Alex G

LIVE: ALEX G – 18/03/2023

– Ritz, Manchester – I usually hate those pretentious types, those fans who believe that the unreleased stuff is better than the released stuff, but for tonight at least I’m my own worst enemy. As someone who only listens to Alex G’s unreleased music I have no idea how I will fare at an Alex […]
– Castle Hotel, Manchester – I came across Sophie Jamieson’s astonishing, raw debut album at the very start of the year. Gold Flake Paint, one of the best music blogs around, has a knack of presenting albums to me in their end of year roundup that I’ve never heard of, but because of their brilliant […]
Sophie Jamieson

LIVE: SOPHIE JAMIESON – 02/03/2023

LIVE: MOGWAI – 10/02/23

It’s testament to the musical ambition of Mogwai that more than twenty-five years years after they started they can now sell out Manchester’s Albert Hall so fast a second date had to be added. Not bad for a band whose spellbinding tunes mostly consist of epic instrumentals with minimal vocals. Having recently spoken to Stuart […]
– Arena, Manchester – There’s no two ways about it: this is the most thrilling arena show I’ve ever seen. It’s quite a grand statement to make, but what Matty Healy et al have constructed (and constructed is definitely the word) for the mega-tour in support of their latest album Being Funny in a Foreign […]
The 1975

LIVE: THE 1975 – 20/01/2023

Nada Surf

LIVE: NADA SURF – 30/11/2022

– Academy 3, Manchester – The last time Nada Surf was in Manchester in March 2020, the world was on the edge of a precipice. In the days after, the band cut short their tour as the country entered lockdown indefinitely. In the two years that followed, it was hard to imagine gigs without risks, […]
– The White Hotel, Manchester – The White Hotel’s very foundations are shaking. The metal shutter behind me is practically part of the show, vibrating and reverberating as doomy Australian post rockers Divide and Dissolve (D&D) absolutely destroy all notions of noise that I’ve ever experienced, taking the concept of ‘you can actually feel the […]
Divide and Dissolve

LIVE: DIVIDE AND DISSOLVE – 14/11/2022

Black Midi

LIVE: BLACK MIDI – 13/11/2022

– New Century Hall, Manchester – Turns out black midi are still one of the funnest live bands around then, which is great news. It’s almost a year to the day since I last saw them perform their thrilling show at the Ritz, prior to the release of their fantastic album Hellfire from earlier this […]
– Albert Hall, Manchester – Since her breakthrough debut album in 2015, Courtney Barnett has won the hearts of a diverse fan base. From parents with their 20-something kids to rowdy friend groups and the LGBTQI+ community, tonight’s crowd represents how strongly her music appeals to our experiences, rather than our backgrounds alone. With her […]
Courtney Barnett

LIVE: COURTNEY BARNETT – 11/11/2022

Julia Jacklin

LIVE: JULIA JACKLIN – 6/11/2022

– The Ritz, Manchester – ‘Near, far, wherever you are…’, emotional words belted out by a packed crowd as Julia Jacklin takes to the stage at the Ritz, Celine Dion’s immortal Titanic theme blaring unexpectedly from the PA. It’s a fitting opening to what becomes a quietly epic Sunday night out at the Ritz in […]
You never quite know what to expect from a Bob Dylan gig, guitar, piano, both, which of the old tunes will make a comeback into the set? As we take our seats awaiting the arrival on stage of a bona fide musical legend, the upright piano placed facing the audience centre stage is a bit […]

LIVE – BOB DYLAN: 2/11/22