Buzzcocks
“Electric charge to blow you in, to the arms of raging sin/Wanna ride the tempest wind’ Buzzcocks ‘Senses Out Of Control’ In a darkening musical landscape where viral fads and AI-generated fakery share chart-space with the self-absorbed products of the nation’s stage schools, Buzzcocks shine out as a gleaming beacon of hope. A constant, ever-evolving presence over the last 45 years of pop culture, the band’s legendary status will be set in stone — literally — with their inclusion in the Music Walk Of Fame in September, joining an illustrious roll call including David Bowie, The Who, Madness and Amy Winehouse. The band’s never-better live shows, meanwhile, are electrifying reminders of rock music’s power to inspire, educate and inform. All delivered with an energy and conviction of a band half their age. “It’s my lifeblood,” says Steve Diggle — 68 years young — of a non-stop touring schedule which over the summer will see them play to thousands of fans across Europe and the UK. “I’ve still got the fire in my belly. Some musicians get bored of being on the road, but I’m institutionalised. I’ve done 50-odd years of staying in hotels. It’s what I signed up for. Ever since I saw Bob Dylan in the back of a black taxi in (D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary) Don’t Look Back, I always wanted to live this kind of life — being interviewed in the back of a black taxi on the way to the studio.” While most of their punk peers are content to traverse the globe in jukebox-style revue shows, Buzzcocks continue to move with the times, attracting new fans wherever they go. A case in point being the huge all-ages crowd the band pulled at the Iggy Pop-headlined Dog Day Afternoon in July. “There’s not a lot of intellectual or emotional thinking in music these days,” observes Steve. “People are being controlled. They’ll watch a video of someone falling over a banana skin and think they’re being entertained. They don’t realise the beauty of words, and the power of music. I’d like to think young kids who come to see us feel the same excitement I got from Little Richard and Chuck Berry. It goes back to the punk thing. It was about attitude and a way of thinking. We had the questions, but we didn’t have the answers. But the questions are the important thing.” This desire to challenge both themselves and their audiences was reflected in 2022’s Sonics In The Soul. An eclectic mix of gilt-edged power-pop (‘Venus Eyes’), Big Star-esque bangers (‘Nothingness World’) and Groundhogs-style riffing (‘Experimental Farm’), it was both a critical and commercial success — a reminder that Steve Diggle has always been a master songwriter: a Lennon to Pete Shelley’s McCartney. The album also caught the ear of rock royalty. ‘Little’ Steven Van Zandt put in a request to remix Who-like epic ‘Manchester Rain,’ while Elton John got in touch with Steve to rave about first single ‘Senses Out Of Control,’ playing the track on his Apple Radio show. “Sonics In The Soul was a bridge from the old Buzzcocks to the new,” says Steve. “At the time, a lot of people said, ‘You can’t carry on without Pete.’ But I’d always written my own songs. Looking back, we were like two mountain climbers. We needed each other. But since then I’ve taken [the band] on and it made it more heroic.”Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Daniel Nunnelee
With the arrival of his self-released breakout single “Pick and Choose” in 2022, Memphis-born singer/songwriter Daniel Nunnelee introduced the world to his sweetly offbeat and soul-baring form of folk/indie-rock. An instant viral sensation that amassed over a million streams in just ten days, “Pick and Choose” soon led to the making of June, Baby: a strangely enchanting debut album revealing both his old-soul sensibilities and wide-eyed perspective on finding your way in the world. With its title nodding to his birthday month and to the duality he embodies as a quintessential Gemini, June, Baby explores such emotionally heavy matters as anxiety and anticipatory grief, endlessly showcasing the graceful musicality he first developed by playing guitar in church as a kid. A lifelong nature lover who wrote much of June, Baby at his favorite park and at remote cabins in Mississippi and Colorado, the Nashville-based artist also sets his self-reflection to a one-of-a-kind sound matching its homespun charm with the unbridled energy he’s brought to the stage opening for artists like Madi Diaz and Shakey Graves (in addition to headlining his own tours). A truly gifted vocalist who brings an undeniably playful spirit to his existential questioning, Nunnelee ultimately hopes that listeners might take whatever they need from his songs — whether it’s a deeper communion with the natural world that incessantly inspires his music, or a monumental shift in their own outlook on life.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
Happy Landing
HAPPY LANDING is an American folk rock band formed in Oxford, Mississippi in 2020 by Matty Hendley (guitar/vocals), Keegan Christensen (keys/bass/vocals), Jacob Christensen (drums/vocals), Andrew Gardner (violin/mandolin/vocals), and Wilson Moyer (bass/guitar/vocals). The group pioneers a new style of “edgy, folky rock,” captivating audiences across the US with their energetic live shows and fresh sound, blended from the roots of indie rock, folk, and punk. In 2024, following a successful year of touring with notable bands like The Head and The Heart, Judah & the Lion, and The 502’s, the band is set to release and tour their first full-length album and make their debut at major festivals and venues around the country.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Mush, Puppy!
