Features / Series: The Set List

Punk has always set out to be ungovernable, unruly and unapologetic. Kill your idols, destroy society, rip up the rulebook – of course. But that doesn't mean that every act of protest, musical expression or headline-grabbing incident has improved things for the punk scene without discrimination. Quite the opposite, in fact – so we've compiled a list of musical moments … Read more

We asked our friends in Gloomy June to put together a guest list for us – a list of the six bands/artists they can agree on when embarking on a long drive together. Devin, Alexi, Jack and Ash run through their half-dozen favorites below, along with their standout tracks for each artist. Read on to find out which Prince song … Read more

In celebration of a legendary music venue, we've asked some of the staff to reminisce about the bests shows they've seen there. Here are Jon and Jenn's top five shows held at the Glass House: Jon Halperin Glass House Booker I only went two years before I found five of my favorite shows...I am sure if I went through the … Read more

Let me do this in my best vintage Dan Aykroyd from SNL voice. Do YOU need more excitement in your life? A little PICK ME UP in these weird times? The "WEIRD AND DIRTY MUSIC" you never knew you needed? Look no further than Wet Cassette’s new compilation album THE COMP VOLUME 1! Here are 20 tracks, 20 PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED … Read more

David Bowie, one could argue, is the most influential artist ever. I may get some shit for that comment, but he had done more to marry music, art, fashion, and theater into one arena than anyone before or since. His tendrils reach far into the fine arts world and everything he touched was way before its time. Even his last … Read more

Sometimes you reach a point in your life when something inside of you just breaks and no matter what you do, you can't fix it. You hate your job, you hate your apartment, you hate the city you live in. I had currently reached that point in my life when I decided to move from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Seattle, Washington. … Read more

Multi-day music festival Riot Fest returns to Douglas Park in Chicago for its twelfth year, September 15-17th. The independent music festival specializes in punk, rock, alternative, metal, and hip-hop. Not to mention, there will be carnival rides, sideshow performers, and top-notch food vendors added to the mix of performers. If that wasn't reason enough to attend, here's the top ten … Read more

Pitchfork Music Festival returns to Union Park in Chicago for it's twelfth year (except 2005's "Intonation Music Festival" tag) July 14-16. As usual, it's three full days diverse acts, food, shopping and pre-and-post events. Here's five of the must-see artists at the 2017 installment. 1 LCD Soundsystem This is the first Pitchfork LCD plays in support of a new album … Read more

TV theme songs are their own art form: they aren’t singles and they aren’t cinematic scores. Instead, they have to be memorable while predominantly setting the tone for the upcoming program. There’s a reason few pop songs are successfully regurgitated into the form and there’s another reason why, thirty years later, people can still sing you their favorites. And it’s … Read more

1 Devin Townsend – "Tall Latte" (Ziltoid, the Omniscient) Ziltoid is an impeccably funny album. Not only is the premise itself spectacularly silly (an alien destroys Earth because our coffee sucks), but Townsend peppers his humour throughout in the most subtle of ways, making the album an absolute delight to listen to from beginning to end. But what really makes … Read more

1 Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction Admit it: you love this album just as much as everyone else. And with good reason; GNR's debut Appetite for Destruction is a pretty fucking awesome album. It's the classic 80s heavy metal album, filled from end-to-end with nothing but sweet riffs, amazing solos, and Axl Rose's distinctive vocals. So how did … Read more

The challenge of listing the definitive "best" album openers is perhaps impossible. While we're dedicated at SPB to challenging the odds and defying convention, that might be a steep request even for us. Instead, we've chosen some of our personal favorite openers from records across a variety of genres. Inevitably, we'll miss your favorite – let us know below what … Read more

Boasting a packed, diverse lineup of bands and musicians, Beacons Festival has something for everyone. These are the acts which have caught our eye and are sure to catch yours too... 1. Danny Brown Sunday, Loud And Quiet stage, 19:00 The Detroit rapper has hit the busiest stage of his career so far, building on the success of critically acclaimed … Read more

Whoa-oh is both a pop-punk staple and a songwriting trick that finds its way across many genres. Is it a gimmick to create an easy anthem; a cheap way to fill in syllables; or does it not matter at all because, in the end, the songs that use it have burrowed their way into your memory giving a lasting memory … Read more

SPB's top 5 favourite Swans records (in alphabetical order) 1 Filth The first Swans full length appeared in 1983 and signified a huge shift in the post-punk landscape. The evocative artwork that speaks in deep and dirty atmospheres and Gira's ability to draw you in whilst repulsing with his soundtracks of decay is testament to his power. 2 The Great … Read more