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Music

EP REVIEW

overpass - From the Night

A strong debut EP from one of the Midlands’s most-promising up-and-coming indie-rock outfits.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Lime Garden - One More Thing

An impactful and defining debut album from Lime Garden.

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ALBUM REVIEW

The Miserable Rich - Overcome

Beautiful personal tribute to family and loved ones who help you battle through your darkest days.

ALBUM REVIEW

Feral Family - Without Motion

Promising debut from Yorkshire rock band.

ALBUM REVIEW

Black Grape - Orange Head

Shaun Ryder and Paul ‘Kermit’ Leveridge take aim and have fun on album #4.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Birthmark - Birth of Omni

A playful yet challenging listen - one that requires attention and patience in order for its full splendour to be revealed.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Daudi Matsiko - The King of Misery

A celebration of everything it means to be human.

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2023 review

5-9's top 100 songs of 2023

Another excuse for a playlist

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2023 review

5-9's top 18 EPs of 2023

Which EPs made the cut?

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5-9's top 75 albums of 2023

The best from a fine year for music

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2023 review

The best live performances of 2023

What were 5-9 editor, Andrew Belt's favourite performances of the year?

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MUSIC ROUNDTABLE Q&A

November 2023

Our music bloggers share their thoughts on the musical output of November 2023.

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EP REVIEW

Birdmask - Tristan

Melancholy suits Manuel Gagneux of Zeal & Ardor.

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EP REVIEW

Mickey Callisto - Homospace

A star-making debut from the Liverpudlian pop singer.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Fronzoli

A treasure trove for guitar riff lovers.

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EP REVIEW

Daneshevskaya - Long is the Tunnel

An EP which sparkles but fails to fully land.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Lonely the Brave - What We Do to Feel

The band are once again back to their best.

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MUSIC ROUNDTABLE Q&A

October 2023

Our music bloggers share their thoughts on the musical output of October 2023.

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ALBUM REVIEW

DJ Shadow - Action Adventure

Sample legend succeeds in musical equivalent of diving into different parts of a video store.

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MUSIC ROUNDTABLE Q&A

September 2023

Our music bloggers share their thoughts on the musical output of September 2023.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Zivi - Lost in Love

Dreamy indie-pop debut arriving just in time for the last vestiges of summer.

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MUSIC ROUNDTABLE Q&A

August 2023

Our music bloggers share their thoughts on the musical output of August 2023.

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MUSIC ROUNDTABLE Q&A

July 2023

Our music bloggers share their thoughts on the musical output of July 2023.

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AWARDS ANALYSIS

The Mercury Prize 2023: Shortlist verdict

Our music bloggers share their thoughts on the 12 shortlisted albums.

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AWARDS PREDICTIONS

The Mercury Prize 2023: Could history be made?

5-9 editor, Andrew Belt, considers what might transpire for this year's awards.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Dot Allison - Consciousology

Love shines through on psych-electro-folk album by the Scottish singer-songwriter.

ALBUM REVIEW

James and the Cold Gun - James and the Cold Gun

One of the best rock records of 2023 so far.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Snõõper – Super Snõõper

An exciting first full-length effort from a band brimming with ideas and energy.

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HALF-YEAR REVIEW

Top 10 albums of 2023 so far

2023's best in no particular order.

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MUSIC ROUNDTABLE Q&A

June 2023

Music bloggers' thoughts on the music scene in June 2023.

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EP REVIEW

Alex Nicol - Been a Long Year Vol.1

Sad quintet of haunting folk songs document a tough time for Montreal's Alex Nicol.

EP REVIEW

Fräulein – Pedestal

Northern Irish/Dutch duo’s minimalist grunge continues to impress.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Grian Chatten - Chaos for the Fly

Chatten cements his position as one of the best songwriters around.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Do Nothing - Snake Sideways

A decent debut album frustrated by frequent incoherence in its composition.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Militarie Gun - Life Under the Gun

Encouraging debut from Los Angeles punk band.

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FESTIVAL REVIEW

Download 20

Metallica imperious at festival's 20th birthday bash.

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MUSIC ROUNDTABLE Q&A

May 2023

Bringing together music bloggers to discuss music highlights from May 2023.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Body Type - Expired Candy

A baker's dozen of catchy rock songs.

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EP REVIEW

The Early Purple - Summer Hide

Burgeoning north-east music scene has another bright prospect.

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ALBUM REVIEW

7ebra - Bird Hour

Along with Blondshell’s recent self-titled release, Bird Hour is likely to remain one of 2023’s best debuts.

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MUSIC ROUNDTABLE Q&A

April 2023

Bringing together music bloggers to discuss music highlights from April 2023.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Skinny Pelembe - Hardly the Same Snake

Johannesburg-born, Doncaster-raised, genre-agnostic artist shines on carefully arranged second LP.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Enter Shikari - A Kiss for the Whole World

St Albans's finest showcase what they do best and most uniquely on seventh album.

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GIG REVIEW

Brooke Bentham, St. Pancras Old Church, London

A triumphant return for Bentham on an evening full of confessions shared with an appreciative following.

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EP REVIEW

Lazy Queen - Growing Pains

Oslo-based band's revivalist pop-punk is a lot of fun.

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ALBUM REVIEW

Blondshell - Blondshell

No-frills rock thrills on accomplished debut album from 25-year-old, Sabrina Teitelbaum.

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MUSIC ROUNDTABLE Q&A

March 2023

Four independent music bloggers share their thoughts on the music highlights from March 2023.

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ALBUM ANNIVERSARY

Linkin Park - Meteora

Californian nu-metal band's sophomore effort turns 20 - a perfect opportunity to reappraise it.

EP REVIEW

Mylar - Human Statues

Human Statues contains good moments but struggles to leave a lasting impression.

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EP REVIEW

Lowmello - That Sweet Breath

A quintet of songs well worth your time from the Albuquerque-based musician.

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ALBUM REVIEW

The Hold Steady - The Price of Progress

The Hold Steady have honed their craft in classic rock observational vignettes over the 20 years since forming in Minneapolis, and ninth studio album, The Price of Progress, doesn’t veer too far off this path.

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EP REVIEW

Eaves Wilder - Hookey

Wilder is laying the groundwork for an exciting future in music which makes her journey worth keeping an eye on.

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EP REVIEW

Brooke Bentham - Caring

Caring - the EP being released this Friday (17 March) - makes you question why Brooke Bentham isn’t more revered than she already is.

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ALBUM ANNIVERSARY

The Cranberries - Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We?

Ambitious, unique debut album straddling grunge and indie turns 30.

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ALBUM REVIEW

The Slow Readers Club - Knowledge Freedom Power

Hopeful yet dystopian, The Slow Readers Club’s sixth album, Knowledge Freedom Power uplifts and energises.

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ALBUM REVIEW

mui zyu - Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century

Strange and beguiling, mui zyu transports you to her distinctive world for the duration of Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century – the debut solo effort from Hong Kong-British artist, Eva Liu.

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