© 2025
On Saturday, June 21, musical magic struck again at London’s The Finsbury pub, where the stage was graced by early-2000s-flavored indie rock band MOSAICS, alternative rock group Puma Theory, and cinematic indie artist Maudlin.
Discover what an evening in London can feel like in the report by Drive Music Media journalist Asya Radko.
The evening kicked off with a performance by Maudlin, who energized the crowd with heavy guitar riffs and pounding drums.
In the dimly lit room, glowing with vibrant stage lights, people stood close to the stage with their friends, as the artist shared his raw, heartfelt energy with the audience.
The next band to take the stage was Puma Theory, an alternative rock duo delivering a heavy yet melodic sound, led by Jacob Holroyd and Cameron Smith. On drums was Josh Seetanah, who also plays with MOSAICS.
Puma Theory’s music delves into questions of identity, and last night the audience got to experience the atmosphere of several of their tracks — including “Hit & Run,” “You’ve Got Me Where I Need To Be,” “Foolish Boy,” “Inside Out,” “Telephone Man,” “Stuck On You,” and “Sobering Lights.”
Puma Theory told Drive Music Media how they prepared for the show and what they felt afterward:
“We were really excited to play The Finsbury. It’s where Cam and I played our first London show together many years ago in a previous band, so our time before the show was spent reminiscing the times we’ve had at the venue.
The crowd gave a great energy and were super receptive, we felt a real buzz from the room whilst on stage. This helped us relax into the set, and emotionally dive into the stories of our songs and convey them as honestly as possible on the night, which is all we ever want to do.
We played our latest single Foolish Boy in the set. It’s currently our favorite song to play live. It’s based on the all-too-often damaging relationships that you can find yourself in in everyday life, which is something that unfortunately, I think we can all relate to. At its core, it’s a story about toxic behaviors and how they can affect you without you even realizing it — until it’s too late.
A highlight of the night and a first for us was definitely sharing a green room with a hamster. I hope he didn’t mind my vocal warm-ups.”
The evening was brought to a close by the indie rock band MOSAICS with their emotional and explosive set.
The band features Owen Castillo with his soulful vocals, Stu Smith on electric guitar and backing vocals with a wild, untamed energy, El Modena — a charismatic bassist who also adds harmonies — and Josh Seetanah, keeping the pulse alive with his powerful drumming.
Back in January, Drive Music Media interviewed MOSAICS about their journey in music and the release of their emotional single “Different People” — a collaboration with British singer-songwriter James McCartney.
The song emerged in a small apartment, capturing Stu and Owen’s personal journey through their move and everything it meant.
Also, MOSAICS recently released a new single — Late to the Party.
The Finsbury pub is where musical magic comes to life — a place where anyone can discover the rising artists of our time.
Pictures were taken by Sonat Gökdemir and C. White Shyamalan
Paul McCartney is a British multi-instrumentalist musician and one of the deepest lyricists of our time, as well as a member of The Beatles, who has remained faithful to his simplicity and craft throughout his life. But he has another side — a love for photography, through which he has captured many important moments of life during the early years and the first wave of The Beatles’ popularity in 1963–1964. The uniqueness of Paul’s photographs lies in their sincerity: they are not staged shots, and they can transport the viewer back in time. The slight blurring and defocusing in some photos adds a feeling of being able to see the beauty in every moment. This is exactly the kind of exhibition titled Rearview Mirror: Liverpool - London - Paris, which opened at the end of August in London at Gagosian and will run until October 4, 2025. Drive Music Media received background information about Paul’s works and how they capture a time before "Beatlemania" through the lens and perspective of 21-year-old Paul — how he saw that time and how he preserved it on his film.
Oleksandra Stepanenko is a Ukrainian writer and the author of 9 Circles of Heaven, which tells the story of a soldier with the call sign Dante. The writer’s goal was to show that, despite the hell of war, the soldier achieves ascent rather than decline. The story also intersects with her own life, as her husband is a defender of Ukraine. Oleksandra shared with Drive Music Media the meanings embedded in her book 9 Circles of Heaven and her upcoming projects.
Julia Brevetti is a Canadian artist working in realism and pop art, known for her “Vintage Cars” series previously featured by Drive Music Media, is now creating a new painting collection featuring various liquor bottles. The series has already gained recognition on social media, which earned her a spot in a group exhibition featuring the iconic liquor brand Campari. The story of this collection begins with Julia’s family, who have been collecting bottles for many years. In addition, Julia released a rather unusual collection for her style — a series of skull paintings. This body of work carries a therapeutic meaning for the artist, as through the prism of art she portrayed the “death” of another version of herself. Julia shared with Drive Music Media about her new liquor bottle series and the skull painting collection.
Sergio Kinoman – singer-songwriter and frontman of the project Monkey Shock Band, who believes that musicians must take responsibility for what they perform and share with the world. Monkey Shock Band was founded in 2016 by two friends, Sergio and Maksym Yakymenko. In 2020, Monkey Shock Band released their rock record XXII, which became the soundtrack to the film Illusion — a project that found success at festivals across Europe, Asia, and the USA. Since 2022, the band has switched to the Ukrainian language, starting with the single Echo, which tells an abstract story of a soldier returning home. Sergio shared with Drive Music Media the beginnings of his journey, the creation of Monkey Shock Band, and his mission as a musician.
Lana Kulyk is a Ukrainian writer, author of Swan Love, The Adventures of Hedgehog, and the collection Burrs. She is currently developing the literary agency Lit Agency Phoenix, which aims to represent Ukrainian authors abroad. Lana shared insights with Drive Music Media about the beginning of her writing journey, the Burrs collection, and her own literary agency.