LIVE: BEACH BABY – 19/10/2016

Beach Baby – THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – The Deaf Institute is bustling with a fresher-flavoured friskiness tonight, albeit only at about two thirds capacity. London-based quartet Beach Baby are coming towards the end of the UK leg of their tour supporting their debut album, No Mind No Money, which came out in September. There is nothing quite like catching a band in the immediate aftermath of the release of their first album. They are still genuinely excited... Read More

THE LOVELY EGGS: A PLAYLIST OF WHAT THEY LOVE AND WHY

The Lovely Eggs With a unique band like The Lovely Eggs it can be hard to pin down exactly what it is that they could possibly enjoy listening to, so with their biggest headline date almost upon them Holly and David have kindly put together 10 tracks of acts they love and why. Tickets for their Manchester show at Gorilla on the 4th of November can be purchased here.1. Sleaford Mods – TCR We love Sleaford Mods. Ever since we first heard em we thought they were genius. Their... Read More

LIVE: JENNY HVAL – 18/10/2016

Jenny Hval – SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – ‘Music isn’t normal’ quipped Norwegian songwriter, Jenny Hval just hours ahead of her performance in Manchester’s Soup Kitchen. This poignant statement is certainly true in the case of Hval, yet by her standards, Blood Bitch, her most recent record, is possibly her most ‘normal’ record yet. Despite its themes of vampires and menstruation, her new synth-led direction present in lead singles ‘Conceptual Romance’... Read More

LIVE: ANGEL OLSEN – 14/10/2016

– CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – A chorus of ambience welcomes Angel Olsen’s silver-suited, bolo-tied band of 1963 fantasy to Manchester’s darkened Club Academy, only to have them sink into the background as the velvet-adorned hellcat takes to the stage and turns to azurite as she steps into the spotlight and the open-mouth-kiss evening. S-1 in-hand, the 29-year old freak-folk veteran furrows her brow and laments seeing heaven in another’s face and having to watch... Read More

CAR SEAT HEADREST ANNOUNCE LIVE DATES FOR 2017

He may have been slowly gathering steam over the past few years, but 2016 was the year that saw Car Seat Headrest cross over from hotly tipped indie newbie to critically acclaimed breakthrough. With the release of Teens of Denial, his first studio album proper for Matador, Will Toledo found himself winning plaudits left, right and centre for his brand of urgent, off-kilter indie rock. It also saw him play sold out headline shows through UK and Europe, including plum spots at festivals... Read More

Kiyoko, Bernard & Edith and more to play St Margaret’s Church

Kiyoko, the project of electronic pioneers Synkro and Bering Strait, will headline an extraordinary evening of art and music alongside Manchester trip-hop duo Bernard & Edith in the unique setting of Whalley Range’s St Margaret’s Church. Taking place on Friday November 26, Apollo Records signees Synkro and Bering Strait AKA Kiyoko will take the stage to play tranquill electronic jams from their well-received EPs and longplayer ‘Sea of Trees,’ before Bernard &... Read More

CALLING ALL BANDS AND DJS: APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN TO PLAY AT SOUND CITY 2017

Artist Applications are now Open Voted the UK’s Best Metropolitan Festival at the UK Festival Awards, Sound City is a 2-day extravaganza of incredible live music, art and culture. Sound City will take place on the 27th & 28th May 2017 in the heart of Liverpool at Clarence Dock which overlooks the mighty River Mersey. We’re giving you the opportunity to perform at the 10th anniversary, which promises to be the biggest and most exciting Sound City to date! Attended by... Read More

LIVE: ARAB STRAP – 14/10/2016

Arab Strap – THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – It may be the faint stirrings of Christmas commercialism or the sour aftermath of Brexit Britain but there seems no better time to welcome back our favourite Scottish curmudgeons Arab Strap.  The band have returned to celebrate their 20th anniversary with a handful of special live shows on the back of the recent release of 20 Songs For 20 Years a double album of Arab Strap ‘secret hits and rarities’.  The album reflects a 10... Read More

LIVE: ULRIKA SPACEK – 13/10/2016

Ulrika Spacek – SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – When the history books have been written and the BBC4 documentaries made about the world of alternative music in 2016, there will need to be entire sections dedicated to the ubiquity of psych rock. A movement that revolves around reinterpreting the music of the original wave of hallucinogenic, distorted underground guitar bands in various Western cities in the 1960s, there are now more bands plying their trade in this music... Read More

LIVE: SPRING KING / GET INUIT – 14/10/2016

Spring King – ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – My back is up against the wall, adjacent to the bouncer, at a Friday night showcase of Spring King. I’d guess the modal age here is a good five years younger than myself as I cast my eyes towards opener Get Inuit. The crowd is tightly bunched towards the front, and there’s already some sitting on shoulders (god knows it’s only a bit gone 8). Early into the set, our lead vocalist earnestly belts out in one of the breakdowns,... Read More