Not all content makes it onto a podcast episode. Written reviews are included in this section of the Beat Motel webshite. Beat Motel has been knocking about for many years, so there’s some proper old shit in here.
We probably don’t even agree with a lot of the opinions in the old music reviews. Some of the super-old content was written by a wide variety of people who wrote for Beat Motel back when it was an actual paper zine. So thanks to all of those people!
Review policy
The Beat Motel review policy is really simple. Don’t send us stuff to review.
We’ve been there, done that, got hacked off by it. The avalanche of review CDs pouring through our front door reached a nadir in about 2008. It wasn’t unusual to receive 100 CDs a week, it was totally overwhelming and made us start to hate music. So we review things we think are curious, things we love and shit we think rocks. I know all too well that bands, PR agents and fuck knows who else will ignore this review policy, so we’ll just have to ignore them.
Music reviews
Deathfest Helsinki 2024 review
S01 E93 Do you like metal? Do you like death? Probably not, and that’s quite understandable. But do you like live music that is more metallic than Iron Man’s codpiece? Or would you rather a…
Brighten the Corners Festival 2024 day 2 – review
S01 E83 Brighten the Corners Saturday (day 2) lineup click to enlarge the lineup 100 volunteers, 40 production crew, one town. A ton of fun!
Brighten the Corners Festival 2024 day 1 – review
S01 E82 More notes on Brighten the Corners in Ipswich Brighten the Corners is a not-for-profit organisation in Ipswich. It started as an annual festival but has become so much more. Spanning five venues throughout…
Ryuichi Sakamoto – 12
Image created by Dall-E using this review as the prompt Well, this is a relief after the challenging brute-force attack that preceded it in the Pitchfork Top 50 list. Ryuichi Sakamoto: 12 is so laid…
Sexyy Red – Hood Hottest Princess
Image created by Dall-E using this review as the prompt I’ve tried to listen to this entry on the Pitchfork 50 albums of 2023 about six times now. I took me that long to make…
Youth Lagoon – Heaven Is a Junkyard
Image created by Dall-E using this review as the prompt As soon as this album starts I fall slightly in love with it. There’s a smoothness to the aural aesthetic that’s calming, friendly and reassuring.…
Kali Uchis – Red Moon in Venus
Image created by Dall-E using this review as the prompt The ‘I love you’ at the start of this album totally took me by surprise. It’s very sweet, and I appreciate being reminded from time…
Jess Williamson – Time Ain’t Accidental
Image created by Dall-E using this review as the prompt Oooh, this album has an animated avatar in Tidal. That’s neat. It sounds like country with a child’s toy drum machine in the background. In…
Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit
Image created by Dall-E using some of this review as the prompt Arg my brain! For at least the first minute or two this album was just too much for me. I like some pretty…
Blue Lake – Sun Arcs – Review
Image created by Dall-E using some of this review as the prompt One of the joys of working my way through the Pitchfork list of the best 50 albums of 2023 is that when I…
Parannoul (파란노을) – After the Magic – Review
Image created by Dall-E using some of this review as the prompt The start of this album totally caught me off guard. It starts like any one of millions of landfill indie records. It’s all…
Purelink – Signs – Review
Image by Dall-E, created with the prompt ‘Create an image that represents how comforting music is. Music should be wrapping around someone like a blanket. They are happy and at peace.’ When this album starts…
Sweeping Promises: Good Living Is Coming for You – Review
Image by Dall-E with the prompt ‘Create a photo-realistic image of a band playing guitars and standing around a giant microphone. They are having a great time and are in love with the microphone. This…
Read more Sweeping Promises: Good Living Is Coming for You – Review
Pitchfork 50 best albums of 2023
I’m making my way through Pitchfork list of the 50 best albums of 2023 and attempting to review them all. I’ll likely fail, but I’ll give it a go. André 3000: New Blue Sun Sweeping…
André 3000 New Blue Sun – review
Image by Dall-e with the prompt – ‘create a photo-realistic image for the phrase ‘new blue sun’, it should include a flute, or multiple flutes’ On first listening, there’s a tremendous innocence to the sound…
