Sarah Collins
Sarah came up through Nottingham's rock and indie scene, working the door and the merch stall before she ever wrote a word about it. That view from behind the scenes taught her how the machinery of live music really works. She writes about bands, live music and the culture around it.
Trap Music for Newcomers: Where to Start
A listening guide, not a lecture — an honest starting order for getting into trap music, with five tracks and no homework required.
Sea Shanty for Newcomers: Where to Start
You don't need a trained voice or a history lesson to join in — just three songs, one chorus, and the nerve to sing louder than feels comfortable.
The Best Psychedelic Rock Artists to Know
There's no single centre of this genre. Here are the essential artists, grouped by the scene and sound each one actually belongs to.
Baroque Music Subgenres, Explained
Concerto, cantata, fugue and more: the straight-talking difference between every major Baroque form, no jargon left unexplained.
The Best Punk Music Artists to Know
No single list covers all of punk music, but these ten artists are the ones that define it — and each one will show you something different about where the genre came from and where it went.
Trip Hop Subgenres, Explained
There's no official subgenre chart for this one — but there are clear strands, and telling them apart makes the whole genre click.
Metal Hammer: What You Need to Know
One of the UK's longest-running specialist music titles has survived more than one near-death experience. Here's what it actually is, and where it came from.
The Best Art Pop Artists to Know
None of these artists set out with a genre checklist — they just refused to leave the interesting ideas outside the recording booth.
Lo Fi Music Subgenres, Explained
Half the terms in this genre get used interchangeably, and that helps nobody. Here's a clear map of the main lo-fi subgenres and how they actually differ.
Idm Music Subgenres, Explained
IDM is a family of related subgenres rather than a single sound. This guide explains the main divisions, what distinguishes each and which artists represent them.
The Best Deathcore Songs Right Now
The most effective deathcore tracks use contrast as their primary tool — between speed and weight, chaos and groove. These are the songs that do it best.
Essential Soft Rock Albums Explained
These are the records that actually built the genre, not just the ones that happened to chart. Six albums, six different sides of what "soft" could mean.
The Best Rockabilly Artists to Know
Forget the mythology for a second — here's who actually did the work building rockabilly, and what each of them brought to the table.
Country Music Subgenres, Explained
From the honky-tonk bars of Texas to the folk festivals of Appalachia — the different strands within the genre explained, with key artists for each.
The Best Black Metal Artists to Know
A handful of bands actually shaped how black metal sounds and looks. Here's who they are, and why they matter, no gatekeeping required.
Essential Bossa Nova Albums Explained
No filler, just the records that actually built bossa nova and why each one earns its place on the list.
The Best Bachata Artists to Know
No hype, just the honest rundown of which bachata artists built the genre, which ones roughed it up, and which ones took it global.
The History of Enka
Enka isn't ancient — it's a modern hybrid built from postwar grief, commercial record labels and borrowed Western production. That's what makes its history genuinely interesting.
Music News: What You Need to Know
Music news covers everything from album drops to streaming economics — here is how to navigate it, find trustworthy sources, and filter the signal from the noise.
Gregorian Chant for Newcomers: Where to Start
You don't need to know a single mode name or Latin ending to get something real out of this. Here's the straight, no-nonsense version of where to start.
The Best Synthwave Artists to Know
No algorithm filler: here are the synthwave artists who genuinely built and shaped the scene, and where to start with each.
The Best Afrobeats Artists to Know
The artists who actually built this scene rarely get talked about in the right order. Here's the honest rundown, and where each one fits.
The Best Blues Music Artists to Know
This is the tradition's real cast list — the names that shaped Delta, Piedmont, Chicago and electric guitar blues, one region at a time.
The Best Thrash Metal Artists to Know
Everyone knows the Big Four. Here's the fuller list — the bands who did just as much heavy lifting and rarely get the same credit.
What Sarah Collins covers
Classic
Classic is a broad discovery label for enduring recordings, standards and widely admired music.
7 topics
Country Music
Country music combines storytelling lyrics, melodic hooks and acoustic-led band arrangements.
1 topic
Fender Jazz Bass
Fender jazz bass models deliver comfort, clarity and versatile low-end tone for rehearsals, recording and live gigs.
1 topic
Grunge
Grunge blends heavy guitars, raw vocals and dynamic songwriting for an intense, unpolished rock sound.
14 topics
Hard Rock
Hard rock delivers loud riffs, strong drums and big choruses for powerful live and studio rock.
Heavy Metal
Heavy metal combines powerful riffs, heavy drums and dramatic vocals for a loud, precise rock sound.
2 topics
House Music
House music delivers steady club rhythms, soulful grooves and adaptable electronic production for DJs and producers.
Metal Hammer
News, interviews and reviews for heavy music fans, covering metal releases, live shows and the wider scene.
