Home Blog Page 29

Copenhagen Hypergaze Duo 100%WET Return with Maximalist Cover of Grimes’ “Delete Forever”

Eric Alper
-
0
Copenhagen Hypergaze Duo 100%WET Return with Maximalist Cover of Grimes’ “Delete Forever”

100%WET are back, and their return announces itself with real force. The Copenhagen duo of Jakob Birch and Casper Munns have released a maximalist cover of Grimes’ “Delete Forever” via Crunchy Frog Recordings, featuring collaborator Eir (AKA Sanna) alongside Casper’s own vocals. After a difficult period that saw the band hospitalized for weeks, forced to cancel UK appearances, and halt all writing, this return lands with the kind of emotional weight that only a band who has genuinely fought through something can deliver.

The choice of song carries personal significance. Grimes wrote the original in response to losing six friends to the opioid epidemic, and 100%WET approached the cover with deep reverence for that emotional core. Casper explains the creative pull: “I felt drawn to the atmosphere of the song, because of these raw emotions and feelings of hopelessness, which are carried by an almost naive harmonic progression and uplifting melodies.” He also experimented with a new 12-string guitar tuning, stringing in fifths instead of octaves, giving the chords a massive, expansive quality that pushes the track’s inner turmoil to the point of excess. The result is hypergaze at its most emotionally charged and sonically ambitious.

Formed at Copenhagen’s Rhythmic Music Conservatoire, 100%WET built their debut album from a shared love of drum and bass, hyperpop, and shoegaze, earning praise from KEXP, The Line of Best Fit, Louder Than War, and God Is In The TV, and supporting Primal Scream on their last Copenhagen headline show. “Delete Forever” picks up exactly where that momentum left off, and then pushes further.

Fighting fit and with more packed into 2026 than ever, 100%WET sound like a band with something to prove after the time away. “Delete Forever” is out now via Crunchy Frog Recordings.

Newcastle Indie Riser Heidi Curtis Signs to AWAL and Delivers Stunning New Single “Siren”

Eric Alper
-
0
Newcastle Indie Riser Heidi Curtis Signs to AWAL and Delivers Stunning New Single “Siren”

Heidi Curtis has signed to AWAL, and “Siren” makes an immediate case for why that matters. The Newcastle-based indie riser delivers her first release of 2026 with a track that pulls from folk myth, personal experience, and a genuinely powerful vocal performance that draws inevitable comparisons to Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, Jeff Buckley, and Florence & The Machine. Those are heavy reference points, and Curtis earns every one of them.

The song operates on two levels simultaneously. On the surface it’s a vicious love story between a siren and a sailor. Underneath, it’s something more universal. Curtis explains it directly: “The siren in the song merely represents our desire as a species to turn to substance and pleasure, in order to soothe and numb our depressions. We’ve all seen the Siren and felt that pull towards her, some more than others, and no matter what it always ends badly.” That kind of lyrical depth, delivered with urgent, authentic songwriting, is exactly what has already earned her coverage from DIY Magazine, Rolling Stone UK, Dork, and Wonderland, plus airplay across BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, and BBC 6 Music.

Curtis has built her live reputation alongside serious company. Support slots with Sam Fender, CMAT, Inhaler, Paolo Nutini, and Ben Howard across the UK and Europe have sharpened her into a performer operating well above her debut status. Wonderland called her “the latest Geordie set to make an impact on the wider British scene,” and “Siren” lands that assessment with full force.

“Siren” is out now via AWAL. A thrilling twelve months starts here.

Pop-Punk Rising Stars Autumn Fires Share Infectious New Single “Gone By June” Ahead of EP ‘BLOOM.’

Eric Alper
-
0
Pop-Punk Rising Stars Autumn Fires Share Infectious New Single “Gone By June” Ahead of EP ‘BLOOM.’

Autumn Fires won Kerrang! Radio’s ‘The Deal’ competition in 2025, earned a spot opening Download Festival’s Fresh Blood stage, and recorded their debut EP with Grammy and Mercury award-nominated producer Romesh Dodangoda at The Marshall Studio. “Gone By June” is the first taste of what came out of all that, and it delivers on every bit of the promise that got them there.

The track is sharp, energetic, and emotionally direct, built around the hollow aftermath of a relationship that promised everything and delivered nothing. Inspired by the songwriting approach of State Champs, “Gone By June” was written with a specific live vision in mind. The band was explicit: “We wanted to write a song that got every fan up on their feet jumping and moving. The vision in our head was our fans crowd-surfing and moshing.” The song earns that ambition with infectious hooks and pop-punk momentum that feels genuinely built for summer.