Vanilla Pod + The Waxing Captors + Damn This Town + The Washouts @ Ipswich – Royal Oak – 09/01/09
Originally published in Beat Motel issue 9 Ah, the first gig of the New Year, and a gig in a relatively new venue for this town. The Royal Oak has hosted gigs for years now…
INNER TERRESTRIALS + ED ACHE + STATE OF URGENCY @ STEAMBOAT TAVERN – 21/11/08
Originally published in Beat Motel issue 9 Having not got the chance to see reggae-punk legends Inner Terrestrials all year I was seriously looking forward to this gig but was seriously pissed off when an…
Read more INNER TERRESTRIALS + ED ACHE + STATE OF URGENCY @ STEAMBOAT TAVERN – 21/11/08
New Found Glory + Set Your Goals + Four Years Strong + Crime in Stereo @ Norwich U.E.A – 20th November 2008
Originally published in Beat Motel issue 9 photo by me After working for the day in London and spending the entire journey home hoping the train wouldn’t crap out like it normally does I managed…
RED FLAG 77 @ THE ROYAL OAK – 14/11/08
Originally published in Beat Motel issue 9 The chance to see the flag for free usually only comes around once a year so I was expecting to see a good crowd when I arrived at…
BEEBA @ MCGINTY’S BLUE ROOM – 7/11/08
Originally published in Beat Motel issue 9 Drum n bass/rock crossover solo artist BEEBA has been quietly working away in the background of the Ipswich music scene for ages now, building up a following gig…
THE PHANTOM PLAYERS @ THE SWAN – 6/11/08
Originally published in Beat Motel issue 9 The phantom players represent all that’s wrong with indie these days; from the way they look to the way they move, and of course the way they sound,…
ICH + The Tagnuts + Dead Batteries + 7 Day Conspiracy @ Rose and Crown, Ipswich Thursday 25/09/08
Originally published in Beat Motel issue 9 When I turned up at this gig and made my way up to the ‘loft’ at the rear of the Rose and Crown I wondered for a moment…
The full list of reviews
- Against Me + Crazy Arm @ Norwich Arts Centre 21/11/11
- Against Me! in Brighton 22/03/06
- All or None – Grogan – Aflightoremember – Peter Cat – Soma Ipswich Steamboat 06/04/05
- All or None + Grogan + Aflightoremember + Peter Cat + Soma at Ipswich Steamboat Tavern – 6th April 2005
- AM NOT + [HAC] B + PIKEY ESQUIRE + ASTROBOY + THE FEZ + MACHINOCHRIST + & MORE + @ ST. NICOLAS CENTRE, IPSWICH + SATURDAY 02/02/08
- André 3000 New Blue Sun – review
- Asteroid @ The Black Horse, Ipswich – Friday 01/02/08
- Baba Luck @ PJ McGintys, Ipswich – Thursday 04/09/08
- Beat Motel # 10 reviews
- Beat Motel #9 review in Zine World #28
- Beat Motel issue #1 reviews
- Beat Motel Issue #2 Reviews
- Beat Motel Issue #3 Reviews
- Beat Motel Issue #4 Reviews
- Beat Motel Issue #5 Reviews
- Beat Motel Issue #6 Reviews
- Beat Motel Issue #7 Reviews
- Beat Motel Issue #8 Reviews
- Beat Motel Issue #9 Reviews
- BEEBA @ MCGINTY’S BLUE ROOM – 7/11/08
- Blue Lake – Sun Arcs – Review
- Bossk + Symmetry + I Piñata – Ipswich – Drum & Monkey – 23rd July 2006
- Brighten the Corners Festival 2024 day 1 – review
- Brighten the Corners Festival 2024 day 2 – review
- Crowroad – Reciprocal – Kandi Stick Ipswich Steamboat 09/09/05
- Deathfest Helsinki 2024 review
- Enemy Within, Novasouls, Laudanum, Desert Monkey, Your Loss, Mr Daddy, Waxing Captors, Crow Road – 10/08/05 Ipswich, Steamboat Tavern
- Frank Turner – Leeds Cockpit 21st October 25, 2008
- ICH + The Tagnuts + Dead Batteries + 7 Day Conspiracy @ Rose and Crown, Ipswich Thursday 25/09/08
- INNER TERRESTRIALS + ED ACHE + STATE OF URGENCY @ STEAMBOAT TAVERN – 21/11/08
- Inner Terrestrials + Red Flag 77 + The Ballistics + Suspect Device + Dangers Close – 28th July 2007 @ Ipswich Steamboat Tavern
- Jess Williamson – Time Ain’t Accidental
- Joey, Flatspin, Ghosts in the Audio, Paul Hayley, Kneedeep, Grogan, Tom Pikey, Flacidashtrash, ZEEB? Ipswich Steamboat 25th August 2005
- Kali Uchis – Red Moon in Venus
- Killing Seymour + The Dead Batteries + The Stinkbombs + @ The Spread Eagle Ipswich – Saturday 26/1/08
- Lost in words – a Beat Motel special edition
- LoveJunk + The Rists +No Routine Ipswich @ Steamboat Tavern 25/03/05
- Miss Black America + Chris TT (solo) + *Teevo + Shard + Charlie Brown + The Khe Sanh Approach + Rosalita + Corporation:Blend + All or None at Ipswich @ Manor Ballroom 13/03/05
- New Black Sabbath… actually pretty good!
