Big Smoke Music Weekly

Big Smoke Music Weekly goes out with a bang!

As Luke heads for the sights and sounds of Melbourne Town, he brings a host of top tier interviews to bring a close to 5 years and 5 seasons of BSMW.

The feature interview for this curtain-closer is with the genius that is DMAs guitarist Johnny Took. He sits down with Luke, looking ahead to the band's forthcoming album, How Many Dreams. Johnny opens up on the band exploring new sounds, filling arenas in the UK and growing together as a band.

Johnny tells all about how the new album needed to be something that "didn't stink of covid" as they look to maximise a newfound positivity and defiance within their tracks.

He also serves up some tips on how to survive the flight to Oz and which snacks Luke should be stuffing his face with.

Another Australian outfit with a big future - DICE - drop by for a chat about how their brand of surfer-rock has triggered their meteoric rise down under and what they can achieve moving forward...all whilst squeezing everything they can out of the process.

Our last CloseUp 60 Seconds interview is with the brilliant London group, Pynch. And...the circle is complete as we catch up with a guest from Season 1, Charlie Vaughan. Charlie is on hand to chat about how things with his old band, Weird Milk, came to an end and how he came to step out from behind the drumkit!

5 seasons, over 60 artists interviewed, over 60 episodes, countless gigs and festivals and many happy memories made.

Enjoy the last of BSMW!

x

It’s Season 5, Episode 11!

This week, Luke speaks with an artist for the first time in three long years…

The Amazons front-man, Matt Thomson! Fresh off the back of the release of their third album, How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?, Matt tells all about the story behind the album that cracked the top 5 in the UK Album Chart.  

He opens up on the pandemic-triggered emotions behind the album, how The Amazons never stop learning and honing their craft and how they’re breaking out of the profile of their first two albums with this new record.

Matt explains to Luke how he met Mel C and decides whether he’d leave The Amazons to team up with Spice Girls. Plus, we hear how Matt and the boys are ready to ‘own’ their huge upcoming show at London’s Roundhouse!

It’s a mega interview from one of the hottest British acts right now.

Hit ‘play’ to hear this, plus a CloseUp 60Seconds interview with Louis & The Shakes and an ‘Oldies but Goldies’ gig review from way back in ’79, featuring Joy Division!

AND find out if The Clash tribute act that Luke saw made him want to Stay or Go (see what we did there?).

A bumper of an episode, get on it now!

The 10th episode of Season 5 is here...

After catching their huge set at Truck Festival, Luke has finally had a sit down with Sean Connelly, guitarist of The Clockworks!

Sean opens up on the move to London from Galway a few years back, signing to Alan McGee's label and weird encounters in Cologne.

He also tells the story how he ended up playing tambourine on some of their biggest sets to date, after breaking his wrist! 

Gig season is here and that means gig reviews are back! This time out, Luke gives a full run down of Katy J Pearson & Swim Deep at The Joiners and Heartbreakers in Southampton.

This week's CloseUp artist is London outfit, The Motive, and we roll back the years with a classic gig review in 'Oldies but Goldies' where Luke looks to 2006 and a set from Good Shoes!

Luvvvly jubbly!

And here it is…the last festival episode of season 5!

Luke Scanlan brings you reviews from 2 different festivals, along with a huge BigSmoke:InFocus interview.

After seeing festival season come to an end, he takes a look at Tame Impala’s highly anticipated headline slot at All Points East. Find out how that went down, and how Luke ended up in the sound tent…

He also  gives a full review of Victorious Festival with the likes of Self Esteem, Paolo Nutini and more on the bill. We’ll learn all about the Southsea weekender, where Luke managed to spend over £20 on pick & mix.

This week’s InFocus interview is with the superb Jacob Slater, frontman of Wunderhorse. Jacob opens up on the story behind breakout track ‘Teal’, if that riff from ‘Leader of The Pack’ is really inspired by Lynyrd Skynyrd or Kurt Vile and we find out how he came to work under Danny Boyle, as Sex Pistol drummer Paul Cook in Disney’s Pistol series.

Plus we hear from our reporter George Sexton-Kerr, who headed down to Field Day to find out if Kraftwerk, Chemical Brothers & co brought good energy to London town. 

Wrapping things up, we have a CLoseUp 60 Seconds interview with Indie-pop delights - hailing from sunny Dunfermline - is Dancing on Tables

Episode 8 of Season 5 sees us take a trip down to the quaint Oxfordshire fields of Truck Festival!

