– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – I think Ben Frost has change my basic constitution tonight. The Iceland-dwelling-Aussie delivers a show that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go of you until the very last shaking note. It’s quite the experience, and throughout the evening I’m never really sure whether I’m enjoying it or not, […]
– GULLIVERS, MANCHESTER – Shamefully, this is only my first gig at Gullivers. The 1st floor room above a pub offers kitsch decor, with heavy gold curtains surrounding the low stage. The walls and ceiling are deep red, with small chandeliers hanging from bosses, giving the room a vampiric quality. Shuffling to the front is essential […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Adult Jazz have made one of the best debut albums of the year in ‘Gist Is’ (if not one of the best albums of the year full stop) and despite it being somewhat overlooked compared to terrible British bands like Alt-J this year, the Deaf Institute is pretty busy […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Although I didn’t feel as though it was the strongest of lists, this years Mercury Music Prize certainly switched me on to records by artists I had previously overlooked. One of these records was Everybody Down, the superb debut album from writer, poet, rapper Kate Tempest. Kate has been […]
– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – When my gig buddy and I arrive at the Academy, we are welcomed by a metal storm produced by the SikTh + Idiom gig happening in Academy 2. Like Dante in his Divine Comedy, we ascend to the upper floor, hoping for the heavenly experience normally guaranteed by a Turin […]
– THE BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER – There’s nothing better than feeling a bit flash. Tonight I’m at The Bridgewater Hall with the missus for a bit of ‘culture.’ As we soon find out we’re only 10 rows from the front of stage, I’m feeling flash – like a slightly under-dressed (though still smart) Patrick Bateman. […]
– MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL – A couple of tracks into the set and it strikes me there are many intriguing things about watching a gig in a cathedral, this breezy, boxed-in assemblage of air in the heart of Manchester. Firstly, when attempting to order a drink at the impromptu bar in the corner (even if it’s […]
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – Tonight is a special occasion for Manchester gig-goers. Royal Blood are in town, whose debut album was the fastest selling rock album since ‘Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’, selling over 40,000 copies in its first week. It’s their first headline tour and with their album success, they are here to […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – Like many a Manchester punk gig, the floor is sticky. The bottom of your shoes squelch and a giddy swirl of shaved heads and Doc Martens spring as if in slow motion at the front. This scene, I have only ever witnessed in flashback programmes to the Wilson era. A […]
– THE NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – It’s been a couple of years since I last saw JOSH PYKE at Manchester’s Deaf Institute: and in that time you can see his growth as a performer. In my interview (HERE) with the acoustic singer-songwriter, he told me his latest album The Beginning and The End […]
GIG GUIDE
Our gig guide is handpicked and every act has been listened to before making it onto the list.
See this month's guide
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 6 FEBRUARY 2026SIL
ALBUM REVIEW - YAMILA: NOOR
ALBUM REVIEW - JD MEATYARD: THE MISSION
ALBUM REVIEW - MAYHEM: LITURGY OF DEATH
ALBUM REVIEW - THE MOLOTOVS: WASTED ON YOUTH
SINGLE REVIEW - PIPPA BLUNDELL: BIG BEAR
ALBUM REVIEW - CONGRATULATIONS: JOIN HANDS
GIG GUIDE - FEBRUARY 2026
ALBUM REVIEW - CORY WONG: LOST IN THE WONDER
LIVE REVIEW - WESTSIDE COWBOY: MANCHESTER GORILLA - 29/01/2026
