LIVE: LITTLE BOOTS – 10/12/2009

– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Silhouetted shapes with hoodies move across the stage like a scene from a poorly lit budget horror film. It’s anything but horrifying though, it’s Little Boots and her gang. The first number is deliberately slow and is set mostly in darkness. It’s intriguing and slightly unsettling. Then, bang! The stage […]
– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Was there ever a time when bands had sensible, meaningful names? The question torments me on my journey to watch Porcupine Tree and North Atlantic Oscillation. N.A.O. are a Scottish three-piece – although their bassist/keyboardist does his best to ensure they sound bigger. Plenty of retro noise-making, loops and atmospheric […]

LIVE: NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION – 10/12/2009

LIVE: XFM WINTER WONDERLAND 2009 – 08/12/2009

– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Compared to last year’s raucous festive bash, XFM’s 2009 Winter Wonderland proved to be a bit of a bland affair. The presence of three acoustic acts on the bill was definitely a contributory factor to this, as the Academy crowd struggled to get out of first gear. Local electro-rock outfit […]
– Deaf Institute, Manchester – This is my first visit to Manchester’s Deaf Institute, in the heart of studentsville, near The BBC. It’s a beautifully converted grade II listed neo gothic building with 3 floors to function as a café, bar and music hall. I walk into the full to capacity space just as the […]

LIVE: BROADCAST – 08/12/2009

LIVE: J. MASCIS & THE FOG/DEAD CONFEDERATE – 07/12/2009

– MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER – Dead Confederate make a mountainous racket. The Georgian quintet, resplendent in their gas pump attendant chic, stay rooted to the spot while dry ice as choking as their riffs floods the venue, the only flickers of movement on stage coming where guitars and drums meet in perfect torrents of noise, […]
– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – It’s difficult to fight indifference, just ask This City frontman, Chris Purr, whose repeated pleas for the audience to edge closer to the stage fall on reluctant ears, and the foolproof clap-your-hand-above-your-head gambit is cruelly greeted with an audible titter. In truth, the Brighton quintet’s happy post-hardcore is ruined by […]

LIVE: ‘A’/THIS CITY – 05/12/2009

LIVE: THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART – 04/12/2009

– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Right kids, we’ve got a problem here – I may not objective about this band. And strictly speaking I’m not to blame. If you come together as five piece with four boys and one ridiculously attractive female, I will probably come to watch, but I,m going to be distracted. That […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Feldspar are a one-band version of David Cameron: The Oxford Years…On A Yacht. The four polite, neatly turned out, studious gents are in all probability called Rupert, Giles, Will, and something exotic like Everest (there’s a soprano sax present, after all), yet despite being formidable musicians, their meticulously arranged, […]

LIVE: SAM ISAAC/THE XCERTS – 03/12/2009

LIVE: SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE – 03/12/2009

 – ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD – This is my first visit to Islington Mill, the hub for creative minds in Salford is difficult to find in the dark. It is understated to say the least, in an ‘affordable for artists’ kind of way. Four bands are on the bill tonight, organized by WOTGODFORGOT. Irma Vep kick […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Even though tonight’s temperature is plummeting quicker than Tiger Woods’ squeaky clean reputation, it’s good to see that the music lovers of Manchester are turning out early and in force. By the time the doors to the upstairs music hall are opened, the queue is stretching down the full […]

LIVE: I AM BLACKBIRD – 30/11/2009