Jon Ronson's book 'The Castle' (and the accompanying stage show which he brought to York) opens when he received a message in the middle of the night from his son, Joel in 2023.

Clocking in at just two tracks, The Wires Out EP by THROES NYC (the creative partnership of producer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Bosso and vocalist Courtney Leo) packs an extraordinary punch. Listening to the record feels exactly like catching a glimpse of a sprawling metropolis through a rain-streaked window at 3:00am, as the duo effortlessly curate a captivating, nocturnal world of their own here. By Jane Howkins THROES NYC have perfectly blended their brand of moody, dark alt-pop with a selection of sultry trip-hop rhythms and textured electronic soundscapes to create a form of modern pop music with a sharp and melodic instinct.

Birmingham-based producer, multi-instrumentalist and drummer Kai Moa steps into the spotlight with his debut EP, Some of My Best Friends Are…Electric Sheep. It's fair to say that the EP is a fairly unique proposition. It contains a grand total of four songs that draw from Moa's deeply eclectic background, spanning genres such as jazz, punk, post-rock and house music. This is the sort of record that thrives on being different, creating an intoxicating tension through the use of digital precision, industrial soundscapes and a raw sense of musicianship. Let's jump straight in...

Sydney outfit Marlophone have finally released their debut full-length album, Remembered Adventures in Widescale to much acclaim from this writer! The record was released via Defend Vinyl and Love As Fiction, with the album operating as an imaginative bridge between the concepts of memory and everyday magic that pervade this record so well. It also features several guest contributions from artists such as Sarah Blasko and Wayne Connolly, making for one killer record overall! By Jane Howkins The dream-pop vibes are apparent from the first track Nintendo Era Hero. …

9 o'clock Nasty have quickly become firm favourites here at York Calling, and for good reason! The Leicester-based group have recently release their latest single release Check the Neck - give it a listen below if you've not checked them out yet! By Jane Howkins If you've heard 9 o'clock Nasty's music before, you'll already know that they aren't interested in playing it safe, as new single Check the Neck shows. It's a delightfully abrasive piece of music that combines a punk attitude with an old-school hip-hop feel, using an electronic-based beat to highlight a surprisingly heavy existential theme of aging, mortality and society's refusal to grow up.

Pop icon Ronan Keating is bringing his world tour celebrating his 30-year career to Yorkshire next summer, playing Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Sunday 18 July 2027.

Many artists who I cover as part of this blog use their music as a form of therapy. The latest is Lior Golan, who has turned to classic rock to process his trauma.

London indie-folk songwriter James Crowley released his new EP, Imprint, on 18 September. The collection consists of four tracks, written in collaboration with Wolf Alice’s Joel Amey and produced by Mike Horner (who has also worked with bands such as Franz Ferdinand and Hot Wax).

The thing about teen artists is they're usually as unrefined as they are exciting. It's rare to find one who starts their career fully formed.

Multi-talented composer and producer Paul Frazer Clarke has released a shimmering synth-pop gem titled Cycle. The track also features guest vocalist Will Champlin, serving up a masterclass in the world of sun-soaked alternative pop. By Jane Howkins From the opening moments of the song, Cycle feels deliberately designed to evoke the sense of a warm summers day. The track sees seasoned industry veteran Paul Frazer Clarke bringing an immediate sense of space to the arrangement of the tune, creating numerous summery layers that draw you in immediately. Musically, …

In a musical climate that often seems to be obsessed with hyper-polished production and desperate bids for viral hooks, German singer-songwriter Roland Wälzlein (who records under the moniker Fish and Scale) takes us on a delightfully defiant path with his new album Elf. The 11 tracks on offer here make for a nice follow-on from Fish and Scale's previous EP Wonderful, building an earthy and contemplative world that pulls gently from classic folk-rock traditions without leaning on cheap hooks or gimmicks. If that sounds good, then why not slow things down and take a listen to the album after reading through this review?

Swedish singer-songwriter and musician Kent Olsson is a newcomer to these pages, but I have no doubt that we'll be featuring her here again, due to how amazing her new single, Lipstick on the exit sign, is! By Jane Howkins Lipstick on the exit sign actually closes out Kent's conceptual trilogy titled The Art of Breaking Up (which also includes the previous gems Replay:me and Access denied). However, on this song, the Swedish mastermind returns alongside Italian vocalist Jolie for the grand finale. This means that Lipstick on the exit sign…

Music and politics have an uneasy symbiosis, as two recent stories have made clear. Ed Sheeran went through ‘the worst week’ of his life after his tour support act, Macklemore, was shuffled off the gigs following an on-stage pronouncement about Palestine. The Jewish owner of the Gillette Stadium, Robert Kraft, was apparently so incensed by this that he issued an ‘ultimatum’ to Sheeran. Macklemore was dropped from the tour.

