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  • Ophelia’s Beard – Red Sea

    You know a band is hot when they’ve built up a notably sized following without having released any studio recorded music. When they’re repeatedly asked back by venues, promoters and festivals based entirely on the strength of their live shows and the response they receive from crowds. It builds up… Read more

  • Thronk! – There’s no Ai in team

    Do you remember when the primary target of punk band’s scorn was the government? Well, now the government we thought we wanted are in. And they’re shit. The main opposition is a whole other level of shit. Real scary shit. But Ai is some scary shit as well and perhaps… Read more

  • The Violent Hearts – Ai Song

    Do you remember when the primary target of punk band’s scorn was the government? Well, now the government we thought we wanted are in. And they’re shit. The main opposition is a whole other level of shit. Real scary shit. But Ai is some scary shit as well and perhaps… Read more

  • BLINO – Growing Pains

    BLINO is the re-invention of Tobias Robertson, a Newport singer-songwriter who burst onto our TV screens in 2016 when appearing on The Voice. And I know, I know, one of the reasons for this pseudonym may have been the constant connection with the show and the desire to move on,… Read more

  • The Rogues – Oh Gena

    It’s been a few weeks since The Rogues released their latest single Oh Gena and for some reason I can’t picture it without a comma and an exclamation mark. Oh, Gena! probably would’ve been a better title actually, given they’re from Newport. Any more tips on song titles needed, give… Read more

  • UZU – Breath

    There are few musicians as talented around these parts than David Chapman, aka Crisis Talks, aka his newest musical project UZU, pronounced presumably, UZU, or maybe oozoo. So when I received a few tracks from him a few weeks ago, my ears pricked. And then I forgot about it, probably… Read more

  • Eurekas – Telling On Me

    About Sound is back, baby! For how long, I don’t know, but it was never meant to be here. And neither were you, or me, or any of us, or triple cooked chips. Not that I’m suffering from existential anxiety or anything. The first song ever reviewed on About Sound… Read more

  • Jump the Underground – When We Were (Pretty) Young

    This article was written sometime in 2021 for a zine that was sadly never published. I had kind of forgotten about it, until the recent news of a Jump The Undergoud reunion. I haven’t changed a word! Much is written of Newport’s rich musical past. The 90’s, in particular, is… Read more

  • Joe Kelly & The Royal Pharmacy – World On Fire (album review)

    It’s a bit of a strange one, Joe Kelly & The Royal Pharmacy. On the one hand, he/they have seemingly been around for years (their first single Babylon dates back to 2017), but on the other hand, the debut album has, until now, eluded the Newport singer and his backing… Read more

  • Katielou – Embers (single review)

    I didn’t review Katielou’s last single Boys due to the fact it was released on my own record label Dirty Carrot Records. I’d also heard the song from the initial demo right up to the master recording, which meant I felt a little too close to the song and that… Read more