Articles by Tommy Udo

Allan McLachlan spent the late 70s studying politics at Strathclyde University and cut his teeth as a journalist in the west of Scotland on arts and culture magazines. He moved to London in the late 80s and started his life-long love affair with the metropolitan district as Music Editor on City Limits magazine. Following a brief period as News Editor on Sounds, he went freelance and then scored the high-profile gig of News Editor at NME. Quickly making his mark, he adopted the nom de plume Tommy Udo. He moved onto the NME's website, then Xfm online before his eventual longer-term tenure on Metal Hammer and associated magazines. He wrote biographies of Nine Inch Nails and Charles Manson. A devotee of Asian cinema, Tommy was an expert on 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano and co-wrote an English language biography on the Japanese actor and director. He died in 2019.

Articles by: Tommy Udo

Queens Of The Stone Age posing for a photo in 2007

“I doubt our detractors would have the balls to do what we’ve done. You have to humble yourself at the altar of rock’n’roll”: How Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme rose above the chaos to make Lullabies To Paralyze

By Tommy Udo published 23 November 24

The chaos, confusion and righteous vision of Queens Of The Stone Age and Josh Homme

“The kids who bought it didn’t ask, ‘Where’s Syd?’ They increasingly asked, ‘Who’s Syd?’” Meddle marked the point where Pink Floyd as we know them really began

By Tommy Udo published 30 October 24

Their 1971 album marked the move from experimental live band to studio-based architects, paving the way for a decade of dominance

Tool posing for a photo while throwing a barbecue

“Were Black Sabbath heavy metal? They were? Then I guess we are too”: How Tool pushed back the boundaries of metal and prog with 10,000 Days

By Tommy Udo published 24 August 24

Mystery, secrecy and Arsenal FC – the world of prog metal heavyweights Tool is like no other

Black metal supergroup Scum posing for a photograph

“Black metal is the only form of music since punk rock that’s not money motivated”: How members of Emperor and Amen smashed together black metal and hardcore in forgotten supergroup Scum

By Tommy Udo published 24 August 24

The story of early 2000s underground supergroup Scum, who burnt brightly for one album then vanished

"To appreciate Cactus, your speakers have to be so loud that they create a wind": Why every home should own the debut album by Cactus

By Tommy Udo published 29 May 24

Cactus's first album sounds like they went into the studio, amped up, cranked up, and nailed the lot down one take

“I could be onstage in front of thousands of fans singing my music back to me, and I’d feel empty and miserable”: the dark and twisted history of Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails

By Tommy Udo published 17 May 24

How Trent Reznor turned Nine Inch Nails from one-man studio project into one of rock’s most iconic bands

“The bassist was found with serious wounds, screaming that Vander had caused him to tear his own chest open”: The mystery and mythology of Magma founder Christian Vander

By Tommy Udo published 6 May 24

55 years on, the difficult and driven creator of the zeuhl genre is still developing the theme he introduced to the world in 1969 – no matter how difficult it becomes

“He didn’t like to be reminded of the past… he went to his sister’s to watch a documentary about him and Pink Floyd, but left, complaining it was too loud”: Syd Barrett was more than just another mad genius

By Tommy Udo published 25 July 23

The psychedelic visionary just wasn’t interested in his own legacy after abandoning the music industry in 1972 – but he never stopped creating

The genius of Talk Talk's Spirit Of Eden

By Tommy Udo published 20 July 23

It was impossible to play live and it sold poorly when released, but Talk Talk's fourth studio album, 1988's Spirit Of Eden is rightly hailed as a masterpiece

The Frank Zappa albums you should definitely own

By Tommy Udo published 11 May 23

From the glorious to the impenetrable, Frank Zappa's best albums needs to be negotiated carefully – but it’s worth it

Slipknot: "He was throwing punches, you can hear that on the record"

By Tommy Udo last updated 21 September 22

It was 1999. In terms of changing the face of metal, Slipknot’s self-titled album was as important as the likes of Sabbath or Priest. So how did they manage to make one of the most pissed-off

"My hands were covered in blood": the violence and pain behind Slipknot's debut album

By Tommy Udo last updated 21 September 22

After Slipknot unleashed their debut album on an unsuspecting world on June 29, 1999, metal would never be the same again

How Pink Floyd made Meddle

By Tommy Udo last updated 20 September 22

The making of Pink Floyd's 1971 album Meddle saw the emergence of the band that would rule the remainder of the decade

John Martyn: a portrait by Tommy Udo

By Tommy Udo last updated 10 September 22

Folk? Rock? Blues? Jazz? John Martyn was a mixture of all four and certainly one of the most progressive artists of his generation...

Miles Davis blowing the trumpet circa 1970

The jazz rock albums you should definitely own

By Tommy Udo published 10 May 22

Jazz rock can be a minefield for the uninitiated, but persevere and tread carefully and it can blow your mind rather than your cool. These are the albums you need

Button badges of albums released in 1969

The 40 best albums of 1969, the year rock got real

By Max Bell, Ian Fortnam, Hugh Fielder, Sid Smith, Tommy Udo, Scott Rowley last updated 3 December 21

1969 heralded the end of the 60s and the birth of real rock. Here we look at some of the gilt-edged albums from a pivotal year in rock history

The cover of Marilyn Manson’s Holy Wood album

Marilyn Manson: the story of Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)

By Tommy Udo last updated 26 May 20

In 2000, Marilyn Manson had gone from America’s favourite bogeyman to scapegoat for the Columbine tragedy. What emerged was Holy Wood - his darkest and greatest album