spectacular
Bonobo aka Simon Green returns to Brighton to round off his eleven-month Migration world tour – for an exceptional homecoming show at the Brighton Centre. Armed with an eleven-piece live…
Enter Shikari: Theatrical Headline Set at the Brighton Centre
(22/11/2017) Following the commercial and critical success of their fifth studio album The Spark, the genre-defying Hertfordshire band Enter Shikari have taken to touring massive venues and arenas across the…
Mr Jukes: Jack Steadman Finally Finds a Sound to Call His Own
The former Bombay Bicycle Club frontman is a master of reinvention, re-emerged with a shaven head, and armed with a 12 piece jazz band – Steadman with a new lease…
Aussie Britpopper’s DMA’s: support The Kooks, for a triumphant Homecoming Show
Australian Oasis-imitators and Britpop Revivalists, DMA’s, support The Kooks on their homecoming Saturday night show at the Brighton Centre. Having only ever heard them on record, when DMA’s took the…
The Badger meets… Blondie!
Alone in the crowd at Blondie, I was surrounded by a sea of 40/50-somethings couples, screaming and star-struck out, as if it was 30 years ago in NY – giving…
The Badger meets… Hidden Orchestra
Ahead of his homecoming show at the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts on campus, we caught up with multi-instrumentalist composer and producer Joe Acheson, who conducts the imagined orchestra which…
Sónar Festival celebrates 25 years by sending music into Space
Sónar Festival celebrates 25 years by sending music into space. They are also looking for budding producers to send in extraterrestrial compositions. To celebrate their 25th birthday, Sonar has launched…
Wolf Alice review: A band of quiet confidence at the Dome
The state of indie rock today presents a densely packed field of artists, each one trying to make more noise than the last; trying to hang on to the coattails…
The Badger Meets…Coasts
On Friday 20th October, that institution of the Brighton music scene, The Haunt, played host to up-and-coming indie band Coasts, touring the UK in promotion of their second studio album…
King Nun: The Should-of-Been Headliners
King Nun and BLOXX opened for headliner INHEAVEN at The Haunt on the 18th in the last show on the UK leg of the top-billed band’s tour. And if we…
Forgotten Music: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John
One album that does not get the recognition it deserves is Elton John’s Album ‘Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy’. I know Elton John is not unheard of. In…
Nick Mulvey at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill
It’s Thursday night, and me and a couple of hundred others are spending our evening watching the closing night of Nick Mulvey’s Wake Up Now tour at the De La…
The Badger Speaks To… Wolf Alice
Wolf Alice have been a busy band touring for the past couple of months around the UK and America doing in-store gigs. They show us that performing live is still…
Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life
Wolf Alice’s punk, 80s synth-pop, grunge, and folk influences meld together to form something original and non-imitative. ‘VOAL’ is bolder with lyrics that reach down to a more personal space…
Amber Run at Concorde 2
Initially formed while at the University of Nottingham, the early success of the band led them to abandon their studies and pursue music. Back in 2013, four shows into their…
Grizzly Bear at De Le Warr, Bexhill
I’m never usually one to travel for gigs; as much as I enjoy the experience of witnessing a live performance, I like to have the comforting knowledge that I can…