Autumn Fires came together during the pandemic, bonding over online gaming before the world reopened and the band could actually get in a room together. Vocalist Charlotte Haimes, guitarists Callum Skea and Luca Testa, bassist Neil Dowd, and drummer Daryl Humphries draw from The Story So Far, Tonight Alive, and Knuckle Puck while building something that is clearly and confidently their own. Haimes’ lyrical approach captures it well: “Even if I’ve written it with an ex in mind, it’s still the listener’s song.”

EP ‘BLOOM.’ arrives February 25th via Marshall Records. Upcoming shows include a support slot with Royals in Southampton on March 14th and a London date at The Dome on March 21st supporting newshapes, plus an appearance at Collision Festival in Bedford on April 11th.

‘BLOOM.’ Tracklisting:

Fall For You

Gone By June

Closure

Running Away

Upcoming Shows:

Mar 21 — The Dome (Downstairs), London (supporting newshapes)

Apr 11 — Collision Festival, Bedford

UK Electronicore Quintet Premier Jester Push Their Sound Further with Explosive New Single “Pac’d Out”

Eric Alper
-
0
UK Electronicore Quintet Premier Jester Push Their Sound Further with Explosive New Single “Pac’d Out”

Premier Jester formed at the start of 2025 and have barely paused for breath since. The UK five-piece have unveiled “Pac’d Out,” their towering new single and video, and it represents a genuine step forward from a band already building serious momentum off a run of hard-hitting releases. Modern metal aggression, European electronicore bounce, crushing riffs, and hooks that refuse to leave, all delivered with the kind of tongue-in-cheek energy that makes Premier Jester impossible to ignore.

The concept behind “Pac’d Out” is as sharp as the execution. Co-vocalist Jimmy Martin breaks it down: “The song started with a synth that instantly made us think of retro video games. We wanted to do something more fun and different, so we used the idea of a game and laid a chasing relationship over the top of it, the analogies kind of wrote themselves.” The result is one of their most immediate and memorable tracks to date, playful on the surface and genuinely well-constructed underneath.

Drawing influence from Electric Callboy, 3OH!3, and Lorna Shore, Premier Jester have carved out a sound that pulls from multiple directions without losing its identity. Joe Yates on clean vocals, Jimmy Martin on harsh vocals, Jonah Pritchard on guitar, Adam Berces on bass, and Chris Beale on drums operate as a unit with real chemistry, and their chaotic, crowd-focused live shows have been converting new fans at every stop.

A debut album is on the way this year. “Pac’d Out” makes the wait feel urgent.

Portuguese Post-Hardcore Firestarters Junkbreed Drop Blistering New Video for “Misantrophe”

Eric Alper
-
0
Portuguese Post-Hardcore Firestarters Junkbreed Drop Blistering New Video for “Misantrophe”

Junkbreed have a new video out for “Misantrophe,” and it arrives as a sharp reminder of exactly what makes ‘Sick Of The Scene’ one of the most uncompromising heavy releases of the past year. The track is pulled from their second full-length, out now via Raging Planet, and the video captures the band’s volatile, high-impact energy in full. Punk urgency, post-hardcore abrasion, and raw rock momentum, delivered with zero patience for anything hollow or performative.

‘Sick Of The Scene’ tears into conformity, creative burnout, AI in art, and the empty spectacle of modern music culture with a sneer and real conviction. The album artwork, ironically generated with AI by founding member Miranda, mirrors that tension deliberately. It’s darkly humorous and provocative, a visual extension of the band’s core ethos: question everything, stay loud, stay human. That kind of self-aware irreverence gives the record an extra layer of bite that most heavy albums never bother reaching for.

Junkbreed emerged from the 2020 lockdown as a raw creative outlet before building into one of the most electrifying forces in the Portuguese heavy underground. The lineup of Miranda, vocalist Pica, bassist Karia, drummer Antero, and guitarist Tiago locked into place and hit hard, following their 2021 debut ‘Music For Cool Kids’ and the 2023 ‘Cheap Composure’ EP with an album that kicks the doors wide open and keeps pushing.

‘Sick Of The Scene’ is out now via Raging Planet. The “Misantrophe” video is out now, and this is a band that absolutely rewards your attention.

