Three Chords and the Truth UK

  Across 12 tracks, South Carolina-based duo Admiral Radio get to the crux of making a record strong on message and sweet on sound. The voices of Coty Hoover and Becca Smith are deployed with great effect, whether in harmony, duet or exposing the tone of the male and female vocal. All but one of the songs making the HEIRLOOM cut carry the acute ambition of the couple writing in tandem, blossoming in a soundscape illustrated by fiddle with a side accompaniment of steel, mandolin, harmonica and oodles of twang. From a breezy pop tinged opening to a confessional departure, every crevice of Admiral Radio’s work embodies the spirit of multi-shaded country, folk and Americana music.   Optimism and realism co-exist along with a yearning to make sense of things. ‘ Jackpot’ perceptively launches the record implying the notion of taking your chances and aiming high. It also possesses a great hook inviting you to dig deeper. Now you are on Admiral Radio’s radar, the harmonies spin a dose...

Moseley Folk Festival celebrated its 20th staging in fine style with a near-capacity crowd descending on Moseley Park for a re-defining weekend of music, both observing convention and ripping up the rulebook. From the bigger names that eased the ticket selling process to those lower down the bill driving the creative renewal, there was something on offer to all music fans alongside some just basking in the last throes of the summer rays in a friendly inclusive arts atmosphere. After a few years of experimenting with three music stages, the festival has now settled back to two offering a seamless experience. Folk on the Slope is the designated spoken word space presenting talks, poetry and comedy, hence the festival rebranding itself Moseley Folk and Arts. Damien Dempsey      The three headliners had significant fan presence inside the park. All gave performances in line with expectation and created a passionate atmosphere in front of the stage especially hot Irish band...

Seven stagings in and the The Long Road has long created its own identity. Festival goers flock to Stanford Hall in all shapes and attires getting out of it what they want. It’s a loose family tied by a thread embedded in an alternative culture where roots are deep and stems branch out in many directions. People find their niche and extract a sense of fulfilment across a long August Bank Holiday weekend. Whatever the life span of the event, 2026 made its mark in more ways than one. Amidst the storms, mud, rain, evacuations and stage closures, the show went on. The recent passing of an icon was always going to cast a shadow over the event in a positive way. Country, Americana and roots music in all its guises won the day, whether portrayed by the legends or played by the new generation. It was part-DollyFest; part-MudFest and when the ground dries out, all parties can fondly reflect upon a successful outing. Festivals are both a haven of shared experience and an individual pursuit. You ...

  Michael McDermott has never sounded more determined to leave a literary imprint on the frenzied world of rock and roll. Through ire, empathy and forensic storytelling, he shines a light on dark corners and packs a powerful punch where it needs to be landed. Words scatter across the page   machine gun style then beautifully reassemble into sincere lyrical poetic prose. Characters emerge, are dissected, championed, sometimes brutally exposed, but rarely left with no purpose. He writes lyrics that transcend the vehicle of the song. They stand alone, as alluring for the eye as the ear.  Within the framework of eleven combustable tracks, a vignette of B movies simmer and explode. Life through the lens of Michael McDermott radiates the minutia and sparks the most basic human existences into roaring arches of flammable fiction. A stark bout of reality juxtaposes the ear for a sweet melody and a popular coating depicting what courted widespread appeal in the past.  FLOWERS...

  Through eleven carefully curated songs, Lance Cowan continues to emerge from the shadows as a songwriter of substance. THE AIR THAT YOU BREATHE is a gifted collection threaded by a desire to make sense of some of life’s basics. Creating a reassured and relatable aura is the basis for these songs to transcend a writer’s mind into the wandering instincts of an active listener. A time honoured tradition shaped by Prine, Van Zandt, Clarke et al is polished by the pen of Cowan and transmitted via an affable tone and a band pumping oxygen into the finished producr. This record ascends over time rewarding those with the urge to acutely engage.   This is the third Cowan album since 2024 and one destined to find fresh ears. It is also the third professional writing guise following a lengthy career seeking the truth as a journalist, spinning the truth as a publicist and now purveying the truth as a creative tour de force. Paradoxically or consequentially, the path has entered a lush m...

  On their new album A NEW ALCHEMY, the chemistry of East Nashville-based duo Brand New Heartache shines through. The husband and wife team of Eleese and Matthew Meschery guide the listener through a relationship timeline never veering away from al facets of a shared journey. A dozen tracks blend infectious pop with the folky charm of collaborative country shaping Americana through the lens of the classic duet. A vocal spread of lead off interchange, contrasting tones and harnessed harmonies flavour a pot underpinned by love and an charged intent to weave emotion into a alluring soundscape.   If a strong opening gambit is a must to seize the initiative, the buoyant beat of ‘ New Alchemy ’ delivers as a bout of intelligent pop laced with lavish hooks and connective melodies. A surefire playlist candidate. Not to settle on their laurels, the Meschery’s cast a vocal spell with follow-on track ‘ Montreal’ , packed with a yearning appeal aligning nostalgia with a folk leaning. A co...