INTERVIEW: THE JIM JONES REVUE
“Built to take on America” – The Jim Jones Revue From their weird name to their attention-grabbing sounds, The Jim Jones Revue have been creating a buzz on the gigging circuit since they formed back in 2007. With textured heavy guitars shot through with honky tonk piano and 50s rock ‘n’ roll, the band’s truly unusual sound is one you can’t afford to pass by as they help put infant Manchester venue Sound Control on the map tonight. Following some US dates... Read More
LIVE: KARIMA FRANCIS – 24/03/2010
– BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER – It is clear that I am not a regular to the newly refurbished Band On the Wall, when I turn up at the Frog and Bucket, to claim my place on the guest list, which, I insist exists, despite clearly being at the wrong venue. It is only after the manager appears, to tell me that I am not on the list and that I am at the wrong club, that I scuttle off, ashamed, only to come back two minutes later, to ask where the Band on the Wall is. After... Read More
SINGLE: The Miserable Rich – Somerhill
Many country bumpkins who have now moved to the city will be familiar with the feeling of one’s first loan stroll about the city. In a town everyone tends to know each others business but in a city you will rarely find people in the street who have the time for you or your story. The city is a lonesome place but the anonymity can also be a pleasure for those from the towns who embrace it. In their new single “Somerhill”, The Miserable Rich have done a fantastic job of... Read More
SINGLE: fun. – Walking The Dog/Be Calm
If people throw food at each other for fun, Fun throw genres, styles and influences at each other just for kicks, and because they can. These guys are massively playful and extremely talented.Walking The Dog is a joyful combination of Vampire Weekend, The Beach Boys and Wheezer. However (and it’s a big one), Fun also sounds intermittently like Mika, and that for me taints what would otherwise be an incredibly enjoyable experience. “Be Calm” cements this fear into a full... Read More
LIVE: DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP – 22/03/2010
– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip bring together two things I fell out of love with a long time ago, hip hop and poetry. Actually half of that is a lie; I never did in fact fall in love with poetry. It would be fair to say that growing up in the seventies and eighties in Salford it wasn’t something that your everyday state school would include in its curriculum. Names like Yeats, Blake, Eliot, and Shakespeare were never mentioned, so for me if... Read More
LIVE: THE ALBUM LEAF – 22/03/2010
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – After seeing the wonderful Dennis Jones on Saturday, I’m geared up for some more eclecticism from The Album Leaf. To my ire, I have to wait outside, as (according to the bouncer) doors have been delayed half an hour because the band are ‘just dicking about with their gear all over the floor’. I assume he’s referring to the support act, as The Album Leaf are sitting out the back on the fire escape, playing an impromptu mini-gig... Read More
LIVE: NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB – 20/03/2010
– MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER – When I saw that tonight’s gig is to be a 16+ affair and that the doors were to open at 6.30pm, I had the usual momentary thought of “am I gonna be the oldest person in the room?” Fortunately this never lingers long enough for me to actually care. On entering the subterranean venue that’s half hidden down the bottom end of Tib Street, I find my initial notion is far from correct. It’s been a while since NYPC have been in Manchester... Read More
LIVE: WHY? – 19/03/2010
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – A sudden downpour has kicked up the potassium in the soil and put a late dampener on a real hibernation-buster of a spring day. Meanwhile, the unexpectedly drenched indie-rock denizens of Manchester are standing agape at Josiah Wolf, drummer of tonight’s headliners and solo artist in his own right, whose tip-toe-quiet brand of folk taunts the enormous bank of speakers covering the wall behind the bar. A swift changeover later, and... Read More
LIVE: NINE BLACK ALPS – 19/03/2010
– THE NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – Nine Black Alps have lined up two support acts to accompany them for their gig at Night and Day, Former Bullies and The Witches, both of whom have a similar grungey/rocky style to their own. Former Bullies are first up, and they don’t do a lot wrong. Their set is, to excuse the cliché, tight or some might say uptight, as they never really relax into a rhythm and the odd moments when they do are their best. Unfortunately,... Read More
ALBUM: North Atlantic Oscillation – Grappling Hooks
North Atlantic Oscillation, sounds like the technical name for a cyclonic Inuit dance doesn’t it, when in fact it’s a climactic phenomenon that controls the strength and direction of westerly winds and storm tracks across the North Atlantic. In this case it’s also the name of a fascinating, experimental rock band from Scotland – not known for affecting the weather.They are, however, a storm of conflicting styles and time signatures that smash into each other without... Read More
