#review

Oct 29, 2015
2 min

Darwin Deez @ The Bodega, 25/10/15

With his signature headband, classic dance moves, and a beer in his right hand, Darwin Deez knows how to please a crowd. Five years ago, the curly haired hipster burst onto the music scene with the single ‘Constellations’ sounding like a cross between a hippy version of the Strokes and Pheonix, put in a time machine and sent back to the 60s. 5 years on and although Darwin Deez have garnered a cult following, little has changed. The the gold string head band holding down the m

Oct 26, 2015
3 min

Ride @ Rock City, 21/10/15

1990. Most likely before The Mic members were born. An important start to a decade which, musically, was defined by the rise of Britpop. The year saw the emergence of Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web. And big events such as Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, the reunification of Germany and the downfall of the Soviet Union, UK’s Poll Tax riots and the end of Thatcher’s reign as Prime Minister. On a less grand scale, but still significant, 1990 saw the launch of the Hubble

Oct 26, 2015
1 min

Keston Cobblers Club @ The Bodega, 22/10/15

Keston Cobblers Club provided the perfect medium between folk, soul, acoustic and vintage music. This band was one of the best surprises to come out of a trip to The Bodega. Think the Lumineers crossed with Mumford and Sons; with a hint of Van Morrison cool. They took folk music and combined it with husky, warm, current voices to create a funky, timeless sound that all ages could appreciate. The enjoyment the band felt whilst playing live resonated from them, and was clearl

Oct 25, 2015
3 min

‘Caracal’ by Disclosure

British house duo Disclosure burst onto the scene two years ago with their debut album entitled ‘Settle’. With its slick and enticing sounds influenced by classic house, the album was both a critical and commercial success, with brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence deservingly being nominated for the Mercury Prize and a Grammy in 2013, and also having several hits on the charts with tracks like “Latch”, “White Noise” and “When a Fire Starts to Burn”. They have now just recently r

Oct 22, 2015
3 min

Kalli Ashton @ The Lacehouse, 18/10/15

Recently at The Mic, we’ve been keeping a keen eye on one Nottingham singer in particular. Delicate, humble, gracious; three words that wouldn’t immediately spring to mind when thinking of the characteristics one might need to make a name for themselves in this brutal music industry. Yet, here I stand in The Lacehouse, witnessing a naturally gifted musician serenade an entire crowd with the first of hopefully many EP releases. Kalli Ashton, a fresh-faced vocal powerhouse fr

Oct 21, 2015
2 min

Palace @ The Bodega, 18/10/15

It was a slow start for a Bodega Saturday night standard. Keto opened with only half of its members. But with just two guitars, the duo still managed to impress us all. They are essentially Wolf Alice with more interesting and better vocal (sorry Ellie Rowsell). With such promising potential, it’s a shame we didn’t get to listen to a full band. With a simple introduction, Palace kicked off the set with ‘I Want What You Got’ from the band’s first EP ‘Lost in the Night’. Follow

Oct 17, 2015
2 min

Tiny Dancer @ The Bodega, 15/10/15

When I first listened to Tiny Dancer a couple of days before the gig, I was made to expect a Grimes meets Jessie Ware sort of deal. When it actually came down to the live performance, it was quite different. The start of the gig was something I would never have been able to predict; a cover of ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears. This was, however, in no way a bad thing; the cover was a good reimagining of it, without any flaws. Tiny Dancer then went on to play some of her own materia

Oct 17, 2015
2 min

Swim Deep @ Rough Trade, 07/10/15

Birmingham boys return to Nottingham’s Rough Trade with new record and new sound. Since their dream-poppy first album, they have taken a turn to psychedelic and acid house influences for their new record ‘Mothers’ released this October. Having only lived in Nottingham for two weeks, it was my first time seeing a gig at Rough Trade. And I loved the venue, the bar staff were friendly, the place has a nice vibe, a good selection of drinks and it’s lovely to see gig posters all a

Oct 12, 2015
2 min

Walk Off The Earth @ Rock City, 03/10/15

“Wo-ohhhh-oh sing it all away! Sing it all away my darlings” Well, that’s exactly what everyone at Walk Off The Earth’s Rock City gig was there to do. First though, the show was opened by 20 year old Canadian singer-songwriter Scott Helman, who was introduced to WOTE’s fans when he toured with them last spring and more recently performed a cover of Can’t Feel My Face on the bands Youtube channel. Scott’s energy as a performer and the poppy catchiness of his music soon had the

Oct 8, 2015
2 min

The Wombats @ Rock City, 28/09/15

Those in attendance harbouring any doubt regarding the live credentials of The Wombats will have had them dispelled after the Liverpool trio brought their recognisable and catchy brand of indie-rock to the Rock City. Fresh from headlining the Festival Republic Stage at the Reading and Leeds festivals the band, led by lead singer Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy, were bringing the curtain down on the promotion of third album Glitterbug, which charted at #5 in the UK upon its release bac

