A recent recipient of a YNot festival Musicians ’  Next Level award, I sat down with the London and Derby based pop singer Terrianne after her electrifying set at Beat The Streets to discuss the realities of being a woman in the music industry, the development of a distinct visual and performance style, and her business of offering free singing lessons to those struggling with anxiety. How would you describe yourself and your musical style? I make gritty, powerhouse, pop, a l

At just 19 years old, and despite his multiple degenerative issues, Jim E. Brown's surreal, satirical brand of indie jangle pop left a lasting impact on The Grove, highlighting that the digital sensation has built a subculture in the unlikeliest of ways. Liz Clarke reports. Having returned this year from a long hiatus, the first support act, Nottingham’s Burly Nagasaki , operate in an appropriately unique realm for a bill like this, with the fact that they have songs about t

2025 has proven itself to be an incredible year for music. Throughout the industry, artists were taking big steps to reinvent their sounds, push boundaries between genres, and explore new emotional and sonic territories. This year saw veterans like Pulp and Suede return with records that balance nostalgia of the Britpop era with urgent modernity, while newcomers like Model/Actriz helped redefine what rock and punk can sound like today. Across pop, indie, electronic, rock, lat

For the penultimate night of the 2025 leg of their huge The Clearing world tour, Wolf Alice graced Nottingham's own Motorpoint Arena with a confidence and conviction which highlights exactly what makes them special and secures their position as part of a new generation of rock royalty. Liz Clarke reports. It’s always a little tough not to be sceptical when indie festival mainstays announce their first arena tours, even if their popularity has long proven them to be ready. The

If you’re looking for a great night out dancing, and you like your music to have some meat to it, Jungle Jazz is the way to go. If it’s talent you want, there’s nowhere better to start than the man himself, Tokyo’s finest, Takuya Nakamura. The Mic's Maisy Harnett reports 11:30pm in the rainy Brickworks carpark smoking area and people are slowly shuffling back down into the basement. Following large colourful paper lanterns through the mass of hot bodies, I sneak my way to th

Emerging from the East Coast US city of Baltimore, Maryland, Virtua dx (@ virtuadx ) have already carved out something of a cult following after the release of their colourful, dance-influenced shoegaze album Guitarpop Forever  in mid-2025. With a DIY production style and engrossing mixes of nostalgic samples alongside raw guitars, there’s a charm to the band’s music that few in the US shoegaze underground can replicate. I had the chance to sit down with band founder and prin

With the success of their new album Reverie and their EP Hand Me Downs , Amble’s 2025 tour felt like a victory lap for the Irish folk band. Nowhere was this clearer than at their first ever gig at Sheffield’s Foundry, where the trio were greeted with a reception worthy of folk royalty. The Mic's Charlie Gadd reports. Cork-based band Maicín started off the night with a storming 30-minute set that took us through their post-punk catalogue. From jagged guitars to dreamlike syn

The UK is introducing strict caps on ticket resales to stop touts from inflating prices. Artists and fans have long demanded these reforms amid rising frustration with inflated resale costs and chaotic ticketing systems. Ticketing companies are pushing back, but the new rules mark a major step toward fairer access for fans. The Mic's Ben Dale reports. Hayley Williams of Paramore , Todd Owyoung/NBC, Getty Images On November 13th 2025, acts like Dua Lipa , Radiohead , and The

Opening in November 2014, Rough Trade in Nottingham quickly became a hub of musical talent, where artists and fans alike can connect, doubling as a record shop during the day (the biggest in the Hockley area). The Mic's Emily Rogers reports. It follows in the footsteps of its predecessors across London and New York. The Nottingham branch has been blessed with performances by Little Simz, Fontaines D.C., English teacher, and many more fantastic artists. The location is invalua

It’s an exciting time for US shoegaze revival band she’s green. Originating in the midwest city of Minneapolis, the band have attracted a cult following of nearly half a million monthly listeners on streaming platforms. With a uniquely nature-inspired approach to songwriting, and a gorgeous sound that blends dream pop and shoegaze with a great focus on swirling texture, there’s no wonder the band’s roaring set at the Bodega opening for Softcult drew an enthusiastic crowd resp

