Author: Ann-Marie Burgar

Instore to support the release of her new 7” single, “Hope (For Orchestra)”. Nat Bartch epitomises vulnerability and openness in musical space. Her compositions, (here arranged for and played as solo piano pieces) move gracefully through the store. Dreamlike, they embrace and soothe.  There is an innate kindness in these pieces that resonates immediately, during this set I found myself profoundly moved by Nat and the tenderness that she conjures.

We were lucky enough to host Jess Locke as she launched her Latest LP “Real Life” into the world earlier this year. A hearty collection of songs that stew and ruminate on the complicated relationships with impermanence that permeate our lives and the ongoing struggle to drag ourselves from wherever it is that we go, back into our bodies to appreciate what we have in front of us. These lyrical sentiments are enforced emphatically by gritty, bareboned instrumentals that grab you by the shoulders and pull you with an urgency into the present.

Cramped into the performance space at Rocksteady ahead of their National tour with Black Country, New Road. The most striking thing about Mouseatoullie was the sheer size of the outfit. A whole ten-piece cacophony of horns, guitars, keys, violin and drums bursting outwardly in earnest, jagged explorations of life and self that completely takeover whatever space they inhabit. Building tracks tenderly, piece by piece all the way into soaring, triumphant arrangements that collapse into themselves in violent cathartic movements of noise and distortion that reemerge delicately and push on.

We welcomed Lewis Coleman and Darvid Thor of local label “Beloved Recordngs” in to play a duo set of tracks from Lewis’ most recent LP “Offline”. An Album that flourishes with its coy dissection of the frustrations and mundane revelations inherent in our times. These stripped back arrangements highlighted the exceptional dynamism in Lewis’ compositions as well as the poignant deftness of his lyricism.

Rocksteady Records and stripped back solo sets are a match made in heaven, I don’t care who you stack us up against, I truly believe that there are few places in the world that can match the atmosphere generated instore when an act as incredible as Maple Glider comes through. In line with the release of the magnificent “I get into trouble” frontwoman Tori joined us to put her songs under the microscope, exploring heavy themes of eschewing religious upbringings, Identity and abuse. The performance is equal parts harrowing and comforting, bearing witness to the very tangible strength generated...

Rocksteady have had the pleasure of hosting the somewhat ineffable Nat Vazer twice in celebration of her LP’s “Is this Offensive and Loud” (2020) and “Strange Adrenaline” (2023). Bringing the full band with her on both occasions and powering through sets of her catalogue of instant classics. Nat’s music evokes the history of indie rock, rearranged and renewed with vitality and immediacy. Before you’ve truly realised it, Nat becomes the soundtrack to your life.