LIVE: MAC DEMARCO – 12/09/2015
Mac DeMarco – THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – Sporting an Everton shirt and accompanied by a girl who had a fucking jewel glued to her forehead I venture to the ever eventful city of Manchester with great anticipation of who I’m going to witness this evening. The effortlessly cool and entertaining Mac Demarco graces the stage of Albert Hall’s beautiful interior, which is hidden delicately behind stain glass windows and a certain dilapidated quality which leads... Read More
LIVE: THE LUCID DREAM 11/09/2015
The Boris Johnson Massacre – SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Tonight at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen, we are in for something special. Not only is it the last gig of the year for psych favourites The Lucid Dream, but we are being treated to an amalgamation act known only as The Boris Johnson Massacre. Taking to the dimly lit stage, The Boris Johnson Massacre are made up of two members of shoegaze outfit Purple Heart Parade and five members of hotly tipped new act, Freakout... Read More
STILL HOWLING: DAY OF POETRY & MUSIC TO CELEBRATE GINSBERG’S ‘HOWL’
Red Ginsberg by J. Michael Anderson In October 1955, in San Francisco, a little known poet called Allen Ginsberg stepped up to read at an event organised at the Six Gallery, a reclaimed auto workshop resurrected as a space where artists and other members of the city’s active bohemian community could meet and present their work. No one knew that Ginsberg’s epic poem ‘Howl’, an extraordinary diatribe against the neuroses and paranoia of Cold War America during that decade... Read More
The Silent Radio Show 14/09/2015 with La Shark
A weekly audible version of the North’s best independent music website, SilentRadio.co.uk. Featuring the bands and acts gracing our hand-picked gig guide & hitting the headlines and our Music News round-up for the week. This week we’re also joined by indie-band La Shark who tell us about art school, not taking yourself too seriously, Pledge Music success and sharks (obviously). The Silent Radio Show is Live every Saturday 3-5 on Fab Radio International. TRACK LISTING ... Read More
LIVE: WAND – 10/09/2015
WAND – SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Our editor told me to use the word ‘magic’ in this review, so that’s that over with. Wand are a 4-piece from LA who are about to release their 3rd album in the space of 14 months. ‘Ganglion Reef’, on Ty Segall’s God? label, showcased an impressive, unique blend of psych, prog and folk rock. In The Red released their 2nd album ‘Golem’ in March, where the guitars are much heavier than... Read More
LIVE: DRINKS – 09/09/2015
DRINKS – SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Lights dance off the audience’s head, an ear piercing twang sounds from the guitar and Cate Le Bon stands to the side of Tim Presley, the White Denim bassist, with an unnerving presence. If this band didn’t consist of musicians of such pedigree, who knows if Soup Kitchen’s basement would be so full. But thankfully it is and we’re here with clear minds, all of us unsure of what lies ahead. The first song is... Read More
LIVE: FUTURE ISLANDS – 08/09/2015
Future Islands – ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – You just know the night’s going to be good when – even before you’ve stepped foot inside The Academy – someone undercharges you for a beer, Rooney beats Bobby Charlton’s goal scoring record and you bump into old, old friends, long lost, somehow having got away from you. So I can claim no critical objectivity when it comes to Future Islands. They took my 9/10 mood and cranked that bad boy all the way to... Read More
LIVE: HAIKU SALUT – 08/09/2015
Haiku Salut – HALLE ST. PETER’S, MANCHESTER – I’m not a religious man, so I don’t know off the top of my head where the Halle St Peter’s church is. A cursory Google informs me it’s deep in the heart of Ancoats, outside the comfort blanket of the usual Northern Quarter gig stomping ground. As it happens, it’s only five minutes into the Ancoats badlands, past abandoned pubs and empty mills, over such industrial sounding streets as Loom Street and Gun Street.... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW: BEIRUT – NO NO NO
Beirut – No No No Beirut band leader Zach Condon’s story is film-worthy – as a young jazz trumpeter, he was exposed to mariachi music while growing up in Sante Fé, New Mexico. At 17, he dropped out of school and ran away to Paris after working in an international film cinema, where Sicilian funeral brass music and Balkan folk had caught his attention. He then returned to The University of New Mexico where he studied photography and Portuguese. With help from... Read More
Album Review: Exxasens – Back To Earth
“Things can get out of a black hole, both to the outside, and possibly, to another universe. So, if you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up. There’s a way out” (*). This is Stephen Hawking’s encouraging reflection on the everlasting human concern about what’s on the other side(s). Spanish progressive post-rock band Exxasens’ latest album, Back to Earth, could be the perfect soundtrack for the renowned scientist’s essay. A way to illustrate the... Read More
