INTERVIEW WITH ENGLISH GRUNGE ROCKERS TIGERCUB
Meet Brighton-formed English Rock power trio TIGERCUB. The band comprises Jamie Stephen Hall (vocals and lead guitar), James Allix (drums), and Jimi Wheelwright (bass) and their loud, brash, and energetic sound. It’s a punch of grungy distorted rock that has them gaining fans from all over, including those of the famous rock-star kind… like Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam fame. I asked a few questions of frontman Jamie, which you can read below.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Can you talk about Tigercub’s origin story? How did the band come together?
TIGERCUB: Tigercub met in Brighton on the south coast of England whilst studying at The University of Sussex. We all bonded over a love of Jeff Buckley, The Dandy Warhols, and Nirvana and just went from there
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: First, I want to talk about your new song “Show Me My Maker” and the inspiration and songwriting process? Also, how did the remix with Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam come about?
TIGERCUB: I’m inspired by a lot of classical music and that always finds its way into my writing, this song was inspired by Led Zeppelin and Rage against the Machine I wanted to write a banger.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How excited are you guys for your upcoming Belasco show in Los Angeles? How did the opener spot for Porno For Pyros come to you guys?
TIGERCUB: SO excited we are so star struck and honoured to be opening for Porno for Pyros especially on home turf!
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Do you have a favorite Porno For Pyros song?
TIGERCUB: I love all their records, but Pets and Cursed Female are just so iconic it’s hard not to go to them first, I also love Tahitian Moon.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What three words would you use to describe your band and its signature sound?
TIGERCUB: Big. little. Loud
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: And, lastly, what's next on the horizon for Tigercub?
TIGERCUB: After the PFP we are sxsw. Then we head back to Blighty for a breather and it’s off to the states again for a headline show in May!
You can catch Tigercub out now on tour and stream “Show Me My Maker (Remix)”.
INTERVIEW WITH NEWCOMER POP SINGER-SONGWRITER ISA BRUDER
I got to chat with up-and-coming Brazilian-American pop artist Isa Bruder, whose rich vocals, emotional storytelling, and layered harmonics are just in their infancy. I asked Isa about her songwriter, culture, and what’s to come this year in an interview, which you can read below.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Thanks for answering a few questions for The Reclusive Blogger. How has your 2023
been?
ISA BRUDER: Happy 2024 to you and your readers! I am really grateful for 2023 -- I got to travel to new places, spend time with my family and friends, go to incredible concerts, and write lots of music. :)
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Can you talk a bit about your background and culture and how that encompasses your music?
ISA BRUDER: Sure! I grew up in São Paulo, Brazil. In addition to loving our Samba's swing and percussive musicality, Brazilian people have a reputation for being really fierce music fans -- and I definitely think that passion is embedded in me. The crowd's joy at a concert in Brazil is contagious. It can sometimes take years or even decades for a musical act to make its way to South America, so we're extra excited and grateful to finally witness that music in real life. The energy really is on another level #ComeToBrazil iykyk
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How did you normally approach writing and recording as a singer-songwriter?
ISA BRUDER: I am constantly writing feelings and concepts in my notes (notes app girlies rise), so in preparation for a session I usually pull a couple ideas from there that particularly resonate with me. Then I catch up with my cowriter(s), and we talk about our feelings / what kind of song we want to write! Sometimes a producer is included in these conversations / during the session if I have the luxury of being in a physical room with one -- most of my music I write through Zoom since most of my collaborators live in LA! I love writing music with people, as opposed to alone, because I find it takes me out of my own head and helps weed out the good ideas from the less interesting ones.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What's the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
ISA BRUDER: Know who you are, because if you don't people will try to tell you. Believe in your vision!
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What's your process for dealing with performance anxiety?
ISA BRUDER: I actually find a couple of hours before my show more stressful than being on stage -- I wouldn't say I really get performance anxiety. During the hours before I'm stressing about logistics, if my band is gonna arrive on time, if my outfit is creasing on the subway, if people are actually gonna show up, if I'll remember all the lyrics... by the time I'm about to go onstage, I'm more so relieved that I don't have to think about all that anymore! Performing is my favorite part of being an artist, so I look forward to it and try to book as many shows as I can.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Do you have a favorite lyric that you’ve written or that you wish you had written?
ISA BRUDER: I have "I wish I wrote that" moments all the time! Today, what comes to mind is What I Want by MUNA. "That's what I want, there's nothing wrong with what I want!" So simple yet so affirming, it's a perfect pop song in my opinion.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Since we’re coming up to the end of the year for 2023 do you have a favorite album and/or song of the year?
