Bringing together music bloggers to wrap up the year in music, as well as thoughts on other cultural touchpoints from 2024
Our assembled cast of music bloggers and broadcasters share their thoughts on a monthly basis. For our final roundtable of the year, we asked the group for their final verdicts on the year in music, with a definitive winner assigned to each category based on the responses, and also take stock of 2024 slightly more generally.
Joining 5-9 editor, Andrew Belt, to answer the questions are:
Gemma Cockrell is a PR account executive and freelance journalist based in Nottingham. You’re most likely to find her listening to live music in one of Nottingham’s brilliant music venues or speaking about motorsport on her podcast, Down To The Tyre.
Adam Reeve is an editor/writer + other things-er for various places over many years. Currently for Dead Good Music - a music blog that pairs music and oranges together like you wouldn't believe.
Phil Taylor (aka Music Observer) lives in the East Midlands and spends a disproportionate amount of his time listening to music, attending gigs and wearing band T-shirts.
Phil is obsessed with music of all genres, with a leaning towards alt-pop, folk, indie rock and post-punk. He started his blog in 2021 as a way of sharing his feelings about good music; it quickly grew into a fully fledged venture with a focus on new releases as well as live reviews and interviews. He now writes for other publications including LeftLion, The Songbird, CLASH, DIY Neu Bulletin and Music in Leicester.
Matthew McLister is a freelance writer and music fan based in Glasgow with a degree in History (University of Glasgow). Passionate about new guitar music and indie bands, he writes features for Gigwise and HeadStuff Media. During lockdown he launched the Blinded by the Floodlights indie website and has even produced his own podcast. By day, he works in Corporate Communications.
Karl Blakesley has been writing about music in various forms for over 10 years now, and today can be found running his own website, New Music Central, as well as contributing articles to music publications such as Clash and Headstuff, as well as being one of the three presenters of 5-9's Album of the Month podcast. He is also the Music Editor for Nottingham culture magazine, LeftLion. You can follow him on socials for regular album and song recommendations, which pull from a wide variety of genres and cater for all tastes.
2024 MUSIC RECAP - ROUNDTABLE AWARDS
5-9: What was your best album of 2024?
YOYOTTA by Molly Payton was Gemma's defining album of 2024
Gemma: YOYOTTA by Molly Payton.
Adam: BRAT by Charli XCX.
Phil: I really struggled this year even to hone my top albums down to 10 (I ended up with three top 10s and a lot of honourable mentions!) but I think there was a clear winner: Lighthouse by Francis of Delirium.
Matthew: Midas by Wunderhorse.
Karl: Hayden Thorpe's Ness - ambitious, endlessly intriguing and an experience completely unlike anything else I heard all year.
Andrew: Ultimately and belatedly, I ended up agreeing with the Mercury Prize judges - This Could Be Texas by English Teacher came out top of my list. Earworms abounding across a litany of genres and one which improved on every listen.
VERDICT: Charli XCX - BRAT
5-9: What was your top debut album of 2024?
Exactly as it Seems by Home Counties was Adam's favourite debut record of 2024
Adam: Exactly as it Seems by Home Counties.
Phil: Girl Cried Wolf by Beau.
Matthew: Been Stellar - Scream from New York, NY.
Karl: Fine Art by Kneecap - a debut that took them from complete unknowns to festival headliners in the space of a year. The awareness it's generated for the Irish language and the connection it's been able to have despite being written in a commonly unspoken language is really quite incredible. Also the best hip-hop album of 2024.
Andrew: Well, This Could Be Texas clearly wins this category too, but let's spread the awards out: the next highest debut on my list is Silence is Loud - the belated debut (and Mercury Prize-tinged too!) from jungle revivalist Nia Archives. With emo-style lyrics, beautiful vocals and a hive of fast beats not outstaying this welcome, this was a landmark debut from the artist.
Gemma: Like Andrew, this apes my overall album of the year: YOYOTTA - Molly Payton.
VERDICT: Kneecap - Fine Art
5-9: What was the best pop album of 2024?
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish was Phil's favourite pop album of 2024
Phil: HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish.
Matthew: Confidence Man - 3AM (LA LA LA).
Karl: BRAT by Charli XCX - a cultural phenomenon that took over in 2024 and an album that is just wall-to-wall bangers.
