Yesterday we kicked off our review of 2025’s musical and cultural highlights with selections from Joyzine writers Andrew Wood and Hayley Foster Da Silva (check out their picks here). Today it’s the turn of editorial team member Ioan Humphreys.
New Musical Discovery of 2025 – Voluntary Redundancy
Lovely and fast as fuck hardcore/fastcore from Suffolk. Tape releases via their Bandcamp. Brilliant name too.
Voluntary Redundancy: Bandcamp
Favourite Album – Thumbsucker/Atomck Split
Featuring yet another hardcore/fastcore band in Thumbsucker. Atomck features vocals by Linus FC who we had in our 23rd calendar window in 2025. Thumbsucker are loud and aggressive with track titles like ‘Coward’, ‘Grift’, ‘Bastard’, whereas Grindcore legends Atomck have ‘Fuck off back to Bristol’ and ‘But You’re Not Steve Rogers, Are You Jon?’. With the latter’s tongue firmly in their cheek, both bands come from a place of total and unwavering dedication to the job – of making the listener deaf. I fucking love this record, and these bands.
Thumbsucker: Instagram / Bandcamp
Atomck: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Single/EP – Civilian Thrower/FILTHxCOLLINS Split
Effectively an LP in song numbers, but the length I would say we can say is an EP! Both bands are superb and this release is available via the brilliant Eggy Tapes. Yet another release from a growing hardcore/fastcore/grindcore scene that is linking Leicester, Nottingham, Bristol with Newport, Cardiff and Swansea with great DIY gigs and festivals. Just wholesome stuff I think.
Civilian Thrower: Bandcamp
FilthxCollins: Instagram / Bandcamp
Gig – The Jesus Lizard – Bristol Fleece, 10th January 2025
These legendary Texan noise rockers released a brilliant new record and embarked on a short UK tour that I for one was not going to miss. All shows were sold out and the band delivered way more than the Bristol audience where veer expecting I think. Playing lots of tracks from their latest release Rack, they also filled it with absolute classics like ‘Mouth Breather’, Boilermaker’, ‘Nub’ and ‘Wheelchair Epidemic’. I hadn’t seen this phenomenal band live since Reading 1994 where I helped prop up lead singer David Yow as he crowd surfed over an early afternoon crowd right before Helmet. Once again, I was privileged to prop this (very sweaty) legend through The Fleece crowd hoping this gig would never end. Finger’s crossed they decide to come to the UK very soon again.
The Jesus Lizard: Instagram / Bandcamp
Festival – Forever Now, The National Bowl, Milton Keynes 22 June 2025
Kraftwerk, Billy Idol, The The, Death Cult, Johnny Marr, The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus & Mary Chain, Happy Mondays the list is endless. Two stages where you could switch from watching Billy Idol on the main stage to watching The Damned on the second stage via a brisk short walk was perfect. This is the UK version of the incredibly successful and insanely good line ups of the US’s Cruel World Festival which has run since 2020. I hope Forever Now 2026 happens and continues to be a success because this was one of the best festivals/gigs I have ever seen.
Forever Now: Facebook / Instagram
Music Moment of the year
Probably the artistic and public response to moving away from Spotify for artistic and political reasons, and to consider other streaming platforms. Buy direct for the artist via Bandcamp or chose a streaming service that ‘pays’ better than Spotify.
Live Comedy – Stewart Lee VS The Man-Wulf – Swansea Grand Theatre, 16th October 2025
A masterclass, not only in side-splitting comedy, but also planned and perfectly executed visual comedy too. I can’t say much more about Stewart Lee that has already been said before. A person who is always on the right side to history and isn’t afraid to isolate himself amongst the arena filling comedians that surround him. An intelligent, impassioned and empathetic human being who crafts genius level clever routines that leaves the theatre goer with their laughter levels drained and their hearts filled. This should come on prescription from the GP.
Stewart Lee: Website
TV Programme – Bosch (Prime Video)
Offers up some hard-boiled detective work alongside a Jazz infused soundtrack that just wants one to hunt out Art Pepper and John Coltrane. Not as predictable and ‘by the book’ police dram as one would expect. Highly recommended as well as its subsequent offshoots. Good stuff.
Podcast – Desert Island Discs
Still continues to serve up just bloody good BBC content with the ever affable and brilliant interviewer Lauren Laverne. Highlights this year have been Stephen Mangan, Nick Cave, Norma Percy, Michael Sheen, Lennie James and Lee Child. From the deserter’s choices I’ve discovered new music, literature, film and theatre, as well as revisiting long lost favourites. This podcast/radio programme is a British institution and long may it continue in its choice of interesting guests and excellent hosting.
Desert Island Discs: Website
Article by Ioan Humphreys
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