This week's round-up: New music from Parker Barrow, Dinosaur Pile-Up and Joanne Shaw Taylor

Nashville-based, blues-Infused Southern Rockers Parker Barrow return to the music scene with their long-awaited new single “Make It” on Friday April 11th.

To coincide with the news, the band is excited to announce a series of July 2025 UK tour dates including a performance at Maid of Stone Festival on Sunday July 20th. The band will also play Chester Live Rooms (July 17), Nottingham Bodega (July 18), and London’s The Grace (July 19). Tickets are available from www.weareparkerbarrow.com/tour.

The band’s 2023 debut album Jukebox Gypsies featured prominently on “Best of 2023” lists. Now, the Nashville blues rockers return guns a blazing with one of their most exciting new songs to date entitled “Make It” featuring the unforgettable vocals of Megan Kane.

Written and composed by Dylan Turner (drums) and Alex Bender (guitar), “Make It” is the first track released from the band’s highly anticipated album due later this year.

Parker Barrow’s name is taken from Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow; the infamous American bank robbers during the early 1930’s Great Depression.

Photo by Bri Fish. Parker Barrow (L-R): Will Tipton, Dylan Turner, Bo Howard, Megan Kane, Alex Bender, Eric Safka

Megan Kane – Vocals Dylan Turner – Drums Alex Bender – Guitar Bo Howard – Bass Will Tipton – Guitar Eric Safka – Keyboards

Parker Barrow is a high energy, blues-infused southern rock ‘n’ roll band led by husband-and-wife duo Megan Kane (lead vocals) and Dylan Turner (drums). A chance encounter brought Kane and Turner together in 2019, when Turner was searching for a new singer for his band. The pair immediately hit it off, and within two weeks they were on the road together in full time pursuit of a mutual musical dream. The couple have been riding the highs and lows of rock ’n’ roll road life ever since.

In 2023 Parker Barrow expanded with the full-time inclusion of guitarist and musical director Alex Bender. At the foundation of Parker Barrow’s sound is the heavy-handed groove of Turner’s drumming, with Kane’s soulful and electrifying vocals soaring up over the top. The pair’s dynamics are brilliantly stitched together by Alex’s creative riffs and spirited playing throughout the songs.

Parker Barrow’s compelling vintage sound contains elements of rock, southern rock, blues, and soul; but the band’s brand of music is unmistakably and distinctly their own. The band command an impressive mix of old and new influences threaded throughout their distinctive sound, including the Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, Blackberry Smoke, Johnny Cash, the Rolling Stones, Tedeschi-Trucks, Whiskey Myers and Led Zeppelin. Parker Barrow’s 2023 debut album Jukebox Gypsies received rave reviews. “Count Your Dollars” was the first single and video from the album. The official music video for the follow-up single “Back To Birmingham” racked up over a million views on YouTube.

For the new single “Make It,” the band returned to producer Stephen McKnight, who was also responsible for producing their debut album, Jukebox Gypsies. “Make It was a fun song to write,” says Dylan. “It allowed us to show a more playful side of the band both lyrically and musically. The song is a sweet concoction of heavy drums, loud guitars and screaming vocals. The time changes give us room to balance the groove and high energy swing feel that are both so prominent in classic southern rock ‘n’ roll.”

“We knew right from the jump that Make It would be the first single for the new album,” adds Megan. “It had our ‘it’ as a song and we immediately thought of making it (pardon the pun) a staple in our live show – high energy to get ya’ moving with an edginess true to the band’s rock ‘n’ roll spirit.”

Alex adds “Sometimes songs can take weeks, months or even years to complete, and we found the process in this case to be the contrary. Make It came together quickly. We really enjoyed the process of writing and recording Make It and feel that the track encompasses what Parker Barrow is all about.” A video for “Make It” was shot on location in Nashville, and was directed and produced by Keith Leman, whose credentials include Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wade, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Kenny Chesney and Willie Nelson.

Booked worldwide by Intrepid Artists International, Parker Barrow has become well known for their electrifying, full throttle live shows where no two performances are the same and their songs are often infused with extended jams that move seamlessly through the emotional spectrum. This year, the band are on the road in the US performing concerts with Robert Jon & the Wreck, Them Dirty Roses, the Kentucky Headhunters, and Feel. Parker Barrow’s shows have become legendary. They are a well-oiled rock ’n’ roll machine on stage with a captivating live presence and infectious energy. Don’t miss your chance to catch them live!

