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Preview: Five bands to see at FOCUS Wales 2024

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  Oh yes! Excitement is in the air.  Festival season is starting  to spring into life and it's time to start thinking about watching bands and artists in their natural habitat, doing what they do best. One of the key industry events before the big summer festival season is Wrexham's  FOCUS Wales.  More than just an industry knees-up,  FOCUS  has become a yearly highlight of the festival calender with artists and punters travelling from far and wide for three days of music, films and conferences. There might be a few drinks too.  This year, the festival is headlined by the legendary  Spirtualized,  local indie heroes The Royston Club and Scouse retro rockers The Mysterines with other established artists like Benefits, The Bug Club, Adwaith, Snapped Ankles and  Deerhoof  gracing the many different venues throughout Wrexham City Centre. By now, if you're going you'll have done your homework on the bigger names on the bill and you'll have your must sees, but here at NNW
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New Video: Sleeepy Anderson - Gamblin' Shoes

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  It's getting increasingly difficult and frustrating for those of who want to write about music. Don't get me wrong, I'm not moaning about it (well, not much anyway). It just becomes a thankless task when you have to wade your way through several hundred submissions a week, wanting to cover a large percentage of it, but having the real world to deal with and therefore barely able to scratch your arse without ruining the itch. That sounds a lot less poetic now I read it back to myself.   I'm not the biggest fan of social media, I find myself using it a lot when my anxiety levels are at their highest; coincidence? I think not. However, sometimes when at risk of pulling my hair out at not being able to keep up with my inbox, social media actually comes up the goods. I know, I can barely believe it either..    Sporadically, an artist pops up on the socials and the algorithm pulls a blinder. These things don't happen often; it's the musical equavilent of a total ecl
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Let Em' Talk: Eyesore & The Jinx guide us through their long awaited debut 'Jitterbug'

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 Liverpool's art rock trio Eyesore & The Jinx have kept us waiting for their debut album, but the wait has been worth it. Jitterbug was in the process of early planning when that pesky pandemic hit in 2020 and - as you'll read - the unpredictability of life created further obstacles for the production of the album to occur.  The band's early singles and debut E.P were released by Merseyside taste-maker label Eggy Records, and after getting the top score on an edition of 6 Music's Roundtable feature, it seemed their profile could only go in one direction. Their debut EP The Exile Parlour featured the single ' Leisure Time'  which got the accolade of KEXP Song of the Day.  Finally, the band have unleashed incredible new album Jitterbug after a rollercoaster of events in the proceeding years and we got Josh Miller  from the band to give us the inside details on the album track-by-track.  --------------------------------------- 1) Self Improver Despite being dia
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Podcast: The Partisan Contingent Episode 4

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  We're back baby! Yeah, Episode 4 of  The Partisan Contingent  has taken a lot longer than I possibly could have imagined, but we got there in the end. You have applaud the persistance if absolutely nothing else.  Let me answer a question that most bands HATE being asked - Why the name  The Partisan Contingent?  Well, I just like a good syllable combination; the meter is important y'all. Also, as passionate - often fervent - fans of music, we should unite and take over the means of the production studio before there's some sort of McCarthy-esque Muso purge.  Also, I just like talking out of my behind. Episode 4 is called  'Squid Row'   for reasons that I'm sure you'll be able to work out. Come on you at the back, keep up! So what can you expect from the  The Partisan Contingent ? I've decided to make a part new music radio show, part interview, part re-occurring playlist  Frankenstein's Monster  of a Podcast which hopefully will resonate with as man
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New Single: Two-Man Giant Squid - I Was A DJ in 2015

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                                        📷 Samantha Ruby Blieden   To the human psyche, being deprived of nostalgia is much like how the deserts miss the rain.  I'm not going to explain that sentence, just like a comedian should never explain a joke. Also, because it's absolute tosh that I nearly deleted as soon as I typed it. It is however steeped in nostalgia itself, with the last five words being lyrics from seminal 90s' single ' Missing' by Everything But The Girl.  I ADORE that song.  The influence of New York House DJ Todd Terry on it's crossover success - His remix of  'Missing' went to number 3 in the U.K singles chart and number 2 in the U.S -   was no doubt, a big factor in elevating the song to new levels.  This was the era when club culture was at it's most prominent and DJs were arguably amongst the most powerful players in the industry. Every few years since, the DJs seem to collectively retreat from the mainstream; the influence wanin
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Single Review: Campfire Social - Swim Swam Swum

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  I'm not the biggest of drinkers; never have been never will be. Some of you who know me personally may well question that synopsis based on past behaviour, but it's actually true. I'm a frequent drinker without a doubt, but not a heavy one.  I'd like to think that it was something to do with an enlightenment of the soul, an increasing wisdom in my advancing years. In reality, it's probably more to do with how hangovers intensify the existential crisis of middle age.  THE PAIN MAN.  I also have enough bad habits for one lifetime thank you very much.  There's a drink that at this age that seems like the perfect antidote. I'm not going to name it, because I listen to Post Punk and that makes me an Anti Capitalist bruvvv. It has enough press anyway. You'll know the one - 'The Black Stuff', one pint feels like you've had a three course meal and it's THE quintessential Irish drink. Most people who drink it this side of the Irish Sea have one
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New Single: Worldcub - Back To The Beginning

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  Beginning their musical journey under the name CaStLeS before changing their name , North Walian's Worldcub are back   with a brand new album in May. The lead single from the album is the mesmerising title track 'Back To The Beginning'. We took a listen to this enticing new single in advance of it's release on March 15th. --------------------------------------- There's no doubt about it in my mind, North Wales is a magical place. It's history is sometimes so overwhelming that it overshadows any possible semblance of thinking about the future. That's not a insult or criticism of the place, in fact it's far away from such a pointless and reductive angle. I grew up in what I would call 'Anglicised' North Wales; an area near the border that lost much of it's identity from English migration. Let's not get into holiday home culture shall we? My home town of Buckley is a historic brick-making town, that was overwhelmed by clay pits for mining
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