Thoughtful coverage from the front row and beyond.

Varials' Where The Light Leaves is colder, heavier and more self-aware as a record. It is not an album designed to win over casual listeners or dominate playlists. It is for people who sit with records in the dark and full of pain, replay sections of it to understand why they feel heavy and then writes an essay about regretting every single life choice ever made.

As December Falls proved that venue size is irrelevant when the energy is calibrated correctly. Backed by Eville and a fiercely loyal crowd, The Joiners became a masterclass in pop-punk efficiency and gig momentum.

Scottish metalcore band ‘Bleed From Within’ are in Bristol tonight, at Electric, as part of their ‘The Dying Sun Tour’ with support from Danish death metal band ‘Baest’ and US deathcore outfit ‘Disembodied Tyrant’.