LIVE: BBC PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA – 24/03/2012
Images (part of the series ‘Reflections of Debussy in the Mirror of the East’) – THE BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER – This show is based on the theme of musical representations of the visual, as part of a wider series focussed on the works of the influential turn-of-the-(20th)-century French composer Claude Debussy, his influence by the oriental music of the time, and his subsequent influence on composers of the twentieth century, especially Japanese. Despite... Read More
LIVE: DRIVER DRIVE FASTER – 23/03/2012
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – They arrived like a breath of fresh air, last summer. The hidden trendy rough gem of a venue Kraak Gallery played host to the launch of their debut album ‘Open House’, while a number of high profile muso’s were liberally throwing their name around the airwaves, providing enough favourable quotes to fuel a sharp rise to fame. Manchester’s own Driver Drive Faster now embark on a UK tour with the release of a... Read More
APRIL 2012
We have trawled through the forthcoming gigs in and around Manchester so you don’t have to. We believe that if we are going to recommend a gig to you, then it should be exactly that, a recommendation. There are many other sites out here on the internet that have a gig guide, but how many of them can say they have actually listened to every single band/act they have listed? Well to be honest I don’t know the answer to that, but I’d guess not many, if any at all. Anyway,... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW: IMPERIAL LEISURE – DEATH TO THE ONE TRICK PONY
Not sure what the One Trick Pony ever did to Imperial Leisure, but this sophomore album forms a riotous call to arms. That poor pony is punked. I grew up in the same part of the capital as the band and remember their early gigs in various, nefarious down-at-heel North London pubs. They’ve come a long way – musically, if not geographically – with more rounded songs and more developed identity, yet still maintaining that frayed-round-the-edges, DIY aesthetic to the production. The... Read More
SINGLE REVIEW: BILLY VINCENT – BOTTLE TOP
London five-piece Billy Vincent blend folk with a touch of rock and a dash of country on this, their first single release. Just as their name fuses those of the band’s best-friend vocalists Billy Barratt and David Vincent, so the quintet’s sound brings together that of Ed Harcourt, Jeff Buckley and James Morrison. With début full-length She due out later in the year, ‘Bottle Top’ offers an encouraging taste of the record to come from a band that have been steadily building... Read More
LIVE: KINDNESS – 22/03/2012
– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – I am underneath a kitchen. Upstairs they’re serving soup. On tonight’s menu: Kindness, the creation of London lad, Adam Bainbridge. His name has been floating about the online music atmosphere since 2009, but now in 2012 he has released his debut album, ‘World, You Need A Change Of Mind,’ produced by French dance producers, Cassius. The sound of Kindness can be described as off-kilter funk, heavily inspired by the scattering percussive... Read More
NEWS: WE ARE AUGUSTINES – MAY TOUR DATES + ABBEY ROAD VIDEO
Brooklyn’s We Are Augustines released their ‘Rise Ye Sunken Ships’ album via their own label, Oxcart Records this month and have lined up a short run of dates in the UK for May. The band lit up the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas last week with various gigs and secret acoustic shows and are currently taking their energetic live set around the US touring with Band of Skulls. Once they have played the Coachella Festival in April, We Are Augustines will return to our shores... Read More
LIVE: JONNY KEARNEY & LUCY FARRELL – 18/03/2012
– THE CORNERHOUSE, MANCHESTER – I would like to think I approach most new experiences with an open mind, but I have noticed a little bit of pre-judgement creeping in where certain events loom on the horizon. Unfortunately for ‘folk nights’ this genre has fallen into my room 101 of predictable nights out. All too often the singer / songwriter (don’t forget the slash) gig genre starts to blend into a muddy merge of “woah is me” lyrics blended... Read More
VIDEO: GRINDERMAN & U.N.K.L.E – ‘HYPER WORM TAMER’
Grinderman are set to release ‘Grinderman 2 RMX’ on March 26th through Mute Records. One of the tracks featured on this remix album is a collaboration between Grinderman and U.N.K.L.E. who have teamed up to create ‘Hyper Worm Tamer’ and the video to accompany this track is now available on YouTube. The video follows the same theme as the video for the Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) remix of ‘Bellringer Blues’ which is also featured on ‘Grinderman... Read More
NEWS: SPRING OFFENSIVE – SELF RELEASED SINGLE + LIVE DATES
Following their triumphant European tour last October and the success of their sold-out single ‘A Stutter and a Start’, Oxford’s SPRING OFFENSIVE now return to the limelight with their brand new anthem of dissatisfaction, ‘Worry Fill My Heart’. Vocalist Lucas Whitworth explains, “It’s a reaction to that feeling of impotence when confronted with a difficult choice. So many of our friends, family and people we meet are stuck in this terrible position – we keep being... Read More
