Featured image: Kaitlyn Brockley
Channelling the ultimate Riot Grrrl energy is Open Fly, famed for their chaotic live presence across the Manchester punk scene. Combining spoken word with baring barks, Open Fly fuses the creative songwriting of Sonic Youth with the sauntering swagger of L7 to create a sound that is dynamic, noisy, bold and fun. After grafting away at live shows, the band is ready to open the doors to the wider world of Open Fly, inviting others to join their sprawling technicolour world.
Spawned in the emerging Liverpool alternative scene, Rozemary combine spiky riffs with frontwoman Izabel Lavin’s guttural growls and soaring vocals. Citing Spiritbox and Heriot as influences, and notably named after the hit Deftones’ track, Rozemary combine the chaos with the calm and are steadily building a reputation amongst the metal community for their raucous live shows. With a slew of shows across the country and their upcoming slot at Liverpool’s No Play Festival 2025, the sky is surely the limit for the Merseyside metalcore quartet.
Now more than ever, the world needs punk music. Manchester trio Humongous Fungus firmly place their politics at the forefront of their music, frequently playing at fundraisers for LGBTQ+ youth and using their voice on social media platforms. Their technical prowess is unmistakable: lead guitarist and singer Willow Grieves crafts sludgy, meandering riffs over crooning vocals, backed by Selina Per, then tied together neatly in a bow by drummer Venus Lee. Now a fixture in Manchester’s blossoming punk scene, you’ll also catch singer Willow in goth-punk outfit Dierotica.
Labyrinthine Oceans craft sultry-sweet shoegaze that floats between tender and abrasive, creating a wall of noise reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Deftones. Spanning a multitude of genres from dream pop to grunge, their work is cinematic and sprawling, cultivating a world that is shrouded in nostalgia, but uniquely their own. However, it can also take a gritty path: the track ‘untitled’ harks back to early PJ Harvey – gravelly, ferocious and defiant.
One of the most exciting offerings from Leeds’ thriving hardcore scene, Love Rarely combine math-rock with screamo vocals to create work that is beautiful and ferocious at the same time. Standout track ‘Mould’ demonstrates this with vocals that melt into intricate guitars, before seemingly imploding into distorted growls and throbbing bass. After touring with UK metal royalty Loathe and Static Dress, and announcing their first headline show in their hometown, they look set to hit the big league and become a household name themselves.
Featured image and gallery: Jack Oliver After eight packed out performances across Europe Kaytranada arrives at Co-Op Live for his largest show on the European leg of his ‘Timeless Tour’. The 23,000 capacity venue is filled with excited fans who eagerly anticipate the start of the show after energetic performances from Pomo, Lou Phelps and…
Featured image: Olivia Taberner and Adomas Lukas Petrauskas From Arc’teryx raincoats to mud-clogged Salomons, we explore how outdoor garments have evolved from fashion trends to functional wear – bringing together communities of young men in the process. What began as a Patagonia jacket and a sunrise ambition soon turned into getting “battered at 3am by…
Featured image: Yas Lucia Mascarenhas and Adomas Lukas Petrauskas Manchester’s inner-city neighbourhood of Moss Side is often portrayed in the media as a dangerous area, plagued by knife crime and shootings. However, one resident and Manchester Met student – Baka Bah – believes this one-sided story doesn’t reflect the true spirit of his community. While…
Featured image: Molly Goble and Nicola Henry In the last five years, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people have risen by 112%, underscoring the critical need for safe, inclusive spaces where queer individuals can find a sense of belonging. Amid this crisis, Queer Lit has emerged as a sanctuary in the form of a literary refuge…
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