Struggle. Vulnerability. Pain. Resilience. Love. It's been a hell of a journey that Dinosaur Pile-Up have been on, and they've bravely laid it out bare on their new album I've Felt Better. Their first record in six years will be released on 22 August via Mascot Records.

They will also be hitting the road in the UK in September. You can get tickets HERE.

Fri 5 Sep - XOYO, Birmingham

Sat 6 Sep - SWX, Bristol

Weds 9 Sep - Garage, Glasgow

Thurs 11 Sep - New Century Hall, Manchester

Sat 13 Sep - Electric Ballroom, London

It was 2019 when they last toured the UK - on a completely sold out run- so it’s understandable that the band are absolutely buzzing to get back on the stage and in front of their fans and see those beautiful faces once again. “After an extended break away from touring we just can’t wait to get back out on the road and play the new songs live,” Matt Bigland says. “We’re really stoked on this record and can’t wait to see the fans again!”

It’s easy to recognise why they are tightly coiled and ready to go because overcoming life-threatening illness and finding a fresh perspective on life will do that to you. Before they pack back up in their van they’ve dropped their new single, which sees them take back control of their future on the raucous, My Way. The incredible video sees the band in various scenarios taking a light stab at the song's meaning—with added Aliens. Watch the video HERE.

"I wrote "My Way" because I'm gonna do what I want, how I want, my way," singer-guitarist Matt Bigland reflects. "I made peace with the fact that I'm never going to be recognised as 'cool', and that I will never be in the "what's hot" of the rock scene, and that my talents as a songwriter will seemingly never be worthy of mainstream acclaim. As a younger artist, that still held some weight or value in my mind. But that's OK. I will do my thing my way because I dig what I do. Doing my thing, my way. I love My Way because it's this crazy mix of an Eminem-type vibe with a big rock song that even has this kind of 'Amish farm breakdown ' and a hardcore breakdown in the same song. That sounds fun, right!? Sign me the fuck up!!"

There is a reason that Bigland has reappraised his view on life. He opened up about how his life has changed and what he has been through when the band dropped their recent single, ''Bout to Lose It,' in March. Five years of pent-up emotion—hope, despair, resignation, and colossal bravery—let loose into a blistering 3:40 minutes of Dinosaur Pile-Up at their absolute best.

When it was released it was met with a wave of support by the likes of BBC Radio 1 Rock Show - “It's good to have them back." said Daniel P Carter - Kerrang Radio, Primordial Radio, Kerrang Magazine, NME, Dork and a host of playlisting across Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Deezer and YouTube - the response was, DPU ARE BACK!

Dinosaur Pile-Up - 'Bout To Lose It (Official Music Video)

As so much time has passed since their last studio album. "People need clarity about what happened," he explained. "It's been so cathartic to lay it out." He began documenting his story on the band's Instagram account in December 2024 - You can see it in his own words here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4.

There were six people in the ward the second time that Matt Bigland admitted himself to hospital. Three of them didn't make it out alive. "You think you're halfway through life, then you realise you might be right at the end," he smiles today. "Being in that room was scary. I felt incredibly vulnerable. I had no control. But hearing people in the final hours of their lives forced me to think about what would happen if I were to die. What was I leaving behind? What really mattered while I was here?"

Flash back to 2018. Ten years of chasing opportunity and betting big, on every chance had built Dinosaur Pile-Up into one of the UK's most beloved alt. rock bands. It had also left them flat broke, physically and mentally drained, and without a label to release their imminent fourth album, Celebrity Mansions. It became their make-or-break record. Between Matt, bassist Jim Cratchley and drummer Mike Sheils, it was agreed that failure would mean calling it quits. However, the rock gods were smiling on them, and the album was a hit. On the back of their US Top 5 Rock Radio runaway hit “Back Foot” they went on the road with Shinedown in the US and lined up major summer festival dates, along with a North American tour with The Offspring and Sum 41 in North America through to the end of the year. They were soaring. 2020 was going to be massive – then everything changed.

