John Doran
John Doran has been a music journalist since 2003 writing for Record Collector, Plan B, Metal Hammer, Playlouder, Drowned In Sound, Loose Lips Sink Ships, BANG, Stool Pigeon, Classic Rock, Disorder and others. He lives near Kings Cross and will hold conversations about Gary Numan with anyone in earshot as his long suffering girlfriend has long since stopped paying attention. He lives in constant fear of his record collection falling through the floor and killing the couple who live in the flat below.
70 articles
List of articles in the library
The White Stripes: White Stripes: Brixton Academy, London
Live Review by John Doran, Bang, June 2003
JACK AND MEG STRIPPED THE BLUES DOWN TO ITS BARE BONES, FLESH-WOUNDING 8,000 SCREAMING FANS OVER TWO NIGHTS AT LONDON'S BRIXTON ACADEMY ...
Rammstein: Lichtspielhaus (Universal DVD)
Film/DVD/TV Review by John Doran, Metal Hammer, February 2004
RAMMSTEIN ALWAYS had an unashamedly arty, even pretentious, agenda and it is easy to see this developing by watching their videos. ...
Hawkwind: Ian Abrahams: Hawkwind – Sonic Assassins
Book Review by John Doran, Classic Rock, November 2004
PSYCH-ROCK visionaries Hawkwind have undeniably one of the most interesting stories in rock: paranoia, madness, drugs, fatal road accidents, not to mention startlingly inventive music ...
Siouxsie Sioux: 100 Club, London
Live Review by John Doran, Classic Rock, December 2004
Two shows in one week for the iconic 'anti-Blondie' – one a lo-fi hits set, and one with 18-piece orchestra . Hark at her! ...
LCD Soundsystem: Soundsystem And Vision
Interview by John Doran, Disorder, July 2005
"I'm losing my edge. To all the kids in Tokyo and Berlin. I'm losing my edge to the art-school Brooklynites in little jackets and borrowed ...
Nine Inch Nails: Fighting Tooth And Nail
Interview by John Doran, Classic Rock, July 2005
After finally admitting to himself that he was in the merciless grip of alcohol and drug addiction, Trent Reznor (aka Nine Inch Nails) got himself ...
Interview by John Doran, Disorder, December 2005
In such a time of emotional flux for the Arcade Fire; losing close family members, founder members getting married, recording an album of immense beauty, ...
System Of A Down's Shavo Odadjian: My Life Story
Interview by John Doran, Metal Hammer, 21 December 2005
From Armenia to Hollywood, System of a Down's bass monster has beaten a crazy path to been a member of one of the biggest metal ...
Sonic Youth : Ripped It Up And Started Again
Interview by John Doran, playlouder.com, July 2006
Hollow jokes about their name and their actual age in the music press don't alter the fact that Sonic Youth are still making visionary music ...
The Fall: Becks Induction Hour
Retrospective and Interview by John Doran, Record Collector, May 2007
After a career that has included 26 studio albums, 50 compilation albums, 50 singles and 40 line-up changes, you might think it was hard to ...
Review by John Doran, Yahoo! Music, 13 July 2007
THE ART WORK for Interpol's third album Our Love To Admire is a series of photographs taken from New York City's Natural History museum, depicting ...
Fuck Buttons: Street Horrrsing (ATPR)
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 20 March 2008
NOISE, LIKE anything else, needs practise, needs talent and needs inspiration. As odd as it sounds, bands like Wolf Eyes didn't get where they are ...
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 3 June 2008
TO CELEBRATE 20 years producing left field heavy rock music, Sub Pop this month release bookended albums of a sort. ...
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 13 June 2008
SO BY NOW you are aware of the Smell, the Los Angeles art space/studio/gig venue from which emanate the evil sounds of bands such as ...
Report by John Doran, The Quietus, 24 June 2008
Quietus Editor John Doran gets drunk, falls over, destroys phone, makes noise like "broken panther" and has Proustian recall of two run ins with rap ...
Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone Not Just A Clever Name…
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 13 August 2008
John Doran slowly peels back the masks of so-called extreme metal behemoths Slipknot and looks at the jaundiced and withered flesh underneath. It isn't, he ...
