Alex Consani: Stuns in Jacquemus New ‘Winter Retreat’ Campaign

Our favourite IT girl, Alex Consani, returns for the new Jacquemus winter collection campaign titled ‘Winter Retreat,’ just in time for the harsh winter months. Known for their pervasive campaigns, vibrant styles, and audacious statements, the two icons are simply a match made in heaven! Jacquemus’ collection is bold and brilliant, with a modern twist, encapsulating the winter season in traditional designer style.


Spotlighting a limited-edition collection, the campaign showcases a collection of must-have ready-to-wear pieces and accessories for the holiday season. The Jacquemus collection offers comfy, monochromatic beige, cream, and white pieces, ideal for capturing a snug and chic look. Combine this with the range of winter must-haves like scarves, gloves, and beanies, and you’ll have everything needed to embrace winter in style and warmth. Shot by multi-disciplinary artist Lisa Jahovic, Consani is captured in a beautiful light, displaying the iconic and stylish pieces Jacquemus is distinctively known for. The brand is shown in a new light, making the collection stand as a statement on its own.

The collection sees the return of many classic items, revamped in true Jacquemus style, with new shapes on iconic designs like Rond Carré, Le Bisou, and Le Rond making a comeback with soft fabrics and new seasonal shades. The Le Rond is crafted with soft leather and outlined with shearling. Le Bisou comes as a shoulder bag silhouette and a daring chain, with options of silver, red, and black. Possibly the star of the show, the Rond Carré is available in full shearling as a clutch bag or its new medium silhouette. The collection displays a complete winter wonderland of comfort and fun, and Consani’s natural, sleek, and polished look makes her the perfect model to showcase these new redefined looks.

Nominated for the Fashion Awards 2024 Model of the Year, inspiration to many, Alex Consani successfully encapsulates the playful campaign in her true Gen-Z style. Consani’s confident and vibrant personality completes Jacquemus’ winter collection; she wears the clothes in a style and manner which makes them seem effortless and sophisticated. It’s clear to say that the clothes aren’t defining her; she’s defining them.

Olivia Rodrigo’s new Guts World Tour film isn’t a ‘bad idea, right?’

In a world where live music is becoming arguably inaccessible to many, can people afford to be forking out upwards of £50 on concert tickets? I guess Olivia Rodrigo’s new Guts World Tour film isn’t a ‘bad idea, right?’

After being on the road since February, Olivia Rodrigo has finally wrapped up her GUTS world tour – becoming Billboard’s Touring Artist of the Year. On the 29th of October, Netflix released their version of the tour, live from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, giving fans at home the chance to experience the show from the comforts of their own homes (and bank accounts!)

It’s true that nothing can replicate the feeling of live music, but in this instance, tuning in at home was the only option for many fans. Whether they lost the Ticketmaster war, don’t live near a tour date or they simply couldn’t afford tickets, live tour movies are a way for fans to experience every emotion felt in person, with their personal at-home concert. In the GUTS World Tour film, viewers can experience the heart-wrenching sorrow from Rodrigo’s first single ‘driver’s licence’ to the upbeat and energetic cover of ‘HOT TO GO!’, featuring one of music’s latest stars, Chappell Roan.

A problem many fans face nowadays is actually being able to afford to attend these arena shows, which are sneakily creeping up in price. With mainstream artists having a large fanbase and high demand, they can charge high prices and get away with it. A standing ticket to the GUTS world tour at the new Co-op Live arena set fans back around £90, a price somewhat unjustifiable for many, including students.

As live music for mainstream artists becomes more expensive, tour films are an exceptional way for artists to be inclusive. It’s important for everyone, from young fans to casual listeners to have access to the art of concerts and experience music from big artists (without the hefty price tag!)

Words by Grace Moore

Album Review: Fontaines D.C.’s Romance

Vibrant, eclectic and transportive, Fontaines D.C.’s fourth studio album Romance is a feat not only of music, but of worldbuilding. The record transcends their Irish rock past with a futuristic, cyber-punk sound, an aesthetic that takes it from a musical LP to an entire creative landscape – complete with artwork, cinematography and a wacky makeover to match.

