You And Me And The Mountain

Converge – Hum Of Hurt(Epitaph) When Massachusetts hardcore heroes Converge sat down to write new material in between tours, they ended up letting the metaphorical floodgates open. Sat on a wealth of new material, it became apparent to the band that they had written two separate albums. It was in February of this year that we heard the first fruits of this prolific burst of writing in the form…

Words: Andy Hughes What a week it was for the American alternative rock set from the 90s. Last week, I interviewed Jim Ward (Sparta / At the Drive-In) and Walter Schreifels (Quicksand / Gorilla Biscuits) for episodes of ‘60 Minutes or less’ (the Jim Ward episode is now live!) and on Friday night, I was in town for a live re-appearance from Bob Mould, David Barbe and Malcolm Travis of…

Words: Andy Hughes Welcome to ’60 Minutes or less’ – a podcast from Birthday Cake For Breakfast – where for episode 63, it’s a thrill to feature an interview with Jim Ward of Sparta and At the Drive-In! A native of El Paso, Texas, Ward co-founded cult American post-hardcore band At the Drive-In and during his tenure, released a trio of studio albums and several EPs to much acclaim, before the…

Words: Ben Forrester Basement – WIRED(Run For Cover) It’s been quite a wild ride for British emo punks Basement. Going straight to cult status on their first two albums, they took a break, came back, signed to a major label, made two more records and for the past eight years have been casually touring around arenas supporting big names, as well as holding their own in the big rooms for their…

Words: Ben Forrester On the quiet, Boards of Canada have slowly become one of the most influential electronic acts to grace the planet. Across a 40-year career, the Scottish duo have inspired generations of budding electro wiz’s, and it’s been interesting to watch younger listeners get excited at new music. ‘Inferno’ marks the pairs first album in 13 years and arrives as somewhat of a surprise,…

Words: Ben Forrester I’d been playing gig bingo with myself pretty much all night. Even when trying to remember how to walk to the Apollo, I simply followed the bald dudes seemingly in their late 40s in old school Adidas wear. Tonight we’re getting nostalgic, as Wales premier psych pop heroes Super Furry Animals play a sold out show at the legendary Manchester venue as part of their first UK…

Words: Andy Hughes Welcome to ’60 Minutes or less’ – a podcast from Birthday Cake For Breakfast – where for episode 62, it’s a real treat to feature an interview with Evan Cartwright and Ben Stidworthy, two thirds of Canadian post-punkers COLA. With guitarist and vocalist Tim Darcy completing the trio, COLA brings together players from Ought and U.S. Girls and they’ve got chops in abundance.…

Words: Andy Hughes We do love a good in-store at Birthday Cake For Breakfast, and I’ve been to my fair share of ‘out-store’ events in my time too – more intimate affairs than your usual gigs, with a band or artist playing a smaller room than they’re perhaps used to, usually put on by record stores to mark the release of a new album. Off the back of releasing new album ‘Nothing’s About to Happen…

Words: Andy Hughes I love discovering a new band and being swept up in the hype. We’ve all been hypnotised this year by intergalactic math-rockers Angine De Poitrine, who’ve let their freak flags fly and become an international sensation in the process. It’s even more exciting to discover an artist or a band and then see them live within the very same week, sometimes days later, as has been the…

Words: Andy Hughes I realised the other day that I’m easily swayed. Having been persuaded not to buy a certain glass of wine by a sommelier (I know – imagine that), my partner backed me up to the merchant, confirming that I do in fact like a robust glass of red (is this lad in his mid-30s or what?!) It was a fantastic glass of wine, but it could’ve gone either way. Similarly (though not quite as…

Words: Ben Forrester American Football – LP4(Polyvinyl) There’s been a few reunions now that really seem to have taken on new life the second time around. It’s clear that emo Daddies American Football have had a lot of fun exploring their sound decades after their initial one-and-done debut. Having had two beautiful comeback records out within the last decade, I think a lot of American Football…

Words: Andy Hughes  Welcome to ’60 Minutes or less’ – a podcast from Birthday Cake For Breakfast – where for episode 61, I’m tickled pink to feature an interview with Éliane Viens and Félix Bélisle of Canadian art-punks, La Sécurité! A head-spinning art-punk collective based out of Montreal, La Sécurité first caught my attention with the release of a couple of knock out singles in 2024. Wonky…

Words: Ben Forrester I’m back in Manchester for the second Wednesday in a row checking out more underground rock shows. This week I’m mainly here to see Halifax’s finest Wot Gorilla? as they play main support on a short run of UK dates for Dublin’s premiere math rock duo, Bicurious. I’ve followed Wot Gorilla? since my Uni days back in 2009 and they have always remained one of the most mind…

Words: Ben Forrester Back in March of 2018, I found myself in a tiny broom cupboard of a venue in Bristol, getting my ears pummelled by the cities very own Sugar Horse. A new name to me at the time, it’s been really cool to see this band go from mid-bill on the DIY show, to headlining considerably bigger rooms on their own UK tour. If that wasn’t enough, the band have just released their – quite…

Words: Ben Forrester Pictish Trail – Life Slime(Lost Map / Fire Records) Initially released on vinyl for fans late last year, Scottish folktronica maverick Pictish Trail finally unleashes his latest album ‘Life Slime’ to the world. Having grabbed an early copy of the album, I must say it is lovely to have the full record in a more portable format. Having made my favourite album of 2022 with…

Words: Andy Hughes Welcome to ’60 Minutes or less’ – a podcast from Birthday Cake For Breakfast – where to mark the big 6-0, for this episode I’m delighted to feature an interview with Scottish singer songwriter Steve Mason, him up front in The Beta Band! Vocalist and a founding member of The Beta Band, Mason is also a critically acclaimed solo artist in his own right, having released five…

Words: Andy Hughes “No Wave, No Future, no point, no shoes on the carpet.“ On ‘NO‘ – from the second studio album by noise-rock heads MACHINE MAFIA – the band describe vocalist Adam Stone as being in “typical neggy mode“, having explored elsewhere on the record themes such as the sanctity of personal freedom, finding comfort in boredom and “supernatural motorcycle-riding anti-heroes with…