LIVE: JOHN GRANT – 14/05/2013
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - **WARNING** This review will be two things: 1) quite gushing, and 2) a bit sweary. Please do read on if you are comfortable with both those things. This is because tonight the magnificent John Grant is in town, and this gig is very, very special indeed. In fact, I’d go so far to say as it’s the best thing I’ve seen this year, it really is that good. The ex-Czars man now has two incredible albums behind... Read More
LIVE: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB – 24/03/2013
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - There is an undeniable feeling of heaviness in the air tonight at The Ritz as San Francisco alternative rock trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are about to begin a sold out gig in Manchester in promotion of their seventh studio album Specter At The Feast. At best, the new record has been a bare-all emotional effort for the band after the sudden loss of producer and sound engineer Michael Been, lead singer for the 1980′s... Read More
LIVE: REEL BIG FISH – 27/02/2013
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - “A little faith goes a long way” It only seems like 5 minutes since Reel Big Fish played Manchester. They are a band that tours and tours and tours yet still entertain, changing their set list to suit, yet still providing a night of smiles, skankin’ and high quality musical entertainment. The Ritz is an ideal venue, the disco ball is still there from the years where the bouncy dance floor let the jumping feel like... Read More
LIVE: DINOSAUR JR – 01/02/2013
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - There’s something metaphorical about the thirty-something Gen X-er, bearded but with his long hair cut off in favour of something more employment-friendly who shows up at a concert wearing his faded Dukes Devils, baggy t-shirt just about hiding a muffin-top and a hairy belly. Despite all that, I don’t care – that’s how I roll, and I like wearing all that stuff just as much as I did back in the day. Dinosaur... Read More
LIVE: BAND OF SKULLS – 05/12/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - Southampton based trio Band of Skulls sure have come a long way since their formation back in 2004. They created quite an underground buzz with their 2009 debut ‘Baby Darling Doll Face Honey’ in all its sassy rock ‘n’ roll glory, touring up and down the country quietly building an army of fans. Fast forward a few years and the band are rounding up what has been an excellent 2012 for them having hit the big rooms with... Read More
LIVE: ADAM ANT AND THE GOOD, THE MAD AND THE LOVELY POSSE – 25/11/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - So Adam Ant is back – still or, again- this time with his band The Good, The Mad and the Lovely Posse. In his heyday, Ant – real name Stuart Goddard- was a very subversive kind of pop star, a British “pop glam-tinged” star. He began by riding that (new) wave of post punk in the late 70’s with Adam and the Ants; his glamour and flair for performance staying with him throughout his various solo forays with alternative... Read More
Live: Beach House – 31/10/2012
- The Ritz, Manchester - It’s hard to say why some shows work and others do not. Rewind two years and Beach House, a previously unknown (to me anyway) Cocteau Twins-esque act hailing from Baltimore steal my heart in Manchester Cathedral. The setting, the sound and the light show gel completely, and the band, riding the crest of a wave of critical success, submerges the audience in the ecstasy that such a moment in time represents. It remains... Read More
LIVE: THE WALKMEN / WILD NOTHING – 30/10/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - Drinking my first beer of the night, I thought of my chumbuttlies with whom I would soon be road-tripping to the gig, singing nursery rhymes and drinking from stolen pint glasses as we went. On the road, we joyfully reminisce about the Ritz of our whipper-snapper days and had a rather scintillating debate about the relative merits of the old versus the new incarnations of what is now officially known as the ‘Dog Dog... Read More
LIVE: DJANGO DJANGO – 23/10/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - The night is brisk and the age range trickling into the Ritz are almost as many balding heads in number as there are sprouting ones, at least at first. Django Django are following up the release of their long awaited, self-titled album, with a UK tour. The second night of which is taking place at Manchester’s near-grandiose Ritz. GULP open the ambience with a slow, slightly melancholic set. Next up is Egyptian Hip-Hop,... Read More
