LIVE: JAPANDROIDS – 04/05/2017

– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – Some bands find their earlier years to be their most challenging, striving for recognition with unspectacular debuts, later hitting the big time with a breakthrough album (Prince, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Sonic Youth, Blur etc.). Many more make an astounding debut, then sink without a trace after the dreaded second album […]
– THE EAGLE INN, SALFORD – The Eagle Inn might be Manchester/Salford’s most informal gig venue. Tonight, the landlady rings a bell when it’s time for the first act to take the stage, and the hundred or so folks in the building grab their drinks and head to the back room where the magic happens. […]

LIVE: MEURSAULT – 11/05/2017

LIVE: KISHI BASHI – 12/05/2017

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – I heard recently about how on the day Craig Finn had the surreal experience of his band opening for the Stones at Slane Castle, he never even got to meet Jagger, Richards and the others. But tonight not only have our opening and main acts met before, they are travelling […]
– GULLIVERS, MANCHESTER – When Lowly released their single ‘Deer Eyes’ in September last year it was clear they were a band worth getting excited about. The sheer quality of ‘Deer Eyes’ couldn’t, however, prepare even the most devoted Lowly fan for how good their debut album would be. Heba, which came out earlier this […]

LIVE: LOWLY – 12/05/2017

LIVE: THE CRIBS / SLØTFACE / GOD DAMN – 12/05/2017

– ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – “C’mon, pretend we’re from Wakefield” implores Thom Edward, God Damn‘s persuasive frontman, referencing the hometown of tonight’s headliners to the thin early evening throng, who despite their modest numbers, are entirely in his thrall. He and his two bandmates are full-blooded performers, infected with limitless gusto, but the music is perfunctory. […]
– SOUP KITCHEN. MANCHESTER – I’ve seen Theme Park twice before, when we were all a bit younger; the first time they were supporting Bombay Bicycle club on tour in 2011, and then as part of the wondrous Camden Crawl festival in 2012. I thought they were great, not only live, but on record. And […]

LIVE: THEME PARK – 10/05/2017

LIVE: DUCKTAILS – 08/05/2017

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Back in 2015, Ducktails topped a fantastic triple bill made up of Jaako Eino Kalevi and Beaty Heart at the Deaf Institute. Their carefree spindly guitars coupled with Matt Mondanile’s soft vocals resulted in a blissful end to the evening. Tonight is much the same with Ducktails at the top […]
– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Manchester’s Soup Kitchen basement has undergone a revamp recently, with a newly elevated stage and improved sound system – tonight’s sold out gig is shaping up nicely. Opening we have Yowl, a five piece from Peckham who take the mundane and make it sound like a never-ending thrill. Garnering a […]

LIVE: THE PARROTS / YOWL – 06/05/2017

LIVE: BLANCK MASS – 04/05/2017

– DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Sweet baby Jesus, this is intense. As soon as Benjamin Power, one half of the sublime Fuck Buttons, presses the first pad on his desk of electronic toys, I feel like I’m being assaulted. I’ve been to some loud gigs (I managed 10mins of My Bloody Valentine’s infamous ‘holocaust section’ […]
– ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – This is not a shameless plug but a relevant anecdote: on the day of the Michael Kiwanuka gig, I had a show on Reform Radio and a live pianist was playing live. He planned to play a Kiwanuka song but not, as he informed me, ‘I’m a Black Man In […]

LIVE: MICHAEL KIWANUKA – 29/04/2017