LIVE: MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS – 31/10/2010

– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – From the first song of hers I heard, ‘I Am Not a Robot’ I think, Marina seemed stratosphere-bound. Noting on her growing success she says: “This is my first proper tour. A lot of people say I didn’t expect to be here, but I did, because I wanted it”. […]
– THE ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – This is Grinderman’s first outing to Manchester as a separate entity from their ‘Bad Seeds’ line up. Promoting only their second album to date; ‘Grinderman 2’, the place is packed with young ‘emo’ kids and old punks alike, highlighting Grinderman’s versatility and transcendence against the restrictions of age and fashion. […]

LIVE: GRINDERMAN – 29/09/2010

LIVE: THE STRANGE DEATH OF LIBERAL ENGLAND – 28/10/2010

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – The Strange Death Of Liberal England brought out their debut album ‘Forward March’, almost 3 years ago and made their mark for being an experimental pop/folk band. Having taken themselves out of view for a good 18 months they have been busy recording their new album, ‘Drown your Hearts […]
– THE ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – Nepotism. Sounds like your little brothers’ favourite Goth-metal band, but the official line is ‘patronage bestowed on the basis of family relationship’. It’s a theory that’s been banded about a fair bit with tonight’s headliners, but when your dad is Sting, it’d be hard not to grab hold of a […]

LIVE: I BLAME COCO – 26/10/2010

LIVE: TWEAK BIRD – 26/10/2010

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – I’ll confess, having not heard of this band before I’d asked a few friends if they’d heard of them, to which I was surprised to find they’ve actually released 2 albums to date and have been the Guardian’s ‘Band of the Day’ back in April. ‘You’ll like them Steph, […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Three Blind Wolves are a trodden jingle jangle sound with warm brandy brushed harmonies. The band mix the sounds of traditional folk and shanty sounds and work them through a modern day filter. Singer, Ross Clark’s voice was rather impressive. It mirrored the sounds of Robin Pecknold’s from Fleet […]

LIVE: BEACH FOSSILS/THREE BLIND WOLVES – 25/10/2010

LIVE: CRYSTAL CASTLES – 22/10/2010

– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Waking up the next morning, all I can hear is a constant ringing in my left year, which reminds me of an article I read recently about a man committing suicide because of chronic tinnitus. Everything peripheral sounds like the dull roar of the sea, and I am pretty certain […]
– ROSI’S, BERLIN – Hiding behind a sofa from the robotic horrors of Berlin’s Dalek of a techno-electronica obsessed club scene, Germany’s indie loving musicians too rarely peak out to make themselves seen. Rosi’s on Revaler Strasse then, is an ample opportunity for them to make themselves known. All cracked brick walls and marker pen […]

LIVE: DIEGO – 22/10/2010

LIVE: BIZARRE BALL – 22/10/2010

– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – Monday nights at the Ritz used to be a festival of freaks and weirdos, set to a soundtrack of rock and metal. It was great for a youngster, and there’s nothing in Manchester nowadays that really draws the same crowd on a regular basis. I miss it, but fortunately […]
– MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL, MANCHESTER – I love the Mystery Jets. I’d currently put them in my top ten bands. However, this gig at Manchester Cathedral is let down by the venue. It’s not usual for groups to do gigs in churches but this one is too big, its huge, cavernous expanse sucking the life out […]

LIVE: MYSTERY JETS – 22/10/2010