LIVE: LITTLE COMETS – 16/10/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - It’s fair to say that the Little Comets aren’t so little anymore. Since the release of their sprightly debut album ‘In Search Of Elusive Little Comets’, the Newcastle based outfit have been flying up festival bills and packing out bigger rooms on every tour, so it comes as no surprise that tonight finds them headlining one of Manchester’s larger music venues, The Ritz as part of their biggest UK tour to date! Our... Read More
LIVE: REN HARVIEU / LEWIS WATSON / THE SUNDOWNERS – 09/10/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - The Ritz seems like a wholly appropriate venue for tonight’s gig by Ren Harvieu. The Grade II-listed building’s art deco features, red velvety curtains, glitter ball and sweeping horseshoe balcony are a suitable setting for a singer whose cinematic songs hark back to an era of iconic Brill Building pop stars and evoke romantic images of 1960s dance hall glamour. I hear earlier in the day that some tickets are available... Read More
VIDEO: WE ARE AUGUSTINES – ‘PHILADELPHIA’
Brooklyn’s We Are Augustines have released a live video of Philadelphia (The City of Brotherly Love) this week following successful appearances at both Reading and Leeds Festivals playing in front of packed audiences. The video was recorded at The Neptune in Seattle this year, one of their favourite venues on the gig circuit since they started touring. The track will be released as a Double A-Side single that also features ‘Book of James’ on... Read More
LIVE: GRIMES – 30/08/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - On arrival at the Ritz, I‘m quite puzzled by the apparent appeal of the ‘Vagina Rings’ on sale at the merch desk – replicas of Grimes’ very own lady parts [“one size fits all” but it’s a bit tight for me, natch!]. I feel a little bit uncomfortable just browsing, to be quite honest – which is probably the idea. Grimes has a background in art, and getting a reaction is what art seems to be all about nowadays. First... Read More
NEWS: FIRST AID KIT – LISTEN TO ‘WOLF’ + UK TOUR DATES
First Aid Kit are fresh from a European tour with Jack White and to continue their inexorable rise in 2012, they are releasing album highlight ‘Wolf’ on 17th September (Wichita). They will then head back to the UK for their biggest headline dates thus far, calling at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 20th November. Added to this, The Lion’s Roar (album) will be lavishly re-packaged for release on 17th September with bountiful bonus material including... Read More
LIVE: THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE – 08/07/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - Dangerous, unhinged and unpredictable are all words I would have at one time used to describe The Brian Jonestown Massacre. An opinion I had formed after hearing numerous fan’s accounts of the band’s on tour antics and more so after watching the 2004 documentary ‘Dig’, which until now was my only experience of the band live. So as I arrive at the packed out HMV Ritz in anticipation to see one of my favourite bands... Read More
LIVE: BEST COAST – 17/06/2012
THE HMZ RITZ, MANCHESTER Now Wave gigs regularly promise plenty of bands and no fillers, as with tonight’s quadruple bill. The thankfully renovated Ritz is starting to get a little sticky underfoot again, due to spilt beer. At £4.35 for a pint of Guinness, I’m not wasting a drop. Psychedelic dark punk pop rock band Pins kick things off. The local, hotly tipped all girl band look and sound great up there, growing in stage presence it seems,... Read More
LIVE: FEAR OF MEN – 17/06/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - I had the pleasure of catching Brighton based outfit Fear of Men as part of the wonderful Sounds From The Other City Festival which took place in Salford last month, and it was their simplistic indie pop melodies that won over my heart and have refused to leave my head since! So, hence why I’m here this evening to witness the quartet play one of Manchester’s bigger venues, The Ritz, supporting everyone’s favourite... Read More
LIVE: MICHAEL KIWANUKA – 15/05/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - Heading to The Ritz on a damp Tuesday night makes me wonder if strappy wedges and a gust sensitive skirt are a good combo. The weather isn’t dampening the spirits of folks up for a piece of the recently touted Michael Kiwanuka appearing tonight. This one is an eagerly anticipated gig. He’s a spark on the horizon for British soul acts. Already getting glowing comparisons to Bill Withers and Otis Reading. Michael’s... Read More
NEWS: DOT TO DOT 2012 – SPECIAL DISCOUNTED TICKETS IN CONJUCTION WITH RECORD STORE DAY
Already well-established as the festival that brings you future stadium-fillers before any other event, Dot To Dot is set to unveil the second wave of acts on this year’s bill. The UK’s only touring festival, Dot To Dot will visit a multitude of venues in Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester this coming Jubilee bank holiday weekend headlined by The Drums and Pulled Apart By Horses and featuring some of the most electrifying up and coming acts currently... Read More
