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There is something refreshingly unpretentious about 'Rewired', the latest release from The Steve Summers Band. Rather than chasing modern studio polish or overcomplicated reinvention, the album leans into the grit, groove and lived-in warmth of classic British Blues-Rock, while still sounding energised by the current line-up’s chemistry.

Built from a mixture of newly recorded material and remastered cuts from earlier albums, 'Rewired' works less as a retrospective and more as a statement of intent. It captures the feel of a seasoned live band stretching out in a room together, driven by Steve Summers’ muscular guitar playing and unflashy but convincing vocals. Summers clearly comes from the school where feel matters more than fretboard gymnastics, though there is plenty of technical ability throughout.

The newer recordings immediately sound looser and more confident. '(I’d Be A) Fool Again' opens proceedings with a strutting R&B groove, Simon Needler’s Hammond adding just the right amount of smoky late-night atmosphere beneath Summers’ sharp Blues phrasing. 'Bad Bad Man' continues in a similarly earthy vein, balancing bitterness and swagger without becoming melodramatic.

The album’s reinterpretations are particularly effective. Their take on 'Third Degree' avoids slavish imitation and instead digs into a heavier Blues-Rock pulse, with Scott Hunter’s drumming giving the track real momentum. Likewise, the reworking of Jethro Tull favourite 'A New Day Yesterday' cleverly preserves the song’s Blues backbone while allowing flashes of Prog texture to emerge naturally.

Elsewhere, 'Rainmaker' provides a welcome instrumental detour, with the Hammond work giving the piece a rich, vintage feel, while 'Little Miss Blue' shifts from resonator Blues into full electric drive with satisfying ease. The closing 'Tears Roll Down' adds a more reflective note, its emotional weight carried without overstatement.

If 'Rewired' proves anything, it is that Steve Summers Band understand exactly what they are. This is Blues-Rock played by musicians with deep roots in the genre and enough confidence not to oversell it. The result is an album that feels honest, road-tested and thoroughly enjoyable throughout.

Ivan de Mello

There’s a certain electricity to 'Trinkets', the latest offering from The Lightning Threads, a Sheffield-born trio whose soul-swaggering sound has been steadily gathering momentum. Featuring Tom Jane (guitar/vocals), Sam Burgum (bass/vocals) and Hugh Butler (drums/keys), the band arrive here with their second studio release, following the UK Blues Awards-nominated 'Off That Lonely Road'. From the opening bars of ‘Nowhere to Go’, it’s clear they’ve built on that promise with confidence.

A crisp, staccato Fender Strat riff cuts through like first light breaking over a long night, setting the tone for what proves to be a richly textured, Blues-informed ride. The lead vocal carries a warm, soulful timbre, blending Folk-Rock ease with a flicker of Mod revival cool. There’s even a touch of Kasabian’s 'Club Foot'-style wail, though grounded firmly in an R&B sensibility. A closing coda nods toward Led Zeppelin’s 'Dazed and Confused', worn lightly and to good effect.

‘Wild One’ opens with a wah-soaked flourish reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)', before settling into a rolling groove that blossoms into a soaring guitar-led finale. ‘What Can I Say’ follows with squalling guitar interplay, punctuated by a neatly judged piano break that brings things back down to earth.

‘Rags and Riches’ keeps the engine chugging, its groove enriched by a warm Hammond organ swell, while ‘What a Fever Does’ offers a shift in tone, echoing Crowded House’s 'It's Only Natural' in its lighter, more reflective feel. ‘With a Heavy Heart’ begins in sparse, piano-led introspection before opening into a groove akin to Santana’s 'Smooth', complete with a subtle Bossa Nova undercurrent and increasingly urgent guitar lines.

‘Shook’ leans further into that Latin-tinged feel before breaking into something more raucous, while ‘Just Might Be’ carries shades of Ocean Colour Scene, albeit with a sharper guitar edge. ‘Devil Inside Me’ is all groove and grit, its scratchy textures building intensity.

Closing track ‘White Dress’ lands as a heavy, emphatic stomp. 'Trinkets' is an assured, stylistically fluent record that not only consolidates The Lightning Threads’ rising reputation, but confirms they’re a band with real staying power.

Ivan De Mello

Since joining forces and combining their two bands in 2010, singer Susan Tedeschi and guitarist Derek Trucks have firmly established the Tedeschi Trucks Band as a major force in the Blues world, not to mention gaining quite a few crossover fans in the process. ‘Future Soul’, released on 20th March is their first studio album since ‘Signs’ in 2019 and it’s been well worth waiting for, although fans have had the benefit of several live collections in the meantime, including their enjoyable take on classic albums ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’ and ‘Layla’ (Revisited).

