LIVE: THE BURNING HELL – 05/12/2016

– GULLIVERS, MANCHESTER – I’m at Gullivers tonight to watch Canadian band The Burning Hell, hot off the release of their latest album, The Public Library. This is the 7th album and possibly their best work yet. I’m in a vibrant mood waiting for the showcasing of as many a variety of tracks as they […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – I may be entering the Deaf Institute alone tonight but I’m met by a strong sense of collective energy.  The venue has sold out for the Glaswegian duo Honeyblood and there is a fire kindling with excited anticipation for the night ahead.  I’m near the back but have a […]

LIVE: HONEYBLOOD – 02/12/2016

LIVE: HINDS – 26/11/2016

– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Hinds are coming to the end of the beginning. Tonight marks the first night of a final jaunt around the UK in support of their debut album Leave Me Alone, and they appear for the first time to be taking in what has happened to them. The Madrid quartet, who […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Manchester’s Deaf Institute is buried deep within Adriatic blue. The over-sized disco-ball that hangs from the ceiling is projecting stars and things, viciously everywhere and purblind, across the spectrum of turquoise. With eyes shut, Greg Gonzalez, leader of Cigarettes After Sex and purveyor of hypnogogic bliss, walks into this […]

LIVE: CIGARETTES AFTER SEX – 23/11/2016

LIVE: WHYTE HORSES – 26/11/2016

– THE DANCEHOUSE, MANCHESTER – Manchester band Whyte Horses who formed in 2014 are debuting their first album Pop Or Not in their hometown at the wonderful Dancehouse Theatre in the hub of the city centre. Having already been given the gong of Piccadilly Records 2016 album of the year, for the fans and newcomers […]
– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER –  I suppose singer-songwriters would traditionally use either their birth name or a stage name for their musical career, but I do like the trend nowadays for more arcane or abstract stage names (more akin to band names) like Iron & Wine, Bat for Lashes and Weyes Blood. Natalie Mering’s […]

LIVE: WEYES BLOOD – 23/11/2016

LIVE: THREE TRAPPED TIGERS – 24/11/2016

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Many of my nearest and dearest would tell you that, when it comes to music I like to throw around the word ‘favourite’ a lot. But I can honestly say, hand on heart, that the latest LP from Three Trapped Tigers is my favourite release of the year. These London […]
– BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER – How To Dress Well, aka Tom Krell, has come a long way. From the ‘mysterious’ bedroom R&B genius of his thrilling, lo-fi debut Love Remains six years ago, to his almost bombastic, shiny, pop-indebted album from earlier this year Care, he’s evolved and changed into something resembling a […]

LIVE: HOW TO DRESS WELL – 24/11/2016

LIVE: FALSE ADVERTISING / HORESEBEACH – 18/11/2016

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – I’m all about that DIY aesthetic. I really care about the bands that work hard and go about things with little outside help. Horsebeach and False Advertising that I musically admire for different reasons but with a similar attitude have become two of Manchester’s finest exports and therefore I am […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – Walking from the centre of town Sound Control feels like an expedition tonight. It’s that time of year when pretty much the whole of Manchester feel that getting wrecked on a school night is acceptable ‘cos its Christmas’. I dodge several drunken parties this evening, swigging lager and chanting latter […]

LIVE: FUTURE OF THE LEFT / POST WAR GLAMOUR GIRLS – 23/11/2016