Entertainment

Reading quarter Echoic are putting the finishing touches on Testify, their debut EP, set for release on 23rd October. If lead single 'Burn' is anything to go by their release will be a soaring slice of wonky alt-rock. Check it out. Echoic are also heading out on tour in support of Testify this Autumn. Dates below.                  

London duo Pertini have released a video for their debut single ‘Blackfriars Bridge’, directed by SXSW Film Award winner Marko Anstice. Check it out below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoIMVnOplEU It all comes together like an unsettling dream, the disjointed stop-motion and repetition creating an uneasy atmosphere to complement Pertini's lo-fi electro. The track, produced by Marc Pell from Micachu and the Shapes, is released digitally on Friday August 14th.

By Kane Power (@El Heavio) The new album ‘Smoke’, from York based band The Bastard Sons, starts exactly how you should start a rock n roll record; minimal intro, a rockin’ guitar riff and some spell-it-out gang chants to rival late 90’s thug-core legends Skarhead. Add some high-range screams á la The Bronx and you’ve got yourself one hell of an opening track. I was so encouraged by this song, emphatically titled ‘The Bastard’, that it took the next two...

By Declan Roberts (@DeclanMR) Unlike 2012’s Given To The Wild - a beautiful sun-kissed rock opera - The Maccabees fourth effort is a step into sublime noise. Recorded in their beloved Elephant and Castle studio, Marks To Prove It is a ‘whole’ record, an album designed to be listened to from start to finish with a complete narrative. They kick off in unabashed fashion with the title track, a stop-start rollercoaster that’ll have you head banging like a Maccabee-loving-puppet. ‘Kamakura’...

By Myles Longfield (@myleslongfield) This year, the UK will play host to some of the biggest sporting events in the world. Athletes will come from all over the globe to play at tournaments like Wimbledon, the Ashes and the Rugby World Cup. Those living in London will get to see most of this action, given the capital’s world-class stadia and infrastructure. It’s a win-win situation for everyone as Londoners get to see top-level sport that those living in most other towns...

Guttural gospel-punk guardians Algiers are preparing for a European tour this August. The band will play two London shows, the intimate Waiting Room on 18th August and the Scala on the 19th in support of Canadian post-punks Viet Cong. Check out a taste of what to expect below with Algiers' Deezer live session. Algiers European Tour 09/08 - Poland, Katowice, OFF Festival 12/08 - Germany, Berlin, Sommerloft Festival, About Blank 14/08 - France, St Malo, La Route du Rock Festival 18/08 - UK,...

London is currently home to almost two-thirds of all artists’ studios in the UK, mainly concentrated in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, according to the most recent numbers compiled in the 2010 Cultural Metropolis report. But for how long? In the midst of all the desperate land grabbing and selling, and the apartment blocks being thrown up hastily all around us – eloquently described as “the city that ate itself” just last month by Rowan Moore - London’s artists are being...

By Julia Prigmore (@JuliaPrigmore) New Yorker Sunny Ozell shines the light on some hidden treasures in her debut album ‘Take It With Me’, adding her own jazz-infused touch to a handful of carefully selected tracks from a bygone era. Originally from Nevada, Ozell’s musical interests started at four when she took up the violin, beginning classical vocal training at the tender age of ten. With over a decade of experience performing live in the Big Apple, Take it With Me...

Europe’s leading photo printing website, Albelli, has teamed up with us here The London Economic to offer one lucky winner the chance to win a personalised canvas print and three runners up the chance to win a personalised mobile phone case (£19.95). Albelli’s canvas prints display your chosen photos in razor-sharp detail on 100% cotton cloth, ensuring your memories last a lifetime. You can win a large personalised canvas measuring 70 x 50cm worth £49.95 with your favourite image on it. Whether it’s taken on...