Opening track ‘Crazy Cryin’ opens with a funky riff that serves as the feature motif of the number. Like some of their songs, the absence of a chorus that would lift the song into a deeper level of memorability is compensated by the subtle power of the horn section and the backing singers in an arrangement that oozes class. Memorable melody is provided in bucket loads on the upbeat ‘I Got You’ where Susan Tedeschi’s vocal is the essence of sweetness and the backing singers have their own distinctive counterpoint melody. Truck’s guitar comes in halfway through to carry the song to the end and has a definitive Allmanesque feel, which of course is no bad thing at all. ‘Who Am I’ features a lovely picked guitar melody with the hammered on notes hitting that part of the brain that makes you prick up your ears. Truck’s solo on this is beautiful.

‘Hero’ is more in the usual TTB wheelhouse with a hypnotic backbeat and ‘la la la’ backing vocals. Tedeschi’s vocals explode powerfully on the chorus and the outro section features a bundle of different guitar parts interweaving around each other in a way that few other bands manage to achieve. The title track is based on a fuzzy riff and is heavier than most of the other tracks with power chords driving the rising chorus. ‘Under The Knife’ has a soft Southern groove and features some delightful Blues meets Country slide fills. ‘Be Kind’ starts as a mid- tempo shuffle and adds some New Orleans sass on the chorus, not forgetting the brief super Allman flavoured licks on the resolutions. This track even has a super cheesy seventies sounding keyboard solo. Excellent stuff.

‘Devil Be Gone’ has an infectious keyboard groove and stupendous backing vocals underpinning the strong lead vocal. The solo section on this has two competing guitars, sounding magnificent. My favourite track is ‘Shout Out’ which has an absolute earworm of a slide motif that runs through it, which is hauntingly beautiful. The backing has a wonderfully languid feel, allowing Tedeschi’s vocal lines to soar. The horn arrangements on the chorus set the whole thing off perfectly. It’s an absolutely gorgeous track and if someone only wanted to dip their toe in the water, this should be the track to do it for.

The guitar playing on the album is exceptional as you might expect. Trucks’ slide guitar buzzes in and out of the soundscape always adding something interesting. Tedeschi’s vocals sit on top of the accomplished backing arrangements like the thickest and most delicious of creams on top of a mouth watering pie. There are no weak or filler tracks on the album which, without being a die-hard TTB afficionado, has to be among their very best collections of new songs.

Simon Green

On 'Noisebleed', Laurie Black demonstrates a deft ability to synthesise an eclectic palette of electronic styles into something surprisingly cohesive. The record moves between theatrical Art-Pop, Techno propulsion and Trip-Hop atmospherics, yet always keeps one foot firmly on the dancefloor.

Opening track 'It’s Happening' bursts into life with frazzled, breakneck beats recalling The Chemical Brothers at their most block-rocking and the early Rave-Punk energy of The Prodigy. Over the top float crystalline vocals that temper the chaos with a cool, melodic sheen.

'Lemons' begins with a punchy breakbeat before slipping into a sleek, Pop-Electronica mode reminiscent of the 'Ray of Light' era, shaped by the sonic fingerprints of William Orbit and Madonna. At the bridge it pivots elegantly toward the motorik precision of 'Trans-Europe Express' by Kraftwerk.

The title track 'Noisebleed' carries a darker intensity, evoking the mechanical pulse of 'Army of Me' by Björk before surging forward with the urgent club momentum associated with Josh Wink. Its lyric, “one door opens as one door closes”, lands with evocative weight.

Elsewhere, 'Beyond Bliss' drifts through more Orbit-era Electronica and the shimmering melancholy of 'Teardrop' by Massive Attack, with flashes of icy glamour reminiscent of Goldfrapp.

The socially conscious 'Tastes Like Blood' warns of the dangers of silence, while 'Axis' rides a relentless Techno pulse to critique the erosion of community spaces by speculative development. 'Rewilderness' leans into harsher industrial textures, echoing the dystopian synth aesthetic of Gary Numan.

Late-album highlights keep the conceptual edge sharp. 'Deadspace' offers a sly commentary on celebrity spectacle, nodding toward Katy Perry’s recent trip to space, while 'Whale Bones' closes with claustrophobic Trip-Hop beats and eerie, whale-like vocal textures, underscoring environmental anxieties.