Blues Guitar Legend Tinsley Ellis Delivers Raw and Deeply Personal All-Original Acoustic Album ‘Labor Of Love’

Eric Alper
-
0
Blues Guitar Legend Tinsley Ellis Delivers Raw and Deeply Personal All-Original Acoustic Album ‘Labor Of Love’

Tinsley Ellis has spent four decades earning the right to make a record like this. ‘Labor Of Love,’ out now on CD, Georgia peach-colored vinyl, and digital, is his second acoustic album and his first to feature entirely original material. Self-produced and performed with pure emotional honesty, the 13-song collection pulls from blues tradition while spinning modern tales of floods, voodoo spirits, personal struggle, and hard-won grace. Premier Guitar called him “a legend of American blues music and an American music treasure,” and ‘Labor Of Love’ is the fullest expression yet of why that designation fits.

The new radio single “Too Broke” hits with the kind of lyrical directness that cuts through immediately, inspired by blues great Tommy Johnson’s “Big Road Blues” and built around themes everyone can relate to right now. The album moves through the feral opener “Hoodoo Woman,” a John Lee Hooker-groove on “Long Time,” Skip James-inspired depth on “To A Hammer,” and a Son House-style stomp on “Sunnyland.” Ellis inhabits each song completely, mixing foot-pounding ferocity with moments of genuine, quiet beauty.

The record carries the weight of a specific creative pilgrimage. During recording, Ellis traveled to Bentonia, Mississippi, birthplace of Skip James, where he spent time with blues legend Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and performed at his famous Blue Front Café. “Once I got home,” Ellis notes, “I went right back to the studio and incorporated everything that I just experienced into my music.” That immersion is audible throughout. Ellis recorded using six different open tunings across his 1969 Martin D-35, his 12-string Martin D-12-20, and his 1937 National Steel O Series guitars, and played mandolin on three tracks for the first time in his career.

Ellis is currently touring solo on his aptly named “Two Guitars And A Car” tour, bringing this music directly to audiences across the country. ‘Labor Of Love’ is out now.

Bardcore Musician Algal the Bard Transforms Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” Into a Rousing Medieval Tavern Anthem

Eric Alper
-
0
Bardcore Musician Algal the Bard Transforms Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” Into a Rousing Medieval Tavern Anthem

Algal the Bard has taken one of rock’s most beloved anthems and hauled it back six centuries, and the result is exactly as delightful as it sounds. The talented bardcore musician composed and performed an entirely instrumental Medieval tavern version of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” playing every traditional instrument himself, including bouzouki, whistle, and lute-guitar. The arrangement captures the jovial, communal energy of the original while wrapping it in the warm, wooden tones of the Middle Ages, proof that a great melody is a great melody in any era.

London Theatrical Indie Favorites Balancing Act Kick Off 2026 with Irresistible New Single “Sunshine” and UK/EU Tour

Eric Alper
-
0
London Theatrical Indie Favorites Balancing Act Kick Off 2026 with Irresistible New Single “Sunshine” and UK/EU Tour

Balancing Act have been sitting on “Sunshine” since before they knew who they were as a band, and the wait has clearly done the song nothing but good. The Manchester-via-London four-piece open their 2026 account with a mischievously sharp send-off to a relationship well past its expiry date, dripping in devilish jabs, tight one-liners, and the theatrical, inky charm that has made them one of UK indie’s most compelling prospects. The band’s own description lands perfectly: “It’s hot out of the gates, it sounds best loud and it’s ready to burst your ear drums.”

Balancing Act draw from a genuinely distinctive set of reference points, Tim Burton’s gothic allure, Father John Misty, The Marías, Richard Hawley, and The Walkmen, synthesizing all of it into something that feels entirely their own. Their stage shows are fully realized theatrical experiences, their van-dwelling, farm-camping, river-washing DIY ethos bleeds directly into the music, and their live reputation has been built one sold-out room at a time across London, Manchester, Paris, and Amsterdam. Support slots with The Amazons and Bad Nerves have only broadened the audience catching on.

Radio 1’s Jack Saunders called them “potentially the new generation’s favourite band.” Clash named them “the dark horses of the current indie scene and the It band to catch live before they inevitably blow up.” Both assessments feel accurate, and “Sunshine” does nothing to soften that momentum.

The April UK headline tour now extends into Europe, hitting Hamburg, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Paris after wrapping the UK leg in London. Tickets are on sale now.

