LIVE: EXIT CALM – 11/06/2010

– FAC251, MANCHESTER – This is a night in which the old goes head to head with the new. Across the city at Platt Fields, Ian Brown is playing Stone Roses tunes to Manchester’s indie community, but here at Fac251, the future is taking shape. With Oasis gone for good and The Verve in statis, […]
– SACRED TRINITY CHURCH, SALFORD – Since its conception, I’ve been a fan of This City Is Ours. Pushing boundaries in the right direction and shrugging off stereotypes is an approach most events lack – more content to fall in line with their cheap drinks and latest flavour of the month sounds. This evening saw […]

LIVE: THIS CITY IS OURS – 11/06/2010

LIVE: MALE BONDING – 10/06/2010

– CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – Male Bonding have been making a name for themselves in London over the past couple of years releasing a truckload of singles and constantly playing gigs. They managed to get themselves signed to Sub Pop who put out their wonderful debut album ‘Nothing Hurts’ last month. It’s an album full […]
– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – It’s been a long time since I last visited the Ritz. Many a Monday night of my youth (I) was recklessly wasted there before I was old enough to get into real clubs. It’s hardly changed – by which I mean: ‘they appear to have done no maintenance whatsoever’. […]

LIVE: BAND OF HORSES – 08/06/2010

LIVE: THE MISERABLE RICH – 08/06/2010

– BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER – Band On The Wall is a classy venue that attracts quality acts for genuine music lovers. The first support Dan Whitehouse sings alone onstage with his guitar to an attentive, silent audience. After the song he comments on how nice it is to finish a tune and realise […]
– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – In the eight years since the release of their debut album ‘Reinventing Axl Rose’, Against Me have gradually transformed from the angry anarchist darlings of the underground punk scene, into fully fledged rock stars. The shift to a more mainstream sound and the commercial success that comes with it has […]

LIVE: AGAINST ME – 02/06/2010

LIVE: THE OH SEES – 01/06/2010

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – One of my favourite bands of the last couple of years, Thee Oh Sees have been building into something much more than another side project from the prolific and prodigious talent of San Francisco’s John Dwyer. The last time I saw them, around two years ago, they packed out […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – It’s been a busy weekend for music festivals in Manchester. Hungry Pigeon has been and gone, Euro Cultured is still ongoing. Dot to Dot Festival’s placement on the Bank Holiday Monday is perhaps not ideal but Oxford Road is a buzz with people nevertheless. The bulk of today’s acts […]

LIVE: DE STAAT (DOT TO DOT) 31/05/2010

LIVE: DOT TO DOT 2010 – 31/05/2010

– VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER – To level with you, I came out tonight to see Fun. I did not know (much to my shame) that they were playing as part of a larger festival. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered that lots of other fine acts were playing the Academies for no […]
– NORTHERN QUARTER, MANCHESTER – If you love watching live music then you have probably asked yourself this question many times before: just why is this band or singer not a household name? There’s no accounting for taste, but some people are just so talented that not even the most musically deadened, tone deaf oaf […]

LIVE: HUNGRY PIGEON Pt2 – 30/05/2010