The Vaselines- Sex with an X (Sub Pop Records)
September 14th, 2010
5.2/6.0

Reunited after twenty years of proving their musical worth as solo musicians, Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee have given the world a fun-filled reminder of what bought them to the attention of the music buying public.

Everything Everything – Man Alive (Geffen Records)
August 30th, 2010
5.8/6.0

Sure, Everything Everything sound as if they might be a bit crackers, but it’s all meaningful, brilliant eccentricity. Gibberish, danceable hooks and lyrics that blow other bands out of the water- what’s more to like?

Best Coast – Crazy For You (Wichita Records)
August 2nd, 2010
4.0/6.0

Bethany Cosentino writes surf pop songs about boys, love, her cat and getting high.

Shearwater
Trof Grosvenor Street, Manchester
Saturday, July 31st 2010

It is clear the band mean business in their own unassuming way characteristically letting the music do the talking…as on record, nothing is ever left to chance and each element is there for a reason.

The Temper Trap
Somerset House, London
Monday, July 12th 2010

Familiar with Melbourne rock export The Temper Trap? Why, of course you are – their monster hit Sweet Disposition has been flogged on every advertisement going.

Air
Somerset House, London
Friday, July 9th 2010

The French references are in aid of Versailles’ premiere chill-out duo, Air, who seem slightly unsettled as they begin, or as least not quite at home in these surroundings. Perhaps the open-air acoustics don’t lend themselves well to an electronic group, as some of the ambient sound which made Air so popular with the post-Ibiza generation in the early noughties is lost at this venue.

N-Dubz with Skepta and Whatnexters
Somerset House, London
Sunday, July 11th 2010

After a set change – including the careful placing of a sofa on a plinth at the back of the stage – N-Dubz begin their set with their biggest hit to date, I Need You. They continue to knock out hit after hit to masses of screams as the crowd near explodes with excitement.

Noah and the Whale
Somerset House, London
Saturday, July 10th 2010

Whereas Noah and the Whale’s shift to a more electronic sound felt like a shock at Glastonbury last year, now it makes sense.

Mystery Jets
Somerset House, London
Thursday, July 8th 2010

For devoted fans, it’s undoubtedly an amazing experience…however, to casual observers, it’s a bit of an erratic performance.

Ólafur Arnalds with the RNCM Concert Orchestra
The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Thursday, July 1st 2010

Did you know that The Rite Of Spring by Igor Stravinsky provoked riots at its world premiere in 1913? Claude Debussy, he of many a calm piano movement, apparently pleaded for calm as the audience registered its discontent. Ólafur Arnalds’ very own world premiere, airing after a rendition of Stravinsky’s twisted ballet, instead provokes reverent silence – and perhaps a few tears.