Must see acts at 2000 Trees 2017

Wolf & Bear surpass the high standards of progressive post-hardcore

If you piece together some of my previous POV choices you’ll discover my love affair for bands associated with Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Will Swan and his label Blue Swan Records. His influence prompted the internet to create the sub-genre ‘swancore’ and Wolf & Bear are another exemplary example

Live: Rory Indiana / Donnie Willow @ Subside, Birmingham

As touring partnerships, go Donnie Willow and Rory Indiana make an excellent combination. Both have an aura about them as though they’re on the brink of something special thanks to their ability to write catchy, accessible songs with a distinctive personality and edge. As part of their co-headlining tour,

Dialects take you on an emotional, post-rock rollercoaster

Glasgow’s Dialects are a post-rock force of nature capable of ambient, cinematic post-rock but with the ability to let loose with a cacophony of noise, spearheaded by thunderous guitars and perforating drums. Double A-side ‘Illusory/When You Die, You’re Truly Alone’ unleashes both sides of the band’s equally impressive sound. ‘Illusory’

Eidola have spoken and it’s time you were listening

Eidola’s ‘Degeneraterra’ was one of my most cherished records 2015 thanks to its proggy take on post hardcore, impressive technical skills and immersive lyrical concept. When you invest so much into a band it can be nerve-racking waiting for new music; it’s exciting to know there’s more around the

Donnie Willow – ‘Exhibition’

Donnie Willow announced themselves with their debut EP ‘Inhale. Exhale.’ in 2016, seven tracks that dressed alt-rock in interesting time signatures, tempo changes and excitement to produce an intriguing and at times chaotic record, but always with scintillating melody at its core. Follow-up EP ‘Exhibition’ manages to make the same impact in

LIVE: The Great Escape 2017 @ Brighton

The Great Escape is one of Europe’s largest festivals, showcasing over 450 bands across 30-plus venues in three days. Despite its titanic scale, it somehow retains an intimate, close-knit atmosphere that focuses on promoting up-and-coming and international artists, making the festival a perfect opportunity to discover your next favourite band. In

Eidola – ‘To Speak, To Listen’

Eidola are the type of band likely to appear on a list entitled “Top Bands You’ve Never Heard Of”. Their previous album ‘Degeneraterra’ was an extremely ambitious concept piece, built up of intricately interwoven lyrics and symbolism set around progressive post-hardcore that blended elements of prog-rock to produce an

SikTh – ‘The Future in Whose Eyes?’

It’s been eleven years since SikTh’s last studio album ‘Death of a Dead Day’ and though 2015 reunion EP ‘Opacities’ just about kept our impatience in check, it’s a relief to finally have another full length record to hand from the progressive metal pioneers. ‘The Future in Whose Eyes?’ may not

Create To Inspire – ‘Sickness’

Create To Inspire have been rapidly building momentum over the past couple of years, helped by a relentless touring schedule that’s seen them play across Europe as well as a recent headline run across the UK. With the backing of Basick Records, the Essex-based quintet follow their previous two EPs