LIVE: GIRLS – 02/03/2010

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – 2009 was a good year for California based act, Girls. The tragic story of main man Christopher Owens’ upbringing in a cult, and his subsequent change of fortune when he was taken under the wing of a rich benefactor and moved to San Francisco where he formed Girls in […]
– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – “If you like yoghurt then you might know this one”, announces Shingai Shoniwa before the second song of the evening, ‘Wild Young Hearts’, and judging by the reaction of the crowd, a lot of people like yoghurt. Two of the Noisettes songs have been used in adverts, most notably the […]

LIVE: NOISETTES – 02/03/2010

LIVE: KONG – 28/02/2010

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – My friend warned me that last time he saw Kong, they were almost criminally loud. That in mind, I’ve brought some earplugs just in case. When I arrive, Trojan Horses are ignoring the audience and playing whatever it is that they play. The band looks like a weird face-off […]
– ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD – It’s another dark and rainy night in the back streets of Salford. Islington Mill is packed, Marc Riley (#saveBBC6music) is here and there’s a buzzing atmosphere. The filler CD fades down and is replaced by what sounds like a secret sample recording from an empty concert hall. A note is […]

LIVE: FIELD MUSIC – 26/02/2010

LIVE: David Thomas Broughton – 24/02/2010

– The Ruby Lounge, Manchester – David Thomas Broughton quietly takes the stage at the Ruby Lounge aided only by an acoustic guitar and gently begins strumming. The majority of the Wednesday night Ruby Lounge crowd are initially not even aware that the PA has stopped and the performance has begun. Making use of some […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Shearwater arrive on a cold February night in Manchester off the back of their latest release, ‘The Golden Archipelago’. The five band members take up their designated positions on stage and the show begins – lead singer Jonathan Meiburg stands centre stage with a fixed and purposeful intensity and […]

LIVE: SHEARWATER – 24/02/2010

LIVE: YEASAYER/JAVELIN – 21/02/2010

– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – Javelin’s bizarre intro – which I can only describe as ‘cosmic’ – segues straight into the main body of their set, which is stuck somewhere between very chilled and very dancy – with fat beats, floaty synths and falsetto vocals. The slightly everyday-sounding, yet ambitious lyrics mark this apart from […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Right from the start, from hearing the opening bars of ‘Obsessions’, I have been hooked on Marina And The Diamonds. It’s always been clear to me that her appeal is multifaceted. Crucially she combines exemplary song writing skills, with the vastly under-appreciated but essential quirk of being an eccentric. […]

LIVE: MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS – 21/02/2010

LIVE: SO SO MODERN – 20/02/2010

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – So it’s a Saturday night, I’m heading towards the Deaf Institute, the bars are filling up and leading up to a yet another busy weekend evening. Having only recently discovered this band I am quite excited to see them and if the music is anything to go by, their […]
– BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER – It’s started early tonight and the small yet loyal clan of followers are seated at tables. The audience consists mainly of men, the majority of which are bespectacled and lacking in hair. Jonatha knows two members of the crowd, the second not well enough to remember his name: […]

LIVE: JONATHA BROOKE – 20/02/2010