LIVE: FRIGHTENED RABBIT – 21/11/2010

– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Strawberry-flavoured shortbread? Check. Embroidered tea towels? Check. Folk-rock lyrical masters currently traversing the length and breadth of the UK? Errrm, check. Frightened Rabbit may not be the Scottish borders’ most recognised export, but judging by the Manchester leg of their current UK tour, this may be set to change. The […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – The four piece band currently on tour with Born Ruffians play a confident set. Their first few songs drive and push, but they push on in the same way and you start to feel that all the songs sound the same. They do however steal the set back with […]

LIVE: BORN RUFFIANS/YOUNG RIVAL – 20/11/2010

LIVE: BEACH HOUSE/LOWER DENS – 19/11/2010

– MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL, MANCHESTER – Manchester Cathedral is perhaps not the most obvious venue for a ‘rock’ concert but then again Beach House are not an obvious ‘rock’ band, if at all. It’s been quite a year for the Baltimore duo who started the year playing at the 250 capacity Islington Mill and now find […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Finally, I claim a spot on the sofa in the Deaf Institute’s balcony alongside the stage. Vegans support; the singer and guitarist jump energetically about the stage, losing his hat while shouting garage rock in our faces. The drummer is out of my view but makes an impression. They’re […]

LIVE: BATHS – 19/11/2010

LIVE: JOHN & JEHN/DRIVER DRIVE FASTER – 18/11/2010

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Driver Drive Faster: Previously known as Polytechnics back in 2008 they reformed in the Spring of 2009 to become Driver Drive Faster. They have, to date, supported Marble Giants which they must have enjoyed as they do resemble the sound of Pavement and by no means a bad thing. […]
– MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER – The legend, the Master, the Mixmaster. A career spanning 2 decades, winner of the DMC championships for 3 consecutive years, collaborator with an array of different artists (including Ozzy ‘Help me find my penis’ Osbourne?), and who can forget that he represents The Beastie Boys? Gone are his days of […]

LIVE: MIXMASTER MIKE/THE DRUNKEN MUNKS – 16/11/2010

LIVE: GOLD PANDA – 15/11/2010

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – The Manchester gig scene is spoiled for choice tonight. For a Monday the line up is truly epic. This may go some way to explaining the lack of heads in The Ruby Lounge tonight. Gold Panda (Derwin) is deservedly receiving heavy praise for his debut album which is likely […]
– LEEDS UNI, LEEDS – Festivals used to be just for the summer but nowadays it seems like the summer never ends. God bless that pioneering genius who first worked out that you could transport the same amount of festive fun back to the city, minus the trench foot. Constellations, a new festival modelled very […]

LIVE: Constellations Festival – 14/11/2010

LIVE: HAUSCHKA/NANCY ELIZABETH – 13/11/2010

– THE LOWRY HOTEL, SALFORD – Let’s get this out of the way. The main reason I’m here is because the venue for tonight’s show is The Presidential Suite in the Lowry Hotel, and I’m pretty certain this is the only chance I will ever get, in my entire life, to spend an evening (let […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Let’s get one thing out of the way: ‘The Naked and Famous’ is a bit of a rubbish name. Initially a droney college-rock ‘anthem’ by The Presidents of the USA, their moniker has also been adopted by an overpriced hipster-courting denim company. Still, third time’s the charm, right? Local […]

LIVE: THE NAKED AND FAMOUS – 10/11/2010