Words by Nick Mabey (Friday) & Lewis MacLean (Saturday & Sunday). Additional reporting by Paula Wilson. Main image by Chloe Hashemi. Friday by Nick Mabey. Friday at the festival and Newport was rocking. The sun shone, the crowds swarmed, everything was as it should be. For me it...
Music
The Chills come to Portsmouth on UK tour
Back in the UK and Ireland for the first time in more than six years, NZ indie-rockers The Chills are set to play a series of live dates this June. Joined by Fire Records label-mates Rats on Rafts, The Chills are heading to Glasgow, Newcastle, Norwich, Birmingham, Portsmouth and Dublin. The Dunedin, NZ songsmiths helmed by the...
Review: Leftfield, Bournemouth O2 Academy, May 27th 2023
Leftfield in Bournemouth: Hauntology, not nostalgia Words by Tom Williams. Image by Steve Gullick. Leftfield are one of a handful of acts who I got into largely because their ‘Leftism’ album- with its distinctive shark’s jaws cover- appeared in the CD collections of slightly older, much cooler friends when...
Southampton music: Dlugokecki
by Peter Nicholson. Dlugokecki (pronounced Der-loo-go-ken-ski) have supported million-selling artists such as David Gray, Snow Patrol, Corinne-Bailey Rae, The Proclaimers, Passenger and Lu Lu on their world tours, playing to thousands of people. They’ve also had their songs used on numerous TV shows, played festivals across the word including the...
The Stranglers come to Portsmouth Guildhall in 2024 for 50th anniversary tour
In 2024, The Stranglers, one of the most iconic and influential bands in British music history, are celebrating their 50th year anniversary with a following UK and Irish tour. The tour will bring them to Portsmouth Guildhall on March 24th. Since playing their last full-scale UK tour in 2022,...
Hampshire singer-songwriter Charlie Smith comes to The Hobbit, Southampton
Singer-songwriter Charlie Smith from Hampshire is playing a gig on home turf this month, at The Hobbit, Southampton. He describes his music as “chillingly sweet, raw, and emotive,” adding “In keeping my honest approach to music my recordings have no unnecessary effects, focusing on chords and melody above all...
Alabama 3 come to Southampton’s The 1865 this November
South London roots-futurists Alabama 3 have announced a show in Southampton this autumn, and are heading to The 1865 on 30 November in support of their upcoming release ‘Cold War Classics Vol.2’. Born at an all-night squat party during the ‘90s, the group formed when charismatic frontman and co-founder...
Hampshire’s Victorious Festival ranks third in a list of Top 10 UK Festivals
Victorious Festival has been ranked the third best festival in the UK after data analysis conducted across the country’s festival landscape, with results showing Victorious as one of the best value-for-money festivals in the UK Multi-award-winning Victorious Festival (which this year will be held on 25/26/27 August) has been...
The Lottery Winners/Pet Needs/Jerry Williams – The Engine Rooms, Southampton, 28 April 2023
words and photos by Peter Nicholson. It’s always refreshing when artists take some chances on support acts, perhaps not going for exactly the same genre as themselves. That was certainly the case with The Lottery Winners’ gig at The Engine Rooms, Southampton (April 28). Jerry Williams was the first...
Skindred to come to Southampton’s O2 Guildhall this autumn
Skindred have announced a headline show in Southampton for Autumn 2023, as part of a larger UK and Ireland tour supporting their upcoming album ‘Smile’, coming to city’s O2 Guildhall on 11 November. Widely recognised as one of the UK’s most exciting live bands, Skindred also recently been...