Best Loud Noises! of 2015

Our BEST LOUD!NOISES! of 2015 ...

Our BEST INTERVIEW this year was L7 with their long anticipated return to form at Download Festival, check out the full interview here:

Our BEST PERFORMANCE this year were THE WHO at BST Hyde Park in the summer celebrating 50 years strong, check out the full feature here:

Our BEST EARWORM this year ... Every so often you hear a track and think THIS IS MY ACTUAL THEME TUNE this year we love absolutely everything about the track Great Bear by PAWS. Having recently toured with The Cribs and Pulled Apart By Horses, the band have just finished their third studio album with producer Mark Hoppus of Blink 182. Exciting stuff right here:

Our BEST SURPRISE PERFORMANCE this year ... was BABYMETAL at Download Festival announcing more UK shows including one in Wembley April 2016

Our BEST ATMOSPHERE this year was at WE ARE SCIENTISTS, check out the full review including videos here:

BEST EFFORT goes to SLAVES who toured so hard this year and are finally getting well deserved recognition including a Mercury Prize nomination. Check out our review below of one of their many shows we caught, each and ever one was a blinder!:

Our BEST NOSTALGIC MOMENT goes to BABES IN TOYLAND who we never thought would reform, check our review and galleries from the Southampton Engine Rooms show here:

BEST COMEBACK this year ... Holla! Missy's back, we caught her headline set at Bestival which was followed by the epic new single WTF (Where They From) Featuring Pharrell:

Our BEST ALBUM overall this year goes to CHEMICAL BROTHERS with their first full length release for 5 years seeing their familiar sound back with collaborative guest appearances from Beck, Q-Tip, St Vincent and Cate LeBon keep it sounding fresh. Stand out tracks include the title track Born In The Echoes, EML Ritual and Just Bang with their dirty bass lines, electro-tastic Reflexion and Taste Of Honey complete with buzzing bee effects! They made us want to Go! all electro again with full on big beat electronica ...

BEST DRESSED this year were HANOWAR, not only did they look epic they brought the party (literally) with party poppers adorning their axes. It's been a great year for them after headlining Saturday's Jagermeister stage at Bloodstock, drawing the largest crowd the sound guy had ever seen there. 

BEST LOCAL SHOW this year as the Don't Shoot The Messenger's final show at Southsea's Wedgewood rooms, after putting on shows for over a decade DSTM had a whopping send off, don't take out word for it, here are a selection of pics including the great SVALBARD (svalbard.bandcamp.com). With human pyramids, crowd surfing great bands and just a touch of nudity ... this was one not to miss:

BEST BOUTIQUE FESTIVAL was Rockaway Beach at Butlins Bognor, it was an amazing venue for the festival and really well organised down to the alternative music playing in the shops around the site, that was a really nice touch. The line-up was great with an eclectic mix including Echo & The Bunnymen, The Fall, Spiritualized, Johnny Marr, Ghostpoet and so many others we are so excited to see what the next one brings. Check out our galleries on the links below: 

BEST AIR we witnessed this year goes to NOFX closely followed by THE DARKNESS and a valiant attempt by RICKY KAISER CHIEF:

BEST ALBUMS this year? There have been so many great ones ... we loved BULLY & DILLY DALLY for their fierce lo-fi, MAMMOTH PENGUINS were our indie-pop pick and unsigned gems from MISGIVINGS & THE SLM were our picks on the punk front. Check out some choice cuts here:

FINALLY, we are so pumped for 2016, most exciting new releases at the tail end of 2015 included WEEZER with the first new material released since last year's Everything Will Be Alright In The End. Weezer asked us to Thank God For Girls ... and pastries ... with their usual brand of intelligently put humour this track sees us suitably teased for "more to come very soon"!