'I've felt better…' started as a makeshift mantra. Unwilling to sift through the layers of trauma with every friend who checked in to see how he was doing – indeed, often unable to speak through a mouth filled with centimetre-wide sores – Matt found himself defaulting to that wry, understated three-word response. After four years of repetition and rattling around his head, those words are reclaimed as the title to Dinosaur Pile-Up's defiant fifth album: 12 songs to draw a line under a half-decade of sickness and struggle, a distillation of his agonising uncertainty and self-analysis.

"This record is about triumph over adversity through perseverance and resilience," he explains. "I'm so proud that it actually got made, as its journey was rough, and I'm so proud that it's going to be out there in the world. I think it will serve as an epitaph to an intensely challenging and defining part of my adult life. But I'm just really stoked that I'm on the other side of it, and it's now memorialised in solid rock."

At his worst, he suffered rapid weight loss, internal bleeding, and proliferation of sores in his mouth and over his body, which continued to grow worse. Sections of his tongue were removed for investigation – while he was conscious. Most unnervingly, the doctors seemed to be panicking, unable to stop his throat collapsing in on itself.

"People don't relate things like health crises with being a dude in a band," he stresses the sense of isolation that came with the ordeal. "We're more associated with rocking out and having a great time."

Striking up a relationship online with Karen Dió was a shard of gold in a sea of grey. Her UK visit in October 2020 was one of the few moments of real relief. Maddeningly, Matt's trip to her South American homeland at New Year's 2021 would be cut short: worsening health forcing a return to the UK and setting him on a lonely spiral towards some of the darkest days of his entire life.

In the end, real love shines through. Motivating himself to get out of the hospital, Matt kept a photo of a wedding ring on his phone and promised himself that marrying Karen would be his reward for pulling through. That promise was fulfilled in April 2022, and a thread of romance runs from their partnership through the heart of the record.

Ultimately, this album's seeing the light of day is a huge part of Matt's happily ever after. He's more focused on work, home, and life's simple pleasures than he's ever been. All that has underlined why music matters, which is why the album runs the full gamut of emotions—exhaustion, mental health, empowerment, celebrity, vulnerability, and, at the heart of the album, love.

“Nah, quitting ain’t my style, so fuck it!” My Way

British blues-rock phenom Joanne Shaw Taylor digs deep on her latest single, “Look What I’ve Become”—a haunting reflection on addiction, isolation, and the moment of choosing whether to fight or let go. The gripping new track, released today via Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records, blends minor-key blues intensity with the cinematic sweep of a Bond theme, anchoring some of Joanne’s most confessional songwriting and driving it home with her incredible signature guitar tone.

“My bones have grown so old, the world is only cold,” she sings over gritty, shadow-drenched guitar tones, capturing a soul in reckoning. With a voice both weary and defiant, she delivers the devastating refrain: “Don’t miss me when I’m gone / I’m nothing now but numb.”

“This one’s about hitting that crossroads,” Joanne shares. “It’s about the moment where you either change everything or disappear. The lyrics came from a very honest place—and I wanted the music to match that intensity.”

“Look What I’ve Become” follows Joanne’s recent run of acclaimed singles, including the fearless “What Are You Gonna Do Now,” the high-octane “Hell Of A Good Time,” the emotionally charged “Grayer Shade of Blue,” and her defiant anthem “I Gotta Stop Letting You Let Me Down.” Together, they paint a vivid portrait of a woman reclaiming her story—set against the diverse sonic palette of her forthcoming album, Black & Gold, out June 6th.

Produced by Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Journey, Aerosmith), Black & Gold finds Joanne pushing the boundaries of blues rock with raw vulnerability, sweeping cinematic textures, and moments of explosive swagger. From the retro shimmer of her cover of Sam Sparro’s “Black & Gold” to the soulful ache of “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now,” each track reveals a new facet of Joanne’s artistry.

With more than a decade of critically acclaimed releases under her belt—and endorsements from legends like Stevie Wonder and Annie Lennox—Joanne Shaw Taylor continues to redefine modern blues. Her partnership with Journeyman Records allows her to release music on her terms, reaching fans without compromise.

Joanne is currently gearing up for an extensive U.S. Spring Tour following her appearance on Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea X alongside Bonamassa. Fans can expect to hear material from Black & Gold along with fan favourites and blistering blues classics—all delivered with the fiery musicianship that has made her a standout in today’s blues-rock scene.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit joanneshawtaylor.com/tour