Author: Admin
Dub Maps: A Film by Howard WalmsleyInternational Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester14th May 2026Dedicated to Malcolm Whitehead, the former head of Ikon/FCL, the film making arm of Factory Records who passed away in 2019, Dub Maps features Cathy Brooks and Mark Hoyle from Dub Sex telling stories and searching for the ghosts beneath the new Hulme.On paper, Dub Maps possibly shouldn’t work. Although a simple-ish premise, there is so much condensed into its 30-minute duration it could be overpowering. The fact it does work and doesn’t overcome can be credited to the expertise of the acclaimed film-maker Howard Walmsley, an early…
As the founding member of Anthrax, Scott Ian has been cranking out riffs for several decades and has barely had a chance to catch his breath ever since.An architect of the thrash genre, his band Anthrax – alongside Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth – are regarded as part of ‘The Big Four’ and is widely regarded as one of the greatest rhythm guitarists in metal.He’s also been part of tongue-in-cheek crossover metallers Stormtroopers Of Death, supergroup The Damned Things with members of Every Time I Die and Fall Out Boy, and most recently, Motor Sister with his wife Pearl Aday, with…
Film: Echo Director: Andy Salamonczyk Writer: Andy Salamonczyk Starring: Maneek Chatha, Anita Ramdharry On a cold Sunday morning, a teenager and her mum share a rare walk to the shop. In a new interview on Blazing Minds ahead of the Southend Film Festival, I got a chance to ask Writer-Director Andy Salamonczyk a few questions about his film ‘Echo‘ You can watch Echo at the Southend Film Festival on Sunday 7th June at 12:30hrs as part of the MOSTLY MADE IN SOUTHENDPART ONE. Q. Your film Echo has been selected to play at the Southend Film Festival. Can you tell…
Here’s our weekly overview of Hip-Hop and R&B album sales in the U.S., along with an update on where each album ranks on the Billboard 200 chart — this time for week 20 of 2026. This week’s recap includes the first-week sales of Chris Brown’s new album BROWN, which debuts at No. 5. Source: HITS Daily Double Chart # Artist(s) Album title Sales Sales + Streams 5 Chris Brown BROWN 5,501 67,012 *DEBUT* 11 Don Toliver OCTANE 667 36,066 16 Justin Bieber SWAG 746 31,897 17 SZA SOS 1,05 31,435 18 Bruno Mars The Romantic 5,275 30,239 21 Post Malone…
In this new entry in our ‘Diamonds In The Rough’ category, we would like to introduce you to upcoming artist VDotSecret and her brand new album titled Victorious Healing. Independent artist and healing visionary VDotSecret has officially released her debut album, Victorious Healing, out now on all streaming platforms. More than just a music project, Victorious Healing is an immersive healing music experience, crafted to uplift the spirit, rebuild confidence, and guide listeners through emotional renewal and personal transformation. Blending healing affirmation music, inspirational R&B, Neo-Soul, classical, jazz, and rich soulful textures, VDotSecret creates an intentional sonic world rooted in…
Baltimore’s “weirdo thrash” stalwarts Nuclear Tomb have premiered their new single, “Unbowed and Averse,” via Invisible Oranges. The track is the second glimpse into their forthcoming full-length album, Epoch Inhumane, which is scheduled to arrive on 12th June via Rotted Life Records.Returning with a sound that is as twisted as it is vicious, the quartet continues to fuse tight thrash riffing with noisy punk aggression and progressive rock ambition. This unique approach has earned them comparisons to trailblazing metal mavericks such as Voivod, Pestilence, and Coroner. The new material on Epoch Inhumane was refined over two years of touring, with…
Adding, “It’s the first time everything’s aligned, the sound, the visuals, the right people around it. I’ve been building quietly for a while. This one’s got some weight behind it. Got a lot in the pipeline that being superstitious I can’t really speak on yet aha.”At the beginning of an already promising career, 1ayjay is now emerging as one of the most exciting wave rap talents in the UK, with a melodic approach and an ability to paint introspective portraits. Co-signed by fellow rising stars including Slew, LKay80M and Spritez, 1ayjay shows immense work rate daily, almost living in the…
Jonathan Barnbrook is an award winning graphic designer, type designer, and typographer. He was David Bowie’s go to collaborator for 15 years, from 2002’s Heathen for which he designed the type face and packaging, The Next Day, where he controversially, in an act of detournement, defaced 1977’s Heroes to create the album sleeve, to 2016’s ★ Blackstar, for which he won a Grammy Award. He has worked with other artists along the way, including John Foxx, Enter Shikari, and Tuxedomoon, and runs his own design company.Jonathan, was the Artistic Director of the ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibition at the Victoria &…
Enter Shikari have had to cancel their entire US and Canadian tour over “ongoing visa issues”. The band were supposed to play a run of shows across North America next month, which included shows on Warped Tour, followed by a second leg in October. “We wish we were here with better news,” the band write in a statement posted to their Instagram. “Unfortunately, despite best efforts at our end, due to ongoing visa issues that look extremely unlikely to be sorted before some massive financial decisions need to be made, we’re in the position where we have to cancel both…
Brooklyn born rapper and producerChuckStrangershas announced new album,Glory of the King’s Hand, out 10th July on Lex Records. Lead single,Everydayfeaturing Obii Say, is out worldwide now.Glory of the King’s Handfinds Strangers continuing to build on the classic golden age New York hip hop blueprint, updating it for the modern era. The album featuresbillywoods,ZerohandObiiSay, with production from TheAlchemist, KennySegal, Preservation, HumanErrorClub, ChildActor, Animoss, and others. Of the project, Strangers says;“I made choruses, there’s melodies, there’s instrumentation… I really tried to just make better songs that people might want to hear again, that are more than just a good verse.”Now based in…
Seventeen year old South Manchester rapper Suggz makes his Fire in the Booth debut, marking another huge moment in what’s already shaping up to be a breakout year.Coming out of Wythenshawe, the rising MC has quickly built serious momentum, pulling in more than 5 million views and over 1 million streams while earning support from names including DJ Semtex, Chip, Scorcher and Aitch.With a strong musical lineage behind him, Suggz is carving out his own lane through sharp delivery, raw storytelling and a sound rooted firmly in Manchester culture. His appearance on one of the UK’s most respected freestyle platforms…
Well that’s it from us for this week, and bear with me dear reader with the track we’re leaving you with for the weekend which despite starting off sounding like we’ve veered into covering 90s-era Britpop, it develops, as you will see (or hear), along the Teenage Fanclub jangle side of our genre. They’re a Liverpool-based band with a sound rooted in the city, or in their own words, with lyrics that “explore isolation, addiction, hope and redemption, turning everyday struggle into widescreen anthems.” ‘Lemon & Lime’, is their first single this year, a sun-drenched song about the reckless joy…