The Pretty Reckless dropped by London recently for a sold out show at the Brixton Academy and a rather more intimate affair at Gibson Studios the following day.

Unfortunately we weren’t able to make the former, but we did manage to catch the 'TPR Acoustic' set from Taylor Momsen and Ben Phillips on 27 November, and it was an awesome appearance from the talented duo.

What really stood out is the fact that Taylor Momsen has a pretty unbelievable voice. A really distinct set of rock-ready vocals that compliment that whole cooler-than-most-and-ridiculously-hot-music-queen type thing she's got going on.

You know how awesome she sounds on all the band’s records? Well basically she sounds exactly the same live. It’s nice to see that autotune hasn’t quite taken over the world just yet.

That’s what The Pretty Reckless are all about though. Keeping the musical pure and revitalising the rock life. Their inspirations are largely taken from classic rock and the fact that Momsen was sporting numerous plasters on her fingers shows she’s clearly been hitting the guitar hard throughout the tour – which it's worth noting has been on the go since September 2013.

The setting itself was certainly in keeping with that organic feel. Vintage Gibson guitars lined the walls upstairs and after heading down to the venue we were greeted with the best of all sights – a free bar. If that isn’t rock and roll, I don’t know what is.

A mix of about 40 odd people were spaced out through the cosy venue, some with the band, others press and some lucky fans chosen through social media.

You could tell who the latter were pretty easily because they were starting at Miss Momsen like she was about to disappear.

The artists acoustic set consisted of just three songs; ‘Going To Hell’, ‘Heaven Knows’ and old favourite ‘Just Tonight’ to finish it off.

“We’ve not played this one in a while,” said Taylor before launching into the concluding track. The audience were as appreciative as you’d expect though, and the song has certainly not aged badly since its release in 2010.

It’s unlikely that the selected fans were too disappointed at the length of the set either. They did get a free meet and greet with the duo and a near-enough personal gig from their favourite rock stars.

A sick night with brilliant music. Short and sweet but perfectly highlighting the famous principles of The Pretty Reckless. Play pure, please the fans and keep it about the music.

                                                                                                                  Stuart Kenny

The debut record from Knife Party reinstates how we’ve felt about EDM for a while now – it’s not dead, it’s just that not many people are trying anything new anymore. Luckily Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen are here to change all that. 

Much of the scene has been stuck on the shit but successful progressive-house templates of David Guetta and Calvin Harris lately. There’s been a bit of a rejuvenation of the underground house scene and a couple of artists trying to save drum and bass, but when it comes to full on, hard-hitting electronic chaos, we’ve been left at a bit of a loss.

Abandon Ship is a breath of fresh air in that sense, which is funny, because it’s packed so heavily with unrelenting madness that it’s unlikely fresh air will get anywhere near it when its blasted on the loud speakers.

There are a couple of songs tailored slightly more for the mainstream – single releases ‘Boss Mode’ and ‘Resistance’ unsurprisingly fit into this category – but even these are laden with the original beats and synth work that set Pendulum so far apart from anyone else in their field back in their prime.

The KP creativity shines through best on ‘EDM Trend Machine’ though, an ingenious tune that toys with various styles from the electronic world – taking classic rhythms from deep house, house, trance and more – to form something completely original and funky as hell.

To take so many sub-genres, integrate them all into one track and still come out with something so addictive is no mean feat. And it's a very apt symbol for how the rest of the album is run as well.

‘404’ plays on computer errors - of which there have been plenty in the charts of late - and soft melodies around a central, pulsating beat that’ll cause mayhem on the live stage.‘Begin Again’ is one for the old Pendulum fans meanwhile, providing a more traditional, vocal build-up piece reminiscent of 90s electronic rhythms.

It’s always an experience seeing Netsky Live. The Belgian producer is renowned for his performances on the big stage – and he didn’t let up when he arrived in London to play Koko on November 6.

Indeed, whenever I overhear someone claiming that electronic dance music or drum and bass in particular is a completely computerized, ‘talentless’ entity – a ridiculous claim of course – I respond by directing said ignorant subject towards Netsky; towards his online back catalogue and towards his live videos.

The musical innovator is the current king of an otherwise largely stale drum and bass scene as far as we’re concerned, and not only that; he’s one of the best artists in the world when it comes to live performance.

With the man himself on the keyboard, insane drumming from Michael Schack, vocalists nailing it and brilliant instrumental string work flying around, Netsky Live doesn’t just show that drum and bass is one of the purist forms of EDM, it shows that it’s a hell of a lot more original than the bulk of the stuff that you’ll hear on the radio.

The latest single from the artist, Running Low, is a manic electro rollercoaster of a beat, and it translated brilliantly onto the big speakers.

It was the older stuff that got the biggest reaction though. Come Alive, an anthemic cornerstone of any Netsky setlist, went down a treat, starting with a slow bouncy opening before the slamming drop kicks in.

The artist’s near notorious remix of Rusko’s Everyday though was the main highlight for many. Everyone knows the build up, everyone knows the hook, and everyone knows that they have to go mental when that signature drop kicks in.