Sufjan Stevens’ ambitious “50 States Project” produced only  Michigan  and  Illinois  before he abandoned the idea, admitting it was more of a joke than a real plan. Despite its incompletion, the myth of the project endures, adding to the fascination surrounding his work. The two albums that do exist remain landmark achievements, inviting listeners to imagine the many states that never came to be. The Mic's Ben Dale reports. Sufjan Stevens , 2005 Over 20 years ago, a young S

LUX  blends classical, electronic, and pop influences into a bold exploration of spirituality, femininity, and sacrifice. Anchored by flashes of familiar flamenco-pop, the album demands close attention, cementing Rosalía as one of modern pop’s most inventive voices. The Mic's Ben Dale reports. LUX Album Cover, Rosalía In his 1992 song Anthem , Leonard Cohen writes, “Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in”. These are the lin

The reformation of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart saw the beloved indie-pop band celebrating their 15th year anniversary of their 2009 self-titled debut album with a grand reunion tour and a new compilation album earlier this year. Following their first show together after 7 years in February, the band have continued into the UK leg of their tour, performing at Nottingham’s Metronome on Tuesday night. The Mic’s Josh Holmes reports, sitting down with the band just before th

When Radiohead released Kid A  in October 2000, it marked one of the most radical artistic pivots in modern popular music. Abandoning the guitar-driven sound that had defined their rise through the 1990s, the band retreated into a fragmented world of electronic textures, cryptic composition methods, and deliberate opacity. Max Durno writes on the making, the release and the wake of Radiohead's seminal project, 25 years after its release. It’s April 1998. Radiohead had just c

Billie Marten continues the UK leg of her Dog Eared tour with appearance at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham Returning to the venue she claims to be more familiar with than any other, Ripon-born singer songwriter Billie Marten has little to prove following the success of her 2025 full-length Dog Eared . Nevertheless, taking to the Rescue Rooms main stage (with Canadian folk artist Le Ren for support), Marten demonstrates her long-nurtured talent with a show that, whilst soothing for

5 Seconds of Summer, at any given time, could have been considered punk, or pop, or alt-rock — but never a boy band. Much to the band members’ despair, their early association with One Direction as openers for the Take Me Home Tour  seemed to permanently brand their punk act. They’ve been trying to shake the title ever since. The Mic's Aaliyah Field reports on the soon-to-be-released poppy-punky-rocky record. I kept up with 5SOS in my early teens and I remember very distinctl

Last week, the University of Nottingham announced that from next academic year, Music (alongside 15 other courses) will be suspended from the university’s programme. This policy — which is consistent with the University of Nottingham’s previous track record of reducing spending on students, laying off staff, and reducing course sizes — is emblematic of a broader systemic issue affecting the UK university system. The Mic's Sami de Jong reports. When the United Kingdom was a m

Fifteen years on, Speak Now  stands as one of Taylor Swift’s most ambitious and self-written albums, blending country, pop, and pop-punk influences. It marked her artistic independence and lyrical maturity, even if it’s now an underrated gem in her discography. The Mic's Aimee Goldblum Reports Speak Now Album Cover, Taylor Swift 15 years on from its original release, Taylor Swift’s Speak Now is still one of her most ambitious projects to date – no mean feat, considering he

Lily Allen’s West End Girl  is a quiet but piercing return, charting the collapse of her marriage with raw emotional clarity. “Pussy Palace” exposes the hollowing impact of an “open” marriage strained by addiction, while the album’s minimalist, dreamlike production mirrors the disorientation of heartbreak. The Mic's Mide Williams reports. Cover for West End Girl, Lily Allen Much to everyone’s surprise, Lily Allen made a quiet yet poignant return to the music scene last week

Sheffield indie pop four-piece Sundress (@wearesundress) have recently been making waves, in no small part thanks to their dreamy sound and a string of appearances at high-profile UK festivals such as Tramlines. Recently, the band played a lush set in Rough Trade as part of the Keeping Music Live tour, organised by music university institution WaterBear.