theartsdesk on Vinyl 90: Small Faces, ESKA, Luvcat, Dope Lemon, Celia Cruz, Monolake and more
The most monstrously huge regular record reviews in the universe
VINYL OF THE MONTH
Emily Saunders Moon Shifts Oceans (The Mix Sounds)
The Great Escape Festival 2025, Brighton review - a feast of music from across the world
Hitting Saturday shows by deBasement, Dog Race, Chloe Leigh, Oh Dirty Fingers & more
Photographer Finetime and I have our first pints outside Dalton’s, a bar on Brighton seafront, at almost exactly midday. They are Beavertown Neck Oil IPA at 4.3%. The sun is out, glinting off the sea. Feels like the calm before the storm.
theartsdesk on Vinyl: Record Store Day Special 2025
What Record Store Day exclusives are available this year?
Record Store Day 2025 is tomorrow (Saturday 12th April 2025)! At theartsdesk on Vinyl we’ve been sent a selection of exclusive RSD goodies. Check the reviews. Then check your local record shop! See you amongst it.
THEARTSDESK ON VINYL CHOICE CUT FOR RECORD STORE DAY APRIL 2025
Marianne Faithfull Burning Moonlight EP (Decca)
theartsdesk on Vinyl 89: Wilco, Decius, Hot 8 Brass Band, Henge, Dub Syndicate, Motörhead and more
The last-standing and largest regular vinyl record reviews in the world
VINYL OF THE MONTH
Rattle Encircle (Upset! The Rhythm)
Fat Dog, Chalk, Brighton review - a frenetic techno-rock juggernaut
The rising London outfit deliver a sweaty Cossack-rave hoedown
Ro first saw Fat Dog, before anyone had heard of them, at the Windmill in Brixton in front of a crowd of about 25 people. Their manic energy blew her head off. Vanessa and Al K first caught Fat Dog at the Rockaway Beach Weekender in Bognor Regis Butlins in January ’24. The tightly choreographed, manic show was the best thing all weekend.
Album: Kele - The Singing Winds Pt. 3
The road less travelled has led to a fantastically focused creative identity
Of the big UK indie bands of the 00s wave, Bloc Party were always the most austerely art-rockish. Where Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Franz Ferdinand all to some degree or other had a dose of the vaudevillian and a bit of party “woohoo!”, BP adhered way more to the seriousness, alienation and introspection of their post-punk inspirations.
Album: Underworld - Strawberry Hotel
Contagiously joyous rollercoaster from Smith and Hyde
Purveyors of extraordinary energy and euphoria, Underworld never miss a beat. The new album – 30 years on from their debut, and their exposure in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting – once again features music that will always be better live, in the midst of a bouncing throng, ablaze with smiles of joy, than on the best stereo at home, or state-of-the-heart cordless headphones.
Album: Floating Points - Cascade
High energy techno and rave from the synth craftsman needs your best speakers
I made a terrible mistake when I first got this LP: I played it on my laptop speakers. That’s not the straight up foolishness you might think, mind – after downloading something for review I’ll often play it quietly in the background while I catch up on admin, because it can be a good way of getting the general shape of an album, an overview as it were, before properly diving into it. But for this album in particular that really didn’t work.
Album: Fat Dog - WOOF
One of the year's word-of-mouth live sensations fires out their debut
As a live sensation, Fat Dog have been the talk of the year. The London five-piece offer a dementedly energized night out. Performative concerts, tight as zip-wire but hedonistic and loose round the edges. They’ve developed a solid rep for sending audiences nuts. Consequently, there’s a hungry new fan-base salivating for their debut album, WOOF. Coming in at just over half-an-hour, it captures their battering zing; short, sharp and ballistic.