ISA BRUDER: My favorite album of 2023 is without a doubt Raye's My 21st Century Blues! She moves across genres and themes so freely -- but still with such a clear vision and identity. I love the production on the record, I love her voice, and I love her honesty and vulnerability. She recently released a My 21st Century Symphony version of the album, which is recorded live from Royal Albert Hall with The Heritage Orchestra. It's so beautiful, you guys gotta check it out!
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Lastly, what is up next for you Isa in 2024?
ISA BRUDER: Hmm... I'd love to play a show somewhere other than New York this year since I've only ever played with my band in the city. In a greater sense, my dream and hope for 2024 is that the music I release reaches people who resonate with and enjoy it :)
INTERVIEW WITH PNW-BRED PUNK SINGER VERA BLOOM
Meet Nashville-based and Pacific Northwest-raised Punk Artist Vera Bloom. Her vibrant, raucous, and melodic punch of Popish-Punk music whispers echoes of PNW grunge and the merits of the Riot grrrl scene. The artist recently released her second EP titled “It’s Me” on September 30th. We chatted about her music, what influences it, and some of her favorite music of the year so far. You can check out the interview below.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: I’d like to start off with an icebreaker question. Would you consider yourself more of a Morning Bird or Night Owl?
VERA BLOOM: Morning bird!
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Now that your EP, It’s Me has been out for a few days now. What has the response been like? Have you had a chance to soak in it? What song was the most difficult for you to write?
VERA BLOOM: The response has been wonderful! I am definitely still soaking it all in, and there's still so much I want to tell people about the songs, but yes, overall the response has been great and people have been really excited and supportive about the EP. Hmm, the song that was most difficult was probably “Boxes.” It wasn't emotionally difficult, it just didn't flow as easily as the others did. Usually, I can write a song in a couple hours, but with “Boxes” I had written an incomplete version and set it aside for almost an entire year. I was browsing my voice memos last winter and came across it and decided to completely rework it.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: There have been some comparisons to grunge and many of those icons. How do you bridge the gap between honoring the icons and the sound of Washington with your unique identity?
VERA BLOOM: I don't really try to sound grunge and I think that's how I honor it? The older I get the more important my hometown and upbringing becomes to me. The more I find myself embracing it all and it helps me understand who I am better. I think because I've been self-reflecting a lot on this over the years and also on a mission to be authentic and stay true to myself, my unique identity is shining through but simultaneously so is the sound of Washington and the PNW.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What’s a typical writing and recording process like for you?
VERA BLOOM: I'm constantly writing down little snippets of lyrics and melodies. But, I can usually tell when an actual song needs to take form, and that generally takes me 2-3 hours to mostly finish. I write most of the song, a couple verses and a chorus, and take it to Garageband where I start working on the full band arrangement. They're really crappy demos, haha, but it's an important piece to see where the song can go before taking it to real-life human players. I give this demo to the band and we start rehearsing it, playing it live and shows, and then eventually take it to the studio to get it recorded. That's been the process for the last 2 EPs!
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Where do you normally draw inspiration from as a musician and songwriter?
VERA BLOOM: My songs are pretty much always about my life and the feelings, fears, loves, and emotions involved. Musically, I just see what comes out while I'm writing and it really is a big flow and improvisation. The band I like to play with definitely helps produce the songs organically. They bring tones and rhythms to the table which help the arrangement of the song evolve.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Who were some of your musical heroes growing up? And have they changed now?
VERA BLOOM: I really liked Sheryl Crow growing up. She was the first artist I saw myself in, so she's pretty monumental for me. As I've grown, my tastes have definitely evolved, and I've grown a lot as a person, and, today I resonate a lot with Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, and Donita Sparks.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What is your favorite album or song of 2023?
VERA BLOOM: I'm one of those terrible people that listen to a lot of older music so, I don't think I have a new favorite. One of my favorite albums over the past few years is Catherine Wheel's Ferment from 1992...I know I'm terrible.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Throwing in another fun one here... If you could live in any fictional universe, which would you choose?
VERA BLOOM: I'd love to experience Willa Wonka's chocolate factory.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What has been one of the most rewarding experiences of your career so far?
VERA BLOOM: Opening for L7 last October for two nights of their big 30th Anniversary of Bricks Are Heavy was definitely a highlight and extremely rewarding. This release has also been rewarding and, I'm so grateful for the people supporting me and enjoying the music!
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: And, lastly, what's next on the horizon for you?
VERA BLOOM: Rinse and repeat, baby. 2024 will be a year of live performance and writing more music and I can't wait!
