Mick Birchall Reviews

There are so many bands that I find interesting for a variety of reasons. Maybe it’s how they sound, maybe it’s how they market themselves, maybe it’s just their personalities. For me, I feel like a band that I’ve always loved and found just fascinating is The Naked and Famous . The electronic indie rock back from Aukland in New Zealand first caught my attention with their 2010 debut album Passive Me, Aggressive You . Ever since they have always been on my radar as a band to look out for. Their music is always so powerful, emotional and well composed that I always end up putting their albums on my year-end best-of lists. “So, they’ve released a new album this year?” you’re asking me. Yes, indeed they have. They released the album Recover in July and I have been loving it so much. However, instead of just talking about the new album, I thought it would be fun to take a journey through all of their studio album releases. That way you get a good look at their music and everything this ba...

Photo by Ronan McGrade Where do you think your passion for music came from? Hard to know, but I got the bug young and that was it. My parents always listened to a lot of music and my brother who plays in the band with me paved the way by learning guitar. That’s probably why I started out as a drummer, so we could start a band. What is your method for coming up with new songs? I usually get a notion for a song first. A melody, a chorus, a line, sometimes just a word will fall from the sky without warning and you have to stop and take note, then I carry it around for a while until one day I’m sitting with a guitar and the rest comes together. Usually quite quickly. I have a theory that the longer a song takes to write, the longer it takes the listener to get it, so I don’t struggle for it. The best ones come in a flash. If it isn’t working I forget about it, put it back in my pocket and keep it with me a while longer, sometimes years, until the time is right. What are your plan...

So, I seemed to have talked about The Outlaw Orchestra a lot. That's because I positively fell in love with their sound from the first moments I have their music. They've taken two of my favourite genres, rock 'n' roll and bluegrass, and blended them together into a fantastic musical stew that can be enjoyed by anyone. I've also had the great pleasure of seeing them live a few times now and, let me tell you, they are nothing short of brilliant. Bringing all their great tunes and serving it up with fantastic showmanship and stage presence. Simply put they are one of the best underground rock bands going around in the UK today. I ain't just saying that I genuinely feel that way. So, I have had the opportunity to take an early listen to their new upcoming album Pantomime Villains . It's an amalgamation of some of their most popular songs that they play at gigs and given the full-on studio treatment. So a very enjoyable listen for those who have gone to thei...

I remember first discovering Ashley McBryde and being absolutely floored by this woman. Her album Girl Going Nowhere was simply sensational and filled with stellar songwriting and well-performed production. I then had the opportunity to see her live in concert at, Country 2 Country Festival in Dublin and again she just left me with my jaw on the floor. She is everything I want in a performer. Confident, commanding and fun. So, when I heard she was releasing her follow up this year I knew it was something I had to listen to. Her latest release Never Will is another strong record with more of that good old southern charm that made me enjoy her music in the first place.  Right from the word go, this album really hits you in the feel. Ashley is a fantastic songwriter and storyteller. She adds just enough detail into her lyrics to help you imagine the scenarios that she is depicting and sings with enough conviction to get you in the right emotional mindset of the characters in h...