Nic’s EOY roundup
By Nic Howells
2023 has been relentless for music. This year I’ve done triple duty for The Scene as a reviewer, new interviewer, and also photographing shows. What that's resulted in is an incredible list of bands, music and experience that's factored into my best music of 2023.
I couldn’t leave out anything so there are some additional photos of our travels this year, as well as honouring bands/acts that didn’t do an album, but made some banging singles. 2024 is shaping up to be a good place, with good people.
Top 10 singles
‘LosT’ - Bring Me The Horizon
‘Look Alive (Netic)’ - Oxymorrons
‘$wing’ - Fever 333
‘He’s a Man’ - Bob Vylan
‘DOWN’ - While She Sleeps (Feat. Alex Taylor)
‘MILF’, ‘18+’ or ‘Pink Push Up Bra’ - Scene Queen
‘AI’ - Kid Bookie
‘Worms’ - Ashnikko
‘In the shadow of your former self’ - Love Is Noise
‘Deep End’ - I Prevail
Top 5 releases
1. Take Me Back To Eden, Sleep Token
This one is no surprise. It’s the band that broke the internet. This group played club shows in 2021. Now they sell out arenas. It’s thanks to this album.
‘The Summoning’ had people setting themselves on fire. But there’s way more to it, ‘Granite’ is excellent. ‘Rain’ may be one of the best tracks this side of Evanescence. And ‘Vore’. More ‘Vore’. 2023 has been Sleepy T’s year. For it’s salt I feel like there’s just nothing wrong with this album if you are a fan. This might not be the album for everyone, but for me it is the perfect Sleep Token record.
2. Melanin Punk, Oxymorrons
It was so close between this and No.1. This is just such an important album. It has Oxy’s personal influences dripping off it left and right, its life a slice of life from them.
Obviously Oxy has an extremely special place in my heart, but this album was exceptional. All the feature’s on this album absolutely earn their place, and the singles are outstanding. ‘Graveyard Words’, ‘Look Alive’ and ‘Insomnia’ are in the top 10 songs of my On Repeat. Still stunning I got to interview them this year and photograph their show with Corey Taylor.
3. A Mind Waiting To Die, Graphic Nature
It feels like Graphic Nature has come into their own two or three times now. This is an awesome album, and their run of form since dropping it has been incredible.
I first saw GN in November 2022 with Ho99o9 and they seem to have jumped over themselves several times just trying to improve their output. It worked.
4. Everywhere, Everything, Polar
This is actually the band I’ve been a fan of longest on this list. Unbelievably this came out just two weeks into the year. Polar nearly ceased to exist that same year. The ferocity of Woody’s writing in this album is testament to how they’re still going strong.
5. Venom, Wargasm
Wargasm has been welded to my Spotify since Bloodstock 2021. Their EP last year was a good base. But Venom really put the dial up to 11. I wasn't completely sold as the singles rolled out, but after photographing Wargasm live and listening to Venom in its entirety I can say I was happily proven wrong.
Honourable mentions
Find Out, Filth is Eternal - got to review their album, one of my favourite this year, and interview Lis after photographing their Manchester show
The Weight of The Mask, Svalbard - a joint favourite review with Filth, both stunning, upset I didn’t get into either band sooner
…And Everything In Between, Unprocessed - incredibly underrated, the first band I EVER interviewed
Don’t be surprised. We at The Scene obviously LOVE some Malice and for them to finally drop their debut EP, another I got to review, made them surefire top spot. (11th on list of releases).
2. SCUM, BEX
This is the one that caught me by total surprise. I honestly wasn’t familiar with BEX before reviewing SCUM and photographing BEX’s live show in Manchester, but this EP is an amazing start for them. No faults.
3. God Made Me An Animal, Better Lovers
This one is like pure adrenaline. Get 5 musicians from amazing bands, lump them in a room together, this is what you get. Can’t fault it as a first release. All Killer, No Filler.
4. suraksha, Pinkshift
The only band on this set of lists I have never seen live. The suraksha EP came out narrowly after they had just played the UK, and I loved it that much I wish I could have seen them. It’s so faithful to the heart of the band.
4. don’t dream too much, Knife Bride
This is where it all started. First release I ever reviewed for The Scene. Caught these songs live in their infancy and they’re so much more defined now.
Honourable mentions
Black Coast, Black Coast - first EVER show I photographed