NOTHING BUT THIEVES RETURN WITH NEW ALBUM ‘DEAD CLUB CITY’
ALBUM REVIEW: NOTHING BUT THIEVES RETURN WITH NEW ALBUM “DEAD CLUB CITY”
“Dirty English sky is washing me away.”
“Tomorrow Is Closed” | Dead Club City
From the moment you hear the first few notes play from Dead Club City, the new album from English Rockers Nothing But Thieves. You know two things, this is not your standard Nothing But Thieves musical fare, and the band has boldly dipped their toes into the world of concept albums. So this is going to be a wild ride, and it is. If you haven't heard of Nothing But Thieves, they are a quintet hailing from Southend, U.K. comprising Conor Mason (vocals, guitar), Joe Langridge-Brown (guitars), Dominic Craik (guitars, keyboard), Philip Blake (bass), and James Price (drums). In their ten years, they have amassed quite the fanbase and following, including a #1 alternative radio single here in America with Trip Switch. Now the band is on the fourth studio album Dead Club City a blistering venture into an unknown world filled with narratives, characters, and concepts all inspired by the band's struggles with the pandemic, the lockdown, and life in this new world we live in. NBT has always had a natural knack for raw honesty and extrospection (and introspection in some cases) in their lyrics. So, an album like Dead City Club truly allows them to explore and hone in on those skills.
The album opener, Welcome To The DCC (aptly titled, I might add), quickly puts the listener within the world of the DCC. Frontman Conor Masons' honeyed falsetto greets you with the lyric Welcome To The DCC repeated. All set amongst an atmospheric soundscape of textured tones and synths. The crunchy layered guitars are all very 80s inspired and hard-hitting. The album segues into the second track, the anthemic single Overcome, a song filled with blissful synths, punchy basslines, and rockier guitars. Lyrically, it's one of few tracks that lean hopeful in tone and messaging. NBTs' grit is still very apparent throughout the record as well. It's not something they lost or even shied away from. It is all over tracks like Tomorrow Is Closed, City Haunts, and Members Only. The latter two have a sludgier stomp-rock vibe to them. There are a few restrained moments on the record, like the reflective love letter Green Eyes:: Siena and the slinky R&B-influenced confessional Talking To Myself. The band also leans fully into pop and electronic music on the dance-pop number Foreign Language. Dead Club City closes on a high note with the electric and hard-rock number Pop The Balloon. It is loud, brash, and so rock and roll. 
NOTHING BUT THIEVES - Dead Club City Album Cover
While Nothing But Thieves has been a band for ten years now. This fourth record clearly shows why they are one of the U.K.s most exciting Rock acts and live shows. Dead Club City demonstrates Nothing But Thieves' progression as a band and their skill in experimentation. It has not steered them wrong so far. While the concept album can quickly go bad, even comical for so many artists, for Nothing But Thieves, it didn't. It could be the overall evasiveness and abstract nature of what is the inner realm of the Dead Club City. Which comes across in a more choose-your-own-adventure manner, even more so with the attached visuals. Then there is the tight production from band member Dominic Craik and the on-point vocals from Conor Mason. Whatever it is that gelled together at the right time, Nothing But Thieves has easily put out one of my favorite albums of this year.
You can stream Nothing But Thieves' Dead Club City, which is out now on all DSPs, by clicking here.
Welcome to the DCC
Overcome
Tomorrow Is Closed
Keeping You Around
City Haunts
Do You Love Me Yet?
Members Only
Green Eyes :: Siena
Foreign Language
Talking To Myself
Pop The Balloon
PRESS RELEASE: LUNA AURA SUPPORTING COREY TAYLOR ON FALL US TOUR
Previously Featured in PAPER Magazine, MTV News,SPIN, The Noise / Ones To Watch, Ladygunn & More
May 17, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA – Alt-rock powerhouse LUNA AURA is thrilled to announce that she will be supporting Slipknot’s Corey Taylor on his solo US tour this fall. LUNA will join the tour starting on September 15th in Wallingford, with dates to follow in Huntington, Orlando, Dallas, Albuquerque, and more, before wrapping up in LUNA’s hometown of Los Angeles on October 5th. For a full list of shows, please see below or visit: https://linktr.ee/lunaaura. Shares LUNA: “I am incredibly excited to be back on the road again this Fall with the legendary Corey MF Taylor!! I was beyond blissed out after I got the news, still waiting for someone to pinch me.” LUNA AURA is set to release her third EP THE FICTION in the fall of 2023, featuring her audacious new single “MONEY BAG”. To hear more, tune in to Spotify's Rock This, New Noise, Walk Like a Badass, All New Rock, Totally Alt, Rock Rising, Fierce Femmes, Pulp, and more... About LUNA AURA:Genre-bending alternative powerhouse LUNA AURA is hell-bent on paving her own path. The independent singer-songwriter, producer, and triple threat delivers songs that are brimming with messages of rebellion, feminism, and individuality. LUNA, who began penning songs and performing at age 14, has already shared stages with The Killers, K.Flay, Muse, Weezer, Garbage, P!nk, Odesza, and more of music's biggest names. She has spent time on the festival market, playing KAABOO, Lost Lake, So What, EMERGE, and has announced her appearances at AFTERSHOCK & LOUDER THAN LIFE 2023. Her work and artistry have been featured in PAPER, GQ, Teen Vogue, NYLON, MTV, VH1, Ones To Watch, and more. The LA-via-Phoenix native draws on childhood influences like Garbage, Blur, NIN, and Gwen Stefani. Her latest work is raw, provocative, and bold. Perfectly matched with her vigorous, in-your-face, live performances.