Andrew: Thanks to the high listing on the Album of the Year website, I checked out Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay, and I'm so glad I did. Adventurous, varied and fascinating, the users on the site have good taste!
Gemma: Short n Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter.
Adam: Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk.
VERDICT: Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk
5-9: What was the best rock album of 2024?
Cartoon Darkness by Amyl and the Sniffers was Matthew's favourite rock album of 2024
Matthew: Amyl and the Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness.
Karl: Romance by Fontaines D.C. - the album that has pulled Fontaines firmly into the mainstream and firmly marked them as one of the best bands in the world today. From indie to grunge to shoegaze to their classic post-punk sound, it's a vibrant record painted in the various sub-genres of rock music, which also features three of the singles of the year in 'Starburster', 'Favourite' and 'In The Modern World'.
Andrew: Beach Day by Another Sky - a phenomenal record which was a triumph in getting to the point of being created, but also showcased the best of the band. Let's hope they return soon.
Gemma: Midas by Wunderhorse.
Adam: Geordie Greep - The New Sound.
Phil: Beach Day by Another Sky.
VERDICT: Another Sky - Beach Day
5-9: What was the best rap album of 2024?
Fine Art by Kneecap was Karl's pick of the rap albums from 2024
Karl: Kneecap for the reasons mentioned above, closely followed by GNX by Kendrick Lamar and JPEGMAFIA's I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU.
Andrew: CHROMAKOPIA by Tyler, The Creator. Since becoming acquainted with Tyler through IGOR, he hasn't missed.
Gemma: hexdrinker by sadeyes.
Adam: Kendrick Lamar - GNX.
Phil: S.T.A.R.V.E. by Cappo.
Matthew: Kendrick Lamar - GNX.
VERDICT: Kendrick Lamar - GNX
5-9: What was the best electronic album of 2024?
Notes from a Quiet Life by Washed Out was Andrew's favourite electronic album of 2024
Andrew: A wildcard selection from Album of the Month co-host, Kiley Larsen, this ended up being my highest ranked electronic album of the year. Great that we added a wildcard round this year to mop up 'the best of the rest'.
Gemma: BRAT by Charli XCX.
Adam: Porij - Teething.
Phil: Cold Enough For Snow by Tinlicker.
Matthew: The Dare – What’s Wrong With New York?.
Karl: In Waves by Jamie xx - as dazzling and hypnotic as the album cover would suggest. A euphoric experience from start to finish that sees each incredible moment seamlessly transition into the next like a well-crafted DJ mix.
VERDICT: Jamie xx - In Waves
5-9: Best 'world' album/album not fitting into above categories.
The Napoli Exchange by Ex Generation was Adam's best album outside of rock, rap, pop and electronic music in 2024
Adam: EX GENERATION - The Napoli Exchange.
Karl: Some great country/folk/americana records in 2024 and the two I had highest in my list were The Falls of Sioux by Owen and Endless Rain by One True Pairing. Both featuring dark, melancholic lyrics amidst some beautiful, mostly acoustic arrangements.
Andrew: The best album outside of the categories listed above for me was Small Changes by Michael Kiwanuka. How to categorise it? Neo-soul? Folk-tinged rock? However you categorise the music, Kiwanuka remains at the top of his game with his smooth vocals and a laidback arrangement which invites you into his world irresistibly.
VERDICT: EX GENERATION - The Napoli Exchange
5-9: Which album was the biggest surprise for you in 2024 (as in exceeding expectations)?
What happened to the beach? by Declan McKenna was Matthew's biggest surprise
Matthew: Declan McKenna - What happened to the beach?
Karl: Where's My Utopia? by Yard Act - didn't expect much from Yard Act after their debut but this was an enormous step forward for them. Sonically adventurous and some really fun singles have made this a joy to revisit again and again throughout the year.
Andrew: All Born Screaming by St. Vincent. For whatever reason, St. Vincent's music has never resonated with me. That all changed with All Born Screaming's lead track 'Broken Man' with its Nine Inch Nails-style industrial rock effort. 'Flea' carried on the momentum and, while this aesthetic wasn't stuck to throughout the album, the overall output ended up being one of my favourites of 2024.
Phil: Billie Eilish's album - I wasn't sure if she'd 'sell out' or perhaps play it safe. But her album was confident and innovative while somehow at the same time staying true to herself.
Adam: Green Day - Saviors.