Oct 6, 2015
2 min

Peace @ Rock City, 02/10/15

Returning to Nottingham after a string of intimate sell-out shows at the Bodega back in February, Peace took to the stage at Rock City on Friday night to deliver a stonking set featuring their best hits from their albums “Happy People” and “In Love”. Support was provided by Hackney based indie rockers Splashh. Their brilliant but short set featured songs from their 2013 debut “Comfort” – but the highlight was the airing they gave to their new single “Pure Blue”. With its punc

Feb 28, 2015
2 min

Public Service Broadcasting – ‘The Race for Space’ album review & @ Rough Trade, 25

Public Service Broadcasting (PSB), is the brainchild of the ridiculously regally named duo from South London, J. Willgoose, Esq. and Wrigglesworth. The band basically takes samples of archive footage broadcasts and old public information films, and then re frames it with modern-day music. As nerdy as this may sound, I can assure you they are anything but an academic wheeze. ‘The Race for Space’ moves away from the post-war Brit propaganda used in PSB’s debut album, Inform-Edu

Feb 25, 2015
2 min

Dry The River @ The Bodega, 22/02/2015

With a new tour on the horizon, the Dry the River gig was inevitably going to be amazing. It soon hit 7:00 when Bodega began to fill up with the indie kids from every crook and corner, fashionably late (we could expect nothing less) and in no time it was beard galore. The support act was no different, the bassist sporting only what I could call the greatest hat to be worn on the earth, Blaenavon was simply stunning. Only 17, the indie trio from Hampshire are definitely a band

Feb 24, 2015
1 min

Marmozets @ Rescue Rooms, 21/02/2015

The Marmozets are one of the best bands that I’ve ever seen live at a standing venue. They bring a huge amount of energy, fast-paced set list and electrifying performance. What makes gigs like their set at the rescue rooms so great is the reaction they bring out from the crowd. It’s impossible to not get swept in to the pace and extremely hard to remain motionless- you want to join in! As an audience you feel just as pumped up, just as energetic as Becca, their lead singer is

Feb 8, 2015
1 min

LoneLady – ‘Hinterland’ album review

In 2010 LoneLady (aka Julie Campbell) tore up the post-punk scene with her debut album ‘Nerve Up’, cementing her place as a self-made, artistic musician who had attracted the attention of both NME and The Guardian. Flash forward to late last year and the release of follow-up single ‘Groove it Out’ and it’s easy to see why new album ‘Hinterland’ has been long-awaited. Like a wave, it crashes over the mainstream, propelling Lonelady into more colourful territories than ever bef

Dec 20, 2014
2 min

Kasabian @ Capital FM Arena, 28/11/12

Eez-eh! eez-eh! The crowd bellowed at any opportune moment throughout the Kasabian gig at the Capital FM Arena last week. For the entire duration of the set, the band succeeded in what few acts can achieve: creating an environment of escapism where the crowd could feed off the bravado lyrics and tongue-in-cheek attitude of the Les-tah four piece. The band introduced themselves with Bumblebee stirring up a frenzy, which was aided by the excitement over Sergio’s salad cream t-s

Nov 9, 2014
3 min

Nick Mulvey @ Rescue Rooms, 31/10/14

Every once in a while you get an artist with a critically acclaimed, award nominated album who still manages to surpass all rational expectations with their live performances. With that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to Nick Mulvey. The Halloween gig kicked off with support from ‘Sivu’, fresh from his 2014 debut album, who set the mood perfectly for Nick Mulvey as the venue started to slowly fill up. Everyone who walked in the doors at Rescue Rooms was instantly aware of

Nov 7, 2014
2 min

Jamie T @ Rock City, 04/11/14

I came into the depths of Rock City, wondering whether or not after 5 years of his last album, I’d just be surrounded by a bunch of hipsters who knew only the lyrics to ‘Zombie’. In a sold-out gig I was quite surprised how big his fanbase had grown; the seemingly forgotten London lad was back again for good. I found the other day the ‘Kings & Queens’ CD I begged to my dad for my 16th birthday, to burn it to a mix for the car. Well worth going over the good times I guess. By t

Oct 19, 2014
2 min

Dan Croll @ Rescue Rooms, 15/10/14

From my previous experiences, I have known not to come late to a gig. As I walked into the dark, grungy back room of Rescue Rooms, I could see that it was quite empty. All was to change quite soon, but this at least gave me the opportunity to wiggle near the front of the stage. Having come once before to our beloved Bodega earlier this year following the release of this debut album, Sweet Disarray, his Nottingham fanbase was ever growing, and familiar to Dan Croll’s spectacul

Oct 28, 2013
1 min

Foxes – Youth (Single)

Louisa Rose Allen, known to us as Foxes has released her new single Youth which has instantly drawn me into checking out what she’s done already. Despite fresh face on the electro pop scene, she’s already guested with massive artists such as Rudimental and Fall Out Boy. Youth still seems as enticing as it was when it came out, now as a re-release, following her Warrior EP and singles Echo, White Coats and Home. “Don’t tell me our youth is running out, it’s only just begun” sh