The Many Things

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The Many Things (@themanythings)

Picture it. It’s 2012 and you’re watching any number of TV dramas where there is a breakup, a long walk in the rain and the realisation that

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Censoring Artists at Festivals

On the August Bank Holiday Weekend many people were enjoying music festivals. In England that included Reading and Leeds, as well as Victorious. The latter has become notorious, perhaps not in the way they had hoped, whilst there was criticism of Hoziers set at the former, not being included on BBC Iplayer.

When asked for comment the BBC stated that 'As mutually agreed ahead of Reading Festival, Hozier chose not to be included in the BBC’s coverage.’ - Adam Miller, Metro.

Presumably, a term of being platformed by the BBC is to adhere to their guidelines. This is reasonable, however it appears that the BBC does not do this themselves when you read their guidelines..

For an artists like Hozier, being de-platformed for the occasional show, whilst not idea, is not career ending. A younger artist would not be able to make that call from a career perspective, no matter how contrite their views on the matter. This is something which has happened to multiple artists, particularly this festival season.

Victorious

On Friday The Mary Wallopers performed at Victorious in Portsmouth. I have been to this festival previously, the people on the ground are generally lovely, however this year a situation was mishandled. Badly.

The situation in question was TMW's holding up a Palestinian flag and being accused of using a chant which was 'discriminatory'.

The band filmed the entire interaction, disproving the initial statement given by the festival organisers. Charles Hendy stated 'Free Palestine and fuck Israel' at the top of the bands set, before launching into a song.

That my darlings, is a statement. A statement about a humanitarian crisis, caused by a state which has been treated with impunity, in relation to its war crimes.

A chant did happen and that chant was 'Free, free Palestine' one which the crowd did join in with. This happened after a member of the stage crew took the Palestinian flag off of Roisins (bassist) amplifier, before the band held it aloft and discussed what would happen next. They chose not to perform, as they flag was not allowed.

Following the festivals initial statement about the incident, The Mary Wallopers posted the video of what had happened on stage. A few hours later, another statement was issued by the festival. One which seems to have only made things worse.

Victorious Festivals handling of the Mary Wallopers was a shining example of an own goal and poor crisis management. Dismayed punters, artists pulling out of the festival in solidarity and a revolt on social media. The incident prompting people to dig deeper into who ie involved in the festival, and their affiliations..

If a Palestinian flag being flown on the week the UN declared a famine causes offence, then perhaps you have a guilty conscious.

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Adebisi Shank

The return of Adebisi Shank blew the speakers in many a room. I jest, thankfully this is only a metaphor. I will preface this post by stating that writing about math-rock and prog, is difficult..

The math-rock titans swept through a string of venues- a very pretentious way of saying 'toured the UK and Ireland' this month. And so on a very hot evening I attended their show at The Lexington in North London.

Their support act Bicurious warmed the crowd up nicely, creating a human metronome of bobbing heads. Their track Sleep was a mathy, jangle masterpiece and accompanied a set which spans almost 10 years of material.

Onto the main act..

After a brief run to the loo and admiring the toilet scribbles- 'Peter Doherty is the love of my life' was a favourite- The band entered the stage.

I thought I was hot, and then remembered AS's bassist performs with a hood over his head and face, as the band began playing.

Their set consisted of a little bit of everything, phenomenal guitar playing, drumming, bass... The whole shebang. Adebisi Shank captivated the entire audience in a way which I can only describe as, progressive math-rock induced hypnotism. Of the best kind.

Having grown up on the musical projects of various members, post hiatus, it was wonderful to see what came before. To hear the evolution that happened, one which is now thankfully continuing with AS, is a privilege.

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Guilfest, June 6th 2025

Local festivals inject culture back into the community, some do it better than others and Guilfest is certainly one of them. A reasonably small site, two main stages, some smaller tents and a 'festival village', make it perfect for a more relaxed experience. It is the ideal festival to introduce children to outdoor music; or simply for those who want to enjoy music without feeling like they’ve hiked the Himalayas.

Highlights on Sunday included: Skids- the iconic punk band, KT Tunstall and Razorlight.

Skids performed a lively punk rock set, including 'The Saints Are Coming' which was covered by U2 & Green Day; ending with the iconic song 'Into The Valley'. The crowd were loving every minute of their set and judging by looks, many were lifelong fans!

KT Tunstall performed on the Main Stage, having headlined The Royal Albert Hall at the end of June to celebrate her Birthday and 20 years of Eye To The Telescope. Her set consisted of her most known songs, as well as some others. The quality of her and the bands musicianship was second to none, keeping the crowed engaged and bouncing along with her set.

Razorlight were a pleasant surprise, after hearing mixed reviews. Personally, they rode high on Bjorn Agren’s guitar playing and Andy Burrows drumming- who also performed with KT Tunstall. Overall it was a lovely reminder of the 2000’s indie offerings.

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Vittorio Angelone, Work In Progress June 30th

On a hot summer day, nothing sells me on an evening out quite like air conditioning. Yes, it's about the comedy, the opportunity to see Vittorio Angelone doing a WIP... But ultimately the promise of A/C really is a selling point sometimes, what can I say.

