Live Review: Micah P Hinson @ Stereo, Glasgow, November 2nd 2008

Tonight Micah Paul Hinson plays Glasgow’s Stereo, a somewhat cavernous venue located beneath a vegan restaurant and bar. It resembles an abandoned industrial warehouse, and having seen Micah play acoustic in far more intimate surroundings, one can’t help but wonder how – despite the aid of a backing band – his organic, often subtle strains will sound in such a hollow venue.

Live Review: Johnny Flynn @ The Scala, October 30th 2008

The previous two times I’d seen Johnny Flynn were in Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff – a tiny backstreet venue with the performers literally at the end of your finger tips. Seeing Johnny progress to playing the significantly bigger Scala in London, I felt a bit like a nervous mother or jealous girlfriend – the crowd had claimed him as their own, I wanted to shout ‘No, I was here first!’

Single Review: Noah and the Whale – Shape of My Heart

Following up the whistle-along anthem of the summer was never going to be an easy task for Noah and the Whale. There was something irresistibly zeitgeisty at the beginning of the summer in Five Years’ Time’s promise of fun fun fun and sun sun sun and the song captured the country’s imagination. As a result, anything less FM-worthy than its predecessor was bound to be a disappointment to many.