Across nine tracks, 'Noisebleed' reveals Laurie Black as a sonic magpie with purpose: drawing from electronic music’s past while crafting something theatrical, atmospheric and unmistakably danceable.

Ivan De Mello

Opening with the reflective instrumental ‘Fragments’, Johan Steensland’s 'Duality' sets the stage for a fully realised Rock opera. The album follows a fiction writer recovering in hospital after a car crash. Stricken with amnesia, he attempts to reconstruct his identity through scattered memories and imagination. A nurse, voiced by Aleena Gibson, becomes a key presence in the story, her warm vocals providing a welcome counterpoint to Steensland’s own and adding emotional depth to the unfolding narrative.

Given its concept-driven framework, the album’s length and Progressive ambition feel intentional. Early highlight ‘I Believe I’m Kind’ neatly captures the record at its most compelling. Steensland’s vocal delivery carries an intriguing resemblance to Peter Gabriel, though tinged with a subtle Nordic character. The track rises on carefully layered arrangements and shifting time signatures, with melodies that soar while retaining compositional precision.

'Duality' is an album that benefits from repeated listening. At first pass its generous runtime may seem slightly indulgent, and a few moments appear to edge towards polished Prog-Pop territory. Yet with time the album’s subtleties emerge and its structure reveals itself as carefully assembled rather than sprawling.

Among the standout moments is ‘The Shredded Suit’, where Per Nilsson’s piercing, fusion-tinged guitar work cuts through the arrangement with striking clarity. ‘Let Me In’ follows with a surge of melodic lift before giving way to ‘Ordinary Man’, whose groove is driven by tight, almost military-style drumming and an infectious sense of Funk.

Elsewhere, ‘Walking in a Straight Line’ introduces flickering electronic textures that provide an atmospheric setting for Steensland’s expressive vocals. These moments highlight the album’s attention to sonic detail as much as its narrative ambition.

Closing track ‘Here and Now’ brings the Rock opera to a satisfying conclusion. Its uplifting tone carries a quietly spiritual resonance, suggesting the fractured elements of the story have finally come together.

Ambitious, occasionally indulgent but ultimately rewarding, 'Duality' is a richly layered progressive work that reveals more with each listen.

Ivan De Mello

There’s a confident swagger running through 'Angel on the Mississippi', the latest release from Tom Davies and the Bluebirds, that marks it out as a band utterly at ease with its influences yet keen to bend them to its own ends.

Opening salvo 'You’re Gonna Wreck My Life' wastes no time. Built around a riff that nods firmly in the direction of Led Zeppelin’s 'Heartbreaker', it beefs up the attack with a growling Hammond organ that thickens the groove and gives the track a churchy, Southern hue. It’s punchy, strutting and immediate.

'Blues for Greeny' kicks into life with the insistent propulsion of Pink Floyd’s 'Money', before sliding into a sinuous Blues figure reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac in their 'Black Magic Woman' pomp. A subtle hint of Cuban-inflected drumming adds an extra layer of rhythmic spice, preventing it from ever feeling derivative.

'Devil’s Highwater' takes a more angular route. There’s a touch of Franz Ferdinand’s clipped urgency in the opening gambit, but Davies and co quickly descend into a muscular Blues riff before unleashing more Page-like guitar flourishes. It’s a track that shifts gears with relish, balancing Indie tautness and classic Blues-Rock heft.

Throughout the record Davies proves himself a commanding frontman. He mixes the impassioned, chest-thumping delivery of Andrew Strong with an ability to rein in the power, dropping into a sotto voce for the more maudlin moments. That dynamic control gives the album emotional breadth.

The Hammond organ brings beautifully soulful touches across the set, but it’s the guitar work that demands you simply stand back and admire. Nowhere is this clearer than on the near nine-minute title track, 'Angel on the Mississippi', where layered textures and soaring lines build to a thrilling crescendo without ever losing clarity.

Closing number 'Mainland Evil' arrives like a sombre hymn, its coda unfurling with a stately, almost liturgical gravity. It’s a fitting benediction to an album that marries firepower with feel, and reverence with rawness.

Ivan De Mello

There’s something refreshingly unpolished about 'Doll'. In an era where Alternative Rock is routinely smoothed into submission by over-production and algorithm-friendly choruses, Liliths Army instead choose abrasion, volatility and the occasional left-field curveball. The trio of Sylvie Studente on vocals and guitar, Tommy Mayo on bass and Sam Sherwood on drums play like a unit that values impact over perfection, delivering songs that feel lived-in rather than lab-tested.

