BAND FAVOURITES OF 2025
Here’s what listening, reading and watching the band have been enjoying in 2025…(*=podcasts)
ANDY CAIRNS
Listening…
Jonesy- It’s Not How You Fall (soundcloud)
Knives – Glitter
Turnstile – Never Enough
Scowl – Are We All Angels
Militarie Gun – God Save the Gun
DJ Haram- Beside Myself
Maruja – Pain to Power
Dream Nails – Organoid
Burial – Coma Fields
Believe in Nothing – Rot
Lily Allen – West End Girl
Hüsker Dü – The Miracle Year
Slab – Taut
Chalk – Afraid
Mala & Magugu – Militant Don
Home Front – Watch it Die
Plastics-Flesh Circuit
Industry – Industry
No Violet – No Violet
Scott McCloud – Come Round
An Slua – sure look it
Rifle – No King
Wayne Adams – Survival
Klämp – Totaal Techniek
Light of Eternity – Distraction ep
Lankum – Ghost Town
Zero Again – Ever-Changing is the Art of Death
Test and Deafkids – Sem Esperanças
Big Tickle – Dulse & Gabbana
Manic Street Preachers – Critical Thinking
Duke Garwood – Satin Warrior
Die Spitz – Something to Consume
Benefits – Constant Noise
Xeeland – Master Builder
Employed to Serve – Fallen Star
Sabres of Paradise – Sabresonic/Haunted Dancehall reissues
Chelsea Fancast*
Son of Chelsea*
London is Blue*
Straight Outta Cobham*
1905*
The Rest is politics*
The Troubles*
Oh gatekeeper*
Mark Kermode*
100 films*
Origin Story*
Sonic Rituals w/ Jason Stoll*
Reading…
Dan Hiscox – Multitudes
John King – Peekaboo Bosh
Daniel Rachel – This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll
Stuart Bailie – The Song is Nearly Over
Keith Cameron -168 Songs of Hatred and Failure. A History of Manics Street Preachers
Mick Heron -Clown Town
Wendy Erskine – The Benefactors
Chris Voss – Never split the difference
Liz Pelly – Mood Machine
Larissa Wodtke – Dance Punk
Jon King – To Hell With Poverty
Jonathan Kydd – Go Quicker Sound Slower
Steve Diggle – Autonomy
Charlie Harper – An Anarchy of Demons
Various Authors – Hardcore Horror
Watching…
Weapons
Bring Her Back
Frankenstein
A House of Dynamite
Trespasses
Slow Horses
Blue Lights
Down Cemetery Road
The Morning Show
Pluribus
Question Time
Krapp’s Last Tale – York
The 5th Step – London
Chelsea FC, home and away (when possible)
MICHAEL McKEEGAN
Listening…
The Hellacopters-Overdriver
Sarcator-Swarming Angels & Flies
Manic Street Preachers-Critical Thinking
Soul Blind-Red Sky Mourning
Believe In Nothing-Rot
Sha-La-Lees-Hex
Coroner-Dissonance Theory
Home Front-Watch It Die
Thin Lizzy-Nightlife/Fighting
Witch Fever-Fevereaten
Agriculture-The Spiritual Sound
G.A.Z.E.-G.A.Z.E.
Ash-Ad Astra
Beat-Live
Castle Rat-Bestiary
Paradise Lost-Ascension
Big Tickle-Dulse & Gabbana
Bobby Conn-Bobbys Place
DJ Haram-Beside Myself
Kombynat Robotron-Aank
Margarita Sex Cult-Strung Out In Hell
Deadguy-Near Death Travel Services
His Lordship-Bored Animal
The Young Gods-Appear Disappear
Turnstile-Never Enough
Marina-Princess Of Power
Messa-The Spin
Zig Zags-Deadbeat At Dawn
Onslaught-Origins Of Aggression
Care Home-For Nothing
Gallus-Cool To Drive
Reading…
Stuart Neville-Blood Like Mine
Irvine Welsh-Resolution
David E Gelke-The Scott Burns Sessions:A Life in Death Metal
Hans Verbeke & Onno Hesselink-Heavy Sounds In The West
John Boyne-Elements
William Boyd-Gabriel’s Moon/The Predicament
John Banville-The Lock Up/The Drowned
Graeme Thompson-Themes For Great Cities:History Of Simple Minds
Mick Herron-Clown Town
Natasha Brown-Universality
Stephen King-Never Flinch
Adrian McKinty-The Detective Up Late
Wendy Erskine-The Benefactors
Mick Wall-Eagles:Dark Desert Highway
Joseph O’Connor-Ghosts Of Rome
Elly Conway-Argyle
Stuart Turton-The Last Murder At The End Of The World
Colm Tobin-Long Island
Sam Wasson-The Big Goodbye:Chinatown And The Last Years Of Hollywood
Watching…
Dark Matter
Frankenstein
Blackbird
Beast In Me
Severance
Celebrity Traitors
American Manhunt: OJ Simpson
The Jesus Lizard-Limelight, Belfast
The Almighty-Ulster Hall, Belfast
NEIL COOPER
Listening…
Snapped Ankles – Hard Times Furious Dancing
Turnstile – Never Enough
Marie Davidson – City of Clowns
Public Enemy – Black Skies Over The Projects
Richard Spaven & Sandunes – Spaven & Sandunes
Twenty One Children – Scare Tactics
Soulwax – All Systems Are Lying
Stereolab – Melodie is a Wound
deBasement – deBasement EP
Habak – Mil Orquideas en Medio del Desierto
Reading…
James Crossland – Rogue Agent
Anya Bergman – Witches of Vardo
Ken Caillat&Steve Stiefel – Making Rumours
Ottessa Moshfegh – Lapvona
George Orwell – Keep The Aspidistra Flying
Watching…
Weapons
Barbarian
The Substance
Salaryman
Civil War
Longlegs
Slow Horses
Bad Sisters
The Guest
Celebrity Traitors!
Inside No.9 Stage/Fright – Regent Theatre, Stoke
Ministry – Bloodstock, Derbyshire
Cypress Hill – Forestglade Festival, Austria
The Stranglers – Forest Fest, Ireland
Benefits – The Basement, Sydney&Matilda, Sheffield
Kieron Leonard – The Grove, Nottingham
The Utopia Strong – Psychic Dancehall, Derby
Stranger Things: The First Shadow – Phoenix Theatre, London
Machine Head – Bloodstock, Derbyshire