Bristol can often be defined by its somewhat contradictory characteristics – vocalised and progressive politically, yet culturally dispassionate; extremely welcoming of outsiders and their ideas, yet no desire to attach itself to the herd; a blissfully ignorant oasis for the weed smokers, the conspiracy theorists and the part – time painters, yet come early evening, it descends into a vibrant and chaotic merry-go-round of debauchery; it’s politicians eager to propel the cities name into the limelight both nationally and internationally, whilst its inhabitants battle to preserve its uniqueness and creativity – something which has stirred tensions caused largely by gentrification for some time in the city. 

Rachel Knight, better known as Banshee, has an aesthetic and disposition that is completely at odds with her genre. But that’s not a bad thing. The Los Angeles musician is fully aware of the lack of correlation between her ethereal image and demonic sound. In fact, she leans into it entirely.

There is a fine line between an impersonation and tribute of a musician.  The first glimpse of artist impersonations dates back to the 1950s. The rise of performers such as the Beach Boys, Elvis and the Beatles found music lovers keen to show their appreciation. Many friendship groups would come together to entertain those around them and found it a popular hobby. Therefore, people began to see the potential for tribute artists to become a full-time career. With music being constantly rediscovered by generations, this paves the way for tribute acts to become a fundamental part of any musicians legacy.

Catfish lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Long was diagnosed with bowel cancer just over a year ago, and recent scans revealed that the cancer had spread to his liver and stomach lining. A series of concerts with all proceeds going to Matt’s treatment have just been announced.

One, two, three.. six, seven, it would be easy to lose count of the pianos and synthesisers placed on the stage. Fast-forward from the recording studio to the stage in Glasgow’s iconic Barrowland Ballroom, Bleachers are performing an energetic and dynamic show. Opening with 'Modern Girl,' the crowd is immediately swept up in the excitement. Hits like 'Jesus Is Dead,' 'Wake Me,' and followed by 'Rollercoaster', captivate the audience throughout the night, an experience that was truly amazing.

On the eve of the upcoming Easter holiday, most people, religious or not, may be in a reflective, or apprehensive mood. Everyone is in a different state of mind, some relaxed, anxious, and everything in between. Scottish-born singer-songwriter Murdo Mitchell, safe to say, is experienced to be playing to all kinds of people stopping or passing by. A young man who has paid his dues busking up and down the country for over a decade, and who is about to become indie music’s next big star.

How do you encapsulate the feeling of a collection of songs within one image? How do you summarise a body of work that you have poured your blood, sweat and tears into? These are questions artists must answer when conceptualising a cover for a new album. 

There are a few album covers that are incontestably iconic, covers that always arise in conversations about the best album art of all time. Nirvana’s “Nevermind.” Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.” much every one of The Beatles’ studio album covers, but “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in particular. 

Exploring music, art and text, ‘The Panharmonion Chronicles’ is a trilogy of fantastical graphic novels written by Henry Chebaane and illustrated by Stephen Baskerville. Readers are introduced to this pioneering new series through its colourful 2023 debut graphic novel ‘Times of London’ which introduces female protagonist Alex and her companions in their travels through the cities of Ontario, London and Edinburgh. 

For some of Gen-Z, the only time jazz is likely to have popped up in their lexicon is in reference to something along the lines of “lo-fi jazz beats to study/relax to” (lo-fi is a subgenre of bedroom pop that incorporates samples and low-key production), or perhaps when learning about the roaring 20s, or even when discussing older music with older generations. But Laufey has done the unexpected, and brought jazz to the attention of gen-z. She has stated that she hopes to do for jazz what Taylor Swift did for country, and with 1.9 million followers on Instagram, 3.2 million followers on TikTok, and over 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify, it seems that she has done exactly that.

Like many genres of music, metal (and all of its niche sub-genres) enables listeners to express themselves freely. There are few other genres of music that encourage such inhibition and aggression, that provides the opportunity to flail, shriek and cause permanent damage to your neck. Unfortunately, this freedom that metal nurtures is often abused by the artists, and turned into a justification for bigoted behaviour. 

Dwayne Micheal Carter better known by his stage name Lil Wayne was born in in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lil Wayne was scouted by rapper and record producer Birdman at a young age. In the late 90s, he signed a record deal with Cash Money as part of the music group 'Hot Boys'. Although the group achieved commercial success with their releases, they eventually went their separate ways. Lil Wayne continued to represent Cash Money as a solo artist. Lil Wayne eventually founded Young Money as an imprint of Cash Money and signed Nicki Minaj, Drake, and others.

In the enchanting realm of contemporary Welsh music, bringing her bilingualism and Welsh heritage to her musical prowess, emerging artist Talulah captivates listeners as a true enchantress, weaving gossamer threads of sound and transcending linguistic boundaries

The Manchester band Witch Fever formed in 2017, and ever since, they have been tearing apart the image of the heavy rock band that has been established since the inception of the genre. Drummer and guitarist Alisha and Annabelle made the time to chat with The Music Mag before the final show of their UK tour.

Postmodern philosophy greatly impacted countercultural music of the 1960’s, 70’s and early 80’s. This is because postmodern and countercultural thinkers shared the view that the preceding modernism was a heavily flawed construct. They saw modernism as a philosophy which promoted grand narratives, conformity, and 20th-century war-driven ideologies such as fascism and the Cold War.

Outspoken and defiant queer singer-songwriter from Boston, MØNA's released their newest single ‘Fairy Tale’ on the 19th August. ‘Fairy Tale’ is a brand new otherworldly and upbeat song that challenges traditional storybook stereotypes.

 The perspective of needing to be a damsel in distress and awaiting a rescue is abolished by MØNA.  Holding female empowerment at the core of their lyricism and storytelling, ‘Fairy Tale’ was released on August 18th.

This is a question that has been asked in regards to music since the invention of instruments. When people first heard Black Sabbath, they were terrified. When nu-metal came along and Johnathan Davis from Korn started frothing at the mouth down the microphone, they were even more terrified. I bet some people heard Mozart for the first time in the 18th century and thought “Good heavens, what is this tosh assaulting mine ears?”

During the 70s, the language (musical genre and culture) of Glam Rock was a liberating force that challenged prevailing attitudes towards gender and sexuality. This included their theatricality (challenging gender norms,) experimental musical composition (challenging binding notions of sexuality,) and androgyny (subverting gender and sexuality).

The music industry is a wonderful community of like-minded creatives. Unfortunately it can be a disheartening career path as it often seems as though turning passion into profit is nearly impossible. However, it is not really as daunting as it seems, with social media and the internet raising visibility for new artists there are many ways for new artists to get out there. With some will and helpful tips it is possible to start out and succeed in the booming music industry as a new face.