VERDICT: Declan McKenna - What happened to the beach?
5-9: Which album was the biggest disappointment for you in 2024?
I Hear You by Peggy Gou was the most disappointing album of 2024 for Karl
Karl: I Hear You by Peggy Gou - had been keen for Peggy Gou to release a long-player for some time and while I Hear You is still a fun and enjoyable record, it wasn't the revelatory debut that I was expecting based on her catalogue of outstanding singles over the years.
Andrew: Mountainhead by Everything Everything. Raw Data Feel - their last album - was my album of 2022 so I had high expectations but, despite the strong singles ahead of the album release, the concept was strong but the songs didn't land with me. Not a terrible record by any means, but just not coming close to meeting my expectations.
Adam: Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well.
Matthew: English Teacher - This Could Be Texas.
VERDICT: Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well
5-9: Which album was the worst you heard in 2024?
Django's High by Future Utopia was Andrew's least favourite listen of 2024
Andrew: Reviewed on the July 2024 Album of the Month podcast, Django's High came across as a synthetic listen - Tame Impala-lite. Not a terrible listen, but bland background music to me.
Adam: Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department.
Matthew: Green Day - Saviors.
Karl: Liam Gallagher & John Squire - As horrific as the artwork on the cover. Completely uninspired and by the time I reached penultimate track 'I'm So Bored', I couldn't help but agree with that song's sentiment.
VERDICT: Liam Gallagher & John Squire S/T
5-9: Which was the best EP in 2024?
VII by Chrissy Costanza was Gemma's favourite EP in 2024
Gemma: VII by Chrissy Costanza.
Phil: Headache by Girl Scout was fabulous! But so was Nieve Ella's Watch it Ache and Bleed... and lots of others too! But I'll resist listing more.
Adam: Sunflower Thieves - Same Blood.
Matthew: Bombay Bicycle Club - Fantasies.
Karl: Time Is Forever by Holly Macve - while the five songs that make up this EP would go on to form the foundation of her also great 2024 album Wonderland, as a short-player it is just flawless. Five outstanding tracks including an excellent feature from Lana Del Rey on 'Suburban House' too.
Andrew: NeverBeenTheSame. by ROMderful. I came across this artist through another Birmingham artist SIPHO. who publicised his song on the EP. After enjoying the single they collaborated on, I looked more into ROMderful and saw that he used the majority of the year releasing a different EP each month with different styles accounted for. NeverBeenTheSame. was his rock EP and narrowly beat istheskythelimit? - ROMderful's drum 'n' bass effort in his own battle of the EPs. An artist I was really pleased to discover this year.
VERDICT: Bombay Bicycle Club - Fantasies
5-9: Which was the best song in 2024? Three picks allowed.
'Need Me Now' by Hannah Grae was one of Phil's top 3 tracks of the year
Phil: 'Almost' by Beren Olivia, 'Need Me Now' by Hannah Grae and 'Lucy Takes a Picture' by Youth Lagoon.
Adam: Home Counties - 'Uptight', Fontaines D.C. - 'Favourite', Geordie Greep - 'Holy, Holy'.
Matthew: Fontaines D.C. - 'Favourite', DIIV - 'Brown Paper Bag', Amyl & the Sniffers - 'Chewing Gum'.
Karl: 'Messy' by Lola Young, 'Starburster' by Fontaines D.C., 'V.' by Hayden Thorpe.
Andrew: 'Take My Eyes' by Orion Sun, 'If Only' by The Miserable Rich and 'Chewing Gum' by Amyl and the Sniffers.
Gemma: 'Alma' by Kaeto, 'Tired Boy' by Sunday (1994) and 'Asphalt' by Molly Payton.
VERDICT: 1. Fontaines D.C. - 'Favourite'; 2. Amyl and the Sniffers - 'Chewing Gum'; 3. Geordie Greep - 'Holy Holy'.
All these songs have been added or moved to the top of our roundtable monthly playlist, which you can listen to below:
5-9: What was the best live performance you saw in 2024?
Jungle provided Adam with his best gig experience of the year (photo credit: Jon Vasquez)
Adam: Jungle at The O2, London.
Matthew: Wunderhorse at Glasgow Barrowlands in October.
