LIVE: CHARLY BLISS – 09/05/2019

-NIGHT PEOPLE, MANCHESTER- Charly Bliss appear to be in permanent disbelief at the success of their band. As I wrote when I saw them play The Eagle Inn in 2017, they bounded around the stage as much in shock at the reality of the moment as through the joy of performing their music. Fast forward […]
-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst kept a noble secret before the release of their self-titled Better Oblivion Community Center album back in January. With no build-up whatsoever, the record came out of the blue, something that I loved, especially given just how immensely enjoyable a listen it is. For sure, it’s […]

LIVE: BETTER OBLIVION COMMUNITY CENTER – 12/05/2019

ALBUM REVIEW: MAC DEMARCO – HERE COMES THE COWBOY

Mac DeMarco us one of those musicians who has been creeping into the public consciousness slowly with each album, an indie underground figure whose laidback sounds have seen him crossing over into mainstream territory following the release of 2017’s album ‘This Old Dog’. Apparently DeMarco uses “cowboy” as an affectionate term for friends so far […]
Zig Zags are a three piece from Los Angeles with a nine year pedigree and only one surviving member from their original line-up: vocalist and guitar player Jed Mahue. The opening track ‘Punk Fucking Metal’ lives up to its name and beneath Mahue’s Ozzy-reminiscent vocals, you can hear a band who aren’t afraid to play […]

ALBUM REVIEW: ZIG ZAGS – THEY’LL NEVER TAKE US ALIVE

LIVE: JAKOB OGAWA – 11/05/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- Nothing beats a chill Saturday evening gig after a busy week, and I’m positive that’s what I’m going to get as I head to the basement of Manchester’s newest ‘cool kidz’ venue, Yes, on Saturday to see Norwegian indie-pop stalwart Jakob Ogawa. I’m lucky enough to catch Stockport natives Valve while they’re finishing […]
– THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, MANCHESTER- Launching his autobiography by having a chat with local writer and DJ Dave Haslam, Joy Division and New Order’s drumming legend Stephen Morris is in fine form. Although guitarist and frontman Bernard Sumner and former bassist Peter Hook have already released their autobiographies, Morris states that this is “his side” […]

LIVE: STEPHEN MORRIS IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVE HASLAM – 11/05/2019

LIVE: DRAHLA / SNAKE EATERS / C33’S – 07/05/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- C33’s A rather up-tempo opener provides the spectators with a redux to classic punk, energetic yet rather simplistic, perhaps a little too much so. The noise they emit certainly earns them notice, but their inability to actually innovate beyond a string of Ramones-inspired tantrums does little to warm me to them. The drums […]
Having supported Parquet Courts and Thee Oh Sees previously, plus having written songs about Hank Williams, and Andy Warhol’s attempted killer Valerie Solinas, all without releasing a proper album yet, Pottery are one of those bands who seem destined for wider acclaim but strictly on their own terms. The new release from the Montreal five […]

EP REVIEW: POTTERY – NO. 1

LIVE: FAT WHITE FAMILY – 04/05/2019

-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Fat White Family’s performance at Manchester’s glorious Ritz offers an insight into the wild minds of its members, who, seemingly possessed by seedy, dark forces, are as ever electric and uncompromising. Rifling through delicious tracks from their small yet juicy back catalogue, FWF seem to have a real connection with the Manchester […]
-REGENTS TRADING ESTATE, SALFORD- This is Sounds from the Other City’s birthday and to celebrate they’re throwing a quindecennial party. To save you a trip to your pocket e-dictionary, that means they’re fifteen years old, a hell of an achievement for an annual one-day music festival. For this one-off occasion, they’re throwing their usual format […]

LIVE: SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY FESTIVAL – 05/05/2019