Bill Drummond: Recorded Music Has Run Its Course
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 28 August 2008
...
Cliff Richard: Why Cliff Richard Is The Epitome And Saviour Of Rock & Roll
Comment by John Doran, The Quietus, 20 September 2008
Forget Liam Gallagher, Richard Ashcroft or Paul Weller — Sir Cliff is the best rock star we have, says John 'We Don't Talk Any More' ...
The Prodigy: Invaders Must Die first listen
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 28 November 2008
Long time Prodigy fan and self-confessed knackered old cheesy quaver, John Doran gets invited to the first listen of the new Prodge album Invaders Must ...
Grace Jones: Grace Under Pressure: Grace Jones
Interview by John Doran, The Stool Pigeon, December 2008
PLAYING BACK MY phone interview with Grace Jones, I notice that at the start of the transcript while I'm waiting for someone to pick up ...
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 10 December 2008
The Quietus got an early listen to the new Franz Ferdinand album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, and pegged it back to the office to give you ...
Cabaret Voltaire, Kora: Kora: Kora! Kora! Kora! Cabaret Voltaire Mixes
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 19 December 2008
THIS IS not to diminish the achievements of New Zealand/Maori dub band Kora, but I'm guessing for a lot of people the interesting name on ...
Review by John Doran, bbc.co.uk, 2009
GEMMA RAY SHOULD, BY RIGHTS, be a household name. It would be nice to think that it was only a mysterious bout of blood poisoning ...
Can, Cluster, Faust, Harmonia, Kraftwerk, Neu!: Krautrock
Retrospective and Interview by John Doran, Record Collector, January 2009
In the early 1970s a revolution in sound occurred that was as influential in its own way as the birth of rock'n'roll or reggae. John ...
Kelman: I Felt My Sad Heart Soar
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 5 January 2009
I CAN’T remember any of the platitudes that I was offered, the first time I ever got my heart broken. ...
Profile and Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, February 2009
CANDI STATON is, to put it simply, one of the most consistently underrated female vocalists ever. This is not to say that she hasn't had ...
Judas Priest: Pastor of Puppets: Rob Halford
Retrospective and Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 11 February 2009
YOU ONLY HAVE TO open a style mag, left-field music publication or a broadsheet at the moment to see that heavy metal is enjoying one ...
The Prodigy: Invaders Must Die (Cooking Vinyl)
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 12 February 2009
A CRITICISM often levelled at Cooking Vinyl is that it resembles a second division football team with enough money to buy once gloriously talented players ...
Animal Collective: Race Against Rhyme
Interview by John Doran, The Stool Pigeon, March 2009
Animal Collective are retreating even further into their fool's paradise of a utopian never never land. Their daydream is tempting, given the alternatives. ...
John Parish, PJ Harvey: Different Voices: PJ Harvey and John Parish
Interview by John Doran, The Stool Pigeon, March 2009
Polly Jean Harvey has reunited with John Parish (who collaborated with her with on To Bring You My Love, Is This Desire? and White Chalk) ...
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 26 March 2009
• Fever Ray is Karin Dreijer Andersson, who found fame as one half of Swedish electronic duo the Knife alongside her brother Olof Dreijer. ...
Depeche Mode: Universal Truths And Sounds
Interview by John Doran, The Stool Pigeon, April 2009
It's all tea and biscuits for Depeche Mode these days, and a trip back to the future ...
Sunn O))): Monoliths & Dimensions
Review by John Doran, Drowned in Sound, 21 May 2009
DURING SHELLAC'S excellent track 'The End Of Radio', about the nature of recording and broadcasting electronically amplified rock music, there's a line (when performed live ...
All Tomorrow's Parties: Breeders And Fans Strike Back II
Live Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 26 May 2009
I'M MORE appreciative of ATP than usual at the moment (and I'm usually damn appreciative of its quasi-utopian spread of music, guilt-free loafing and social ...
Marilyn Manson: God Of Fucking About
Interview by John Doran, The Stool Pigeon, June 2009
He promised us champagne and caviar, but now he's only capable of delivering cola and crisps. To John Doran, he's become little more than the ...
