Words & Photos

For those seeking good old fashioned rock with an eerie edge, Dublin lads Rosemary’s Babies may be just the ticket. Thankfully, their tracks are nowhere near as horrific as the film - the band have a good stab (if you’ll excuse the pun) at putting a fresh twist on a blusey, raw rock and roll. Unfortunately, also unlike the film, the songs aren’t yet instant classics, though if they’re willing to put in the elbow work, the promise shown on tracks such as ‘Black Sun’ could easily translate into something special.

While citizens of America and further afield continue to be driven to the streets in protest at their rage at the failures of the banking system, the band Dr Scardo, braincild of lead singer Simon Scardanelli, are themselves seeking to capitalize on the current climate of disbelief, with the release of debut single ‘Wall Street Hustle’ causing a stir among certain sections of the alternative American music scene. The track is scathing in it’s attack of financial protegé Alessio Rastani, but since it’s release the banker himself has expressed how ‘flattered’ he was to be commemorated in song. Perhaps it hasn’t had the desired effect politically, then, and unfortunately it seems equally unlikely to give the band their big break in the music industry, with the sound being fairly dated. If the band can place priority on honing their musical chops before pedalling their ideology, they may yet stand a chance at making things work.

What better way to brighten up your Tuesday evening than with a slice of piping hot Americana courtesy of Belfast’s own Lyndsay Crothers and Matthew Nesbitt? A finalist in last year’s Ards Guitar Festival Awards, 2011 also saw the release of the band’s debut album, a rollicking, earthy collection of songs indebted to the greats of country and folk. With such a niche style, the duo mightn’t be to everyone’s taste, but if you like your music with a splash of the blues and a sprinkling of funk, then you could do a lot worse than to check Folk & The Rest out!

With a debut EP set to drop early next month, Rian Peters certainly looks like one to keep your eye on as we approach February. Beats that JLS would kill for and moves that could just as easily feature in a Chris Brown video are sure to propel Peters to chart stardom sometime soon. Until then, check out the slick vid for Machine (Get Up), and mark your calendar for the release of Start Something (February 6th).