strand

For over half a century, Channel One Sound System has carried the fire of the Caribbean sound system movement: reviving dub and reggae whilst passing the culture's communal spirit onto new generations.

Photo by Steve Gullick courtesy of After Hours PR My Thursday evening during reading week was not spent reading, but rather spent following The Wytches around on the final night of their UK tour at The Dome . As this was my first interview with Strand’s Music column and the Northern line was predictably unpredictable, my solo journey to Tufnell Park was undeniably chaotic. Between frantic texts to co-editor Mahak about my ETA, I received a casual message from the band’s mana

A conversation with Isis (guitar/vocals) and Jonty (bass) from British Indie band 'Lemondaze'

Carol Wheeler by Normski Before the bright lights of television and the desks of London’s underground parties, Normski was already capturing culture in motion. Born Norman Anderson and raised in a Jamaican household in North London, he built his first darkroom at twelve years old, teaching himself to develop film before most kids his age had even picked up a camera. Music and photography became his parallel callings. From early days at the London Rock Shop in Chalk Farm to be

Image courtesy of Raph_PH under CC-BY-4.0 via Creative Commons Sabrina Carpenter's seventh studio album, Man's Best Friend, had a highly anticipated release following the roaring success of her previous record, Short n' Sweet . However, the singer faced a barrage of backlash after revealing the cover art of her newly announced record in which she stood on her hands and knees whilst a faceless suited man pulled at her hair. While some critics deemed the cover politically tone

A review of Luvcat's debut album, Vicious Delicious.

A live review of British New Wave icons, The Psychedelic Furs, performing their 2025 London tour date.

Photo by Joy Gansh  Dundee-born artist Theo Bleak, the musical project of Katie Lynch, makes music that sits somewhere between dream and confession – a blend of alt rock, and folk that feels both nostalgic and quietly devastating. Her lyrics unfold like journal entries, delicate but unflinching, and her world, built through music, visuals and writing, is one of beauty, melancholy, and refreshing honesty.  With over 36,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, Theo Bleak’s music has f

Photo by Zinna Mac-Eochaidh In the middle of lockdown, when the world was confined to screens and group chats, Haloplus+ began to take shape. The Copenhagen trio – Isa Nam Sook, Joakim Wei Bernild, and Stine Victoria Pedersen – started trading demos over messages, their early sketches unfolding like digital conversations between friends. That sense of exchange never left; it remains at the core of what Haloplus+ do. Whether it’s a song, a piece of merch, or a live event, ever

Photo by Johanna Hvidtved  Copenhagen-based duo A Good Year, formed by Albert Hildebrand and Tobias Laust, is reshaping the edges of Denmark’s alternative scene with their blend of cinematic textures and understated pop. Their sound drifts somewhere between ambient pop, cinematic electronica, and textures songwriting – music that feels as visual as it does melodic. After releasing their soundtrack album Sofina  in 2024, a project that began as a soundtrack to one of their own