Sitting somewhere between peak-output Osees and 'Definitely Maybe' era Oasis is not exactly a bad place to be with your first EP, and that's exactly where Brighton band Oral Habit sit with 'Garage Frock!'.

You'll find 10 minutes of your time well spent listening to the four tracks on Garage Frock!. The EP title track opener and 'Sauerkraut' blend garage and psych rock with beautifully gritty guitar/feedback that clearly take inspiration from Osees without having to sound exactly like them, which seems to be a trend with a few other bands right now.

'I'm Free' and 'The Coast' take inspiration from that early (golden) era Oasis but again retain their own identity perfectly. The former a jangly romp, the latter a slow burner heavy at the finish.       

'I wanted to create a piece of work where the tracks could exist in a similar space to one another, getting a balance or our live sound while introducing instruments from out of our comfort zone' says lead singer Charlie of the EP. 'Creating Garage Frock! helped form us as a band, shedding a new skin to move onto our next endeavour'. 

The EP will have a vinyl and cassette release via Manchester label Sour Grapes, followed by a tour in September, finishing up at the Shacklewell Arms, where I will be, cheering them on. That gig also features Hot Face and its free on Dice. 

9 Sept: Brighton/Hope and Ruin
10 Sept: Guildford/Boileroom
11 Sept: Northampton/Lab
14 Sept: Reading/Purple Turtle
16 Sept: Falmouth/Chintz
18 Sept: Glasgow/Nice N' Sleazy's
19 Sept: Manchester/Big Hands Bar
27 Sept: London/Shacklewell Arms

When I first saw an advert for Forever Now, I really thought it had to be a festival of alternative 80s cover bands.

The line-up was for someone like me, who lived through the 80s as a teenager, quite incredible. Death Cult, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The The and Johnny Marr were all heroes of mine growing up, and here they were, bought together at the same festival, 30 minutes-drive from my house. Incredible. The inclusion of The Damned, Happy Mondays and Kraftwerk just made the whole things seem even more fantastical.  

And it was an amazing day. Hearing Johnny Marr (who has really worked on his vocals, sounding great on the day) was the first of many highlights. Kicking off with 'Panic' and ending with a beautiful version of 'There is a Light That Never Goes Out', Marr and his band were brilliant throughout, properly bringing lumps to throats with that closer and an achingly beautiful version of 'Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want'. 

Marr reappeared a couple of hours later for the next big highlight of the day, The The, joining Matt Johnson and his bandmates for 'The Beat(en) Generation. It was the first time they had played together since 1990 and it was a wonderful moment, but in fairness, so was the entire set. Johnson inevitably got the poignant 'Armageddon Days' and 'Sweet Bird of Truth' in early, reminding us that the dire situation in the Middle East hasn't exactly moved on a lot in 30-odd years, but didn't dwell on the politics too much, instead swiftly delivering a series of highlights from his brilliant career. This included 'Icing Up' from his first album 'Burning Blue Soul' as well as more obvious standouts like 'This is the Day', Uncertain Smile, Slow Emotion Replay and Infected. It was exceptional. 

Amidst all this, Billy Idol delivered pure entertainment, PIL and Psychedelic Furs were OK and what I heard of the Jesus and Mary Chain was top quality, although some issues on 'the other stage' meant that their set and the Damned's ended up being a lot shorter than expected and behind schedule.        

The headliner choice was a toughie: Kraftwerk or Death Cult. For me though it was Death Cult all the way. I never got the chance to see the original Death Cult, or the Cult at the time of Dreamtime, so this was something special. And my word, did they deliver. They belted out Resurrection Joe, Moya, 83rd Dream, Horse Nation, Dreamtime, Spiritwalker, She Sells Sanctuary and more and it was magical. You'd never believe Ian Astbury was 63 given the way he bounced around the stage, and it was clear that he was reveling in the occasion. 

And then it was all over. One can only hope that this was an inaugural event, returning bigger and better next year. Hat's off to the organiser's - you made a lot of people very happy.

By Jon Milton

I've been looking forward to hearing this debut album from Moreish Idols. From the moment they released their first EP 'Float' in 2023 I always felt their music would be suited the long player format, and thankfully their debut album 'All In The Game' lives up to that promise. 

It's their style of songwriting that does it for me. Each track is beautifully crafted and multi-faceted, carrying a wonderful amount of depth that offers more on each new listen. They weave in their influences subtly, encouraging the mind to wander to consider where their inspiration may have come from. 

The shimmering guitars on album opener 'Ambergrin' for example, remind me of something off the first House of Love album. Railway feels very Steve Reich. The rolling saxophone of the title track I can't quite pinpoint, but the vocal weirdly feels like it's come from an episode of the Mighty Boosh. Pale Blue Dot has a vocal that could well be on a track by Sorry. 

It's all rather wonderful though, an excellent debut indeed. I can't help but think that there's more to come too. They feel like the sort of band that will continue to mature and develop their songwriting in the search for perfection. And while 'All In The Game' isn't quite perfect, it's not a million miles off.  

By Jon Milton

This album will be up there as one of the best, if not the best of 2025. 

It's taken me a while to write this review, but let's face it, it's taken Avalanche Party a while to get this record out, so my tardiness is very much in keeping.

The band released their wonderful debut album '24 Carat Diamond Trephine' at the end of 2019 and seemed to have all the momentum in the world behind them. Then lockdown hit, the music press moved onto their next flavour of the month, seemingly leaving this lot well behind.

2021 saw them release the excellent 'Dream Johnny Dream' single and then they went quiet again. 'Serious Dance Music snuck out pretty much unannounced in early 2023, but took 15 months before 'Collateral Damage' followed it, and only then did they start the drip feed process of tracks every couple of months or so.

Lucky then that the album is worth the wait. The album starts at a canter with the incendiary 'John Coltrane's Moscow Skyscraper' and doesn't really slow down over the next three crackers until the anthemic 'Ecstasy' kicks in. 'Serious Dance Music' and 'The Noise Between Us' pick up the pace again before the glammy stomp of 'Slinky' and the dramatic tones of 'Chainz' kick in, sandwiched between the equally pacy album closers 'Target' and 'Collateral Damage'. 

'Der Traum Uber Alles' is an energetic and exciting album throughout, propelled by its spongy drums, driving basslines, shimmering guitars and charismatic vocals, the latter veering into Radiohead and Muse territory at times. It's best enjoyed in a single sitting and turned up loud, when you're looking for some music to wake you up and get you going. They may have taken their time, but 'Der Traum Uber Alles' is all the better for it. Class.