LIVE: RINGO DEATHSTARR – 11/11/2011

– THE APOLLO, MANCHESTER – Texas band, Ringo Deathstarr are finally beginning to gain notoriety. Riding high on the waves of this years shoegaze revival along with bands such as the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Yuck, Deathstarr’s steadfast commitment to punk makes for a more boisterous sound, imbuing them with a sense […]
– ST PHILIP’S CHURCH, SALFORD – What a splendid venue. I must confess, gentle reader, that I chose to cover this gig almost as much for the location as the band. St Philip’s in Salford is a prime example of the modern use of churches as music venues, thus getting bums on pews and coffers […]

LIVE: NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA – 10/11/2011

LIVE: ANE BRUN – 08/11/2011

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Norwegian folkstress Ane Brun is back in the UK to show-off her new album It all Starts With One. This is her forth studio-release, which has reached the top spot across Scandinavia, hooking up with the likes of Joe Gonzalez, Ron Sexsmith and Peter Gabriel on the way. Yeah, […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Manchester is Cashier No.9‘s second port of call on their 13 stop tour of the UK. The Belfast band have received rave reviews for their debut album ‘To The Death of Fun’, from myself included (link), and it’s always a pleasure to see a band who’s on the verge […]

LIVE: CASHIER NO.9 – 09/11/2011

LIVE: ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE – 07/11/2011

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Where to start? Hmm, a bit of background to set the scene on tonights ‘happening’ would probably help. Wikipedia helpfully informs me that Acid Mothers Temple is “a psychedelic rock band, the core of which formed in 1995” So far, so good, but there appear to be a myriad […]
– CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – Of the 4AD bands that lit up the late 8o’s and 90’s most people would cite the Pixies as the main draw. Myself, I loved the Throwing Muses. The dual vocals of Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly swirled around angular guitars with a melodic sensibility about their work. Donelly left the […]

LIVE: THROWING MUSES – 06/11/2011

LIVE: TWIN SISTER – 07/11/2011

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – It seems I’ll be spending half of November at The Deaf Institute, their gig list for this month is right up my street and hopefully, by December, the bar staff will all come to know what I drink. Wot God Forgot have brought together the 3 performers tonight, all […]
– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Manchester Academy has seen its fair share of great music but on tonight it witness’ musical history in the making. With teeth- rotting talent shows hijacking our beloved television screens on a Saturday night it is great to see a real bona fide band returning to show all of those […]

LIVE: MAGAZINE – 04/11/2011

LIVE: I AM BLACKBIRD – 04/11/2011

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER –  As I walk down into the dusky basement of the Soup Kitchen I can feel the goodwill in the room. It’s been nearly six months since I Am Blackbird have played in their hometown and, by the looks of it, their loyal local following have missed them. After a self-imposed […]
– THE BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER – Entering the Bridgewater Hall expectations feel high for James performing with Orchestra Of The Swan and The Manchester Consort Choir. Hang on is that someone actually wearing a (non-ironic) dickie bow? This isn’t James’ usual venue of choice; a sign at the bar confirms this: “Please refrain from leaving […]

LIVE: JAMES – 01/11/2011