Richard Lewis

2 weeks ago | beardedmagazine.com | Richard Lewis

Ushered onstage by a succession of Motown classics, Berliners Bella And The Bizarre are kindred spirits with headliners Death Valley Girls, touting a modern take on garage rock. A jovial bunch despite their lyrical preoccupation with teen heartache a la The Shangri-la's : "This is another sad one, Yay!" goes the intro to one song, the troupe at points sound like a power pop re-imagining of the first Tycoon of Teen Phil Spector.

2 months ago | beardedmagazine.com | Richard Lewis

Their first release since 2019s Deep Dark Creep Love, lull is a highly welcome return from Japanese dream pop specialists Taffy. Following the upheavals of the pandemic, during which frontwoman Iris lost several loved ones, lull is understandably melancholy. The group's melodicism and skill at minor key pop remains reliably intact mind, guided by the singer's hallmark vocals.

2 months ago | beardedmagazine.com | Richard Lewis

A group deserving of a far larger audience and a stunning live act of many years standing Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains have resurfaced with eighth LP Âge Fleuve. Essentially multi-instrumentalist Frànçois Marry and a floating squad of friends and session musicians, the new set follows 2021s slightly muted Banane Bleue which had the feeling of clearing the decks of stray songs before setting out on the next project.

2 months ago | beardedmagazine.com | Richard Lewis

A few tube stops from their manor in Islington, Healthy Junkies rock up in Camden this evening for a headline set at the legendary Dingwalls. Playing the second room, a space which not unpleasantly feels like being sat inside a wood panelled boat, the ‘Junkies are a stalwart presence on the capital’s music scene. With a catalogue stretching to six albums – most recent Listen To the Mad was released last month – the outfit’s work rate is highly laudable.

2 months ago | beardedmagazine.com | Richard Lewis

A reassuringly solid, if not quite as longstanding a presence as the city's cathedral, The Horn, St. Albans has been a firm fixture on the gig circuit since the 1970s. More capacious than expected, the live room tucked behind the back of the bar, is full to the brim for venerable indie pop specialists The Primitives.