Karl: Enter Shikari at Nottingham Arena - not just the best show I've ever seen from them, from the near perfect setlist to the mind-blowing production, but also the first arena tour to introduce the £1 ticket levy helping to fund the Music Venue Trust. A scheme that has now been picked up by the likes of Coldplay, Katy Perry, Sam Fender and more, which will hopefully help secure the future of the amazing grassroots venues in the UK going forward.
Andrew: CMAT's early evening set at End of the Road Festival. Pure theatre - and one which left me with a huge grin - the mark of a great show.
Gemma: Wunderhorse at Rock City in Nottingham.
Phil: SPRINTS at The Bodega, Nottingham on 13 April.
VERDICT: Wunderhorse
5-9: What was the best music moment in 2024?
The Cure returning with Songs of a Lost World was Matthew's music highlight of 2024
Matthew: The whole The Cure comeback album. Everything about it felt special where bands of that reputation have let us down before. Getting to see LCD Soundsystem was very special, already going down as one of my favourite gigs of all time.
Karl: Brat Summer - seeing Charli finally get her flowers and become the giant popstar she has long deserved to be has been truly special.
Andrew: Oasis's return, purely to be a fly on the wall viewing the circus from the outside and seeing just how massive it is to so many people.
Adam: Jungle performing 'Casio' at said London show.
VERDICT: The Cure's return
5-9: What was the worst music moment in 2024?
The lack of a crowd for SZA's headline performance at Glastonbury was Karl's lowlight of 2024
Karl: SZA at Glastonbury. As someone who is a fan of SZA's music, seeing her put in that position where she was seemingly destined to fail was a shame. Based on the crowds and performances over the weekend, it really should have been Little Simz or Avril Lavigne in that slot. Generally seemed to be a bit of a theme of big festival audiences not quite knowing their audience in 2024, as I experienced the overcrowding at Download for Busted!
Andrew: Excitement for Linkin Park's return very quickly turned into unease about the whole venture considering the backlash to the new choice of singer from a variety of sources including Chester Bennington's son. Considering the privileged position the band has in sourcing a replacement for Chester, the whole episode seemed easily avoidable and clouded what should have been a fantastic moment this year.
Adam: Seeing the sculpture of a naked Matty Healy when seeing The 1975 back in February.
Matthew: The Oasis ticket fiasco was a massive let down and completely ruined the high of their comeback announcement.
VERDICT: Naked Matty Healy
5-9: Who was the best new artist to emerge in 2024?
SPRINTS: Andrew's pick for best new artist in 2024
Andrew: I wasn't aware of SPRINTS before this year but you couldn't move for the positive reviews of their debut Letter to Self in January. On inspection, the hype seemed a little OTT but the album stuck with me all year and their electric live show at End of the Road Festival cemented their position as one of the best new bands this year.
Gemma: Molly Payton.
Adam: better joy.
Phil: Bottlemoth.
Matthew: Fat Dog.
Karl: Kneecap, for the reasons mentioned above.
VERDICT: Molly Payton
5-9: And lastly, who is the best artist in the world right now?
Charli XCX is the best artist in the world right now, according to Gemma
Gemma: Charli XCX.
Adam: Queens of the Stone Age.
Phil: This must be the hardest question you've ever asked! I'd have to say Taylor Swift, given the amount of good music she's written and how she managed to pull off all those huge shows yet remaining energised and positive. I'm not sure anyone else currently on the scene could possibly have done that.
Matthew: The Cure.
Karl: Fontaines D.C. - a near faultless discography and a powerful live force. A band that keeps going from strength to strength.
Andrew: So many different ways you can approach this. Wolf Alice are up there based on their output over the last 10 years and I also would put Queens of the Stone Age right up there, along with the likes of Metallica, but Biffy Clyro just shade it for me. 'Mon the Biff!
VERDICT: A score draw between Taylor and Charli!
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This concludes the 'awards' part of our round-up. Now, for something a bit more general on 2024...
5-9: How would you sum up 2024 in one sentence.
Adam: A lot of crazy decisions and further proof that celebrities and the rich can get away with anything.
Phil: Rightful rise of the pop goddesses.
Karl: Romance Is A Place and Everything Is Romantic.
Andrew: Ever madder, ever more baffling, but so much good too.
Gemma: The standout of 2024 for me is that I think the gigs have been extraordinary - I went to 36 in total.
5-9: Who was your hero of the year?
Karl: Charli XCX.