THE XFM New Music Award – 08/02/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - There’s been a flurry of excitement around Ren Harvieu on the radio. Touted as the Salford lass with the big voice, she’s getting plenty of attention with her new single ‘Through the Night.’ We get into The Ritz at 8, and as I’m trying to get 2 pints poured our XFM host announces Ren’s arrival on stage. Hang on, shouldn’t she be headling? Our tickets read All the Young, Dry the River,... Read More
LIVE: MURKAGE – 04/02/2012
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - Yes it’s cold, yes it’s snowing and yes, you could be easily convinced to stay in. Or so you’d say on other nights. Personally, I’ve been looking forward to witnessing the guys that are on tonight for quite some time now. Having grown out of their, now notorious, Monday Murkage club night into a full-blown category 5 hurricane-quartet, the guys from Manchester have already had their debut single ‘Paperweight’ called... Read More
LIVE: NEW MODEL ARMY – 15/12/2011
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - I like gigs at the Ritz in Manchester. They’re more like events, the ones you should have been at. They are the ones your mates talk about in the pub while you look glumly into your beer. It must be something to do with the history of the place. It’s one of the oldest venues in Manchester, and, one of the few that is pretty much unchanged and still with the bouncy dancefloor. New Model army have played a few gigs in Manchester... Read More
LIVE: THE DRUMS – 10/12/2011
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - So here I am at the Manchester Ritz and while I’m not a die hard fan, I’ll confess right now to have a bit of a liking for The Drums and so as it turns out, there were a number of surprises in store. It hit me immediately how much this band’s shtick is influenced by The Smiths. Its there in the music but within 10 seconds I’d clocked it from frontman, Jonathan Pierce’s swirling. A charismatic front man with compelling... Read More
LIVE: THURSTON MOORE – 30/11/2011
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER - First thing’s thirst. How much? Four-twenty for a bleedin’ pint? The Ritz has come a long way (it thinks) from its sticky floors and pound-a-pint student days. Now that HMV has got its grubby paws on the place. Perhaps the stricken, shrinking giant is making its last desperate grasp for our cash. It’s obviously not playing the long game. But then, we will pay the prices… It is looking a lot better, too.... Read More
LIVE: SUBMOTION ORCHESTRA – 03/10/2011
- HMV RITZ, MANCHESTER - With night organisers Hit & Run proclaiming that they refuse to be “pigeon-holed and categorised”, tonight’s headliners Submotion Orchestra offer a diverse enough spectrum of influences to uphold their ethos. The Monday ‘Quality Bass Music’ night, now in it’s 5th year, has moved on from it’s Mint Lounge residency to spend this new academic year at the refurbished and more spacious... Read More
LIVE: DAN LE SAC Vs SCROOBIUS PIP – 06/09/2011
- THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – Ooh blimey, I’m not sure which stings the most, the fumes of fresh paint in my eyes, or the £4.20 I’ve just handed over for a pint. But tonight one of these two things is very out of the ordinary, and it’s not being charged London bar prices in a northern venue, unfortunately this seems to be common practice lately. Yes my friends the strange fact is I’m in The Ritz and there is the aroma of paint. Not only is there... Read More
LIVE: WHITE BELT YELLOW TAG – 12/11/2009
- THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER - It’s Thursday night. It’s November and it’s The Ritz. Technicians potter about on the stage. Pow! They’re not techies – its the band with attention grabbing start! It’s a welcome sucker punch, and they slide effortlessly into the first number before we can recover. Looks like its going to be one to remember. This is exactly the kind of tactic a support band needs to employ as the meagre numbers of souls... Read More
LIVE: AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT – 12/11/2009
- THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER - No, not a euphemism for a trouser trump, the name of this band actually refers to a section of the novel White Noise by Don DeLillo. And as such, it underpins the literary intent of the band, and specifically singer Mikel Jollett, himself a writer who was in the process of writing a novel when he discovered what he had were songs, rather than fiction. And that’s important, especially to someone who pours over lyrics... Read More
