LIVE: THE VASELINES – 05/02/2011

– 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 […]
– 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. […]

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

LIVE: AZURE RAY – 03/02/2011

– 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 […]
– 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 […]

LIVE: BAND OF HORSES – 01/02/2011

LIVE: TWIN SHADOW – 26/01/2011

– 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 […]
– 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 […]

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

LIVE: SLEIGH BELLS – 21/01/2011

– 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 […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Tonight is the first night of Metronomy’s tour and downstairs bar at The Deaf Institute is jam packed with people from an hour before the gig. Upstairs the first support act, Get People, are filled with good intentions. Their poppy tropical disco songs are full of drum fills that […]

LIVE: METRONOMY – 19/01/2011

LIVE: THE BURNS UNIT – 19/01/2011

– CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – The Raconteurs, Audioslave, the Good, the Bad and the Queen – supergroups are generally looked upon with a critical eye. This is because listeners suspect, sometimes rightly, that the artists involved are stuck for cash, trying to sell something we’ve all seen before in different packaging. It’s like being handed […]
– CENTRAL METHODIST HALL, MANCHESTER – Many consider a visit to Manchester as a musically religious experience. The Walkmen must have that feeling too but for a different reason. The last time I saw them was in St. Philips Church in November. The old, ornate spiritual venue had made no special dispensation for housing a […]

LIVE: THE WALKMEN – 20/01/2011