LIVE: MIRACLE LEGION – 18/08/2016

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Connecticut’s Miracle Legion became a fixture on the campus radio stations run by college and university students in North America during the 1980s. Since my teens in Manchester I’ve been retrospectively in love with their contemporaries from the ‘college rock’ days, bands like R.E.M., Hüsker Dü, The Replacements and […]
Rhode Island’s Arc Iris released their self-titled debut album way back in 2014 and have been on the rise ever since. Building a fan base through supporting artists such as St. Vincent on tour and working with producer David Wrench (who has worked with big names such as FKA Twigs and Jamie xx) isn’t doing […]

ALBUM REVIEW: ARC IRIS – MOON SALOON

ALBUM REVIEW: EXPLODED VIEW – EXPLODED VIEW

Halfway through listening to debut single ‘No More Parties In The Attic’ a few months back, it was apparent Exploded View were about to become my new favourite band. UK-born Anika’s deep and languid vocal style is mesmerising, over infectious, groovy baselines and trance-inducing beats. Their sound conjures images of the ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’ late 60’s New York art/music […]
– MONO, MANCHESTER – Having had what seems like daily band practices in a friends cellar over the last 3 weeks, I arrive at Mono wondering how I’ll react hearing some music played in a space where you don’t feel like you’re constantly obscuring someone’s view no matter where you stand. However I soon realise […]

LIVE: EXPERT ALTERATIONS  – 27/07/2016

LIVE: DEAP VALLY – 26/07/2016

– NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – Deap Vally from California make abrasive rock music, combining the riffs of Arctic Monkeys’ humbug days with vocals not unlike those of Alabama Shakes. Their songs are instantaneous, with catchy choruses smacked right up against razor teeth sharp guitar shredding. Just three songs in, Lindsey Troy the lead […]
PART TWO With music being only part of the attraction of Beat-Herder, we walk around what feels like a wacky carnival. Past the sweet stalls and barber  shop, we end up in The Church dancing to a DJ dressed as a nun, spinning Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’. It is the highlight of my weekend, really.  She changes her tune and the […]

LIVE: BEAT-HERDER FESTIVAL (2) – 15-17/07/2016

LIVE: BEAT-HERDER FESTIVAL – 15-17/07/2016

– THE RIBBLE VALLEY, LANCASHIRE – Ah yes, the return of Beat-Herder. The Ribble Valley’s own dance-in-the-forrest fest has grown in its 11 years from a mere 2,000 capacity to a bustling 10,000+ turnout, so really, they’ve gotta be doing something right. The event has become somewhat of a Lancashire institution over the last few summers and […]
 – SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Hot on the heels of their second album release Twist Through The Fire Lola Colt cram themselves into the shabby chic surrounding of Manchester’s Soup Kitchen.  I have had the good fortune of watching Lola Colt twice at both Cosmosis and Liverpool Psych Fest and was impressed by their widescreen […]

LIVE: LOLA COLT – 14/07/2016

ALBUM REVIEW: THE CULT OF DOM KELLER – GOODBYE TO THE LIGHT

The Cult of Dom Keller are a four-piece from the Midlands who offer up their third LP Goodbye to the Light via Fuzz Club Records on 21st July 2016. Having grown in depth and intensity since their foundation in 2008, they are now a tour de force. They have pushed themselves to the sonic limits […]
– CASTLEFIELD BOWL, MANCHESTER – Castlefield Bowl is erected temporarily for the summer season. A stage over the waterway, set in the amphitheatre in the shadow of the YMCA leisure centre.  The atmosphere is of a festival that you’ve been at for a couple of days. A much needed buzz and cheer of a warm […]

LIVE: THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS – 10/07/2016