I first featured the music of singer-songwriter Sylva Faye at the start of 2025, and was enchanted by her second album release, Sunday Forever.

Gilbert O’Sullivan @ Grand Opera House, York – 22nd September 2026 Words and Photos - John Hayhurst There’s something wonderfully disarming about spending an evening with Gilbert O’Sullivan. Seated at his piano in a flowery shirt, he makes York’s Grand Opera House feel like somewhere considerably smaller. Between songs, his heartwarming stories have the easy familiarity of a favourite uncle chatting beside the fire. The difference, of course, is that this uncle can punctuate the conversation with some of the biggest hits of the 1970s. Celebrating 60 years in music and approaching his 80th birthday, O’Sullivan has plenty to look back on.

When I review an artist’s debut record, I must admit I rarely put myself in that artist’s shoes.

The Molotovs @ Beckett SU, Leeds – 17 September 2026 Words and Photos - John Hayhurst Some venue upgrades tell you everything about where a band is heading. Originally booked for The Wardrobe, tonight’s show has moved to Leeds Beckett SU to accommodate extra demand. For The Molotovs, it feels like another step in a climb that is gathering serious pace. The London band have put in the miles, played every gig they can and earned their growing reputation through sheer hard work. Seeing that graft translate into bigger rooms is hugely satisfying.

Australian post-punk risers Radio Free Alice return to Leeds on Wednesday 18 November, playing Brudenell Social Club as part of an extensive UK/EU tour.

One theme emerging from the music I’ve featured in 2026 is that of immigrants coming to the UK and bringing the traditions of their homeland with them.

Beabadoobee’s has released her fourth album Pylon.

Josey Reinhardt is a Nashville, USA-based artist who is new to our blog thanks to his honest new single, Over My Head.

Few bands can claim a live reputation quite as enduring as Marillion’s.

Every so often, an album comes along that’s truly fascinating, not just for the music but for the stories behind it.

In 2025, I featured Sehore’s Dadaist album Husfikbur and found myself enchanted by their experimental style.

The modern world is a sometimes scary, sometimes exciting place and one act that are rising to meet the moment is Pivots.

On new release No Safe Ground, Paul Durnham has created an understated and haunting piece of songwriting on this introspective acoustic track, perfectly capturing the feeling of emotional instability. By Jane Howkins No Safe Ground is a rock song that is built largely around sparse, brooding acoustic guitar patterns that are particularly restrained on the verses. Paul has managed to establish a moody foundation right from its quiet opening bars of this tune, before the chorus break open with huge soaring guitar riffs and a selection of passionate vocal lines. There's also a cool solo towards the end, allowing the deliberately restrained music to final explode in style, allowing every note to breathe when required.

American singer-songwriter Eric Mann has created an exceptionally poignant piece of dark country-folk with Guanajuato, a cinematic song that explores themes of human connection, circumstance and moral complexity. By Jane Howkins Eric's plainspoken, gravel-tinged vocals carry the exact emotional restraint that this song demands - it's raw, yet the production sounds perfectly and the live recording seems to have really brought about a brilliant balance of sounds here. Guanajuato almost sounds a bit like an old Western film score at times, creating a dusty, reflective mood for the listener that is grounded in a traditional form of folky instrumentation.

Michael B Kowal delivers authentic grit and a strong melodic backbone on new song Fire in Your Eyes, which is a soulful, warm-blooded slice of blues-infused rock and roll that wears its heart proudly on its sleeve. By Jane Howkins What's really interesting about Fire In Your Eyes is that it relies primarily on natural heat and organic instrumentation, subtly building the music up nicely over the course of the piece. Built on an earthy form of acoustic framing, rich guitar flourishes and a steady, simmering rhythm section, the track brilliantly creates an atmosphere that feels immediately familiar yet deeply captivating. It's a real stand-out song and one that makes me eager to discover what Michael comes up with next time around!

