LIVE: CHRISTOPHER OWENS – 17/11/2014

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER –  Oh my. I’ve been waiting to see Christopher Owens in some form or other for about 5 years. I missed his band Girls when they passed through both London and Manchester at various points, and when they went and broke up and I thought I might never get to […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Post hardcore, alternative rock, indie rock, progressive rock, math rock, art rock, noise rock: these are the genre labels on Trail Of Dead’s Wikipedia page. It’s fair to say that every rock genre has been levelled at the Texan band across their 15 year, 9 album lifetime, and tonight […]

LIVE: …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD – 16/11/2014

LIVE: PERE UBU / THE PERE UBU MOON UNIT – 15/11/2014

– BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER –  Not many rock bands have a motto, and those that do seldom live out their philosophy with the dedication of Pere Ubu.  “Ars longa, spectatores fugaces” translates as “Art is forever, the audience comes and goes”. and tonight it proves to be a perfect articulation of the Pere […]
– 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, […]

LIVE: BEN FROST – 14/11/2014

LIVE: SHE KEEPS BEES – 13/11/2014

– 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 […]

LIVE: ADULT JAZZ – 12/11/2014

LIVE: KATE TEMPEST – 09/11/2014

– 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 […]

LIVE: TURIN BRAKES – 08/11/2014

LIVE: PINK MARTINI – 03/11/2014

– 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 […]

LIVE: BELLE AND SEBASTIAN – 28/10/2014