It opens with 'Eat My TV', a gleeful skewering of the tawdrier corners of Hip-Hop culture and its hyper-sexualised video aesthetics. Studente’s delivery is acidic yet playful, bubblegum Punk hooks recalling Shampoo filtered through distortion and attitude, while Mayo and Sherwood lock into a deceptively tight groove beneath the chaos.

From there the record turns darker. 'Cursed' stalks in on Sherwood’s thunderous drums and Mayo’s ominous bass line, with Studente sounding less sung than exorcised. 'Reach Out' keeps the same pressure-cooker intensity, as if the band are daring you to blink first.

'Stoop' sits somewhere between ’90s Grunge and the shadowed end of Black Sabbath’s catalogue, all mud-caked riffs and bleak momentum, while 'Get Away' tips its hat towards 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' without collapsing into pastiche.

The middle of the album briefly lifts the clouds. 'Breathe' breaks from the gloom with a genuinely uplifting chorus, and 'Drain Me' pairs dark subject matter with a more melodic, almost comforting hook.

Heaviness soon reasserts itself on 'Possessed', which lives up to its name, before the album’s most unexpected turn arrives. 'Helpless' strips everything back to piano and swathes of cello, a fragile moment that makes the surrounding noise feel even more brutal by contrast.

The closing title track, 'Doll', is the emotional core of the record, a defiant response to a former colleague who once reduced Studente to a belittling nickname. It is not self-pitying but reclaiming.

'Doll' is not a comfortable listen, and that is its strength. Liliths Army are not chasing polish here, they are chasing honesty, and this bruising, visceral record refuses to be ignored.

Ivan De Mello

'Colourful House' finds Zoe Schwarz, Rob Koral and their close-knit band delivering a warmly crafted blend of Blues, Jazz-inflected vocals and Soul-rooted grooves. The record feels natural and unhurried, shaped by musicians who know how to let each song speak for itself while keeping a unified tone.

The opener 'Venus A’int So Far Away' sets the blueprint. Schwarz’s expressive, Jazz-informed phrasing sits comfortably alongside Koral’s wah-soaked guitar work, giving the track a Blues feel touched with Gospel warmth. Hammond organ colours the edges and the occasional hint of Funk brings a lively spark that carries through the album.

'Your Love Hurts' highlights Schwarz’s depth as a vocalist, moving into a cooler, moodier space that gives the song a modern emotional pull. The band keep the arrangement spacious and supportive, allowing the vocal to lead with clarity.

The energy then shifts into a grittier space with 'Hear My Cries', which carries a distinctive echo of Muddy Waters’s 'Still a Fool.' Its earthy pulse introduces a welcome dose of traditional Blues character before the album opens back out into more exploratory moods.

That pivot arrives with 'House of Colours', which softens the atmosphere with Schwarz’s warm, breathy vocal and a gently whimsical lyric. It stands as one of the album’s most inviting moments, demonstrating how naturally the band move between grit and tenderness.

From here the broader influences continue to surface. 'What Can I Do' pushes forward with rhythmic swagger that feels both vintage and fresh. 'Out The Front Door' leans into a funkier seventies groove, while 'Watching the World' contrasts reflective verses with an unexpectedly bright and uplifting chorus. Later in the sequence, 'City of Blues' arrives with a clean and relaxed introduction that subtly recalls the smooth confidence of Dire Straits, underscoring the group’s ease with weaving Blues, Pop and Soul textures together.

Across 'Colourful House', Schwarz, Koral and friends move with assurance between styles while keeping the Blues spirit central. It is a cohesive, warm and quietly adventurous album that rewards repeated listening.

Ivan De Mello

Billed as London's loudest Rock 'n' roll band, The Heat Inc. tear through their debut album like a runaway amplifier. Now expanded to a five-piece, the group deliver 'Asleep at the Ejector Seat' with swagger, pulse and precision, where Post-Punk grit collides with Britpop cool.

Frontman Jon Dodd brings a rich, low baritone that anchors the chaos, especially on 'Souvenir', a more animated opener than OMD's shimmer on their track of the same name. 'Draw Blood for Proof' bursts in with the driving energy of Generation X’s 'Dancing With Myself'; a proper boot-stomper built for sticky floors and late nights.

