LIVE: JULIEN BAKER – 24/09/2018
Julien Baker -GORILLA, MANCHESTER- If anyone has been following my series of ‘shit, how good are all these incredible young female songwriters at the moment’ reviews, then you’ll know this is approx. entry number 49, with previous editions featuring the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy, Florist and Let’s Eat Grandma. There’s just such a magnificent wealth of brilliant women making superb music at the moment, we have an embarrassment of riches, and it’s very much... Read More
LIVE: BLACK HONEY – 23/09/2018
Black Honey @ HMV Arndale (credit: Emily Chagas) -HMV ARNDALE, MANCHESTER- Seeing Black Honey perform feels like that first hug you receive from a friend after having your heart ripped out. This is immediately showcased in the first track of their short set, ‘I Only Hurt The Ones I Love’, which reeks of y2k anthems of despair. There is a definite sad-moody aesthetic, all members seem completely torn up whilst playing the tracks but revert to a sweet, candyfloss-like... Read More
Silent Radio Gig Guide Mixtape 24/09/2018 – 30/09/2018
ALL of the bands featured on this mixtape are playing in Manchester THIS WEEK (and are most likely on tour too!) and are the ones we reckon you should get a ticket for. These gigs are lifted from our guide over at www.silentradio.co.uk – where you can see the venues and dates – plus some more top gigs happening this week that we couldn’t squeeze on this mixtape. The Gig Guide is compiled from musical happenings that WE recommend, this isn’t a syndicated... Read More
LIVE: MITSKI / EERA – 19/09/2018
Mitski -GORILLA, MANCHESTER- A crucial starting point to any gig, I’m off my tits on Spoons refill coffee. I’m heading to see the performance of my Twittersphere’s latest darling, Mitski. She’s little known to me bar a few enjoyable listens to her latest album, Be The Cowboy. I could be here for that name alone. I enter Gorilla to Norwegian artist EERA, one vowel away from EER-E, the way I process it on a first read. There’s an eerie discord between keys and vocals which... Read More
LIVE: MUSH / HOLIDAY GHOSTS – 22/09/2018
Mush -YES, MANCHESTER- Having visited the promoter Now Wave’s new venue YES two days in a row, before I comment on tonight’s action here’s a brief digression regarding what I saw of opening night on Friday. Entering just before Dutch Uncles are due to play on YES’s third floor venue known as The Pink Room, the first-floor bar is rammed, and the Pink Room even more so. For an opening weekend, the draw of people is impressive but this highlights a few minor drawbacks. Although... Read More
LIVE: WHY? – 16/09/2018
Why? – Alopecia (2008) -CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER- The lively shuffle dance rousing from the first track, ‘The Vowels Part 2′, sends a static current through the Academy. The energy and verve magnifies and emits from the crowd, hollering each phrase as an echo machine back to the stage. It is crazy that frontman Jonathon Yoni Wolf’s monotone delivery, distinctive and fitting as it is, has the power to set the crowd alight into smiles and fist pumps. Why?’s... Read More
LIVE: THE VACCINES – 20/09/2018
The Vaccines @ Victoria Bathhouse (credit: Amelia Simm) -VICTORIA BATHHOUSE, MANCHESTER- The term ‘bevs and boogies’ is possibly the most impeccable way to summarise the event that unfolded at Victoria Bathhouse on Thursday, a venue that couldn’t have been more fitting to Jack Daniel’s relationship with music dating back to 1892, wherein Mr. Jack himself created The Silver Cornet Band. The Bathhouse was an especially intriguing venue, with various rooms showcasing elements... Read More
LIVE: MOSES SUMNEY – 19/09/2018
Moses Sumney -DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, MANCHESTER- Moses Sumney is otherworldly. From the moment he strides on stage with his impossible height, incredibly high waisted trousers, a kind of robe adoring his arms, it’s impossible to remove your eyes from him for the next hour or so. He is magnetic, enthralling, magical. He commands the stage, flanked by a drummer and two others (who, throughout the night, play all of the instruments – guitars, keyboards, synths, violins, clarinets... Read More
WOVOKA GENTLE RELEASE NEW SINGLE + ANNOUNCE UK DATES
Wovoka Gentle (photo Oxge Cone) London trio Wovoka Gentle returns with new single ‘1,000 Opera Singers Working in Starbucks’, out now on Nude. The new single perfectly showcases the band’s composite sound, on which solid songwriting nods in different directions to experimental pop, electronics and a touch of psychedelia. Of the song, the band said, “We wanted to make a track that was almost disconcertingly upbeat while essentially being about a last-ditch... Read More
STAY FRESH FEST RETURNS TO DEAF INSTITUTE
Stay Fresh Fest Keeping on top of the mountains of new bands is a full-time job, and even here at Silent Radio we need a hand every now and then to find the diamonds in the rough. Thankfully, the good folks at the Deaf Institute are as committed to new music as we are, and on 29 September, their new bands showcase Stay Fresh Fest returns. Across two floors of the mighty Grosvenor Street venue, no fewer than ten young and hungry bands will be playing across seven hours. We’re... Read More