Balancing Act 2026 Tour Dates:

Apr 10 — Liverpool Arts Club, Liverpool

Apr 11 — Think Tank, Newcastle

Apr 12 — King Tut’s, Glasgow

Apr 14 — Gorilla, Manchester

Apr 15 — Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

Apr 16 — Key Club, Leeds

Apr 18 — Green Door Store, Brighton

Apr 19 — Exchange, Bristol

Apr 21 — The Dome, London

Apr 25 — Nochtwache, Hamburg

Apr 26 — Cirque Royal Club, Brussels

Apr 28 — Cinetol, Amsterdam

Apr 29 — Supersonic Records, Paris

Cream Reissues the Legendary ‘Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6 2005’ for Its 20th Anniversary

Eric Alper
-
0
Cream Reissues the Legendary ‘Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6 2005’ for Its 20th Anniversary

Twenty years ago, three of rock’s greatest musicians walked back onto a stage together after 37 years apart, and the result was one of the most celebrated reunion performances in music history. Cream’s ‘Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6 2005’ is out now via Surfdog, reissued on blue and green splatter triple vinyl and blue and orange double CD to mark the anniversary of those four extraordinary nights in London.

Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton reunited as the original supergroup with nothing to prove and everything to deliver, and the recordings capture exactly that. Nineteen tracks drawn from the best of those shows, running from “I’m So Glad” through “Crossroads,” “White Room,” and closing on “Sunshine of Your Love,” the setlist is a masterclass in blues-rooted rock played by three musicians at the absolute peak of their collective craft. The alternate take of “Sleepy Time Time” rounds out the collection as a final gift to anyone paying close attention.

Cream built their legacy in just four years between 1966 and 1968, releasing four albums that permanently reshaped rock, blues, and psychedelia. The Royal Albert Hall reunion shows demonstrated that the chemistry between Baker, Bruce, and Clapton never faded. It just waited. These recordings have the warmth and weight of a band that understood exactly what the moment meant.

The 20th anniversary reissue is out now. Essential for longtime fans and a compelling entry point for anyone still discovering why Cream remain one of rock’s most vital stories.

Track Listing:

  1. I’m So Glad
  2. Spoonful
  3. Outside Woman Blues
  4. Pressed Rat and Warthog
  5. Sleepy Time Time
  6. N.S.U.
  7. Badge
  8. Politician
  9. Sweet Wine
  10. Rollin’ and Tumblin’
  11. Stormy Monday
  12. Deserted Cities of the Heart
  13. Born Under a Bad Sign
  14. We’re Going Wrong
  15. Crossroads
  16. White Room
  17. Toad
  18. Sunshine of Your Love
  19. Sleepy Time Time (Alternate)

Alt-Metal Six-Piece Scratch One Grub Arrive Fully Formed with Debut Album ‘One’ and Blistering Single “#1”

Eric Alper
-
0
Alt-Metal Six-Piece Scratch One Grub Arrive Fully Formed with Debut Album ‘One’ and Blistering Single “#1”

Scratch One Grub have emerged from Aberdare with something immediate and fully realized. The Welsh six-piece’s debut album ‘One’ is out now, and lead single “#1” announces their arrival with biting rhythms, big hooks, and the kind of intricate musicianship that signals a band who have been preparing for this moment for a long time. Progressive ambition, alt-metal grit, and raw emotion, all of it locked into eight tracks that move with real purpose.

The lineup is deep and deliberately assembled. Aled Trigg on vocals, Lewis Griffiths on drums and vocals, Sean “The Grub Man” Barry on samples and vocals, Evan Cook on lead guitar, Alex Lewis on rhythm guitar, and Zac Cross on bass form a unit that plays with the expansive scope of modern progressive metal while keeping the urgency and heart of the alt scene front and center. ‘One’ is sprawling yet direct, experimental yet groove-rooted, the kind of debut that takes the genre seriously without taking itself too seriously.

Scratch One Grub have already shared stages with Dead Flesh, Continents, Confessions of a Traitor, Manumit, Calvaria, House of Hosts, and Confessions of a Serial Killer, building visceral live energy into the foundation of everything they do. That experience translates directly onto record. This is a band that knows how a room feels when the music hits hard, and they’ve captured that feeling on ‘One.’

Welsh heavy music has produced some of the UK’s most vital acts, and Scratch One Grub are carrying that tradition forward with genuine force.

‘One’ Track Listing:

  1. Swamp Scum
  2. Vagabond
  3. GTFP
  4. Absolution
  5. Bad Habit
  6. #1
  7. Ysbryd
  8. Planet Killer
1...282930...3,518Page 29 of 3,518

Follow us on Instagram @thatericalper

That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

Popular posts

Popular category

© Copyright - That Eric Alper