“There’s something that’s in there; I can’t play it, I can’t put it into words, I can’t even sing it, but it’s in there”

Phedra Broch writes about what we can expect from A.I.M 2020 applicant, Sonny Baker Royle

Contributors Reece Ritchie and Matthew Wilders deliver a joint review of the punks band PUPs’s show at Manchester Academy 2, giving their views of PUP and the supports, Fresh and Slotface

Writer Reece Ritchie sits down with Manchester punk duo Slap Rash and Leeds based Hamer to discuss Manchester, the scene and all things punk

Taking place below the streets of the city, the event was a timely comment on society in Britain today, perfectly encapsulating the dissatisfied, determined and defiant outlook of today’s youth

George Walker argues that Slowthai encapsulates the vast majority of a disaffected youth better than many who’ve tried before him

Deputy Music Editor Lily Martin reviews and meets Yorkshire band Children of the State at Jimmy’s Liverpool

Scottish indie wonders The Twilight Sad deliver an emotive performance to a diverse and energetic crowd, writes Cameron Taylor

“If anything, we stand for narcissism and selfishness.”

Throughout, this EP sets the terms. The music pulls you this way and that at will, dragging you from chorus to verse and back again before you’ve had time to realise which way is up

Georgina Davidson chats to Glasgow-based band Walt Disco about their recent UK tour

Writer Archie McLachlan reviews King Nun’s jarring and jagged debut album

Writer Kerry reviews Ezra Furman’s performance at the Albert Hall in which she performed punk influenced hits with an attitude to match

Cameron Taylor caught DZ Deathrays at Manchester’s YES, for a lively but ultimately disappointing show

Alexander Cresswell explores whether the musical golden age of Manchester is a thing of the past, or still yet to be reached

A Certain Ratio celebrated their 40th anniversary with a two-day festival at Manchester’s coolest venue, YES

They’re alternative, melodic and steadily gaining traction. Brighton quartet, YONAKA lie just at the forefront of a new movement that defies genre, writes Georgina Davidson.

Zene Davine, lead singer of glam punk group Queen Zee, talks politics, being a transwoman and the DIY production of their self-titled debut