Vittorio Angelones WIP show was succinct, the perfect amount of callbacks and a through line which was engaging. Angelone tackles his origin story and the nuances of growing up in Northen Ireland, to the wider world in these trying times. I accept that 'trying times' is putting it lightly.

I shall resist touching on specifics; I feel it is not fair to do so, when talking about work in progress shows. But hopefully your interest has been piqued. You can see Vittorio Angelone performing at Edinburgh Fringe.

Venue: Top Secret Comedy Club on Drury Lane, is an unassuming venue surrounded by imposing theatres.

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LCD Soundsystem

The penultimate night of LCD Soundsystem's residency. A steamy, energetic and nostalgic night.

Opening with Get Innocuous from Sound of Silver, sending the audience into a frenzy, running from the long bar queues. They followed this up with I Can Change, after an introduction of The Model by Kraftwerk. If you have the modular synths, flaunt them!

The bands songs are enduring and infectious. It is surely no coincidence that they share guitarist and synth-player Al Doyle, who is also part of Hot Chip.

One of the many things which LCD Soundsystem do well is setlists; there truly is something for everyone. Some long running artists fall into the trap of only playing new works; luckily this was not the case.

My favourite moments throughout the night included You Wanted A Hit, Oh Baby and Yr City's A Sucker. Accompanied by the omnipresence of the trademark mirrorball and atmospheric backlighting.

A testimony to the success of the band who have existed for 23 years, is the diversity of their fanbases age. Bright eyed twenty-something year olds, through to the newly retired.

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Cherry Cola

Summer is here. It's the time to be social, stereotypically speaking. Or perhaps you want to spend a warm evening with the windows open, dancing around your front room. Well, you're about to add a song to that playlist. Cherry Cola By Gavin James.

A cheerful summer tune, another foray into a different genre by singer-songwriter Gavin James. Co-written with Dan Dare and Mark Prendergast, Cherry Cola is reminiscent of the guitar tone which appeared across Circa Waves early music.

It is cheerful and springy- bouncy coils, not the season. Lyrically, it is not as sickly as Cherry Cola, it is just right.

You will find yourself nodding and humming along with its infectious hook, a smile growing on your face. It is a true song for the summer and a slice of the summer to carry forward.

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Why We Love (And Hate) Twilight By Sarah Elizabeth Gallagher

Why We Love (And Hate) Twilight is a love letter to a problematic ex. It reminisces, humorously, about the characters and their many, many flaws. As well as addressing the real world impact, and lack of impact, created by S. Meyers creation. From the Quileute Tribe to the actors. The series created damaging perceptions of real people, Indigenous people and romanticised controlling relationships.

Sarahs book, Why We Love (And Hate) Twilight, is a continuation of her popular reels, shorts and TikTok content. It turns out that applying critical thinking and analysis to Twilight, is delightfully funny and at times, harrowing. Her analysis makes you sympathise with the characters, even if you find their logic to be flawed.. which it often is. It also makes you ponder key elements of the plot.

Would Edward like Bella if he could hear her thoughts? How does a doctor of multiple centuries miss so many things? The list goes on..

Why We Love (And Hate) Twilight, is an analysis which acknowledges the minutiae of the series, alongside the larger issues. Sarah manages to call out the problematic behaviour of the characters, creators and more. All with a sense of humour, taking the edge off of any sour notes.

You can purchase her book in a reputable book-store near you.

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Niamh Regan at The Folklore Rooms

On a immensely humid evening, sometimes the last thing you want to do is sit in a room full of people. Well, the gamble sometimes pays off.

The Folklore Rooms in Brighton is an intimate independent venue; stools around round tables, packed together in front of a cosy stage, surrounded by a backdrop of greenery and fairy-lights.

Niamh Regan is a singer-songwriter from Co. Galway, Ireland. Her first album Hemet was released in 2020 and was well received, leading to support slots with artists including, Villagers, Sorcha Richardson, Damien Dempsey and CMAT.

Fast forward to 2025 and Niamh is touring Come As You Are, her sophomore album, a continuation of her trademark folk, infused with Americana and wistful lyrics. Every song reminds the listener of a who, what, where, when or why. And the where on Friday, was Brighton.

Ella Clayton, a fellow singer-songwriter, and the sonic lovechild of Damien Rice and Lucy Rose- if I do say so myself- opened the night, the audience were enthralled. A special shout-out to the venue staff who were pointing people in the direction of spare stools, encouraging people to share tables, building a transient sense of community.

After a short interlude between acts, Niamh Regan began her set, performing a mixture of songs from both of her albums. The audience enjoyed some friendly patter from her.

Notably 'I like swinging.. my guitar' whilst wearing a Hippie Cream t-shirt. Get your head out of the bin; they're a band and we're all children, going by the chuckles in the room.

For the audio minded-The guitar swinging comment was in relation to a microphone being used to pick-up the guitar, in case you're curious. Moving it aside allowed for happy swaying and performing.

Niamhs songs: Save The Day, Sweetest Drop, Music, and Paint A Picture were particularly enjoyable.

Performing solo highlighted her talent as a musician but also added a depth to the songs, stripping them back to their bones. A truly wonderful evening.