LIVE: WAND – 11/11/2018

-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- It’s rare I go to watch a band whose back catalogue I have almost no knowledge of whatsoever, but when the chance to see Wand came up I was intrigued. Having only ever heard ‘Reaper Invert’ from 2015’s Golem and ‘Pure Romance’ from the Perfume EP released this year, I was intrigued […]
-MAYFIELD DEPOT, MANCHESTER- This Bicep show, a collaboration between the incredible Manchester International Festival (MIF) and the stalwart rave up artists Warehouse Project (WHP), is the last gig to be held at the wonderful, industrial (barely) survivor of many a decade, Mayfield Depot before it is refurbished. It’s part of a series of events put […]

LIVE: BICEP / MARIE DAVIDSON / LEON VYNEHALL – 10/11/2018

ALBUM: CHRIS CORNELL – AN ARTIST’S LEGACY

At his final Manchester show in April 2016, Chris Cornell played ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ Back’ – a re-working of Bob Dylan’s original, which was written in a time of political upheaval, it seemed a very appropriate choice for our current times. Cornell’s skilful re-writing of the lyrics to reflect the authoritarian and populist […]
Four piece London massive Prep are hot on the heels of their last EP, ‘Cold Fire’, with their latest release and it’s just as impressive as their previous offerings. Backed by some heavy hitters on previous EPs – Korean R&B megastar DEAN, Anderson Paak collaborator Pomo & Kitsuné signing Reva DeVito to name but a […]

EP: PREP – LINE BY LINE

ALBUM:THURSTON MOORE & TOM SURGAL – KLANGFARBENMELODIE..AND THE COLORIST STRIKES PRIMITIV

From sticking screwdrivers in guitars to creating some of the most sublime alternative guitar anthems ever, Thurston Moore has long been credited as a guitar genius. His former band Sonic Youth still remain one of the best bands to emerge from the U.S. creating a dazzling array of noise warped melodies over their thirty years […]
-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- The first act tonight at Soup Kitchen is the Manchester 5 piece, URF. They have a shoegaze vibe, with sustained cries over sombre guitars and keyboards. A hypnotically doleful start to the evening. URF gradually rise, opening up towards the end of their set, letting loose over thumping rhythms. The gloom advancing […]

LIVE: ESTRONS / LUCIA / URF – 07/11/2018

LIVE: KIKAGAKU MOYO / INLAND TAIPAN – 07/11/2018

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- The Beauty Witch have compiled a treat for those in Manchester this evening, with Gorilla taking centre focus. Opening proceedings, we have local band Inland Taipan, who have a new line up which incorporates additional viola and violin. The ethereal vocals and frantic guitar notes are complimented beautifully by the strings and create […]
Joy Against The Machine(s) So, here’s the promised party. After the circumspect ‘Brushes With Happiness’, The Wave Pictures are back on the road with the joyous ‘Look Inside Your Heart’, a spontaneous bunch of songs to celebrate long-term friendships and long-live-drunken-parties. You listen to their new album and suddenly wish you could be part of […]

ALBUM: THE WAVE PICTURES – LOOK INSIDE YOUR HEART

LIVE: CAR SEAT HEADREST – 07/11/2018

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- Will Toledo is a contradiction of a frontman. Arriving on stage tonight he is replete in a pair of MC Hammer style harem pants and dances like a cross between a more loose-limbed Ian Curtis and Mark Corrigan at Rainbow Rhythms. (I encourage you to seek out S2E1 of Peep Show for […]
-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- The Soup Kitchen’s minimal décor is mirrored on stage. Only a guitar, an amp and a mirror sit waiting as the crowd enters for tonight’s show. Anna B Savage is on first, going straight into the set. Her sonorous vocals remind me of Jacob Collier, without the electronic harmoniser, each syllable hitting […]

LIVE: STELLA DONNELLY / ANNA B SAVAGE – 06/11/2018