LIVE: DIIV – 20/03/2016

– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – “What the fuck’s going on?” asks a frustrated Zachary Cole Smith of a group of young, confused technicians as they continue to struggle to conquer the age-old technology of the DVD projector – supposed portal to the imagination of the Brooklyn darling and 21st century poster boy for rock-’n-roll tragedy. Following […]
 – THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – In a time when not all was glitz and not all was glamour, 1977 gave birth to a little punk band from Belfast called Stiff Little Fingers. Known for their highly political views and raucous attitudes, their music brought unity to those who never belonged and gave a voice to […]

LIVE: STIFF LITTLE FINGERS – 19/03/2016

LIVE: THE FRANKLYS – 20/03/2016

 – THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – “Thank you so much for being here” shouts singer Jen Ahlkvist, almost out of breath, one song in, blonde fringe already thick with sweat. The modest audience bunch together to intensify the heat in the room. Perhaps they’re holding on for their lives, because there is something so visceral […]
 – BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER –  “Sometimes I pretend to be normal but it gets boring so I go back to being me”. The statement sums up the legendary Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s vital philosophy. He’ll be 80 years old the day after tomorrow, but as he has never stopped having fun, he’s not old […]

LIVE: LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY – 15/03/2016

ALBUM REVIEW: DOG CHOCOLATE – SNACK FANS

Snack Fans could not be a more apt name for the debut album by Dog Chocolate, a chaotic four-piece hailing from London. Due on the 18th March, the crazily surreal album contains fourteen tracks altogether, most of which not going over two minutes long, with a run-time of an easily digestible 25 minutes. The band […]
– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Plastic leotards and leatherette tutus. Glitter covered everything and pastel faux fur. Neon faces and blown-out bedroom tattoos. The internet has vomited all over Manchester’s Academy and it’s beautiful. Every spectral colour is represented across a sea of semi-permanently dyed armpits and space-bun topped heads, and as I wade deeper […]

LIVE: GRIMES – 12/03/2016

LIVE: COSMOSIS FESTIVAL – 12/03/2016

– VICTORIA WAREHOUSE, MANCHESTER – What a difference a year makes. I had a fantastic time at Cosmosis 2015, despite feeling as though I was at an illegally organised psych fest in a crack den… in fact, maybe it was partly because it felt like an illegally organised psych fest in a crack den. The Victoria Warehouse […]
– THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – Oh Albert Hall we meet again, you absolute beauty. Seriously if you haven’t been, grab a ticket for the band that you love and have a good night. Sit down, dance away or just stare at the beautiful glass ceilings; it’s all good. Armed with my two good friends, […]

LIVE: THE CORAL – 12/03/2016

LIVE: WOLF ALICE / SWIM DEEP – 10/03/2016

– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Walking into the Manchester Academy I’m pleasantly surprised with how small and intimate the venue is; it’s large enough to feel like a big crowd is present (which there most definitely is) and yet small enough to feel like it’s a private party. Sneaking a quick look at the band […]
 – THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – “I don’t know whether you’re newcomers or whether you’re fans of my old acoustic-y shit.’’ I am a fan of it all. It’s not yet been much more than a year since Missouri-born frontman Nathaniel Rateliff last released his lone EP Closer but a lot has changed. He’s now a seven piece […]

LIVE: NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS – 10/03/2016