- New Found Glory + Set Your Goals + Four Years Strong + Crime in Stereo @ Norwich U.E.A – 20th November 2008
- NOFX – Backstage Passport, one of the best bits of telly ever?
- Officer Down + The Extinguishers + Snitcho and the Dinosaurs + The Dead Batteries @ The Railway, Ipswich – Thursday 24/1/08
- Parannoul (파란노을) – After the Magic – Review
- Pelican + Torche @ Engine Rooms, Brighton – Friday 12/09/08
- Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs + Kulk at The Baths, Ipswich 03/03/23
- Pitchfork 50 best albums of 2023
- Power Tour Diary
- Priors Inn – Bury St.Edmunds | ZEEB? – Kandi Stick 02/09/05
- Purelink – Signs – Review
- Reading Festival (part I)
- Reading Festival 2005 review
- Real Overdose Live Reviews
- Reciprocal + ZEEB? Ipswich @ Ice Bar 28/03/05
- RED FLAG 77 @ THE ROYAL OAK – 14/11/08
- Red Flag 77 + Wally and the Wankers + Singled Out – Ipswich Steamboat Tavern, 22nd April 2005
- Reviews of Beat Motel
- Ryuichi Sakamoto – 12
- Satanic Surfers
- Sexyy Red – Hood Hottest Princess
- Six Ripped-up pictures from 1990
- Sweeping Promises: Good Living Is Coming for You – Review
- The Ballistics, This Mourning After, ZEEB?, All or None, Dan Foden, The Fanny Pads, Jack Rundell, Kneedeep, The Rists and MORE!
- The Big / The Floating Maxwells – Steamboat Tavern – 24th November 2006
- The Big + The Chancers + The Floating Maxwells at The Drum & Monkey – Ipswich -5th July 2006
- The Bluetones + Married To The Sea live at Norwich Waterfront 12/12/10
- The Computers – Music is Dead
- The Khe Sahn Approach + Soma + Siamese Sluts at Ipswich Steamboat – 17th June 2005
- THE PHANTOM PLAYERS @ THE SWAN – 6/11/08
- The Rejects + The Big + The Ballistics at Ipswich Steamboat Tavern 9th April 2005
- The Sword + Saviours + Black Cobra @ Colchester Arts Centre – Friday 4th April 2008
- Things Found In Sharks + Tornado Smith + All Or None at The Steamboat, Ipswich – 5th August 2005
- Time Bomb #8
- Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit
- Toms Big Elevation/ SOMA/ The Wankers – Ipswich Steamboat 13/08/05
- Tuscan Raiders + Tornado Smith + One:Day:Life + Penny Red + Soma + The Camden Leisure Pirate + James Shark + The Zooks at The Steamboat, Ipswich – July 27th 2005
- UK Subs + Red Flag 77 + Wally & The Wankers + Saigon Kiss at The Railway, Ipswich – 5th May 2006
- Vanilla Pod + The Waxing Captors + Damn This Town + The Washouts @ Ipswich – Royal Oak – 09/01/09
- Waxing Captors + Rosalita + The Rollocks at Premier Pool Club, Ipswich – 29th July 2005
- Youth Lagoon – Heaven Is a Junkyard
- ZEEB? – ZEEB? (self titled album!)
- Zine Review | No One Rules Ok! #2
- Zine reviews by Ed Ache
