LIVE: I BREAK HORSES – 03/12/2011

– THE SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Rumour has it, this is I Break Horses second (or maybe third) gig. Ever. It’s certainly their first gig in the UK. The debut album ‘Hearts’ gained many a rave review after it’s summer release. The Swedish pairing of Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck have recruited 3 others to take their […]
– METHODIST CENTRAL HALL, MANCHESTER – Right, where do I begin? Just another Friday-night planned to be spent indoors out of solidarity with the ‘big society’ (…) when I get a call whether I fancy joining a friend to see Panda Bear at Central Methodist Hall. “Panda Bear, Panda Bear… name rings a bell but.. […]

LIVE: PANDA BEAR – 02/12/2011

LIVE: FIONN REGAN – 01/12/2011

– ST.PHILIPS CHURCH, SALFORD – Having been a fan since his first album, the Mercury Prize nominated ‘The End of History’, it’s not until his third album tour that I finally get a chance to catch Fionn Regan in person. This is the second stop for the Irishman, who is playing six dates in just […]
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – First thing’s thirst.  How much? Four-twenty for a bleedin’ pint?  The Ritz has come a long way (it thinks) from its sticky floors and pound-a-pint student days.  Now that HMV has got its grubby paws on the place. Perhaps the stricken, shrinking giant is making its last desperate grasp for […]

LIVE: THURSTON MOORE – 30/11/2011

LIVE: WIDOWSPEAK – 27/11/2011

– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – Widowspeak‘s self titled debut album  is definitely in my top 5 for 2011. Highly regarded local indie store Piccadilly Records agree somewhat, naming it in their own top 10. The Brooklyn based trio have only been together since summer last year, can the live performance meet my high expectations? The […]
– THE NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – The legendary Night and Day Cafe is 20 years old this year and tonight Stockport trio, The Jessie Rose Trip have been invited to headline their Birthday shindig. The Jessie Rose Trip have been flying the ‘next big thing’ banner for a few years now and come […]

LIVE: THE JESSIE ROSE TRIP – 25/11/2011

LIVE: FRANK TURNER – 26/11/2010 (plus free download)

– THE APOLLO, MANCHESTER – It’s a windy, drizzly and cold November night, and quite frankly, the prospect of a going to a gig over a hot drink and bed seems unthinkable. But tonight I’ve been persuaded. It’s the turn of Frank Turner to grace the Apollo in Manchester, and after a long period of […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – I’ve fallen in love with a Mariachi band. Over the last few weeks ‘Mariachi El Bronx’ have been beeping all over the Vic radar. Guy Garvey’s played them numerous times on his 6 Music show. And in exclusive Silent Radio interviews Norwegian folkies The Captain and Me told me how […]

LIVE: MARIACHI EL BRONX – 23/11/2011

LIVE: DWARVES – 22/11/2011

– MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER – The local support slot is occupied tonight by Manchester nutters Bad Taste Barbie.  If you can imagine Fuzzbox fronted by Divine then you might get the idea. They have a song that goes ‘SiegHeil, Jeremy Kyle’.  No, Really! The main support is from Girl Spit (I think) whose front man […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Another sellout weekend crowd at The Deaf Institute, Now Wave bring us a couple of Canadian bands tonight, both the established, and the up and coming. The crowd are a mixture of young and older post-rock fans, it’s possible to tell which band each audience member has come here […]

LIVE: THE BESNARD LAKES – 18/11/2011