LIVE: TEETH OF THE SEA (SUPPORTING BRITISH SEA POWER) – 15/02/2011

– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – Teeth of the Sea’s show starts with a very odd sample, which sounds like a Transformer repeating the phrase “Egg Roaming”. Then it gets weirder. Frankie Goes to Hollywood is the most normal thing I can compare with, and one song sounds like Alice in Chains’ ‘Iron Gland’. When […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – Joan Wasser arrives in Manchester tonight in support of her latest release ‘The Deep Field,’ a record that cements further her reputation as soul diva for the hipster generation. She appears on stage like a vision, clad in a black leather jump suit accompanied by band members Tyler Wood and […]

LIVE: JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN – 09/02/2011

LIVE: LULU AND THE LAMPSHADES – 08/02/2011

– NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – Lulu and the Lampshades are made up of members, Luisa, Heloise, Jemma and Dan. There appears to be much talk of their happy and bright musical jaunts that have been arranged in some cut and paste fashion leaving a slap dash smile on your face. They appear to […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – When Kurt Cobain first drawled on MTV Unplugged that he was going to play Jesus Don’t Want me for a Sunbeam ‘The Vaseline’s way’ I was intrigued to know more. Judging by their name alone I am fan and if an icon such as Kurt Cobain favours them then they […]

LIVE: THE VASELINES – 05/02/2011

LIVE: NME AWARDS TOUR 2011 – 04/02/2011

– CRYSTAL CASTLES, MAGNETIC MAN, EVERYTHING EVERYTHING, THE VACCINES – – ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Everyone loves to hate the NME, and let’s face it they make it easy. From lumping disparate bands together and falsely calling it a scene to overhyping them and having a superiority complex that could rival Liam “Lennon was right. […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – The Ruby Lounge is a force to be reckoned with. With their recent run of stellar line-ups and having undergone drastic refurbishments, the much-loved underground haunt is quickly establishing itself as one of Manchester’s finest live venues. It’s a bit of a letdown then, that the view tonight through […]

LIVE: AZURE RAY – 03/02/2011

LIVE: BAND OF HORSES – 01/02/2011

– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Towards the end of tonight’s gig, during intense crowd favourite ‘Funeral’ – which Band of Horses threaten to swap for an “obscure cover track” – lead vocalist Ben Bridwell’s mic screws itself free and falls down to his knees. “There are some technical demons here tonight”, beardy keyboardist Ryan Monroe […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – George Lewis Jr (AKA Twin Shadow) has star quality in abundance. He steps on stage looking every inch the pop star, with a rock ‘n’ roll bouffant which must be a contender for the best hair in music at the moment. From this point on it’s difficult to take […]

LIVE: TWIN SHADOW – 26/01/2011

LIVE: SMOKE FAIRIES/SEA OF BEES – 26/01/2011

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Julie Baenziger AKA Sea of Bees has just brought out her album ‘Song for Ravens’, which has been received rather well. The album is made up of songs crafted with emotional expression, highly beautiful and rather twee. Clad in a knitted jumper with a hair cut that reminds you […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Tonight’s gig is Sold Out with a capital Hype. Bodies jostle for non-existent dancing space, condensation drips from the windows and it takes so long to push your way to the smoking area, it might as well be on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Probably just as well for […]

LIVE: SLEIGH BELLS – 21/01/2011