Valiantly providing the general public with girly falsettos and guitar kickassery for almost a decade now, Muse’s augmentation from makeup-caked ‘Gothic Plague’ to one of Britain’s most flamboyant and original acts has been an interesting one. Having been picked up by Madonna’s Maverick label early on in their career, Muse’s first album, Showbiz, was beleaguered with comparison’s to The Bends-era Radiohead (producer John Leckie was present on both albums). But where Radiohead’s biography reads; ‘Raised in Oxford, met at Uni, [...]

There’s a Jean Michel Jarre light display high-beaming through an eerie mist, a piano whistles ominously to itself, shadowy figures – hair draped across their faces, enter the stage, shortly thereafter there’s a drum clap and light explosion so loud it reverberates through your nostrils. Welcome to Secret Machines country. Texan trio the Secret Machines have established an effectively small, yet devout group of followers since the release of their extraordinary debut album; Now Here Is Nowhere in 2004, patrons [...]

“ABOUT FUCKING TIME, RYAN!” is one man’s welcome to our host this evening. As the heckler’s seat is in the heavens, he sounds more like God. Ryan, ignoring the call, waves nervously, sits idly at his piano, flicks through a red songbook, and blows his nose onto his sleeve… If we can pause for a moment and skip back to 2005; we can again go ‘oooh’ at the fact that Mr Adams released three great albums that year; Cold Roses [...]

From when Peter Jackson’s name was synonymous with gore and splatter, rather than say, Orcs and Oscars; his films have always included a sprinkling of the geek an inherent wonder of what can be achieved with special effects (Bad Taste, Braindead, The Frighteners) and, in contrast, a maturity and natural ability to mould human drama (Heavenly Creatures). This contrast puts Mr Jackson a Middle-Earth beyond his peers, and is why this reviewer considers The Lord of the Rings to be [...]