LIVE: THE ANSWERING MACHINE – 26/11/2009

– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – It’s an intriguing experience going to see a band you’ve never heard of. You’re worried you might hate it, and as a reviewer, you’re duty bound to stay for the whole thing. Well it turns out I had heard of The Answering Machine, I just didn’t know it and I […]
– ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD – Thankfully for me on this stereotypical rainy and windswept Salfordian lunchtime, the venue I’m attending is literally on my doorstep. As I leave the front door of the block of flats I live in, I barely have time to light my cigarette, look both ways before crossing the road and […]

LIVE: SALFORD FILM FESTIVAL MUSIC DAY/ELBOW – 21/11/2009

LIVE: THE ANTLERS – 18/11/2009

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – The indie fashionista are out in full force as Brooklyn based act, The Antlers, roll into Manchester on the back of a wave of hype and critical acclaim for their current album ‘Hospice’. It’s a beautiful and haunting record, which masterfully explores themes of guilt, grief and isolation, with […]
– MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER – 6pm is any self-respecting gentleman’s favourite time of day. Tea time shows off the remnants of hunter-gatherer in the male psyche, and although I hadn’t gone out and clubbed anything to death, a Grade A spicy chicken broth had been defrosting on the kitchen top all afternoon, its inert heat […]

LIVE: JAPANDROIDS – 14/11/2009

LIVE: ALICE IN CHAINS – 14/11/2009

– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Manchester Academy feels different since its refurbishment in 2008; cleaner, brighter, with a shiny new frontispiece. Alice in Chains re-formed in 2005 with new frontman William DuVall, after the death of lead vocalist Layne Staley. I’m looking forward to watching them, but like the new Academy, I’m prepared for the […]
– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – It’s Thursday night. It’s November and it’s The Ritz. Technicians potter about on the stage. Pow! They’re not techies – its the band with attention grabbing start! It’s a welcome sucker punch, and they slide effortlessly into the first number before we can recover. Looks like its going to […]

LIVE: WHITE BELT YELLOW TAG – 12/11/2009

LIVE: JAY REATARD – 12/11/2009

– THE ROADHOUSE, MANCHESTER – BY ANTHONY THORPE So then, what to say about Memphis born singer songwriter Jay Lindsay, otherwise known as Jay Reatard? Well the first thing is, his set tonight started way too early! Being onstage at 7.45pm until 8.30, when advertised for an 8 o’clock start is not preferred for starters! […]
– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – No, not a euphemism for a trouser trump, the name of this band actually refers to a section of the novel White Noise by Don DeLillo. And as such, it underpins the literary intent of the band, and specifically singer Mikel Jollett, himself a writer who was in the […]

LIVE: AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT – 12/11/2009

LIVE: MOUNTAIN OF ONE – 09/11/2009

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – BY JASON BOARDMAN Sat pondering the Institute of Joy which is the Finglands boneshaker No. 43 on my way to the Deaf Institute on a cold Monday evening in Manchester (not always the healthiest signifier for a gig), surrounded by the inane crackle of students heading to their next […]
– THE APOLLO THEATRE, MANCHESTER – With one of the city’s typical downpours dousing spirits on this year’s de facto Bonfire Night, it’s down to Atlanta quintet, Manchester Orchestra, to raise them again inside the famous Ardwick theatre. Squeezed tightly to the front of the stage by an enormous black curtain, birthday boy frontman, Andy […]

LIVE: BIFFY CLYRO – 07/11/2009