Now his voice has recovered from belting out ABBA at the silent disco, Luke gives a full review of the weekend. Find out why The Big Moon's set was so special, why bands such as The Clockworks & Talk Show impressed and why Truck Festival is one of the best fests on the UK summer circuit right now.

Have a listen as he heads back stage for a chat with Spector frontman Fred Macpherson. The guys look at the 10th anniversary of their mega debut album, 'Enjoy It While It Lasts'. Fred tells us how many copies One Direction were ahead of him, and why London 2012 Olympics were reasons they missed out on a UK top 10 debut album! He also tells us how he ended up in a picture with Snoop Dogg and what scenes he saw in the back of an ambulance at Glastonbury!

A whole load of festival goodness for ya!

This week, we bring you a festival special from Slovakia's unreal Pohoda Festival!

Tune in to hear a full festival review, which acts dropped the hottest sets across the weekend and how a woman managed to fall out of a portaloo...

We have two huge interviews for you....The Libertines spoke to the media ahead of their mega Friday headliner slot. Find out whether we can expect any new music from the 'boys in the band', how 20 years since their landmark debut album 'Up The Bracket' have flown by, what makes playing together so "sacred" and how they love big shows but have a big love for the smaller sets of times gone by.

PLUS...Joe Mount - frontman and brains behind Metronomy - tells us about the evolving role the band are playing in becoming an influence for a new wave of acts, why the food at this year's Glastonbury was bang average and what plans Joe has for himself and the future of Metronomy.

Big Smoke Music Weekly loves a festival & you'll 100% love this episode!

This week, Brighton outfit Opus Kink join the show as our BigSmoke:InFocus artist.

After years of building up a fan base off the back of their high energy live shows and the recent release of their long-awaited debut EP, 'Til The Stream Runs Dry', frontman Angus Rogers swings by for a chat.

We chat about the band picking up unwanted and inaccurate labels like "Indie Mariachi", Robert Plant's mythically silky hair, whether he'd have sloth arms over ant legs and what sandwich he's tucking into. 

Joining us in this week's CloseUp:60 Seconds is The Night Society! 

Plus...a look-back at Glastonbury 2022 and an 'Oldie But Goldie' classic gig review of The Libertines' 2014 Hyde Park comeback show.

Season 5 is back after a short break from the firing line!

This episode involves a huge BigSmoke:InFocus interview with beat-makers Porij. They tell all about their quest to constantly experiment with sound and to create tunes that make gig venues and festivals shake and groove to their dance & garage inspired tracks.

Egg, Jacob and James from the band drop by for a chat as we delve into the beginnings of the band, touring with Metronomy, how they’ve gone back to bigger crowds post-lockdown and why that 80s and 90s fusion brings a sense of nostalgia to their music!

Plus, Luke tells all about his trip to Vienna, as well as a look ahead to Pohoda Festival out in Slovakia next month.

This week’s Close Up 60 Seconds chat is with Portsmouth surf-pop outfit, Dutch Criminal Record!

And we take a look at another classic gig review in our new feature, ‘Oldies are Goldies’. This time out, we take a trip back to 2007 and a Maccabees show in Glasgow.

Henry Wood from FLOWVERS is this week's InFocus artist!

He chat to us about why the music scene is his hometown Portsmouth demands more attention, what happened with an Airbnb balls-up on tour, and why charity shop bargains are where it's at!

Luke also chats to him about the bands summer anthem Daylight and we find out if Henry backs Noel or Liam in this week's "Either Or?!"

Dropping by for a chinwag in CloseUp 60 Seconds is MantarayBryn. He describes a mad dream and how his artist name came into being.

All this plus a new feature 'Oldies are Goldies' where we take a look at gig reviews from days gone by. Kicking us off is the 1979 heyday of The Clash!

Come join us!

Luke is back with Bristol Dave this time out, as the boys record from their Hampshire HQ after a big night out. Find out how Dave made his way home using the most bizarre/ genius piece of thinking you'll hear in a long time....

PLUS, this week's BigSmoke:InFocus artist is Lime Garden! We chat with drummer Annabel Whittle all about the band having roots in pretty much every corner of the country, how their sound has nods towards dance and disco and why pre-gig nerves are a big thing in the band!

We also discover Annabel's love for Kangol hats, "far-out" sunnies and what sounds she brings to her side project, 'ANNIE'.

The boys also give a review of Lime Garden's brilliant set last week at The Social in fair ol' London Town!

What a bucket-load of tastiness!