I love a catchy pop song, and Echo Union have managed to deliver exactly that with their punchy new single, Until You Needed Money. By Jane Howkins Until You Needed Money is a sharp, groove-laden slice of pop/rock music that pairs cynical, real-talk lyricism with an irresistible, driving rhythm. The songwriting is absolutely superb here, using an amazing chord sequence that echoes nicely on the piano, with occasional guitar riffs tailing off every so often in the background as the song builds up. The vocals are perfect too, also using some pretty choir-like backing vocals at times to add more of an emotive effect. This is a must listen song from me!

British indie-rockers The Howlers have quickly made a name for themselves within the music scene, with D.R.I.V.E being another killer new single for the band. By Jane Howkins As previously stated, The Howlers have been making serious waves across the UK indie circuit - now their latest offering, D.R.I.V.E, proves exactly why they’re one of the most exciting guitar bands around right now. As you might have expected from the song title, D.R.I.V.E is a relentless piece of garage-rock that feels built for wide-open highways and late-night highway cruising, due to the rhythm and riffage on offer here.

Here at York Calling, we have a huge soft spot for music that tells a story, which is exactly what singer-songwriter Grant Maloy Smith does - why not try out her new single Tear Trail and see for yourselves? By Jane Howkins There is something timeless about an artist who can pick up an acoustic guitar, lean into the roots of American folk music and tell a story that feels both historically grounded and deeply human. That's what Grant has managed to do on his new single Tear Trail, …

Texas-based singer-songwriter WE THE QUEENZ is a brand new discovery of mine, but I guarantee I will be sharing more of her music in the near future if A Place Called Home is anything to go by! By Jane Howkins A Place Called Home is a beautiful piece of music that wraps the listener up in an inviting wave of melody and passion from the very start. You can really feel the pain in the vocals, especially as they're belted out on the chorus, getting deep underneath your skin in no time.

Evanescence are one of those bands you come to expect a great show from. I've seen them several times over the years at different moments of their career (the orchestra tour for Synthesis and their last Download Festival appearance in 2023 are particular stand-outs for me), and yet their never fail to disappoint. Armed with two killer support acts in the form of K Flay and Poppy, Amy Lee and the rest of the Evanescence gang arrived in Leeds on Tuesday to kick off their UK tour in style. Review by Jane Howkins…

It's been several years since we last shared new music from Stoke-on-Trent-based indie outfit Camens, so their new single Anything To Win is very welcome indeed! By Jane Howkins Anything To Win is incredibly catchy from the start, acting as a sharp, swaggering statement of intent for the future. Serving as the lead track for their sophomore album Los Karma, the song leans into a bigger, more cinematic alternative-pop sound that also manages to draw subtle aesthetic cues from desert rock and Josh Homme-era arrangements. Frontman Scott Powell’s vocals are as expressive as ever, exuding a defiant, no-permission-asked confidence that turns industry setbacks and financial hurdles into fuel rather than frustration, making for an infectious, high-energy return that proves the band are ready to carve out a bolder, more adventurous path forward.

On new single walls, Steve Stout and Blondfire team up to release one of the best indie-rock bangers of the summer - see for yourselves and check out the single below! By Jane Howkins Steve Stout has teamed up with Blondfire’s Erica Driscoll on the evocative indie-rock collaboration walls, which is Infused with a distinct folk undercurrent throughout, serving as a poignant and melancholy closing statement to Stout's album I Wanna Buy A Beach House. The song has an extremely tender and reflective melody which is fingerpicked in lovely style, with occasional violin melodies punctuating the space around the vocals.

It's been a while since we've featured Swedish group Drops of Indigo in these pages, so it's great to see them return with a killer new track titled Mother. By Jane Howkins The Swedish indie-folk outfit manage to weave an atmospheric and deeply reflective tapestry on their single Mother, which explores themes of roots, belonging and what seems like a profound yearning for the grounding presence of the natural world. The music balances balances a sense of delicate instrumentation with an immersive, cinematic weight that instantly feels tailor-made for quiet introspection.

International recording artist EMIN has delivered us a warm and atmospheric pop ballad with his amazing new single, For A Lifetime, which you can also check out below. By Jane Howkins For A Lifetime is built around a sleek, contemporary form of production crafted alongside hitmakers like Cutfather and Zak Abel. This brilliant new track leans highly into a lush, sun-kissed aesthetic that is positively filled with vivid imagery of starlit skies and summer nights. EMIN's smooth and effortless sounding vocals glide across the sweeping melodies in a delightful way, anchoring an uplifting narrative about finding a sense of home and permanence in another person.

