LIVE: A CAREFULLY PLANNED FESTIVAL #5 – 18/10/2015

– VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER – It’s been a hard week, and as I get to Manchester’s gem The Northern Quarter, I doubt whether I’ll be able to fulfill the rather ambitious programme that I’ve arranged for A Carefully Planned Festival. It’s bloody Sunday and I feel so bloody tired, but I come across with a bizarre […]
– THE EAGLE INN, SALFORD – As I make my way on foot with two out-of-town friends through the dark of the October evening for tonight’s live music, I detect a little uneasiness in my companions as Manchester’s bright lights fade into barely lit, industrial backstreets the closer we get to our destination, The Eagle […]

LIVE: LA LUZ – 17/10/2015

LIVE: MONARCHY – 15/10/2015

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – So Monarchy, so mysterious. The English “synthpop” duo have courted the enigmatic since they formed in 2009: initially concealing their identities à la Daft Punk, their first live show was projected into space. In 2011 after playing Coachella they spent Christmas with Dita von Teese, who is such a huge […]
Prior to the album release, Bradford Cox revealed Concept Map listing the influences of the album, which seems to have acted as a handy companion to any press release. Most reviews already posted seem to pick a circle of the map and use that as the premise for their review (see Ian Cohen of Pitchfork’s focus on […]

Album Review: Deerhunter – Fading Frontier

Album Review: Pretend – Tapestry’d Life

Tapestry’d Life is the brand new album from post-rock American quartet Pretend, released on October 9th. The group have been playing and writing together since 2004, and the time taken to mould their experimental sound and approach to music certainly shows, creating one of the most exciting albums I’ve listened to this year. A musical […]
– MANCHESTER ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – I woke up on Sunday morning with ‘Harmony In My Head’ hammering in my head. It’s far from a hangover, it’s such a nice feeling. “Whenever I’m in doubt about the things I do…”. A couple of hours before Buzzcocks’ gig at The Academy in Manchester, I watch an old […]

LIVE: BUZZCOCKS – 10/10/2015

LIVE: LOW – 07/10/2015

– MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL, MANCHESTER – Tonight’s line-up in the celestial surrounds of Manchester Cathedral would have been on my fantasy gig list as a student in the early 2000s. The crowd tonight reflects that age range – seasoned indie brooders making a twilight trip outdoors for what is an unusually long set in a slightly […]
WRITTEN BY LISA SOFIANOS, ROBIN RYDE & CHARLIE WATERHOUSE “If punk was an explosion, then is about what’s happened after the dust settled”, says the foreword of ‘The Truth of Revolution, Brother: An Exploration of Punk Philosophy’ (Situation Press, 2014), by Lisa Sofianos, Robin Ryde and Charlie Waterhouse. This beautifully designed book has a hidden […]

BOOK: ‘THE TRUTH OF REVOLUTION, BROTHER: AN EXPLORATION OF PUNK PHILOSOPHY’

LIVE: THE PARROTS – 10/10/2015

– THE SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Promoters Strange Days are known for bringing a wide variety of international guitar musicians to Manchester, ranging from solo acoustic folk, to manic garage rock. Tonight, our headliners are Spanish fun-loving surf garage 3-piece, The Parrots. They’ve recently released a split 7″ of covers on Burger Records with Hinds, who […]
– THE OLD PINT POT, SALFORD – Curiosity has brought me out tonight. I have little to no knowledge of the bands, whether that makes for an unbiased neutral review or just reveals an incompetent lack of research is up to you. There were two elements that convinced me. The revamp of the Pint Pot […]
Chaika

LIVE: CHAIKA / THE BEAR AROUND YOUR NECK / JOHN HAYCOCK – 09/10/15