‘Neon and ridiculous’ is how frontman Grian Chatten describes their new feel, and it’s true, you can’t miss them these days; guitarist Carlos O’Connell proudly sports a fluorescent pink and green hairdo, unrecognisable from the run-of-the-mill indie boys of first album Dogrel (2019). And this was exactly their intention. They’ve changed record labels (XL Recordings in place of Partisan), producers (picking up industry legend James Ford) and crafted a whole new look. In an interview with NME, Chatten talks about wanting to ‘render the audience sensitive’ to the band’s vision, an artistic instruction that requires engagement on all sensory levels. This meant taking inspiration from a plethora of abstract sources; The Cure, Japanese Manga classic Akira, the pearly-gates-macabre of America’s West Coast, James Joyce’s Ulysses, and ‘pigeons taking flight at dawn’, are just a few of the influences Chatten has accredited in interview. It’s ‘like playing a character’, he explains, looking to The Cure’s Robert Smith as an example of how eccentricity and weirdness elevates music beyond the studio. I agree, there’s something Bowie-esque in the way the band transforms onstage, leaving the smoke filled, industrial arenas of the UK for the technicolour, comic-strip playground of the album.

Romance’s first and titular track is moody and theatrical, repeating the line ‘maybe romance is a place’, an invitation into the album’s dystopian soundscape. We’re then taken on a journey, meandering between fast paced rocky tunes like ‘Bug’ and ‘Here’s The Thing’ to the more lowkey and intimate sound of shoegaze-y ‘Sundowner’ or ‘Motorcycle Boy’. Thematically, the album is dichotomous: bold and nihilistic with the emotional vulnerability of its rose-tinted title. The two most popular songs off the record, ‘Starburster’ and ‘Favourite’, released as singles during the spring of 2024 and generating buzz for the album drop, epitomise this duality. Where ‘Starburster’ is dramatic and moody, a verbal rampage over a thrilling bassline, ‘Favourite’ is achingly genuine, the brightest tune on the album, if not that I’ve ever heard. With a hint of The Cure again in its guitar riff straight out of ‘Just like Heaven’, the album’s final track is gorgeous, brimming with sunshine, generosity and summer evenings. 

For Chatten however, his biggest pride is undoubtedly in ‘In the Modern World’, conceding that ‘I always wanted to write that song but never knew how… a song that sounded like Lana Del Rey could maybe sing on it, you know?’. Whilst not my ‘Favourite’ (Ha-Ha) off the album, the song is an artistic masterpiece – hazy, existential, and full of that apocalyptic delusion that permeates the record.

Grian Chatten is teeming with poetry. He expresses himself – both in song and in interview – with a delicacy that demands attention for the matter-at hand. For Fontaines, this poeticism is combined with simple, abrasive lyrics (‘Shit shit shit’ goes the chorus of ‘Death Kink’) to give the band their appeal: saying really clever things, in a really cool way. The textured, cascading lyricism throughout Romance reminds me of fellow musician-cum-poet Adrienne Lenker (of Big Thief); a resemblance that makes his goal of publishing a poetry book tangible and exciting, rather than another glory quest by a celebrity that should have stuck to their day-job. In interview, Chatten is dry and sarcastic, joking about his own brilliance in a mockery of the rock-n-roll frontman. There is a comic irony to this, as he is often the lone member interviewed, with O’Connell, Curley, Deegan and Coll taking a more low-key role in the band’s PR. However, as he lapses back into a monologue about the desire to maintain creatively esoteric, and ‘humbly’ admits that writing is like stretching the legs, I do find myself enchanted by him. It might just be the fangirl in me, but I find there is a real poignancy to Grian Chatten’s voice, a truthful self-awareness, that albeit pretentious at times (but what rockstar isn’t?), could make him the voice of a generation.

Despite their willingness to trade in popularity for creativity on Romance, Fontaines D.C. have never seen more success, doubling the first-week sales of their third album Skinty Fia (2022) and debuting at #2 on the UK Charts. The band are currently on an almost sold-out global tour, complete with Finsbury Park, a Primavera headline, and most notably, a night at Leeds’s First Direct (3rd December, if you’re interested.)

Words by Madeleine Royle-Toone

Gig Review: Blossoms at Leeds O2 Academy

Blossoms are back, this time bringing fresh sounds from their latest album Gary (2024), to venues across the UK and Ireland. For Leeds fans, the 5-man band played the O2 Academy on Friday, October 18th, filling the venue with their  signature blend of indie-pop and retro rock.  

Over the past 11 years, the Stockport-based musicians have crafted a unique  sound, taking inspiration from psychedelic 80s pop with an indie edge. Their catchy hits highlight their unique live instrumentation with band members like Myles Kellock’s keyboard flair and Tom Ogden’s iconic vocals creating a sound that’s unmistakably their own. Blossoms never fail to bring retro glam. True to form, they came to the stage in flared trousers and fitted shirts- a style that wholly sums up  their distinctive characters. Such attributes make them a fresh and unique band,  radiating nothing but energy and an uplifting atmosphere throughout the entirety of  their performance.  

After a 10 second countdown, frontman, Tom Ogden, kicked off the gig with his pot like taps, setting the beat for the opener, ‘Your Girlfriend.’ It’s a track that undeniably gets the crowd moving, and with this being only the second show of the tour, the  audience, with two-pinters in hands, were certainly in high spirits. 

With the tour celebrating the new album, and song, Gary (2024) a humorous moment in the show came from an anecdote told by Tom, who described the meaning behind it. One thing about Blossoms is that their tunes come from the  mind of a lyrical genius, and if they can create a banger from what Ogden described  as an 8 foot fibreglass gorilla named Gary that was stolen from a garden centre in Scotland, then I’m sure they can write a song about pretty much anything. The 8 foot gorilla unfortunately did not pay a visit to Leeds’ O2 Academy.  

The band did an astounding job at performing their new songs, whilst pleasing loyal fans with some old classics; taking us right back through their first 4 albums,  including their debut, Blossoms (2016). Some of those included, ‘Getaway’, ‘The Keeper’, ‘Honey Sweet,’ ‘Oh No (I think I’m in Love)’ and ‘At Most a Kiss.’ One pivotal moment included the band playing a few lines of ‘You’re Gorgeous’, whilst  seamlessly edging into the beginning lyrics of Oasis’ ‘Half the World Away’ right before the encore. Could this be a nod to Blossoms being a potential support act of the 2025 Oasis reunion tour? This wouldn’t be too much of a surprise after a major Oasis announcement was teased at the end of their Manchester gig in August. 

Two of the band’s biggest hits brought the show to a spirited close. During ‘There’s a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)’, the crowd took lead on vocals before  the song fully kicked in. Swiftly after came ‘Charlemagne’, taking fans right back to the early days and giving the night a perfectly rounded finish. 

Blossoms are undoubtedly, in my opinion, among the best live acts on the British  music scene at the moment; constantly bringing unbelievable energy to their gigs time and time again. They will continue their tour in sold-out cities including  Norwich, Cardiff, and Dublin, before wrapping up with five nights on home turf in Manchester.  

Words by Poppi Andelin

Inhaler’s Open Wide: Has the wait been long enough? 

Upon their lead single’s ‘Your House’ release, Bella Wright reflects on Inhaler’s sophomore album and what the band’s new music may have in store for fans.

“Who’s going to your house tonight?”. A text I received from an unknown number on a quiet Thursday evening, early in October. A bit forward coming from a stranger you might think, or even just plain weird. No, please don’t worry; I don’t have an online stalker. I had, however, forgotten to turn off messaging in my marketing preferences for Inhaler’s mailing list. Panic over, I’ll sleep safe tonight. 

Within the context of their new single release, ‘Your House’, this situation makes a whole lot more sense. An eclectically lit orchid stands loud and proud on the cover art, teasing their growing fan following with the promise of a new era that will likely send the indie-rock four-piece, hailing from Dublin, into global acclaim. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of Inhaler’s music. A framed version of the single art from ‘These Are The Days’, the first release from their sophomore album Cuts and Bruises (2023), is balanced precariously on a light fixture in my living room, opposite a vinyl from none other than the legend Dolly Parton herself. But this upcoming album cycle had me worried. The curse of the second album has been talked about by many artists, with Tom Ogden from Blossoms recently admitting on BBC Manchester that Cool Like You (2018), their second release, was his least favourite to date. Like many bands, he found that the pressure of being in the spotlight had meant that they’d promptly rushed the making of the album to meet demand from record labels and fans alike. This commerciality, the constant need for more and more fast, is ruining the art and joy of songwriting for artists as they try to break away and grow from the experience of releasing their debut albums. 

I think you can hear this rush and panic in Cuts and Bruises (2023). The sound, whilst still brilliantly, inherently Inhaler, had lost the youthfulness and undeniable passion of their early single releases ‘We Have To Move On’ and ‘Ice Cream Sundae’, followed later by their debut album, It Won’t Always Be Like This (2021). Elijah Hewson, the band’s lead singer, frequently described in interviews how it felt as though the songs on IWABLT had grown with the band as they’d grown up as people, and this sentiment can be heard throughout through the driving riffs of ‘Cheer Up Baby’ and hauntingly beautiful vocals of ‘Strange Time To Be Alive’.  Cuts and Bruises hadn’t necessarily fallen short in any sense. It quickly peaked at the top of the Irish Albums charts and followed suit in second position in the UK. More importantly, ‘Perfect Storm’ was number one on my Spotify Wrapped last year. But as an entity, as an album, it was just missing something. Something that I can’t quite put my finger on, a feeling, but absent all the same. 

Image Credit: Chuff Media

I shouldn’t have worried though. Debuted on Jack Saunders’ New Music Show on Radio 1, ‘Your House’ is a carefully crafted anthemic mix with progressive production that creates an enhanced new sound, much more confident than their sophomore release. It feels hopeful and bright. Level-headed yet lively. Optimistic but well thought through. The addition of a choir intensifies yet complements the vocal track to foster a sense of community, whilst the synths and bass drum drive the rhythm home to the heart. Without a doubt, these guys are great musicians. Inhaler knew what they wanted, and they went and did it. The vision itself is clear. 

Creatively, you can tell they’ve had new influences. Produced by Kid Harpoon, who’s famously worked on hit songs for Maggie Rogers and Harry Styles, the much-needed refresh highlights the importance of collaboration with multiple producers across one’s music career, preventing a band’s sound from becoming stale and repetitive. Even the concept art has moved away from the cliqued group shot and generic typography. Keen photography nerds like myself will quickly recognise the work of Neil Krug, most notable for curating the album art for Tame Impala’s The Slow Rush (2020) and Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence (2014). Moreover, the accompanying music video is fun and a little eccentric. If you fancy watching Eli being thrown around in a briefcase whilst Robert, Josh and Ryan almost run him over, I recommend giving it a watch. The concept, the art, and the idea have been cherished, cared for and given the time it needed to develop to become eminent. 

Time. That’s what is so important. The time for ideas to breathe and for skills to grow. Time for new partnerships with new creatives to nurture and for new influences to make the desired impact. Creating a piece of art cannot and should not be rushed. I hate that consumerism puts pressure on musicians to dive into things head-first as soon as they’ve had a little success. This pattern has been seen time and time again and is highly unlikely to ever stop, with the modern need and desire to constantly stay relevant to avoid slipping through the cracks. 

But success is inevitable for those who push through, who are open to paving the way through the mess of the music industry whilst staying true to themselves. For Inhaler, success is inevitable. Open Wide, their third album, is coming in February. Let’s hope that the wait has been long enough, as I don’t know about you, but I will be eagerly awaiting its release.

Words by Bella Wright

The Libertines: What has become of the likely lads?

There is a timeless quality in the washing away of other people’s sweat from yourself after a gig. That first moment of reflection. A lingering smile. The repeating lyrics of the closing song are still echoing round and round. 

Don’t look back into the sun… Now you know that the time is come…

It’s timeless because this very moment has been shared by innumerable other people. The riotous old days of The Libertines now seem an intangible myth. And yet here I am. Feeling the exact same things that they did all those years ago.

The water keeps on gushing over me. Don’t want to take any chances about the contents of that flying pint. But as the filth washes away, I think over every detail. From the moment I walked into O2 Academy, I knew I was in for an entertaining night.

The Liverpudlian Zuzu preempts the mood of the evening with a scintillating opening act of catchy indie rock. Her fifteen minutes on stage allow for a whirlwind showcase of both her songwriting skill and endearing crowd work. ‘Spy Balloon’, in particular, shows her talent for instantly singable indie pop hooks. An excellent start. 

During the interlude, Ed Cosens takes to the stage, to provide some soulful, acoustic entertainment.  Reminiscent of fellow Sheffielder Richard Hawley, Cosens’ rich voice reigns in the night’s excitement, making sure to not let the pot boil over too soon.

Moments later, and the arrival of Real Farmer. The Dutch four-piece shatter the calm with an explosion of punk noise, made all the more captivating by the oxymoronic combination of the singer’s Jim-Morrison-esque look, and vocals more akin to Iggy Pop or Idles’ Joe Talbot. For punk enthusiasts, they’re certainly worth checking out. 

A vicious final track, and thoughts turn entirely now to The Libertines. What would they open with? ‘The Delaney’, perhaps? Or a new tune off their recently released All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade? The set, a façade of The Albion rooms – the recently closed Margate hotel owned by The Libertines and featuring on the album’s cover – looms over us, begging the question. We don’t have to wait long to find out.

Like a loose rodeo bull, the band flails into life. It’s ‘Up the Bracket’. Of course! The title track of the album that started everything. Immediately, The Libertines’ magic is on display. They drunkenly slur through lyrics and guitar lines without ever looking for a moment out of control. It’s as though the frantic dancing of the audience drags the band along with them. Pete Doherty seems to acknowledge this, as he and the crowd share that famously crooked two fingered salute. 

Then it’s into the next one, and the first track off their latest album. ‘I Have a Friend’ sees The Libertines look at modern issues, interspersing their poetic style with mentions of free speech and empty human discourse. There’s no time to ponder these contemporary anxieties however, as the frontmen dive into a vintage guitar solo and the crowd continues to bounce. It’s hard to spot the countless trials and tribulations that litter the years between the two songs. The comradery between the band members is apparently stronger than ever, and their songwriting is, as always, on the money.

What follows is something of a greatest hits setlist, interspersed with new tracks. Some of these new additions prove the more poignant moments of the evening. Doherty takes on a Fagin-like persona for the haunting ‘Baron’s Claw’, and for a moment you could be watching something by Andrew Lloyd Webber. ‘Shiver’ and ‘Run Run Run’ are also welcomed as instant classics by a crowd in full and fine voice. The new album seamlessly weaves its way into the set, helped, it must be said, by The Libertines’ live embellishments that were somewhat lacking in the album’s overly polished production. 

As the final harmonica notes of ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ die out and the band leaves the stage, we are given a chance to catch our breath. But the crowd is baying for more already. That’s the thing with The Libertines; you simply cannot get sick of their sound. Each song has something interesting; a brilliant guitar line, a witty lyric, a vocal harmony from Doherty and Barât. They aren’t another 2000’s band going through the motions. Instead, there’s more a sense of vocation – this is what these four were meant to be doing. How else would they still be doing it?

The Libertines retake the stage and deliver a seven-track encore that resolutely satisfies any remaining song requests. As countless crowd surfers fly over my head, I find myself under The Libertines’ spell. I think it’s their authenticity that is most captivating. They indulge in the theatrical, the romantic, the poet, the rock star, because they are all these things. As I said, there’s a reason that this band is somehow still performing together, still enthralling audiences, still writing great songs. The Libertines are the real deal. They are as brilliant now as they ever have been, and I think it’s safe to say that for now, the good ship Albion is in steady hands. 

Words by Joseph Macaulay

Calico by Ryan Beatty: A Welcome Revisit

‘Driving with the headlights off, / ribbons running down your face, / but you’ve never known love like that, / so you dance the night away.’

In the first few seconds of Calico, Ryan Beatty paints us a picture. A picture of melancholy, of solitude. A picture almost as blue and as piercing as the clear sky behind him on the album’s cover. A pseudo-member of the now-retired hip-hop collective Brockhampton, Ryan is no stranger to emotional vulnerability. Having laid down vocals on songs like 2019’s ‘SUGAR’ and releasing two records of his own (2018’s Boy in Jeans and 2020’s Dreaming of David), he’s made it quite clear that he doesn’t like to keep his cards too close to his chest.

But on 2023’s Calico, he’s more honest than ever, painting a not-so-perfect portrait of love, maturity, and finding the comfort within the chaos of modern life. It slots itself perfectly into the ever-present indie-folk wave of the 2020s, and I’m frankly surprised that it isn’t treated with the same reverence as Phoebe Bridgers’s Punisher or Boygenius’s The Record (with all three projects featuring the subtle, yet cutting production of Ethan Gruska.)

Lead single ‘Ribbons’ bears the same cold clarity as a splash of water to the face after a rough night. It’s subdued, yet overwhelming; it’s a gentle whisper, but also a scream into the void. It tells a story of isolation, in all its parts, sculpting a snapshot of a life without love, for better or for worse. Is it for the better, to ignore the allure of a tender, loving life and to simply ‘be happy to be here at all’? Or will it end up being for the worse, as you’re ‘making faces / at the one who stares’ at you from the bottom of a glass?

Who’s to say? Not us, because the song ends before any conclusions can be drawn, and after a heavenly strings arrangement courtesy of Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Taylor Swift). It teeters on a resolution before meeting an abrupt end, just like a relationship that never quite made it.

Multiplicity is a common theme on Calico; Beatty explores the layers upon layers that make up life as a young adult, like on the aptly named ‘Multiple Endings’, where he wars with the feeling of ‘being used’ in a relationship; ‘I went through days / with multiple endings / just to get through.’ This multiplicity is also reflected in Beatty and Gruska’s production; ‘Cinnamon Bread’, a personal highlight, opens with a sequence of divinely layered guitars that seem to fill every corner of every room, every time I listen. Industry legend Shawn Everett (Beyoncé, Clairo) blesses the whole album with his affinity for mixing, and this shines through on ‘Cinnamon Bread’ the most. Every take of every instrument has its own identity, gathering like a symphony of pure emotion. This was the first song on the album I heard, and to this day, it ‘open[s] up,’ ‘close[s] me in,’ and ‘cut[s] me to the bone.’ It’s nothing short of heavenly.

Calico is remarkably candid from top to bottom, expertly encapsulating the feeling of huddling around a campfire, as I think all folk music should. Its production is quite barebones, with the presence of OTT synthesizers and effects being few and far between. However, on track 4, ‘Andromeda’, Gruska and Beatty pair the grounded and the otherworldly like bread and butter, setting a scene of serene exuberance with soft harmonies and softer synths that feel reminiscent of the Weyes Blood song of the same name. ‘What stops me from sending the call / in a midnight paranoia? / Hey, that’s love after all, isn’t it?’ Beatty seems to muse on every plane of existence as the air builds upon itself around him.

The album is short and sweet at nine tracks, wrapping up with the relentlessly optimistic ‘Little Faith’. Dread is a common theme in a lot of indie music lately, characterising the lowest of lows as nothing but. ‘Little Faith’ is different. Beatty sings about how he’s always hurting, his plants are dying, and everybody but him is getting their way; but still, the only way is up. The chorus sees him lulling himself out of oblivion, as he chants, ‘I don’t think I want to do this, / but I can’t give into my old ways. / So go on, honey, / hallelujah for a little faith.’ It’s a picture-perfect conclusion.

Calling Calico underrated would be gratuitous, but I do think there’s more to this record than people realise. It’s an album people hear in passing rather than something all-consuming; more of a quiet afternoon crush than a violent overnight rush, and that feels criminal. Every day since hearing this album, I’ve sang its praises, and all I can do is pray that one day, it becomes a bigger presence within the modern indie-folk canon, and that people connect with it as much as I do. Hallelujah for a little faith.

Words by Lucas Assagba

‘In The Living Room’ by Maggie Rogers: your new sad girl autumn anthem 

Momnah Shahnaz breaks down the cosy, autumnal feeling of Maggie Rogers single and why this story of heartbreak aligns so perfectly with the upcoming dreary, cold months.

Maggie Rogers brings out something so primitively ‘teenage girl in her 30s’ in her latest single ‘In The Living Room’ with elements of nostalgia, bittersweet memories and a cosy autumnal layer. Released on 8 October 2024, it is a perfect single for everyone to add to their ‘sad girl autumn’ playlists and if you don’t have a ‘sad girl autumn’ playlist, it’s the perfect track to start making one! 

With a fast tempo, a catchy rhythm radiating from the drums and an electric guitar riff, this song almost mirrors the feeling of a racing, broken heart, perfectly setting the tone of this single. A tone that is full of nostalgia and bittersweet memories, looking back on a loss. Maggie Rogers, herself, stated that the single was about “processing the exit of a person in your life” and if the tempo wasn’t enough to get hearts racing, add in Roger’s ethereal voice, laced with a sense of emotional pain, as well as her straight-forward, but hard-hitting lyrics. This single is one that can find a home in a variety of listeners dealing with their own personal heartbreaks and it allows listeners to find peace in the relatability. The production by Maggie Rogers and Ian Fitchuk also adds a layered effect to this uptempo track, in the sense that it really elevates her emotional intensity and thrives alongside the instrumentals perfectly. 

Her lyrics are bathed in loss and when she says ‘And you were my friend/ When the world felt empty’ it really encapsulates the grief she is feeling. Not only romantic, but a cure for her loneliness. The track really accentuates heartbreak, but also highlights the beauty of memories, with the lyrics “high on our fumes/ Oh that’s how I will remember you” as she chooses to look back on only the sweet in bittersweet. 

There’s also something so comforting about the familiarities between songs and experiences, with this track in particular having a Taylor Swift ‘All Too Well’ element to it when comparing Roger’s lyrics ‘But I will always remember you/ When we were dancing in the living room’ to Swift’s ‘dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator light’. It brings out the relatability of heartbreak and allows listeners to have a freeing experience belting out these lyrics (which you should do in your living room to get the full effect). 

Maggie Rogers is definitely a singer to keep track of, with this single in particular being an anthem this autumn. ‘In The Living Room’ is available on all streaming platforms and you can have a listen here! Rogers is also currently touring on her ‘Don’t Forget Me Tour’ where you can find more information here

Words by Momnah Shahnaz

Bongo’s Bingo: A thrilling night of fun and mayhem 

Emma-Jane Bennett unleashes the mayhem of Bongo’s Bingo in this club night review at their O2 Academy Leeds event.

Looking for a place to unleash your madness in a sing-along, by dancing on the tables or shouting “Bingo”? Well, Bongo’s Bingo is the place for you, and I truly mean it. Believe me, I know what you’re thinking, bingo is a game for retirement homes. Well, I hope this encourages you to think again. Bongo’s Bingo has completely revolutionised the game with its rave-like atmosphere and high energy tied with the traditional game of bingo.

In recent years, Bongo’s Bingo has turned into a phenomenon, sweeping through the major cities across the globe – we have Johnny Bingo and Joshua Burke to thank for that! Now, this is no ordinary game of bingo; it’s interactive and so immersive as you are yelling out numbers, participating in dance-offs on stage, singing along to 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s classics. And of course, expect confetti, balloons and coco-pops (if you know, you know). Let me put this plainly: play bingo, you sing, and you dance. The unpredictability of the experience keeps everyone on their toes, you never know what is going to happen next! The flamboyant dancers and performers really steal the show with their eccentric hosting skills and the spontaneous bursts into song. 

But it is not just about winning cash money. The fun lies in the bizarre and funny rewards handed out for smaller wins. You could walk away with disco helmets to a Henry Hoover, a mobility scooter to a cut out of Freddie Mercury (I am still mourning that I didn’t win that).

Image Credit: Supplied by Damo Jones from Bongos Bingo Leeds at O2 Academy Leeds

You might still be thinking that it isn’t for you, but I promise, it is accessible fun for all ages. The hosts guide you through each round with laughs and having been to bingo at the O2 Academy in Leeds, I can confirm it is probably the best place to spend your Saturday evening. The O2 is such a staple part of the Leeds city centre, so why not grab your pals and bring them along for a weekend playing bingo with a drink in hand? The hilariously chaotic evening will send you into hysterics and you will be yearning to go again. 

Surely I have convinced you by now? Well, if you are interested, you are in luck! Here are the dates for the O2 Academy in the city centre: Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd, Friday 8th, Friday 12th, and Friday 22nd of November. Finally, if you’re ready for the Christmas spirit, the ‘Bingo All The Way Christmas’ shows start from Friday 29th of November. So, buy your tickets as soon as you can! Tickets here: https://www.bongosbingo.co.uk/city/61/leeds/

Words by Emma-Jane Bennett