Gwenno: lessons learnt in Las Vegas and mid-noughties indie
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit loudandquiet.substack.comWhether a teenager dancing in Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance in Vegas, a member of conceptual mid-00s pop band The Pipettes, or touring schools and clubs as a “Kwik Save Kylie”, Gwenno Saunders has never not wholeheartedly thrown herself into what’s in front of her. For the last 10 years though, she’s found her true voice as an artist popularising often psychedelic music in both the Welsh and Cornish language. Her forthcoming, forth solo album, Utopia, is her first to predominantly feature lyrics in English, and includes lessons learnt in desert and in London’s mid-00s indie scene.Stuart Stubbs visited Gwenno at her studio in Cardiff this week to discuss her chaotic 20s and to convince her to do Eurovision.Further links and videos:My first interview with Gwenno from 2015‘Dancing On Volcanoes’ video shot in Vegas‘Pull Shapes’ video, by The Pipettes
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The first ever Loud And Quiet Roundtable: Model/Actriz, PinkPantheress and Blur's worst album
As Stuart Stubbs is joined by Sam Walton and Gemma Samways, the brief was very simple on this pilot episode of the L&Q Roundtable: the 3 music journalists would discuss 2 buzzed albums released during the previous month (May 2025), and reassess 1 from as close to exactly 10 years ago as possible. That gave them Pirouette by Boston band Model/Actriz, Fancy That by PinkPantheress, and Blur’s 2015 comeback album The Magic Whip. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit loudandquiet.substack.com/subscribe
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Finn Wolfhard: a life of music before and after Stranger Things
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit loudandquiet.substack.com“My dream for this album is for someone to hear it and not know who I am as an actor beforehand,” says Finn Wolfhard on this episode of The Loud And Quiet Podcast. As the star of Stranger Things and the new Ghostbusters reboot, it feels like a dream that’s becoming more and more unlikely, but Wolfhard began playing and writing music long before he started acting, learning bass at the age of 7 to emulate his hero Paul McCartney.Having already released records with his bands Culpurnia and The Aubreys, Wolfhard’s debut solo album, Happy Birthday, will be out in a couple of weeks, which gave me the perfect excuse to speak with him about the music he grew up on, his love of skateboarding, and what happens if his music career takes off.Sign up at loudandquiet.substack.com to hear the full episode. Already a subscriber? Link your subscription to your phone's podcast app of choice by visiting any Substack post and tapping the icon of your preferred appExtra viewing:‘Objection’ videoFinn’s Lip Sync BattleFacts’ ‘Retro Oceans’ video
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These New Puritans: happiness in solitude
Recording as we walked, Jack Barnett of These New Puritans joined me on this special episode of the podcast that captures the sounds of our shared hometown, Southend-on-Sea, Essex.It’s hardly a place known for the type of progressive music that Jack and his twin brother George have made since forming the band in 2006, but during our conversation he confirms my suspicions – TNP have such a distinct, heads-down approach to making music, it really doesn’t matter where Jack bases himself to write and produce these albums of classical, industrial, jazz and ballad explorations. Records made in Berlin, London and Greece all have a distinct TNP feeling of bleak beauty. Kind of like Southend itself.The band’s new album is called Crooked Wing (out 23 May via the Domino label) and has taken another 6 years to make. It features Caroline Polachek, choirs, church organs, field recordings and songs about cranes falling in love.Upcoming live datesThe new video for ‘A Season In Hell’ starting Alexander Skarsgård‘Industrial Love Song’ feat. Caroline Polachek‘Bells’Sign up at loudandquiet.substack.com to hear the full episode. Already a subscriber? Link your subscription to your phone's podcast app of choice by visiting any Substack post and tapping the icon of your preferred app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit loudandquiet.substack.com/subscribe
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Patrick Wolf, Part 2: major label versus indie life
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit loudandquiet.substack.comIn the second part of my conversation with Patrick Wolf, the London-born musician who I met at his new home on the east Kent coast looked back at his previous major label record deals that took him from a life of DIY creation to a world where he suddenly had £250k to spend on a music video. What did he make of those days, and how does he feel about returning to music as an independent artist in a new world of hyper-self-marketing and content creation? And then there was the question of new album Crying the Neck, Wolf’s first album in 13 years, and a punchy closer: is he happy with his career so far? Typically, he answered that one with the same candour that ran through our entire time together.
New Zealand