Hey! You made it! Welcome along to Goth Girl Writing’s Five to Watch Out in 2025…
​​​​​​​​RØRY
‘Restoration’ is released on January 31, and if you could let us know how far into this record you get before the sheer emotion of it hits, that’d be great. Goth Girl Writing got to track four – ‘Hold On’ before she started to cry real tears*. And then track seven ‘One Drink Away’ made matters even worse; a truly heartbreaking tale of RØRY’s joy and utter relief of being sober, but facing the struggle to never go back to the way things were, which is always perilously close. Life has thrown a lot at RØRY, yet throughout ‘Restoration’ she sings about the battles she has faced with inspirational courage, strength, dignity and grace. ‘Sorry I’m Late’ is an anthem for all those following their dreams and unleashing their potential in later life. And that hits hard for the 44-year-old writing this article.
​​​​​​​King Kraken
If Cannibal Corpse released a song called ‘Chainsaw Saviour’ those of a nervous disposition would be best advised to take deep breaths, drink sweet tea and stay out of the way for a bit. While not being quite as abrasive, King Kraken have still got enough new wave of classic rock swagger and power, hard rock attitude and melodic prowess and skill to release a song called ‘Chainsaw Saviour’ which is both catchy and a little psychotic. What’s not to love??? ‘Green Terror’ is an absolute beast of a song which will most probably (and quite rightly) have hit 61,000 Spotify listens by the time you read this. The ground will open up on April 18 when King Kraken’s second album ‘March Of The Gods’ claws its way out of the depths to grab you round the throat. Ten tracks of pure hefty, sludgy riffs, high speed guitar solos and relentless rabid drumming. The vocals? Someone pass singer Mark Donoghue a Strepsil. Trust us – ‘March Of The Gods’ is more than worth the wait.
​​​​​​​Alt Blk Era
‘…if you’ve ever felt lost, if you’ve ever struggled to get up… through our music, we will have your back whenever you need us to,’ (Alt Blk Era). If you’re not quite familiar with Goth Girl Writing yet, this is what she does… When someone else’s words are much more powerful than hers, when the band she’s writing about do a much better job than she ever could, she uses their words, credits the author, and feels humbled and in awe. Sisters Alt Blk Era explore notes, noises, emotions and everything in between through rave, rock, dance laced electro tracks. Their debut album ‘Rave Immortal’ is out on January 24. It’s a thirty minute journey though the sisters’ pain, bond, determination, spirit, boundary pushing, bonkers button mashing and unique, limitless musical vision. Plus, once ‘Rave Immortal’ is released and you realise Alt Blk Era are your new favourite band, there’s an impassioned, raw back catalogue to delve into as well, including ‘Witch’ by the duo and fiercest of the fierce Delilah Bon. Again, no words from GGW needed.
​​​​​​​Those Damn Crows
Probably not telling you anything you don’t already know with this one, but Those Damn Crows are gonna kick 2025 in the teeth. New album ‘God Shaped Hole’ is out on April 11, one of its lead singles ‘Glass Heart’ is troubling rock radio playlists as you read this, and the band are touring more intimate, less visited venues in March. Good news for grassroots music? Sure. Serious news for your hearing too, seeing as these smaller shows are billed as a chance to hear songs from the new record ‘extra live and loud’. See you at The Drill in Lincoln…
​​​​​​Florence Black
A crackin’ hard’ rockin’ Welsh trio, Florence Black are supporting Tremonti in February. This is huuuuge, not least because Mark Tremonti doesn’t just hand out support slots like some cities hand out bus lane fines (I WAS LOST!!! THE SAT NAV SENT ME THAT WAY!!! I DIDN’T REALISE IT WAS A BUS LANE!!! WE DON’T HAVE THEM IN THE COUNTRYSIDE!!!). Their second album ‘Bed Of Nails’ is one of the greatest heavy rock albums ever made. And that’s actually another reason they’re here. Yer girl missed ‘Bed Of Nails’ off her Top 5 Albums of 2024 lists for the other music publications she writes for, because it’s such a belter she thought it had been around since forever. Nope. February 2, 2024 to be precise. Sorry about that chaps.
​*The dubious honour of making Jo Wright cry sooner than this belongs to The Virginmarys, who made her sob her heart out in a carpark within just seconds of ‘White Knuckle Riding’ opening ‘The House Beyond The Fires’
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