LIVE: CULTURE ABUSE – 23/08/2017

-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- The artwork adorning the Culture Abuse T-shirts and hoodies for sale at the merch table depicts harsh wire fences, but the San Francisco Bay Area five-piece is at heart a party band, and the price list placed alongside the merch states that booze and weed are accepted methods of payment. Second of […]
-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- Something which has never happened in the history of live music is happening: a gig is running early. Yes, early. This means that we miss a couple of Minna‘s early offerings, but they make a tremendous racket. Information is non-existent on the presumably local trio, the drummer in a constant whirr while […]

LIVE: ROB CROW’S GLOOMY PLACE / SWEET DEALS ON SURGERY / MINNA – 22/08/2017

ALBUM REVIEW: GHOSTPOET ‘DARK DAYS AND CANAPES’

Often, despite writing poetry, I don’t know where the line is between poetry and song lyrics. Thankfully the mumbled spoken word of Ghostpoet stops the questions and starts the listening as he oscillates between the depth and meaning of poetry and experimental electronic sounds. I don’t know what the genre tag is for his music […]
– PIKEHALL, DERBYSHIRE- Having recently changed ownership, this year’s Y Not Festival looked set to be an incredible weekend with strong headline performances scheduled from The Vaccines, Stereophonics and Two Door Cinema Club along with other big names filling up the bill such as Slaves, Jake Bugg, Happy Mondays, Manic Street Preachers, Frank Turner and […]

LIVE: Y NOT FESTIVAL – 27-30/07/2017

LIVE: THE 99 DEGREE / GOA EXPRESS / MANALISHI / THE ATTIC DOCTORS – 05/08/2017

-NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER- It’s another cool Summer evening and the Night & Day Café awaits us, tonight playing host to a few of the North-West’s freshest and exciting bands. Kicking off tonight’s proceedings are The Attic Doctors, who embody a strong indie aura, with all the traits and sounds reminiscent of the many […]
-CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER- No excuse is needed for Manchester’s best band to put on a show at a top venue like the Castle Hotel on a Friday night in early August. Friday nights that don’t have False Advertising gigs can only be described as a waste anyway. But on this occasion, there happens to be […]

LIVE: FALSE ADVERTISING / PEAKS / GRACES / HAPPY ANIMAL – 04/08/2017

LIVE: KATE NASH / SKATING POLLY – 04/08/2017

-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Ok. I’m just going to put it out there. I want to be best mates with Kate Nash. Seeing her live has only cemented this and I am now convinced we could be total #squadgoals. Heading along to The Ritz for her Made of Bricks 10th anniversary show on Friday night, I […]
“We as a band went from worrying about the record to worrying about the person,” speaks The War on Drugs bassist Dave Hartley of Adam Granduciel during the making of ‘Lost In The Dream’, the band’s critic-aligning breakthrough – birthed in the grip of a mountainous, sleep-fearing depression. However, sourcing its strength from obsessive insularity, the […]

ALBUM: THE WAR ON DRUGS – A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

LIVE: SILVER APPLES – 02/08/2017

-BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER- It’s not often that an artist comes to town who can boast that they have performed live in six different decades: Silver Apples, AKA Simeon Coxe, is one of them. Slow Knife open proceedings, with an interesting blend of krautrock, ska and jazz ensemble. Atonal lyrics read from sheets are […]
-THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER- The midsummer months are pretty barren ground for us gig-aholics, with bands spending most of their time on the festival circuit. But in the absence of the established names, this time of year provides a perfect chance to explore some of the local artists plying their trade, hoping for their lucky […]

LIVE: HIGH WYRE / MADA CRAM / LUKE STEINMAN – 28/07/2017