LIVE REVIEW – TOM A SMITH: DEAF INSTITUTE – 02/04/2026

Tom A Smith’s show this evening in Manchester’s best small venue felt like the end of something. Sunderland’s worst kept secret has been steadily honing his craft for over a decade, and those fortunate enough to have seen him play over the years will attest to the growing maturity in both his songwriting and stage […]
The Mutts never Heel tour. I had the pleasure of seeing Leon Thomas at the Manchester Academy and what a time was had, but let’s start off with the basics. Doors open at 7pm, I get there for 9pm, fashionably late as per usual. Technical difficulties I do apologise but Leon hasn’t hit the stage […]

LIVE REVIEW – LEON THOMAS: MANCHESTER ACADEMY – 27/03/2026

LIVE REVIEW – KEO: MANCHESTER RITZ – 07/03/2026

A little under a year ago, embarking from the quaint city of Chester to the contrastingly eccentric Manchester, I went to see Michael Kiwanuka at the Apollo. It was not only a fantastic gig, but it was the first time I got to write for Silent Radio, the very publication which you find yourself reading […]
“Thank you Manchester, for rejecting fascism last night.” Stuart Brathwaite – guitarist and vocalist for Mogwai – stands in front of a Palestine flag and celebrates the outbreak of common sense that brought Hannah Spencer of the Green Party the Gorton and Denton seat in this week’s by-election, beating Reform. He is met by a […]

LIVE REVIEW – MOGWAI: MANCHESTER APOLLO – 27/02/2026

LIVE REVIEW – FINE, MARIA SOMERVILLE & NASHPAINTS: THE WHITE HOTEL – 18/02/2026

At long last! Nearly three years since I first went to see an act there – Manchester group Mandy, Indiana, who put on a rollicking show and who have a new album out that’s apparently well worth a listen – I returned to The White Hotel on Wednesday to catch a particularly dreamy double bill. […]
The first time I saw Hot Wax was at All Points East in 2023, I was 17 and they were opening the second stage. I immediately fell in love with them, and thought they were the coolest band I’d ever seen. Since then, I’ve seen them support bands like Deap Valley and The Libertines, so […]

LIVE REVIEW – HOT WAX: MANCHESTER GORILLA – 12/02/2026

LIVE REVIEW – GOOD NEIGHBOURS: NEW CENTURY HALL – 13/02/2026

“It’s our job to make sure you leave feeling better than when you arrived” declared lead singer Oli Fox. Well, it is fair to say that Good Neighbours are sheer geniuses at their job. How many concerts have you been to where once you are in the venue you are greeted by a ring doorbell […]
“Anger is an energy” sang Public Image Limited on ‘Rise’ back in 1986, and in 2026 that sentiment still reigns supreme for Notts duo Sleaford Mods. With impassioned poetic lyrics containing a wickedly observational but humorous twist, set against a backdrop of heavy melodic electro beats, since they emerged in 2007 they’ve been putting the […]

LIVE REVIEW: SLEAFORD MODS – MANCHESTER ACADEMY 07/02/26

LIVE REVIEW – TWIN TRIBES: MANCHESTER GORILLA – 08/02/2026

As soon as I saw that Twin Tribes were touring in the UK again, I knew that I had to be there. It’s not every day that your favourite band is playing within an hour’s reach. I had my wallet ready as tickets were released, prepared to drain my bank account if it came to it, but […]
“WESTSIDEEE COWBOYYY” someone in the crowd shouts mimicking the opening to the group’s debut track as they begin picking up their instruments. Dramatically facing backwards as they begin, Westside Cowboy open with a polished cover of ‘Midnight Cowboy’ by Santo & Jonny that feels like a slow build up or even a tease before they […]

LIVE REVIEW – WESTSIDE COWBOY: MANCHESTER GORILLA – 29/01/2026