SINGLE: TALL SHAVES – WAKING ME UP
Tall Shaves The North East-based folk duo Tall Shaves began writing their forthcoming single, ‘Waking Me Up’ whilst living the life of working musicians. Their upbeat folk-pop encapsulates the ambling thoughts that accompany the rootless 9-5 and subsequently the rest of the creative day. ‘Waking Me Up’ takes those concerns to a higher place, examining a current relationship and how it’s best not to take things for granted when time together is precious. Just under... Read More
LIVE: MR. BEN & THE BENS – 14/09/2018
Mr. Ben & The Bens -GULLIVERS, MANCHESTER- Tonight Gulliver’s has been taken over by Lancastrian label, Bingo Records for their first year anniversary, a birthday bash! The record label consists of a menagerie of interwoven bands, with label mates performing under a number of different guises and playing multiple instruments. The room is filled with affiliates, friends, family (a lovely shout out to Mr Ben’s mum is made halfway through the set) and a host of fans. It all... Read More
Silent Radio Gig Guide Mixtape 17/09/2018 – 23/09/2018
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: KIRAN LEONARD/CULT PARTY – 08/09/2018
Cult Party – Partisan, Manchester – When I arrive, Partisan offers us a quarter circle of sofas for viewing. Behind that, more chairs of plush and non-plush kinds. Though there’s a sizeable free space on the floor, with people clustering around the edges. I’m admittedly entering with some bias and expectation. I saw Cult Party (the collective arranged by Leo Robinson) and Kiran Leonard play a few months ago in the reverse order to tonight. It was a meditative experience... Read More
LIVE: PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS – 13/09/2018
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Gulliver’s, Manchester – Debuting the UK and Europe in a manner that can only be described as storming are Perth’s Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Selling out almost every show on a tour that is witnessing the band for the first time is a fantastic achievement but one that is worth every penny. Gulliver’s is a unique venue of both intimacy and intensity which is definitely exemplified by the containment of a sold-out room full of people,... Read More
ALBUM: SPIRITUALIZED – AND NOTHING HURT
Apparently this was going to be the last album Jason Pierce (J Spaceman) was ever going to make as Spiritualized, such was the sheer effort involved, both mentally and physically. Six long years in the making, ‘And Nothing Hurt’ is the sound of the spaceman coming to terms with life as a middle aged family man, still burning with the same rock n’ roll fire as when he first started, yet also more reflective and embroiled in the turmoils of modern life. After almost dying... Read More
LIVE: ICEAGE – 09/09/2018
Iceage – Gorilla, Manchester – Let’s get this out of the way upfront: I have the biggest man crush on Iceage front man Elias Bender Rønnenfelt. He’s possibly the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in real life, and his brooding, pouting, strong silent type stage persona (and off stage persona if his interviews are anything to go by) is electrifying to watch. Seriously, you could cut yourself on his cheekbones; he’s the archetypal Copenhagen hipster and he’s... Read More
Silent Radio Gig Guide Mixtape 10/09/2018 – 16/09/2018
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: SOCCER MOMMY – 05/09/2018
Soccer Mommy – The Deaf Institute, Manchester – Entry number 48 in the series ‘How Much Are Young Women With Guitars Kicking Ass Right Now?’ featuring Sophie Allison aka Soccer Mommy. You may have read number 47 in this series a couple of weeks back after I went to see the brilliant Phoebe Bridgers, and I’ll probably write 49-51 when I get to see Snail Mail, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker over the next couple of months too. Because it’s absolutely, 100% true:... Read More
ALBUM: SAUNA YOUTH – DEATHS
Sauna Youth Riddled with angst, Sauna Youth express their feelings in a quite British 70’s fashion, spitting South East accent vocals over a ‘The Jam’ like setup. This, a follow-up to their 2015 debut album ‘Distractions’ strikes a similar chord, but they’re still pushing the envelope. The album explores the theme of death in a very literal way with spoken word poetry on the subject, but morose content is largely overshadowed by a determined... Read More
