LIVE: MALE BONDING – 28/09/2011
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – I’m back at the Ruby Lounge again and it seems to be turning in to a bit of a ritual. The place has definitely pulled its finger out of late and is getting some top bands through its doors and down its stairs into its gloomy embrace. It’s certainly becoming a bit of a rising star on Manchester’s venue circuit. And, tonight I’m here for a bit of Male Bonding. It looks just like that too, swinging into the main room before eight,... Read More
LIVE: GRINDERMAN – 29/09/2010
– THE ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – This is Grinderman’s first outing to Manchester as a separate entity from their ‘Bad Seeds’ line up. Promoting only their second album to date; ‘Grinderman 2’, the place is packed with young ‘emo’ kids and old punks alike, highlighting Grinderman’s versatility and transcendence against the restrictions of age and fashion. For those who don’t know, Grinderman have a harder hitting, rockier edge by comparison to the Bad Seeds... Read More
LIVE: THE STRANGE DEATH OF LIBERAL ENGLAND – 28/10/2010
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – The Strange Death Of Liberal England brought out their debut album ‘Forward March’, almost 3 years ago and made their mark for being an experimental pop/folk band. Having taken themselves out of view for a good 18 months they have been busy recording their new album, ‘Drown your Hearts Again’, a record which is carefully crafted and has a great sense of organic-ness. The album seems to be a collection of songs that reflect the... Read More
LIVE: I BLAME COCO – 26/10/2010
– THE ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – Nepotism. Sounds like your little brothers’ favourite Goth-metal band, but the official line is ‘patronage bestowed on the basis of family relationship’. It’s a theory that’s been banded about a fair bit with tonight’s headliners, but when your dad is Sting, it’d be hard not to grab hold of a metaphorical leg-up into the music world with both hands. Refreshingly, Eliot Paulina ‘Coco’ Sumner is less of a Hilton-esque airhead... Read More
LIVE: TWEAK BIRD – 26/10/2010
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – I’ll confess, having not heard of this band before I’d asked a few friends if they’d heard of them, to which I was surprised to find they’ve actually released 2 albums to date and have been the Guardian’s ‘Band of the Day’ back in April. ‘You’ll like them Steph, they sound like Black Mountain & QOTSA’. There are only two of them, they are brothers from Illinois and they look like brothers in the same way that... Read More
LIVE: BEACH FOSSILS/THREE BLIND WOLVES – 25/10/2010
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Three Blind Wolves are a trodden jingle jangle sound with warm brandy brushed harmonies. The band mix the sounds of traditional folk and shanty sounds and work them through a modern day filter. Singer, Ross Clark’s voice was rather impressive. It mirrored the sounds of Robin Pecknold’s from Fleet Foxes, especially in their song, ‘Emily Rose’; he has the ability to shift his range completely but make it sound husked and round.... Read More
SINGLE: The Strange Death of Liberal England – Lighthouse
Carefully written in a seamless fashion, ‘Lighthouse’ plays its colours dark grey colours well. It has a deeply brooding feel. The recorded space between the instruments gives it a chance to swell and reserve its layers, and allows the little charming snippets of its orchestration to chime through, giving an extra spangle to the song. It’s all held together by Adam Woolway’s “distinctive” voice, which is smoothed by the underlying velvety and ethereal backing vocals... Read More
LIVE: CRYSTAL CASTLES – 22/10/2010
– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Waking up the next morning, all I can hear is a constant ringing in my left year, which reminds me of an article I read recently about a man committing suicide because of chronic tinnitus. Everything peripheral sounds like the dull roar of the sea, and I am pretty certain that when I breathe in I can smell blood. Will my hearing ever be the same again? Who knows? But this is probably what I deserve for standing too near the left hand speaker... Read More
LIVE: DIEGO – 22/10/2010
– ROSI’S, BERLIN – Hiding behind a sofa from the robotic horrors of Berlin’s Dalek of a techno-electronica obsessed club scene, Germany’s indie loving musicians too rarely peak out to make themselves seen. Rosi’s on Revaler Strasse then, is an ample opportunity for them to make themselves known. All cracked brick walls and marker pen tagged, it is the quintessential Berlin music venue, and a packed house of predominantly German music fans gives lie to the... Read More
LIVE: BIZARRE BALL – 22/10/2010
– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – Monday nights at the Ritz used to be a festival of freaks and weirdos, set to a soundtrack of rock and metal. It was great for a youngster, and there’s nothing in Manchester nowadays that really draws the same crowd on a regular basis. I miss it, but fortunately I have a chance to relive it tonight when the Bizarre Ball comes to town. Sponsored by Bizarre Magazine (of fetishes, freaks and sexy ladies fame), it’s touted as a festival... Read More