Steven Wells 1960-2009: A Tribute
Memoir by John Doran, Andrew Mueller, John Robb, Terry Staunton, David Stubbs, The Quietus, 29 June 2009
David Stubbs ...
Bill Laswell: Bass. How Low Can You Go?
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, July 2009
Prior to his appearance at Montreux Jazz Festival, John Doran caught up with Bill Laswell in New York and uncovered some surprising information about Def ...
The xx: Between Les Paul's Pick-Up and the Akai MPC2000
Comment by John Doran, The Quietus, 27 August 2009
It is quite timely that the XX's debut came out during the same month that Les Paul died. They are the perfect band for a ...
Interview by John Doran, The Stool Pigeon, October 2009
THERE'S SOMETHING to be said for delayed gratification. There's no small amount of tortoise versus hare enjoyment to listening to Yoko Ono's new album. ...
Electric Wizard: You Terrible Cult
Interview by John Doran, The Stool Pigeon, November 2009
Jus Oborn of doom titans Electric Wizard promises a new album for 2010. "I want the man in the street to spit at me", he ...
Venom: Forging Black Metal: Cronos Of Venom Talks About The Genesis Of A Genre
Retrospective and Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 14 January 2010
Helping create extreme metal as we know it today, as well as naming Black Metal, Venom have always been the antidote to musical boredom, says ...
John Lydon, Public Image Ltd, The Sex Pistols: John Lydon
Interview by John Doran, The Stool Pigeon, March 2010
IN CALIFORNIA WE MEET a traveller from an antique land. On two scrawny legs – KFC issue – he stands. He has a shattered look. ...
New Young Pony Club: The Optimist
Review by John Doran, New Musical Express, 12 March 2010
WHEN NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB first released 'Ice Cream' on Tirk Records in 2005, it felt like they were destined to become Favourite New Band ...
Ennio Morricone: Lightning Conductor: Ennio Morricone
Retrospective and Interview by John Doran, The Stool Pigeon, May 2010
ENNIO MORRICONE is not a slight man. He is a slim man. A man of average height. But he is not slight. ...
Miles Davis: John Lydon, Nick Cave, Wayne Coyne, Iggy & More: My Favourite Miles Davis Album
Guide by John Doran, The Quietus, 5 October 2010
To celebrate the recent reissue of Bitches Brew, John Doran asked Iggy Pop, Jim Sclavunos, Jason Pierce, Mike Patton, Paul Weller and many other musicians ...
Overview by John Doran, Drowned in Sound, 22 October 2010
THIS LIST HAS been designed to upset you. It's not a best of Norwegian metal. It doesn't offer a comprehensive guide to any Norwegian genre ...
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 11 February 2011
THE SPANISH PAINTER Francisco Goya was in an ideal position to comment on The Peninsula War of 1804-1808. ...
Burzum, Mayhem: Black Metal: Art Corrupted - From Burning Churches To Toasted Bagels In Twenty Years
Overview by John Doran, Totally Dublin, March 2011
Some two decades after its inception, you can now take an official True Norwegian Black Metal coach trip round Oslo, visiting the sites of arson, ...
Tyler, The Creator: Goblin (XL)
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 10 May 2011
OUR FRIEND and writer for The Stool Pigeon and this organ Kev Kharas recently went to interview Tyler The Creator. The mewling twit (Mr Creator ...
Peter Gabriel: An Invasion Of Privacy
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 19 September 2011
Peter Gabriel tells John Doran about reworking his back catalogue, almost playing in space, being mistaken for a terrorist and how life might be four ...
Noel Gallagher: High Flying Birds, Musical Kettles And Exploded Psych
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 8 October 2011
John Doran is caught napping by Noel Gallagher, who is finally getting to indulge his creative impulses with the High Flying Birds and Amorphous Androgynous! ...
Kate Bush: A Demon In The Drift: Kate Bush Interviewed
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 10 November 2011
KANGCHENJUNGA was, for a long time, thought to be the highest mountain in the world. It wasn't until the Great Trigonometric Survey of 1849 that ...
