LIVE: BILLY OCEAN – 12/11/2018

-BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER- Billy Ocean is 68 years-old. 68. And he has the most ultra cool moves. Smooth. Slick. Effortless. If I could be as nimble as him even at the age I am now (29) I would be first on the dance floor every time, and that’s before I even talk about his voice. […]

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- Celebrating fifty years of a band’s existence is a rare thing these days, especially one whose releases and activities were closely monitored by the U.S. authorities back in the 1960s and 70s. Despite the fact there’s now only one remaining member left in the band, the rapturous reception guitarist Wayne Kramer receives […]

LIVE: MC5 – 11/11/2018

LIVE: WAND – 11/11/2018

-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- It’s rare I go to watch a band whose back catalogue I have almost no knowledge of whatsoever, but when the chance to see Wand came up I was intrigued. Having only ever heard ‘Reaper Invert’ from 2015’s Golem and ‘Pure Romance’ from the Perfume EP released this year, I was intrigued […]

-MAYFIELD DEPOT, MANCHESTER- This Bicep show, a collaboration between the incredible Manchester International Festival (MIF) and the stalwart rave up artists Warehouse Project (WHP), is the last gig to be held at the wonderful, industrial (barely) survivor of many a decade, Mayfield Depot before it is refurbished. It’s part of a series of events put […]

LIVE: BICEP / MARIE DAVIDSON / LEON VYNEHALL – 10/11/2018

LIVE: ESTRONS / LUCIA / URF – 07/11/2018

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- The first act tonight at Soup Kitchen is the Manchester 5 piece, URF. They have a shoegaze vibe, with sustained cries over sombre guitars and keyboards. A hypnotically doleful start to the evening. URF gradually rise, opening up towards the end of their set, letting loose over thumping rhythms. The gloom advancing […]

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- The Beauty Witch have compiled a treat for those in Manchester this evening, with Gorilla taking centre focus. Opening proceedings, we have local band Inland Taipan, who have a new line up which incorporates additional viola and violin. The ethereal vocals and frantic guitar notes are complimented beautifully by the strings and create […]

LIVE: KIKAGAKU MOYO / INLAND TAIPAN – 07/11/2018

LIVE: CAR SEAT HEADREST – 07/11/2018

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- Will Toledo is a contradiction of a frontman. Arriving on stage tonight he is replete in a pair of MC Hammer style harem pants and dances like a cross between a more loose-limbed Ian Curtis and Mark Corrigan at Rainbow Rhythms. (I encourage you to seek out S2E1 of Peep Show for […]

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- The Soup Kitchen’s minimal décor is mirrored on stage. Only a guitar, an amp and a mirror sit waiting as the crowd enters for tonight’s show. Anna B Savage is on first, going straight into the set. Her sonorous vocals remind me of Jacob Collier, without the electronic harmoniser, each syllable hitting […]

LIVE: STELLA DONNELLY / ANNA B SAVAGE – 06/11/2018

LIVE: TEENAGE FANCLUB – 05/11/2018

-ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER- With the gig sold out in a matter of minutes, it’s clear that people have waited years to see two of Teenage Fanclub’s best albums played in their entirety. Having been around for over twenty-five years, this is also the last chance to see the original three singers, as vocalist and bassist […]

-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Brooklyn’s Parquet Courts are an enigma; hard to pin down, hard to classify, hard to keep up with. Alongside their 5 studio albums (the debut which they only released on tape, obvs), the band have also produced another full length under the name Parkay Quarts with two band members absent, an experimental, […]