LIVE: THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION – 22/10/2015

– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – Wouldn’t it be just nice to burst in your boss/tutor/whoever-who-call-the shots’ office and shout out: “Blues explosion!”? And then, just to clarify your position in front of a very much likely puzzled face: “Uh!” “Ah!” “Oh, yeah!” “C’mon!” “Let’s GO!” Yeahh… I picture the deliciously funny scene while I let […]
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – Whilst Blossoms may have named themselves after a historic pub in Stockport, I highly doubt they’ve been popping in for a pint very much recently. After a string of massively successful festival appearances, recordings for Radio 1 and being labelled Radio X’s ‘Record Of The Week,’ they’ve acquired a very […]

LIVE: BLOSSOMS – 23/10/2015

LIVE: EDITORS – 22/10/2015

– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – I once turned up to an Editors gig a day late. As I walked away from the queue for Fall Out Boy, I vowed I’d probably try and see them again at some point, but it never came up. And then this new album In Dreams somewhat grabbed me. It is dark, moody and punchy with […]
– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – There’s a real buzz around Seattle’s Chastity Belt, following the release earlier this year of their superb second album Time To Go Home. The female four-piece’s confident, carefree and fun-loving attitude translates well through their music, reminding me somewhat of Warpaint, in their approach. The basement is pretty much full […]

LIVE: CHASTITY BELT – 21/10/2015

LIVE: THE CRIBS – 21/10/2015

– THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – “Is Johnny Marr still in the band? No? Good.” It’s true that the Johnny Jarman period split Cribs fans. It’s a long way behind them now, but Marr’s reputation lives on, certainly in the mind of my mate Danny who asked me this. The fact that Ryan Jarman will […]
– NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – Tonight at one of the most hotly contested Manchester music venues, we are set for a night of industrial music with just a hint of a psychedelic twist. The scene is set by Manchester’s own industrial post-hardcore offering, Werk, who managed to rattle every bottle behind the bar and […]

LIVE: THE SOFT MOON – 20/10/2015

LIVE: ALEX G – 19/10/2015

– NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – It was about this time last year that I was first introduced to the lo-fi styling’s of Philadelphian songwriter Alex G. My housemate played me his last album DSU and I was instantly hooked by  his warm, college-rock sounds. That week, we caught Alex and his band open up for […]
– VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER – It’s been a hard week, and as I get to Manchester’s gem The Northern Quarter, I doubt whether I’ll be able to fulfill the rather ambitious programme that I’ve arranged for A Carefully Planned Festival. It’s bloody Sunday and I feel so bloody tired, but I come across with a bizarre […]

LIVE: A CAREFULLY PLANNED FESTIVAL #5 – 18/10/2015

LIVE: LA LUZ – 17/10/2015

– THE EAGLE INN, SALFORD – As I make my way on foot with two out-of-town friends through the dark of the October evening for tonight’s live music, I detect a little uneasiness in my companions as Manchester’s bright lights fade into barely lit, industrial backstreets the closer we get to our destination, The Eagle […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – So Monarchy, so mysterious. The English “synthpop” duo have courted the enigmatic since they formed in 2009: initially concealing their identities à la Daft Punk, their first live show was projected into space. In 2011 after playing Coachella they spent Christmas with Dita von Teese, who is such a huge […]

LIVE: MONARCHY – 15/10/2015