Gnod / Vanishing (live at Strange Brew) https://freq.org.uk/reviews/gnod-vanishing-2026/ @REEL They don’t let the intensity dip; they just hurl themselves at their instruments and search for each others’ groove. They find it, and then they keep going. We want them to. People in the audience are finding their inner head-banger. #livemusic #musicreview

Wartel / Landæus / Wartel Collins / Wartel – Celebrating Live https://freq.org.uk/reviews/wartel-celebrating-live/ Between them they bring a wealth of experience in the free improv scene, but the first effort for this line-up is a forty-six minute journey through relationships that go beyond the professional and somehow manifest into something magical. #jazz #improv #musicreview

Bhajan Bhoy – Meditations https://freq.org.uk/reviews/bhajan-bhoy-meditations/ These pieces are meant for immersive listening rather than dancing; Saggar calls them prayers, tying their purpose into the meaning of bhajan, the Sanskrit term for a devotional song. More spiritual practice than entertainment, it’s only right that the album is listened to and judged as such. #meditation #musicreview

Kenny Wheeler Sextet – What Was https://freq.org.uk/reviews/kenny-wheeler-sextet-what-was/ ...an album that sees the light after thirty years and not before time, Kenny perhaps at the peak of his later and smoother era, playing with friends and concocting a session that is well remembered by all those involved.
#jazz #sextet #musicreview

Coup Dur – The English Want… Coup Dur https://freq.org.uk/reviews/coup-dur-english/ Everything about this nineteen-minute selection is indeed just a joy — from the neat inviting 10” vinyl presentation right down to the deep hooks embedded in its actual grooves. #indiepop #musicreview

The Love That Remains https://freq.org.uk/reviews/love-that-remains/ From the very first shot, the director/cinematographer wreaks destruction upon the sanctity of the family unit, even affronting his own characteristic practice of telling his stories through a series of almost still images held slightly too long to be comfortable for the viewer. #filmreview

A Lilac Decline – Eternity Bores Me https://freq.org.uk/reviews/lilac-eternity/ Whilst the somewhat murky mix and generally unhurried pacing dissuade instant gratification, the slow burn approach of Eternity Bores Me will reward those already in thrall to the consistently reliable micro-scene from which it comfortingly emanates. #musicreview

Guttersnipe – Extinction Burst! https://freq.org.uk/reviews/guttersnipe-extinction-burst/ @REEL "...like other ‘#noiserock bands but also strangely unlike most of them in that, even at this early stage, it felt like every note was deliberate. If it sounded like an unGodly accident then that was exactly how it was supposed to sound. These freaks could play; there might even be some kind of score". #musicreview

@REEL reports: Bristol New Music Festival: Ghost Dubs/ Emptyset / Cara Tolmie and Rian Treanor / Frankie and Kelman Duran (live at The Lantern) https://freq.org.uk/reviews/bristol-new-music-2026-2/ The people on the bill tonight feel like threads from the same dark bass wagon; they don’t necessarily sound alike (although they share a sympathy for low tones and steel beats) but they feel like they are parts of a wider subliminal zeitgeist. #bristolnewmusic #musicreview