Matthew: Robert Smith.
5-9: And your villain of the year?
Andrew: Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Every news story seems to build an unflattering reputation as a reverse Robin Hood figure, penny pinching from the lowest earners at Man United in a bid to focus efforts on restoring the club to the standing it had under Sir Alex Ferguson. The below tweet sums up his public persona perfectly...
Adam: Taylor Swift.
Matthew: Too many to mention but in the spirit of goodwill, I’ll leave this one blank!
5-9: Film of the year?
Adam's film of the year
Adam: Deadpool v Wolverine.
Matthew: The Holdovers.
Karl: Kneecap biopic - already a fan off the debut but seeing the band's story brought a whole new appreciation for their music. Big credit for playing themselves in the film too!
5-9: TV series of the year?
Unanimous choice: Matthew's and Adam's TV pick from 2024
Matthew: Baby Reindeer.
Adam: Baby Reindeer.
5-9: Podcast of the year?
Karl: 5-9's Album of the Month of course! But also The View From The Afternoon by TPD TV.
Andrew: I of course echo Karl's sentiments on 5-9's Album of the Month podcast! Besides that, Fighting Talk continues to be a great listen.
Adam: Off Menu.
Matthew: Football Ramble, Heart & Hand and This Is Entertainment.
5-9: What was the best book you read in 2024?
Andrew's most enjoyable read in 2024
Andrew: I was lucky enough to read some great books in 2024. On the fiction side, The Bee Sting and Butter were compelling reads, as was A Season in Verona on the non-fiction side of things. Non-fiction tends to be my favourite though and there have been some great historical reads in recent years, with my reading this year of Tunnel 29 proof of that. It covers the story of those who built tunnels to help people escape the oppression of East Germany for a new life in West Germany after the construction of the Berlin Wall. Risking their lives, this is an amazing account of scarcely believable tales from our recent past. I wholeheartedly recommend it!
Gemma: I discovered the Dorset Crime Series this year - as someone who loves a thriller and also goes on holiday to Dorset a lot, they’re brilliant.
Adam: Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang.
Matthew: Overpaid, Oversexed and Over There: How a Few Skinny Brits with Bad Teeth Rocked America by David Hepworth.
Karl: Ness by Robert MacFarlane - really highlighted the incredible alchemy with which Hayden took the source material to create the songs on that album.
5-9: What was the best sporting moment of 2024?
Gemma: Carlos Alcaraz winning Wimbledon.
Adam: Southampton getting their first win of the season.
Matthew: In the absence of the football team doing much at Euro 24, Scotland beating England at Murrayfield for a fourth successive Calcutta Cup victory was as remarkable as it was surprising!
Karl: Ollie Watkins sending England to another Euros Final in the last minute vs Netherlands.
Andrew: Fully agree with Karl's response above!
5-9: What was the most memorable sporting moment of 2024?
Adam: Cameron Archer scoring a goal vs. Liverpool in the Carabao Cup quarter final.
Matthew: I have nothing against England, the English or the English football team but scraping their way to a Euro final (avoiding the “tough” side of the draw in the process) and then winning it would’ve been too much to bear for me, a supporter of the Scottish national team. It would’ve been rubbed in our faces big time. So, it was nothing personal, but Spain winning the tournament had to happen - and thankfully did. Sorry!
Karl: As above (not Matthew's answer but the Ollie Watkins answer to the previous question)!
Andrew: The defining moments of Leeds's Championship Play-Off Final defeat to Adam's lot are sadly all too clear in my mind, however, to pick a more positive - or disaster-averting - option, I will go for Jude Bellingham's overhead kick against Slovakia which prevented an Iceland-style debacle befalling Southgate - and spearheaded an unlikely and frankly undeserved but hugely enjoyable path to the Euros final for England.
Gemma: F1 silly season in general this year has been memorable - so many rookies are on the grid for 2025! I won’t forget all of the changes to the grid that have been made this year in a long time.
Thanks for taking part in 5-9's end-of-year roundtable! Look forward to catching up next year!
To keep up to date with Gemma: @gemcockrell on X.
For Adam: @adamsoundsgood and @deadgoodblog on X.
For Phil: @MusicObserver1 on X and @music_observed on Instagram.
For Matthew: @matthewmclister on X.
For Karl: @newmusickarl on X and @karlblakesley on Instagram.
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