LIVE: FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS / ARKELLS / THE HOMELESS GOSPEL CHOIR – 13/04/2018

-ACADEMY, MANCHESTER- Frank will always be one of my favourites so heading down to Manchester Academy on Friday night it feels like I’m coming home, and I bounce in to the delightful sounds of The Homeless Gospel Choir, much to my ear’s delight. The ironic satire of Derek Zanetti is reminiscent of early Tenacious D, […]
-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- Aaron Maine’s Porches project has been one of my favourite acts of the last few tears. When his album Pool came out in 2016 I was in Miami alone and spent the balmy evenings wandering the neon streets listening to his brand of downbeat, sad-boy synth pop, songs like ‘Be Apart’ and […]

LIVE: PORCHES – 13/04/2018

LIVE: MINAMI DEUTSCH / GIRL SWEAT – 10/04/2018

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- The Beauty Witch have brought something special to a drab Tuesday night in Manchester in the form of Minami Deutsch, who are Japan’s answer to all your krautrock needs. First up we have Girl Sweat, a one-man maniacal compilation of electronic noise and bizarre vocal sound. Having garnered a loyal local fan […]
When Eels first emerged in 1995, they were lumped in with all the ‘slacker’ bands around at the time, and although Mark ‘E’ Everett’s vocals do lend themselves nicely to that laid back categorisation, Eels have always been uniquely different. Eels’ songs have been used in tons of films and TV shows, and I’ve got […]

ALBUM: EELS – THE DECONSTRUCTION

LIVE: LET’S EAT GRANDMA – 09/04/2018

-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- Tonight is an odd night. I’ve just played football, and after a heavy fall in which I landed fully on my left wrist, I have quite the shooting pain in my arm. Thinking it’s just sprained, I play on for the final 45 mins, including a stint in goal, and then I […]
-NIGHT PEOPLE, MANCHESTER- For the first time in 20 years, the classic line-up of Thee Hypnotics have reformed for a 15-date tour and tonight sees them come to Manchester’s Night People. Opening for them we have The Goa Express, a five piece of young lads who have been attracting increased amounts of attention due to […]

LIVE: THEE HYPNOTICS / THE GOA EXPRESS – 07/04/2018

LIVE: CABBAGE – 03/04/2018

-MANCHESTER ART GALLERY- Cabbage are a guitar band, and any band (not just a guitar band) would not usually be found in an art gallery. Manchester Art Gallery however, is the venue that was chosen for Cabbage’s Nihilistic Glamour Shots show. It is a very interesting yet mysterious venue. Upon entering, guests queue around the […]
-BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER- The Lucid Dream have been garnering a reputation for brilliance over the years, a standard that they maintain with every release and every live performance. Their fan base in Manchester has always been loyal and tonight they take to the stage of Band on the Wall, which they tell us […]

LIVE: THE LUCID DREAM / THREE DIMENSIONAL TANX / PALE RIDER – 06/04/2018

LIVE: NO AGE – 31/03/2018

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- This is the loudest gig I’ve been to in a long, long while. Sweet Jesus is it loud. Even through my earplugs (protect your hearing kids!) it’s loud, and that is pretty damn impressive. Nothing is ever going to top the My Bloody Valentine show I saw as the most ear destroying […]
-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- Between Stormzy and J Hus, the UK album chart has a welcome anomaly: Twentytwo in Blue, cruising from the indie backwaters into a position that makes you feel, in a fleeting heartbeat, that young bands are still rewarded for their work. Sunflower Bean’s sophomore LP deserves the status. It is a polished, reptilian […]

LIVE: SUNFLOWER BEAN / SORRY – 30/03/2018