LIVE: MARK LANEGAN – 07/11/2013

– RNCM, MANCHESTER – ‘Chameleon’, ‘Maverick’, ‘Man For Hire’ – whatever you would like to label Mark Lanegan, he is an artist in demand and a man of unique talent. Tall, snake-thin with a wide-screen face seemingly grafted from granite, he takes to the stage at the reverential ‘sold out’  Royal Northern College Of Music […]
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – I missed Local Natives before. I promised myself never again. So imagine my excitement as I stand in The Ritz, proper chuffed with my splendid view of the stage. The only downside is that I am wearing a sweater. Outside, it’s sweater weather. Cold, chilly and icy. But inside, it’s […]

LIVE: LOCAL NATIVES – 26/10/2013

LIVE: PORTICO QUARTET – 27/10/2013

– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – In almost darkness at Gorilla is a stage covered in instruments and leads. You can’t see the floor through drum kits, synths, saxophones, keyboards, guitars, a double bass and a hang (swiss steel drum). And it is a quartet we’re here to see – Portico Quartet – not a 12 piece […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – There are three types of gigs: those you wish you hadn’t been to; those that are exactly the same as listening to the album in your front room; and those that blast away your expectations. Ghostpoet at Deaf Institute most definitely falls into the latter category. Speaking of categories, […]

LIVE: GHOSTPOET – 19/10/2013

LIVE: THE GROWLERS – 26/10/2013

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER –  On a dark October evening as Manchester slides into winter, who wouldn’t want to take one last chance to reflect in a Californian sunbeam before it’s too late? There’s a storm warning on the radio, the clocks turn back tonight, and yet all that fills the Deaf Institute air […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Taking to the stage with a four-man band, who Bill branded as “the most under-rehearsed band on the planet” on his Twitter page just hours before the concert in an unashamed honest use of social media, with no view to ticket sales. This unashamed honesty was soon reflected in […]

LIVE: BILL RYDER-JONES – 22/10/2013

LIVE: WASHED OUT – 22/10/2013

– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – Well I wasn’t expecting this. Washed Out’s Ernest Greene bound on to stage with four other people as his backing band, and after the first song is done, a great version of ‘It All Feels Right’ from his new album Paracosm, we end up in full on euphoric, Tuesday night rave […]
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – Daughter – a trio from London are on their first headline tour. Placed arbitrarily in the “Indie rock” camp, they specialise in loud beats and echoey guitars, over which Elena Tonra shares her languid, melancholy vocals. They broke into the industry with a selection of well received EP’s in 2011, […]

LIVE: DAUGHTER – 21/10/2013

LIVE: ROYAL BLOOD – 17/10/2013

– THE ROADHOUSE, MANCHESTER – I’m not sure whether its because I’ve really submersed myself in it this year, but 2013 sure has been a great year for new music, particularly bands coming out of the UK. There has been a slow rise in the amount of two piece bands too, proving that you don’t need […]
– BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER – Tunng return after an interlude of nearly three years to perform at Band on the Wall,  as they are promoting their widely reviewed new album Turbines. Known for their mix of upbeat polyphonic folk, complemented with electro keys and multi-part harmonies; they’re not quite Full-folktronica but they’re still […]

LIVE: TUNNG – 15/10/2013