'Little Knuckle Charlie' channels Kasabian’s 'Empire' bravado, while ’98' fizzes with Buzzcocks-like riffs, the band’s raw energy held in check by Dodd’s steady vocal gravitas.

On 'Ultraviolence' the band abruptly change the tempo and tone, Marco Simoncelli’s guitar weaves tender textures around lyrics nodding to Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. Think Stones’ 'Wild Horses' reimagined in dystopian neon; a haunting closer that reveals a cinematic side beneath the volume.

The Heat Inc. might be 'Asleep at the Ejector Seat', but they sound very much awake and firmly in control.

Ivan De Mello

Northampton’s Liliths Army are summoning something wicked with their new single 'Cursed', a brooding, Grunge-soaked anthem steeped in volatile relationships and self-destructive energy. The trio channel the dark allure of Vampyre Heart, blending Lo-Fi Punk grit with malevolent atmospherics that feel tailor-made for the witching season.

Frontwoman Sylvie's vocal is the spell’s centrepiece: sweet and hypnotic at first, then cracking into a rasp that teeters on the unhinged. When she breathes the refrain “You’re within me”, it’s both haunting and addictive, backed by insistent guitars that dig in like claws.

The accompanying video, dropping on Halloween, was filmed in an abandoned armoury in Northamptonshire and promises a feast of old-school horror imagery to match the track’s psychological unease. It’s the perfect soundtrack for long nights, flickering candles and a creeping sense that something’s just behind you.

Released via West London’s Criminal Records, 'Cursed' is a standout moment from the band’s latest album 'Doll' and proof that Liliths Army are fast becoming one of the UK underground’s most compelling dark forces.

Ivan De Mello

Explode the TV’s 'Catching the Rain' EP offers three short tracks of guitar-driven Indie-Rock with clear nods to ’80s New Wave. The opener and title track features pedal-heavy guitar effects alongside a Talking Heads-style disco bassline and a Billie Jean-inspired drumbeat, with a bongo solo in the middle adding an unusual twist.

'1+1=3' comes across as an upbeat take on The Cure’s 'A Forest', though the lyrics hint at a love triangle. Closing track 'Stratosphere' has a similar anthemic feel to previous album 'Unbreakable' highlight 'Naked Eyes', with guitars stretching out and vocals lingering like closing credits.

The EP leans on guitar textures, giving it a retro-tinged yet refreshingly immediate sound. It has an infectious feel, with layered riffs and catchy melodies that linger after listening.

Ivan De Mello

'We Got the Right to Be Free’, the latest offering from Born Healer, is a ten-track journey through soulful Blues, British Rock grit, and an unshakeable groove. It’s an album that tips its hat to tradition while adding fresh colours and surprising turns along the way.

The opener, ‘Buried Alive’, sets the tone with a soulful Blues lament on the pressures of modern life, yet it’s lifted by bright, optimistic guitar riffs that suggest survival and resilience. ‘Worksong’ follows with a grittier drive, powered by a chunky, propulsive rhythm section reminiscent of Free in their prime.

With a Spin Doctors–style intro, ‘Silver Girl’ showcases Helen Turner’s vocal dexterity, giving her space to cut loose before a piercing guitar solo takes over. The mood then shifts with ‘Ticket Outta Here’, a wistful, heartfelt mourning of a break-up.

‘Heartbeat’ finds Turner channelling the spirit of her compatriot Sharleen Spiteri, riding a catchy groove that blends raw Blues guitar with Pop-inflected hooks. ‘Shallow Roots’ loosens the vibe with a Funk-infused swagger, bouncing along with the same cheeky energy as the Happy Mondays’ ‘Kinky Afro’.

Drama builds in ‘Storm’s A’ Comin’’, where pounding drums and an ominous bassline conjure the tension of thunder gathering overhead. It evokes shades of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Black Magic Woman’. ‘Money & Time’ nods to Pink Floyd’s similarly titled work, before being jolted into life by the squelch of a dirty wah-wah guitar and soulful vocal bursts.

‘Done and Dusted’ storms in as the album’s rowdy, rockier wild child; short, sharp, and full of bite. The closer, ‘Sunset Sucker’, drifts in on sun-bleached chords and a laid-back backbeat, leaving the listener with a warm sense of release.

With ‘We Got the Right to Be Free’, Born Healer deliver an assured, varied, and engaging release. They move effortlessly from heartfelt ballads to swaggering grooves, creating a record that is as emotionally resonant as it is musically satisfying.

Ivan De Mello