Music

Australian singer-songwriter Emily Barker is in town on Wednesday, playing the Borderline in support of her latest release Sweet Kind Of Blue. She has penned and performed theme songs for BAFTA and Ivor Novello winning television dramas Wallander (starring Kenneth Branagh) and The Shadow Line, and for the movie The Keeping Room, as well as an entire musical score for the poignant and well-received 2015 road movie, Hector, starring Peter Mullan. How would you describe the experience of recording Sweet...

In any other situation a Twitter feud between two men trading insults about being "old" or "short and fat" would take pride of place in the basin of social media banality, but when the two people concerned are sitting on a nuclear arsenal and a combined army of over a million active personnel one starts to worry for the future of civilisation. Yet such is the state of the world that as 2017 grinds to an end we are forced to watch...

Tracks and Treats my Halloween fiends! A belated BOO to you. If you've taken off your suspiciously pongy latex costume, removed the dodgy face paint and tucked into your candy haul (besides the squashy eggs, of course) you're probably ready for our BLOODY good October playlist. Talking of dodgy latex, St. Vincent is back with MASSEDUCTION, and it's all pink and sizzly-sounding and generally excellent, as you might expect at this point from the font of talent that is Annie...

The iconic Aston Martin which Sir Paul McCartney owned at the height of The Beatles’ success is set to sell for a staggering £1.5 MILLION. McCartney was just 22 when he bought the Aston Martin DB5 in 1964. He was part of the biggest pop group the world had ever seen and had just finished filming A Hard Day's Night. Paul McCartney’s old Aston Martin which he owned at the height of The Beatles’ success is set to sell for...

Power pop foursome Alvarez Kings are blasting through town in support of San Diego rockers Switchfoot at London’s O2 Forum on October 31st. Just ahead of what is likely to be a killer set, brothers Paul and Simon Thompson were kind enough to have a chat with TLE to catch us up with what's going on with Alvarez Kings. Turn's out things are pretty sweet with the South Yorkshire lads, with their first LP in the can and a slew...

26.10.17 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London Support: Slothrust Atlanta indie rockers Manchester Orchestra played Shepherd's Bush Empire last night, and TLE were there to capture the action. Opening with choice cuts from latest album A Black Mile to the Surface, Andy Hull and co put on an intense performance. Check out our gallery of the night below. Photos: Grant Bailey

I've deliberately left the first two names you'd think of off this list. Spinal Tap and The Blues Brothers are, of course, the gold standard of movie bands, but they seemed such obvious picks that I wanted to use those two slots for other bands. Josie and the Pussycats: Josie and the Pussycats Josie and the Pussycats have had several different incarnations, in comics, animation and now on Netflix's Riverdale, but it's the version from the criminally underrated 2001 film...

17.10.17 Village Underground, London Support: Klein Liverpool's Forest Swords swung through the capital last week to deliver an atmospheric wave of experimental electronic. The caverns of the Village Underground were illuminated by Matthew Barnes' searing projections, as two planes of light cut through the gloom, silhouetting the figures on stage. Visually moody and sonically jarring, Barnes' work on 2017's Compassion twinkles particularly brightly tonight.   Photos: Grant Bailey

Glasgow firebrand four piece Catholic Action are back and their having a chat. The Scottish revivalists are releasing their new album In Memory Of later this month. . In Memory Of is the sound of a band in total control of their sound. Combining a youthful energy with the innate pop songwriting prowess of Chris McCrory, the album shines with a rarely seen confidence. Despite having nods toward guitar pop from the past and present, the album has its gaze truly fixed in the...