LIVE: METRONOMY – 19/01/2011

– 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 […]
– 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 […]

LIVE: THE BURNS UNIT – 19/01/2011

LIVE: THE WALKMEN – 20/01/2011

– 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 […]
– THE NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – An amusing game to play before any gig at the city’s smaller venues is to try to guess which individuals in the crowd are members of the headlining band. When, for example, post-rock is on offer, this can present hours of fun. With his distinctly un-Mancunian drawl […]

LIVE: MY JERUSALEM – 17/01/2011

LIVE: THE CORAL (ACOUSTIC) – 15/01/2011

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – First off, props to the Ruby Lounge, celebrating their relaunch tonight – the whiff of fresh paint and newness is heavy in the air. Nice job too, guys – that über quirky ambience is all present and correct, but the removal of those pillars down the side of the […]
FEAT. SAM CARTER/LIAM BAILEY/NANCY ELIZABETH/AIDAN SMITH/CORTINA DELUXX – BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER – Being quite a newbie to Manchester I’d heard of the folk night Hedge, but never had the pleasure of experiencing it.  Tonight Hedge in collaboration with Humble Soul Records returns to the Manchester scene after a fairly long break with a […]

LIVE: HEDGE – 15/01/2011

LIVE: THE POGUES – 17/12/2010

– THE APOLLO THEATRE, MANCHESTER – There are not many rules surrounding Christmas songs but there are a few. Namely that Christmas songs (and we’re talking Slade, Mariah Carey and stuff with sleigh bells basically – Low and Sufjan are a grey area) should not be played until, at most, one week before Christmas. Until […]
– THE OLYMPIA, LIVERPOOL – As I write this, on the eve of my birthday, it’s a time for reflection. I’m not talking about some hideous navel gazing, but more on what a great day it’s been. Today I saw my football team win, at home, with only ten men. Tonight in Liverpool Echo and […]

LIVE: ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN – 12/12/2010

LIVE: MODERAT/HUDSON MOHAWKE/JOY ORBISON/BEN KLOCK/MARCEL BETTMAN – 11/12/2010

– THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT, MANCHESTER – Why does the Warehouse Project hate me? I don’t know what I’ve done to offend them, unless giving them lots of money is offensive, and judging by the crowd tonight, and the crowds it has attracted over the last few years, it has certainly raked in its fair share […]
– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – The Wedding Present are the latest in a line of classic bands indulging in the late fad for performing their albums in their entirety. Their album of choice is their second: Bizarro, in celebration of its 21st year. The set seems to begin with an encore, starting with ‘Heather’ from […]

LIVE: THE WEDDING PRESENT – 10/12/2010