Emeli Sandé: Her Version Of Events: Emeli Sandé Interviewed
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 8 February 2012
Emeli Sandé discusses human brains, Virginia Woolf and Cher Lloyd with John Doran ...
Review by John Doran, bbc.co.uk, June 2012
OF ALL THE BANDS to emerge out of London and New York's post punk/punk funk revival of a decade ago, only Liars and LCD Soundsystem ...
Pussy Riot Sentenced To Two Year Jail Term
Report by John Doran, The Quietus, 17 August 2012
RUSSIAN PUNK BAND Pussy Riot have been sentenced to two years in jail each after being found guilty of hooliganism earlier in the day. ...
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 22 August 2012
THROUGHOUT THE 17th century, witch-hunt fever was spreading virulently through the UK. Remote communities, once infected, turned in upon themselves and burned up. ...
My Bloody Valentine: Why My Bloody Valentine's mbv Has Come Too Late To Stop The End Of The World
Comment by John Doran, Noisey, 4 February 2013
SO, WHAT THE ancient Mayans predicted has finally come to pass, and only five weeks later than expected. At the end of a 5,125 year ...
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 28 October 2013
Throwing Muses are releasing Purgatory/Paradise, their first album in a decade, so Kristin Hersh met up with John Doran to discuss her favourite records (not ...
Lou Reed: I Thought That Lou Reed Would Outlive Death Itself
Obituary by John Doran, Noisey, 28 October 2013
STUPIDLY, I thought Lou Reed would outlive death itself. It wasn't just his implacable, gimlet-eyed countenance; his face already a kind of premature living death ...
Tom Moulton: Zing Went The Strings: Tom Moulton's Disco Remixes Reviewed
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 5 November 2013
"You wait forty years for a boxset of Tom Moulton Philly disco remixes on heavyweight vinyl, and then two turn up at once." John Doran ...
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 13 November 2013
Note: Contains Spoilers for the HBO TV show Treme ...
Various Artists: Choubi Choubi! Vol. 2 — Folk & Pop Sounds from Iraq
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 29 November 2013
THIS EXCELLENT LP is a follow up to the original Choubi Choubi album that Mark Gergis put together in 2005 for Sublime Frequencies. ...
Cabaret Voltaire: Justified Fascination: Richard H Kirk of Cabaret Voltaire Interviewed
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 9 December 2013
Did Cabaret Voltaire lose their way when they lost Chris Watson? Far from it, they entered their imperial period... John Doran talks to Richard H ...
Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor: Trent Reznor on the NIN Tour
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 5 March 2014
"I feel some responsibility to the audience, I want them to leave feeling that they've had some kind of experience that was satisfying. But at ...
Annette Peacock: She's The One: Annette Peacock Interviewed
Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 3 June 2014
Annette Peacock is a stone cold original — an innovator, an outlier, authentically sui generis. John Doran talks to her about the timely reissue of ...
U2: Songs Of Innocence: On U2, Tax & Hypocrisy
Comment by John Doran, The Quietus, 10 September 2014
John Doran is singularly unimpressed by U2's invocation of William Blake's Songs Of Innocence. Shouldn't they stop cosying up to morally bankrupt corporations, banks, philosophers, ...
The Vinyl Staircase: Transmissions, Margate
Profile and Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 6 June 2016
John Doran goes to Margate to visit the newly-opened Transmission. ...
Aphex Twin's Collapse EP Reviewed From The Gwennap Pit
Review by John Doran, The Quietus, 3 September 2018
John Doran was on his way to the Gwennap Pit in Cornwall when he received the new Aphex Twin EP by email. But is the ...
Celtic Frost: Bring Out Your Dead
Retrospective and Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 1 June 2020
He may be a prophet without honour at home, but elsewhere Swiss musician Tom Gabriel Fischer is widely recognised to have shifted the course of ...
The Mars Volta: "The most revolutionary thing we could do was to make a pop record."
Report and Interview by John Doran, The Guardian, 12 August 2022
After their 2013 split left fans in shock, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López reveal how the Church of Scientology drove them apart – and inspired ...
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