Koko was a perfect venue for the gig as well. The sold out crowd got behind the Belgian genius from the start, and it certainly wasn’t an event for anyone who was planning to stand on the sidelines and watch.

This just added to the predictable vibe of a Netsky Live performance – absolute unadulterated chaos. The tunes were big, the drops were bigger and the showcase was without a doubt a brilliant success.

A must see live act for anyone even remotely interested in drum and bass or looking for a stunning live spectacle.

                                                                                                                                         Stuart Kenny

The latest album from Calvin Harris is bound to sell well. Of course it is. The guy churns out number one hits quicker than Renee Zellwegger changes faces.  

When you put Motion under the microscope though, it’s a slightly disappointing effort from the Scottish superstar – especially considering the fact that he’s now charging one million pounds per appearance on the decks.

Now, it is a bit unfair to say that Calvin Harris is sticking to the generic template that currently overwhelms EDM in his latest work. He did have a large part in establishing that initial model after all.

Perhaps it’s better to say, then, that he doesn’t seem to have progressed since he released 18 Months – his smash hit of a previous album – and became one of, if not thee, most popular DJ in the world.

And that’s where the problem with Motion seems to lie. Considering the fact that Calvin could release four minutes of ambient noise and still hit the top of the charts, it’s slightly disappointing not to see him experiment with distinctive sounds.

Many of the songs on the record use Calvin’s influence to attract big name vocalists, put a standard electronic rhythm behind them, and then offer very little more.

John Newman feature ‘Blame’, the latest single from the album, is generic and monotonous. The vocals seem subdued and the backbeat is right out of a progressive house checklist.

Big Sean feature ‘Open Wide’ throws some rapping over the pounding electro beat originally released as ‘Cuba’ to overwhelm the listener, while Ellie Goudling and Gwen Stefani enter for catchy numbers that will clock up radio play but are easily forgettable.

Not all of these features are poor of course. Alongside powerhouse Alesso and Hurts feature ‘Under Control and previous hit ‘Summer’, ‘Love Now’, featuring All About She, is one the best songs on the album.

All about She brings a pleasantly different vibe to the Harris template. Vocals lead over a light, welcoming beat before some violin work dives in to take it further, providing a welcome break from a tracklist which is at times relentless.

HAIM feature ‘Pray To God’ is another that turned out well, and will likely be at the top of the charts in the not so distant future. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but it is catchy as hell and has a bit more of a distinctive electro edge than some of the other efforts.

Hurts jumps back in with ‘Ecstasy’ to slow the album down with a mellow and impactful song which Harris would’ve done well to replicate elsewhere, but other than the previously underlined, the setlist struggles to impress.

Mindless trance beats turn to dull drops that will be masked with confetti and champagne on the live stage. ‘It Was You’, ‘Overdrive’ and ‘Dollar Signs’ prove particularly guilty of this point, and overall you’re left wondering if Calvin’s passion for progression has been left in the past.

At the start of his career, in I Created Disco and Ready For The Weekend, there was a variety of styles found throughout Calvin’s eclectic work, but it feels like half the songs were produced on autopilot when it comes to Motion.

Another album from Calvin Harris that will bring plenty of success, money and chart hits for the artist, but possibly his first that will not bring much critical acclaim.


                                                                                                         Stuart Kenny

In 2009, Aberdeen trio, The Xcerts emerged onto the scene with debut album with 'In The Cold Wind We Smile'. The album was full of soaring yet offbeat alternative rock ballads with weird structures and frequent contrasts of loud and soft. They followed it up with 'Scatterbrain' which was even weirder. While the songs were bigger, grungier, angrier and overall more (I'm sorry) emo.

As idiosyncratic as they were, the albums are both great. They are not instant, though. Both take a lot of getting used to.

The Xcerts start 'There Is Only You' a lot like their past two albums with a short ambient intro track. After this though, the album just explodes.

The next three tracks show an unseen side of The Xcerts. While it is energetic like 'Scatterbrain''s titular track, the tracks are here are incredibly poppy, upbeat and incredibly catchy. They're songs to sing along and jump around to.

'There Is Only You' has MacLeod singing a slightly higher register than we are used to along with Coheed and Cambria style harmonies. The album is very rich produced by Dave Eringa and Paul Steel, including pianos, strings, synths, ahs and oohs and huge fuzzy guitars.

There are slight nods to past stuff, for example, ballad Kevin Costner and the title track which, like most track on 'Cold Wind' gets better with every play.

With 'There Is Only You', The Xcert have managed to create a fantastic pop album while not decending into cringeworthy cheese (like another 2014 Scottish rock album). Along with their clever yet personal lyrics, the character of the band is still very resonant due in part to Murray MacLeod's angsty vocals sung with a bratty Aberdonian accent. It's one of the albums of the year.

Unlike 'In The Cold Wind We Smile' and 'Scatterbrain', 'There Is Only You' is an album that can be recommended to near enough anyone. It is a fantastic introduction to the band for any new listeners to the band.

The real feat is that The Xcerts have now released three albums. All of them great and all of them completely different. They've also managed to this while retaining their identity. The difference between releases simply show the growth of the band.