For more information, please visit:
Website: https://linktr.ee/lunaaura
Facebook: www.facebook.com/itslunaaura
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lunaauramusic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/itslunaaura
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@itslunaaura
Upcoming Tour Dates:9/15 – Wallingford, CT @ The Dome at Oakdale9/16 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount9/18 – North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues9/19 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues9/21 – Huntsville, AL @ Mars Music Hall9/22 – Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life Festival9/24 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues9/25 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues9/27 – Albuquerque, NM @ Marquee Theatre10/1 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues10/3 – Riverside, CA @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium10/5 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern10/8 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
PASADENA'S CRUEL WORLD FESTIVAL DELIGHTS WITH A HOST OF EIGHTIES GOTHIC NOSTALGIA
Not even the 95-degree heat could stop the beat or the fun at the first Cruel World Fest.
Last weekend kicked off the first Cruel World Festival held by Goldenvoice. A music powerhouse behind many of the biggest annual California festivals like Stagecoach and Coachella. Cruel World Fest had thousands partying into the night to eighties icons like Bauhaus, Morrissey (yes, that Morrissey), Devo, Missing Persons, Blondie, The Church, Berlin, The Psychedelic Furs, English Beat, and many more.
Held in Pasadena at the Brookside Park and Golf Course in Pasadena, so the heat was an issue, but otherwise, the two-day eighties goth oasis was an exhilarating blast from the past. It was also a day or two to be grateful, enjoying the sun, the music, any new friends made, and the vibes. After all, it has been a difficult and trying two and half years. Even though there were a few fest hiccups like Echo and the Bunnymen dropping out or your garden variety festival hiccups. It was sure to be an event for the ages and truly an event for Alternative and classic Alternative music lovers.
Living legends at the Cruel World Festival anchored by many next wave acts or niche artists of the time. Like The KVB, a husband and wife duo with a penchant for 90s melancholy via Shoegaze guitar rhythms, neon 80s synths, and dark melodies for ages. Despite the somewhat penchant for dark and brooding music, the duo was so lovely in my chat with them (that will be out soon). Solo artist TR/ST brought his vibe of sin-soaked angsty synth beats much to the surprise and delight of many. You also had your underground mainstays like Cold Cave and my faves Blaqk Audio, with each band garnering super loyal and supportive fanbases. They each brought a unique sense of new-age sleekness and style that the newer brand of goth-tinged synth-rock or pop showcase.
For me, and no doubt so many others, there was no question that Bauhaus stole the show. A magical feeling was prominent in the air as the moon was high. Bauhaus set the scene from the beginning with a fog machine to heavy strobe lights. The audience was feverish by the time Peter Murphy's booming baritone rang out. Singing through a catalog of Bauhaus classics like 'She's In Parties'and the obvious crowd fave, 'Bela Lugosi's Dead'. It was a night to remember one perfectly accented by the elusive (and perhaps reclusive?) Morrissey. His vocals are as dramatic as ever, from every ad-lib, yelp, and yodel.
The crowd clung to every word as many of them had grabbed barricade spots way early in the day, standing for hours. Other highlights were Berlin, lead vocalist Terri Nunn's crowd interaction was like no other, Automatic, The Church, Missing Persons, and Devo. While I missed the chance to photograph every band like I wanted to, the heat that day was more than I expected. You can check out my photo galleries from the festival below. I had a great time, as did many other fans of all ages. So, closing out, I'll see you at Cruel World 2023 and, yes, that means you too, Bunnymen.