Kelly Hunt is an American singer-songwriter - her latest release, All the King's Horses, sees her breathing a fresh air of relief and contemplation into the folk/Americana genres. By Jane Howkins Interestingly (as you might have guessed from the title), All the King's Horses sees Kelly reimagining the story of Humpty Dumpty. However, it's not reimagined as a cautionary tale of clumsiness, but as a courageous choice to embrace vulnerability, even amidst pain. On All the King's Horses, Hunt manages to craft a spellbinding, stripped-back folk serenade that is built purely around the sparse arrangement of warm acoustic and subtle electric guitar, also leaving a greatly generous space for her striking, crystal-clear vocals to take center stage. It’s a deceptively profound piece of songwriting and one that simply demands to be heard!

We have another new discovery for you today, in the form of GhostLoopProject and their brand new single, titled Broken things dance. By Jane Howkins Broken Things Dance is a gorgeous piece of music that truly leans into an atmospheric, hypnotic groove on this amazing new single release. It's something of a pop/rock song that leans more into the rock side of things, blending shadowy electronic textures with a pulsing beat and rhythm, as the track builds a surreal, nocturnal landscape that feels both haunting and strangely magnetic for the listener.

We've featured Janet Devlin a few times in these pages before, so it's great to have her back with her amazing new single, Move A Muscle. By Jane Howkins On Move A Muscle, the Irish singer-songwriter finds herself leaning into a warmer, more relaxed sound palette on her single. It enables Janet Devlin to step away from the heavy emotional disclosures and heartaches of her past material - instead, the track trades heartbreak and pain for a slow-grooving, intimate atmosphere built around an effortless form of acoustic instrumentation (although there is still some lovely electric guitar motifs heard in the song too).

Nashville-based rising artist Eva Cassel is another rising star of an artist from out of Nashville, cutting straight to the bone with her latest single release Slow Death. By Jane Howkins On Slow Death, Eva manages to combine her confessional indie-pop sensibility with a sharp, alternative edge, although it never becomes too heavy, staying nice and catchy throughout this banger of a tune. Lyrically, the track tackles the agonising unravelling of a once beloved relationship with a sense of disarming honesty, with Cassel’s vocals carrying a raw and extremely emotive weight that cuts right through the instrumentation.

Wilko – Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll celebrates the life of one of British music’s great eccentrics, Wilko Johnson.

Our coverage of Love Ghost’s music goes back to 2023, and the act is never far from our pages. His new album is called Cintas Perdidas: México.

It's been a while since we featured new music from The House Flies, so I'm pleased to announce their return with a fabulous new tune titled Derelict Crawl. By Jane Howkins Derelict Crawl is truly mesmerising from the start, leaning heavily into the gothic post-punk atmosphere the band have managed to cultivate successfully here. However, everything is covered in a shoegazey shine, adding something unique into the package for this beautiful piece of work. The verse melody is delightful to behold, building up into a much heavier chorus, driven by the hypnotic rhythm section to create an intense sense of claustrophobia and unease.

We've featured The House Flies a few times over the years (including a review of their fantastic EP Glimmer), but we've never actually had the chance to sit down and talk to the band about their music. Thankfully, the time for an interview has finally come around with the release of their banging new single Derelict Crawl - if you've not checked the song out yet, you can find a stream at the bottom of our interview below... By Jane Howkins How has your year been so far? Has anything particularly special happened for you as a band?

Welcome back to the second installment of our new Monthly Favourites Remastered series. After reviving this passion project of mine last month, September has rolled in with a fresh batch of songs, all selected as part of my favourite songs of the month. I must have been in an electronic music mood at the time, as there seems to be a definite sound to the tracks and artists on this list. As always, the full playlist can be found at the bottom of the article for your listening pleasure. Review by Jane Howkins.

The rapidly changing modern world in which we are beginning to question what it means to be human proves the perfect inspiration for one of 2026’s album of the year contenders.

This is the fourth time that Tyson Dickert’s music has appeared on our blog, so I’d like to think we’ve got a handle on it. Still, the Michigan-based rock artist has a surprise or two for us.

Bradley Simpson brought his community-driven live music night The Open Arms to Manchester’s Lion’s Den on 8 September, continuing a run of intimate sold out events built around championing emerging artists and grassroots music.

“I am ready to take on the responsibility and inconvenience that it takes to foster community, for without each other, we have nothing.” — Pledge from the Ugly Duckling Union Handbook (Found tucked in the vinyl sleeve of Lowertown’s latest LP).