ALBUM REVIEW – P.G. SIX: MURMURS AND WHISPERS
The latest release from P.G. Six, a multi-instrumentalist attached to iconic indie label Drag City, breaks what has been his 12-year hiatus from making music. ‘Murmurs and Whispers,’ comprised of 9 songs, is an album of great sparsity – perhaps contradictory to expectation, the artist ending his silence with a selection of subtle arrangements. However, though they may be quiet and subdued in sound, P.G. Six’s compositions speak loudly and from the heart. Touching upon... Read More
SEPTEMBER 2023
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. Our gig guide is handpicked and every act has been listened to before making it onto the list. It has been compiled by the ears of our editors and not by any promoters, band’s management or PR’s. ************* SEPTEMBER 2023 2 – Manchester Psych Fest – Various 2... Read More
LIVE REVIEW: JOHN CALE – ALBERT HALL: 24/08/2023
On Thursday night the legendary John Cale, perhaps mostly known for his role in one of the most iconic and influential acts of the 60s/70s – The Velvet Underground – played an eclectic set of classics and new jams to an intimate and lucky Albert Hall crowd. This famous Manchester venue over the years has seen lots of sweaty evenings under the guise of indie rock, pop and even metal. Tonight however, with plastic chairs set in their slightly off kilter rows, a few hundred... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – BOWES ROAD BAND: BACK IN THE HCA
When is a reissue not a reissue? Perhaps this can become the music fan’s equivalent of the “if a tree falls in a forest and no-one is around to hear it, does it make a sound” philosophical conundrum. The original release in 1972 of ‘Back in the HCA’ by Bowes Road Band was limited to 50 copies (ten for each band member and the same number for Hornsea College of Art) so its impact upon the wider world was miniscule. However, via a fortuitous discovery of one of the original... Read More
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 25 AUGUST 2023
August ends on a bumper week with plenty of excellent releases. Here is the Silent Radio guide. Wreckless Eric Leisureland It marks a return to his more ramshackle world of recording – guitars and temperamentally unpredictable analogue keyboards, beatboxes and loops in conjunction with a real drummer. The album considers the idea of seaside towns but also contains more instrumentals than any of his previous records. It is... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW: SUN’S SIGNATURE: SUN’S SIGNATURE EXTENDED
The first words on Sun Signature’s extended EP, “the opening of a window onto rapture”, are an apt description of what is to follow. When the original EP was released in 2022, it marked the first new music from Elizabeth Fraser for 13 years. Blessed with one of the few voices that could genuinely be described as unique, her otherworldly qualities had been central to the Cocteau Twins and her take on Tim Buckley’s ‘Song to the Siren’ with This Mortal Coil could have... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – OSEES: INTERCEPTED MESSAGE
After witnessing OSEES smash it up big style in Liverpool this year, I was excited to hear the latest recording in a constantly evolving discography headed by the prolific and seemingly ageless J. Dwyer. Playing for around 2 hours at Invisible Wind Factory a few months ago, the duelling drummers and wailing guitar boys brought the house down with an energy similar to a that of a sentient bulldozer on the charlie. Despite their new record ‘Intercepted Message’ clocking... Read More
EP REVIEW: LEONE: GTFOH
LGBTQ band, LEONE, are emerging from the shadows with new material. Three unheard tracks will join ‘GTFOH’, ‘I Wanna Be’, and ‘Kiss ‘Em Bye Bye’ on August 18, finalising the ‘GTFOH’ EP. After their first, and most recent, album ‘(thisbodyisntmine)’, I found a love for this band that is incredibly special. Their debut album introduced tracks like ‘Monochrome Colors’ and ‘Talk To Me’ to the pop and alternative rock music scene, which explore the expression... Read More
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 18 AUGUST 2023
An assorted range of goodies summarised in Silent Radio’s weekly roundup of new releases. Grace Potter Mother Earth Singer-songwriter with an expansive and occasionally blistering soundscape of soulful rock, roots, funk, country, and R&B. Final track, the ‘Fetch the Bolt Cutters’ era Fiona Apple-esque ‘Masterpiece’ wins the accolade of Song of the Week. OSEES Intercepted Message John Dwyer’s ever... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – WILLIE J HEALEY: BUNNY
‘Bunny’, the third album from Willie J Healey, has a timeless quality. It conjures tunes blaring from the radio on carefree sunny days during childhood but manages the precious knack of sounding reassuringly familiar yet fresh. There are distinct echoes of the 1970s in some of its reference points (David Bowie’s relatively unknown ‘The Gouster’ album which eventually morphed into ‘The Young Americans’ and only received an official release in 2016, Philly soul) but... Read More
