LIVE: THE LIBERTINES – 10/12/2019

-VICTORIA WAREHOUSE, MANCHESTER- It’s that time of year again, The Libertines are on tour. It’s been the same program more or less for the last five years for the likely lads: a few festival slots during the summer and then a lovely tour of their home ground at the back end of the year. Last […]
-YES (THE BASEMENT), MANCHESTER- Locomotion across these fair Isles carries risks varied in quantity; the expense of purse, untimely demise (Ringo Starr’s narration would be of little use here), disorientation (route discernment failure typically), contributing to the coffers of the faceless conglomerates, and in the case of this narrative impeding one’s travel with the unfortunate […]

LIVE: MOLD / STARLIGHT MAGIC HOUR / BLANKETMAN – 13/12/2019

LIVE: BOY AZOOGA – 14/12/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- It’s beginning to feel a lot less like Christmas recently, I still feel dampened by the election results, but time to dry off in Manchester’s finest YES venues for a very special Boy Azooga Christmas Show. The night starts with the fantastic support act that is John Myrtle, his heavily humorous lyrics and […]
-THE EAGLE INN, SALFORD- Opening act, Foxglove, showcase a variety of sounds in a short space of time. You can hear a mixture of influences and a collaboration of styles. Shimmering reverb guitars that have a post-rock feel to them, funk laden bass and smooth RnB vocals. They are everything from mellow vibes to punchy […]

LIVE: PATAWAWA / FOXGLOVE – 12/12/2019

LIVE: THE CHATS – 10/12/2019

-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- (Insert: Opening statement about how, like everybody else, I discovered them through a certain viral hit that appeals to anyone with a sense of humour regarding inhaled narcotics.) The obvious appeal with this particular 3-piece is the straight forward, 3-chord mimicry of classic punk which is tied in with their Australian background […]
-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- After some unexpected problems on the door regarding the guest list, I finally take shelter from this cold Friday winter night in a packed Gorilla. Unfortunately, I have missed the first four tracks of this ten-year celebration of the band’s 2009 debut album These Four Walls. The opening four tracks contain two of […]

LIVE: WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS – 06/12/2019

LIVE: POZI – 30/11/2019

-THE TALLEYRAND, MANCHESTER- Humint Although I miss a portion of the opening act’s set, I manage to see an amount significant enough for review. They have a style reminiscent of the post-hardcore bands of old (the late 1980s specifically), which you could argue isn’t exactly unique as better known bands in a similar vein are […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- “I think we’ve got just enough time for one more”. Brian Christinzio, AKA BC Camplight, mumble-growls from somewhere deep within this thick trucker beard, from out beneath a black baseball cap that reads “Cape Lookout”, from behind the blackest of black sunglasses. And that’s all fine – it is Black Friday after all […]

LIVE: BC CAMPLIGHT – 29/11/2019

LIVE: PRIMAL SCREAM – 26/11/2019

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- Touring in support of their greatest hits album Maximum Rock n Roll released earlier this year, the bar was already set high with anticipation for a gig fuelled with Primal Scream’s finest. Not that hearing a band’s latest album cuts is any less appealing, but there’s just something that makes you that extra […]
-THE BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER- Gaining entry into a seated, progressive rock concert would no doubt not appeal to most under 50, yet for me the opportunity to go a little left-field and cover a guitarist of Steve Hackett’s stature (familiar with finger tapping?) carried a subversive charm that contrasts with Manchester’s present musical disposition. As […]

LIVE: STEVE HACKETT – 26/11/2019