There is often a lot of pressure around the second album; it always feels like a bigger hurdle than the first and comes with unreasonable expectations. Home Counties have managed to forgo this, with a collection of witty, self-aware, and more direct songs than their first release. We spoke to Will Harrison and Bill Griffin from the band about how this second album came together, including inspiration from Charli XCX, EA FC, and who they’d love to collaborate with next.  Home Counties got big ver...

The Horrors are a band that you cannot pin down to one genre, and bassist/producer Rhys Webb confirms that.  “I certainly don’t believe in any musical boundaries, and I think that’s always been the ethos of the band, and there’s never any limits, or rules or any right or wrongs of what we should do.” The Horrors have evolved slowly but steadily over the years. The group was formed in 2005 and consisted of Faris Badwan (vocals), Rhys Webb (bass), Josh Hayward (guitar/piano), Joe Spurgeon (drums)...

If someone mentions the band Bowling for Soup, what do you think of first? Is it their hit single Girl All the Bad Guys Want? Is it their hilarious music videos? Or maybe even their theme tune to Phineas and Ferb (AKA one of the best-animated shows ever). Strap in as Dom Smith interviews Jaret Reddick from the band and talks about touring, mental health and much more. Having been in a band for nearly 31 years, Reddick is very self-reflective and grateful for the success they’ve achieved, saying...

Focus Wales has been going for over a decade (precisely 14 years now), and it continues to bring thrills, fun, and, most importantly, great music to those who come to the great town of Wrexham. This year was no different, with three days of acts from around the globe that defied expectations. The first day involved a lot of walking, so much in fact that by the end, I had easily exceeded 15,000 steps for the day. This year, we started with a conference discussing the Future of Music Journalism, w...

When someone says the words Jealous Nostril, what do you think? If nothing else, it catches your ear and draws you in for more. The heavy art-rock band is fronted by Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell and supported by Jack Flanagan (Mystery Jets), along with drummer Ellis D. So far they have three singles out in the world, including, ‘Phase 6,’ ‘California in the Kryptonite,’ and latest single ‘Problems.’ We caught up with Johnny and Jack over Zoom for a fantastic chat (sans some minor Zoom difficultie...

In our latest interview, Brett Herlingshaw meets Louis O’Bryen from Sorry to discuss maturity, songwriting, the new album and much more. We meet Louis O’Bryen in the corner of the Brudenell Social Club. A place where bands such as Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, and Kate Nash have graced its stage. After just coming off a soundcheck, he seemed in good spirits and well in need of a drink. We start chatting about the new  album and the critical acclaim it has received. He seems enthused at the at...

This week here at Soundsphere HQ, we got the chance to interview one of the most exciting rock bands around, Fontaines D.C. During the interview, we talk about the Jim Beam: Live Sessions, what the guys miss about touring, releasing A Hero’s Death during the lockdown, and what lies in store for their upcoming third record. What happens when one of the best live bands in Europe (maybe even the world) are stopped dead in their tracks for one of the strangest years on record? The post-punk giants

It was an overcast Thursday afternoon when I met Cucamaras over a Zoom call, the four lads dripped in one by one and assembled for the interview. Having done my research, I was excited to interview them about their massive step forward for the band sonically and lyrically. What do you think of when you hear the words post-punk? You may think of bands like Fontaines DC, The Murder Capital, and of course IDLES. But prepare to hear a new name amongst the resurgence of post-punk that is taking the U

This week over a video call at Soundsphere HQ, Dom Smith speaks to the inspirational JJ Tatten on Success, working with young people, his beginnings and much more. For those that don’t know, The Warren Young People’s project has been providing a vital support service to the youth of Hull for 36 years. Based in Hull city-centre, the Warren’s 24 strong team offer guidance, training, counselling, employability skills and creative expression activities. The age range for this support is young peopl...

This week, Brett spoke (virtually) to well-renowned drummer Matt Tong, a veteran of indie darlings Bloc Party and now with the critically acclaimed group Algiers. We talked about lockdown, the influences on the band’s last album, Massive Attack, favourite memories and what success means to him. I ask Tong how his lockdown has been, “I’m in New York right now, I’ve been here for ten years, and you know it was definitely quite a haunting experience, somewhat compounded by the fact that I got the