LIVE: FOXTALES – 17/09/2015

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – You know it’s going to be a good night when you’re greeted by friends with a free pint – the best kind of pint there is  – even if it’s infused with ham as this one was. Thankfully I’m not here for the pork beer, I am here to sample […]
– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – Tonight is about one band. The Computers. A London based outfit who have wowed crowds all over the land with their sharp stage wear, energetic live shows and razor sharp rockabilly pop songs complete with a punkish snarl. Today we’ve all packed into the delightful sweat box that is The […]

LIVE: THE COMPUTERS – 17/09/2015

LIVE: RICHARD DAWSON – 15/09/2015

– ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD – In the belly of Salford tonight is one of the year’s most diverse, eclectic gig line-ups. First are Liverpool’s Ex-Easter Island Head, a trio of deviant experimenters who concoct swathes of ambient, shimmering textures and feedback primarily from four guitars laid flat atop two tables. Alongside a conventional drum-kit, they […]
– THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – Sporting an Everton shirt and accompanied by a girl who had a fucking jewel glued to her forehead I venture to the ever eventful city of Manchester with great anticipation of who I’m going to witness this  evening. The effortlessly cool and entertaining Mac Demarco graces the stage of […]

LIVE: MAC DEMARCO – 12/09/2015

LIVE: THE LUCID DREAM 11/09/2015

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Tonight at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen, we are in for something special. Not only is it the last gig of the year for psych favourites The Lucid Dream, but we are being treated to an amalgamation act known only as The Boris Johnson Massacre. Taking to the dimly lit stage, The […]
– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Our editor told me to use the word ‘magic’ in this review, so that’s that over with. Wand are a 4-piece from LA who are about to release their 3rd album in the space of 14 months. ‘Ganglion Reef’, on Ty Segall’s God? label, showcased an impressive, unique blend of psych, prog and […]

LIVE: WAND – 10/09/2015

LIVE: DRINKS – 09/09/2015

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Lights dance off the audience’s head, an ear piercing twang sounds from the guitar and Cate Le Bon stands to the side of Tim Presley, the White Denim bassist, with an unnerving presence. If this band didn’t consist of musicians of such pedigree, who knows if Soup Kitchen’s basement would […]
– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – You just know the night’s going to be good when – even before you’ve stepped foot inside The Academy – someone undercharges you for a beer, Rooney beats Bobby Charlton’s goal scoring record and you bump into old, old friends, long lost, somehow having got away from you.  So I […]

LIVE: FUTURE ISLANDS – 08/09/2015

LIVE: HAIKU SALUT – 08/09/2015

– HALLE ST. PETER’S, MANCHESTER – I’m not a religious man, so I don’t know off the top of my head where the Halle St Peter’s church is. A cursory Google informs me it’s deep in the heart of Ancoats, outside the comfort blanket of the usual Northern Quarter gig stomping ground. As it happens, […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER –  Cuz is a collaboration between Mike Watt of The Stooges and Sam Dook of The Go! Team. The pair met whilst with their respective bands at a festival in Australia in 2006, became friends and went on to release a full-length record as Cuz last year. I had initially […]

LIVE: CUZ – 03/09/2015