Grace Riley

Tonic Music attended Tim Burgess’ Merch Market at the Troxy in London - here is how it went...This free event welcomed over 100 artists to sell their merchandise and take home 100 percent of the profit, with around 5,000 music fans coming along to support artists and buy their merch. As well as this, a variety of performances, live interviews and more merch stalls took place in two other participating venues, The George Tavern and The Clement Attlee. The Charlatan’s frontman launched the massiv...

Think back to the last gig you went to - neon stage lights slicing through the dark, the sticky floor beneath your shoes, hot air buzzing around you, and bass so deep it rattles the venue’s walls. These are not just spaces where music is played, it is where music thrives, and grassroots music venues are the lifeblood of that experience. When entering Hot Box, it is almost as if you are entering Aladdin’s cave of wonders for music fans. Rather than being surrounded by immense riches, however, you...

Indie-pop solo-project better joy partners up with Tonic Music by raffling a 12” test pressing of their debut EP, while the singer-songwriter talks us through her ever-evolving songwriting, touring with Amy Macdonald and the hopes and dreams of better joy.Long before releasing her debut EP and headlining tour, singer-songwriter Bria Keely was studying languages by day and serenading her mates by night with her own written music. With no set plan after graduating, Bria soon came to realise the un...

I met with Bee, a 20-year-old online content creator. With 692K followers on TikTok, Bee has been part of the Emo community, both online and offline, for most of their teenage years. Travelling 80 miles to Brighton, I met them along the seafront for a street photoshoot. Donning the iconic knee-high black Converse and a chunky studded belt, Bee brought the maximalist aesthetic to life, along with their friend 18-year-old maths student Betty, who was up for stepping in front of the lens....

Monumental’s roots trace back to the seaside city of Southend, where Alfie (lead guitarist) and Nathan (bassist) met Finn (frontman and rhythm guitarist) busking in the bustling high street of Southend playing ‘It Must Be Love’ by Labi Siffre, unsure whether he was even going to busk that day. After their original drummer left the band, Peggy’s Music Bar was where current drummer and backing vocalist Denny had exclaimed, “I am gonna be in that band one day!” when watching the band perform with t...