LIVE: THE WAVE PICTURES – 01/02/2019

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- Tonight The Wave Pictures pull off a rare feat. Without introduction the four piece take to the stage and launch straight into their opening number which begins with a solid minute of vocals accompanied only by David Tattersall’s gentle and deliberate flashes of guitar. Usually this would result in thirty seconds of […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- I’m not one to partake in salacious gossip (*side eyes emoji*), but it seems like talking about scrappy Philadelphia lo-fi heroes Swearin’ without talking about their storied past is almost impossible. So…after a couple of brilliant albums, including 2013’s magnificent Surfing Strange, singer/guitarist Alison Crutchfield and band mate Kyle Gilbride, who were dating, […]

LIVE: SWEARIN’ – 31/01/2019

LIVE: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE – 25/01/2019

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- Ben Gibbard is modest with his ‘between-song’ banter tonight, but at one point the Death Cab frontman tells Manchester that this is their favourite city to play, adding that if that sounds like it’s made up, in this case it really isn’t. I believe him. I would believe him if he told […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- Fads come and fads go. It’s what keeps the system churning over. Our fair city has dozens of venues that need filling every night, whilst carefully curated publications like this one rely on fresh artists to emerge at a constant, consistent rate. We crave the new. And yes, at times the hype can […]

LIVE: BLACK MIDI – 26/01/2019

LIVE: MARC REBILLET – 27/01/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- Marc Rebillet aka “Loop Daddy” has gained a huge following through his bedroom performances on social media, even managing to post new tracks from hotel rooms as the tour goes on. His brand of comedic electro loops is getting an ever wider reach and the power of social media shows its might as […]
-GULLIVERS, MANCHESTER- Nephew Rails We commence with a quintet (right word?), whose live debut is somewhat respectable, if a little underwhelming; a steady approach, with a few interesting tempo changes here and there that show evidence of something interesting as their set stumbles on, rendering them the perfect fit for being the quintessential ‘opening act’. […]

LIVE: THE ONE EYED GENERAL’S BANDIT / THE TINFOILS / NEPHEW RAILS – 25/01/2019

LIVE: THE STREETS – 26/01/2019

-APOLLO, MANCHESTER- Mike Skinner is one of those artists for me… you either relate to him so much that every word plays on your heart, mind and gangster finger wave, or you can’t for a second imagine being in his shoes when he wrote legendary albums such as Original Pirate Material and The Hardest Way […]
-BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER- Cloud Nothings, a four strong indie rock outfit from Cleveland, Ohio, have always been on the periphery of my musical scope. Having only vaguely listened to their hard hitting, angsty 2012 album Attack on Memory, I’m keen to get the full flavour of Baldi and co. via the live setting. […]

LIVE: CLOUD NOTHINGS – 27/01/2019

LIVE: HOBO JOHNSON & THE LOVEMAKERS – 26/01/2019

-ACADEMY, MANCHESTER- The atmosphere in the Academy feels like we are at the Pyramid stage of Glastonbury tonight as Hobo Johnson and The Lovemakers enter the stage. I have never heard a crowd so loud. But luckily the crowd still have enough juice in their lungs to emphatically sing along with the opening song, ‘Romeo […]
-VICTORIA WAREHOUSE, MANCHESTER- “This is a punk rock show, which means that there are no rules. Except for don’t be an arsehole and if you know the words to a song, you’ve got to fucking sing along!” The somewhat heartfelt speech from the matured punk rocker Frank Turner gives a taste of what to expect […]

LIVE: FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS – 25/01/2019