Incorporating elements of Midwest emo, skramz, shoegaze, and pop punk, this 4-piece outfit brings a new atmosphere to a nostalgic sound. Mush, Puppy! Packs heartbreaking, riffs, and head-banging beats to get a versatile sound that brings old memories to the surface while simultaneously creating new ones.Spotify | InstagramScoby Spotify
Live! On Stage: Jonathan Richman featuring Tommy Larkins on the drums!
“Richman is one of America’s most unique and dynamic songwriters…” – Nashville Scene “Richman didn’t need much else besides a beat to work his magic.” – New York Daily News “Buy tickets early. Buy tickets often. This is just good general life advice, but even more so when you’re talking about Jonathan Richman. Don’t get denied at the door, don’t leave things up to chance: You will regret it.” – Nashville Scene “Rhymes worthy of Ogden Nash.” – The New York Times “Richman has spent decades removing barriers between himself and his audience, cultivating an intimacy that is almost extinct in modern music.”- Nashville Scene “The music we’re doing now works well in quiet places like theaters and performing art centers. We still don’t use a program or a set list so we don’t know what we’ll do until we do it. Please do not expect old songs. Many singers my age do a retrospective; this show is not like that. It’s mostly stuff made up in the last 3 and 4 years. Some of the songs presented might be in different languages; this is not to be esoteric or clever, it’s because the different languages help me express different feelings sometimes. One last thing, my idea of a good show has nothing to do with applause. It’s about if all the songs I sang that night were ones that I felt.” – Jonathan
Bent Knee
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Carrtoons
CARRTOONS has become one of the most sought-after producers through his eye-catching Instagram videos and the buzz of his latest album, “Homegrown” (Wichita Recordings). His unique bass lines and fills have made him a favorite, leading to a recent appearance on NPR Tiny Desk (at home), and a commercial placement with Supreme + Nike. He has performed or recorded with Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, George Clinton, Benny the Butcher, Mac Ayres, Kiefer and many more…Website | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok
The Big Star Quintet: 50th Anniversary of Radio City
CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BIG STAR’S Radio City Featuring Jody Stephens (Big Star), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Jon Auer (The Posies), Pat Sansone (Wilco) & Chris Stamey (The dB’s)
Magdalena Bay: The Imaginal Mystery Tour
Embracing the volatility and vulnerability of the real world, LA-based indie-pop duo Magdalena Bay create a reality of their own — one that is equally shimmering as it is self aware. The band have used social platforms to dispatch their music, and what you might call their philosophy, in hypnotic, ephemeral bursts. To Mica Tenenbaum and Matt Lewin, reality can be unmade, manipulated beyond all recognition; their project is as much musical as it is an experiment in pop persona and visual aesthetics. In October 2021, Magdalena Bay released their debut full-length LP, Mercurial World, via Luminelle, to critical acclaim. Written, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by the duo, Mercurial World proposes an abstract theory of time and explores the staggering “what ifs” that make up the human experience. With roots in prog-rock and inspired by bleeding edge producers like Charli XCX and Grimes, the duo creates striking yet self aware soundscapes and visuals that are becoming their true Magdalena-Bay-world signature. With a live show as captivating and dimensional as the music itself, 2022 boasts a sold out North America headline tour, and support dates with the likes of Flume, Porter Robinson and Charli XCX. Approaching actuality as a construct allows Magdalena Bay to enact their own, one that is committed to nothing but expanding the possible.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud | TikTok
Ballyhoo!
Through 25 years and eight independent albums, the last four on their own Right Coast Records, Ballyhoo! have earned the exclamation point which marks their name. Starting in the basement of their mom’s Aberdeen, MD, home, rocking out on guitar and drums respectively, practicing every day, brothers Howi and Donald Spangler formed the proto-punk band in the mold of Green Day and Nirvana, with an eye towards the emerging ska genre led by Goldfinger, Sublime, 311 and No Doubt.The group’s eighth and most recent studio album, the breezy, ska-fueled, hook- filled Message to the World, on their own Right Coast Records, finds the self- declared “beach-rockers,” having grown up in public, accepting the responsibilities of adulthood while still hanging on to their dreams of world domination. Stylistically, their music ranges from the hard-edged punk of 2018’s Detonate, which captured the feelings of anger and depression from dealing with personal loss and the exhaustion generated by over a decade on the road to the island reggae beats of the follow-up, Message to the World.“Whatever you want to achieve, just focus on that and work towards it,” explains Howi about the Ballyhoo! ethos. “Don’t worry about followers, views, or even money. Just keep making good stuff. One day it may be possible to finally quit that day job and live your dream full time.”Ballyhoo! is still doing just that, purveying good vibes, positivity and fun live shows meant to take you away from real life…Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify
