LIVE: DRY THE RIVER – 04/10/2014

– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – After an extended organ drone intro, Dry The River arrive on stage looking more like The Eagles than ever – all hair and plaid. Lead singer Peter Liddle is clad head-to-toe in white and looks like Gareth from The Office playing Jesus. They crack on with the title track of […]
– MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL, MANCHESTER – This is first time I’ve ever stepped foot in Manchester Cathedral full stop, never mind stepping in whilst drinking cans of Red Stripe and watching a gig. For tonight we are all here to worship at the alter of Jessie Ware, the sultry London songstress who first bewitched us with […]

LIVE: JESSIE WARE – 03/10/2014

LIVE: MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA / KEVIN DEVINE – 01/10/2014

– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – Since this tour was announced I’ve been super excited. Firstly the fact that Atlanta rock band Manchester Orchestra are headlining The Ritz is a triumph in itself, but with Brooklyn songwriting maverick Kevin Devine in main support with his GodDamn Band backing him up? Thats pretty sweet! And then opening […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – In an era when music is increasingly subjugated to seamless production, studio chicanery and the pursuit of a flawless product, it is refreshing to find a band who still celebrate the raw ebullience of a live performance, and find their triumph with the masses and not behind a studio mixing […]

LIVE: THE JIM JONES REVUE – 28/09/2014

LIVE: LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF PSYCHEDELIA – 26-27/09/2014

-CAMP & FURNACE / BLADE FACTORY , LIVERPOOL – Where better to hold a celebration of psychedelia than Liverpool? As a major port city, Liverpool was the gateway to the new world for so long, the hub through which new ideas flowed and the unknown arrived. Not only that, events like this are unlikely to […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – ‘Are you guys the leftovers who missed Psych Fest?’ (referring to last weekend’s event in Liverpool) teases Jace Lasek from the stage at the modestly assembled crowd in front of him at the Ruby Lounge. Amongst the yeahs and whoops someone from the back of the crowd replies ‘you […]

LIVE: THE BESNARD LAKES – 30/09/2014

LIVE: WOMAN’S HOUR – 27/09/2014

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Arc lights pick out silhouettes as Woman’s Hour take the stage, pick out the edges of the pyramids that front the album, angular, scattered around the stage, pick out the softer edges of Fiona James, who fronts the band. It’s a look that mirrors the pared back, silhouette sound […]
– THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – A strange conflict lies at the heart of The Horrors. There’s no question that in their best moments they have an urgency and intensity that few of their contemporaries can match. But when that white heat is not apparent – and for nearly an hour tonight it wasn’t – […]

LIVE: THE HORRORS – 27/09/2014

LIVE: ANGEL OLSEN – 23/09/2014

– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – Angel Olsen is pissed off with Manchester tonight, despite the sweatshop that is Gorilla being packed to the rafters with people from far and wide; some of whom had got the bus and were willing to risk missing the last one in order to see an artist they obviously admire (you’ll […]
– MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL, MANCHESTER – Yann Tiersen must have taken quite a fancy to Manchester Cathedral. 3 years after his Dust Lane tour, he has returned to the enchanting venue that befits him so perfectly. His latest album Infinity, has been labelled an experimental ‘mini masterpiece’ and whilst at first listen it may seem sporadic […]

LIVE: YANN TIERSEN – 24/09/2014