Grace Jones, Halifax Piece Hall, June 22nd 2024 (LIVE REVIEW)

Pull up to the bumper baby, it's Grace Jones

Ten years ago I experienced something of an epiphany at the opening day of Skipton’s much missed Beacons music festival. Whilst enjoying a beer in the Friday afternoon sunshine, the DJ in the bar suddenly played Grace Jones' signature track ‘Pull Up to the Bumper’, me quickly realising I’d obviously never listened to it properly and what a truly brilliant record it was. Jones’ quintessential deadpan Caribbean disco fused with New York arthouse punk funk propelled by the Sly & Robbie rhythm section to thrilling effect, arguably picking up where Jimi Hendrix ‘Crosstown Traffic’ left off.

Plus One's Artist in Focus: Hello Mary

New York-based indie-rock trio release 90's noise-inspired single 0%

Photo credit: Cooper Winterson

Hello Mary (Helena Straight, Stella Wave and Mikaela Oppenheimer) have released a new stand alone single '0%' which brings to the fore all the favourable sounds of the alternative nineties. The single is heavy with distorted guitars, crunching low end bass and desperately frustrated screams, sparring with shoegaze-dripped melody and they wrap it all up in under three minutes. 

Air 'Moon Safari - Live'. Royal Albert Hall, London, May 31st 2024

Something in the Air tonight, at The Royal Albert Hall

Sounding like the members of Electric Light Orchestra were kidnapped, thrown into the back of a Citroen 2CV van, driven (slowly) to Paris before ram raiding the local branch of Tandy, French duo AIR’s timeless debut long player ‘Moon Safari’ is still arguably THE definitive Sunday morning album, effortlessly granting the listener a forty-odd minute intergalactic interlude away from their weekly grind.