LIVE: AUGUSTINES – 16/04/2014

– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Arriving at Academy 2 it is packed, with a slightly older crowd. It’s exciting to see an American band playing live as they always seem to contribute a slightly different energy on stage. When the band starts, the smoky tones of Billy echo through the building. They are also accompanied […]
As what would have been Gil Scott-Heron’s 65th birthday this past April 1st, Record Store Day is gifted with a magical posthumous release by the legend. Widely considered as a hugely influential figure in hip-hop and jazz, his unique style of spoken word poetry garnered worldwide acclaim. After a huge back-catalogue of 13 albums from […]

Album Review: Gil Scott-Heron – Nothing New

LIVE: CARLTON MELTON – 17/04/2014

– KRAAK,  MANCHESTER – Tie-dye enthusiasts rejoice: Psychedelia is back. Truth is, it never really went away and follows the same ebbs and flows of popularity as any genre. The key difference now is that the movement is celebrated. Since the first Austin Psych Fest in May 2008, music inspired (directly or indirectly) by mind-altering […]
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – Let’s get this out of the way right now: I am a Cut Copy fanboy. I’ve seen them about 5 times live already in various sized venues across the country and beyond; they are a band that hold a very special place in my heart. Their music is one of […]

LIVE: CUT COPY – 15/04/2014

LIVE: MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA – 11/04/2014

– CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – “It’s nice to be back in our hometown”, are the first words we can hear from Manchester Orchestra after a couple of songs, in a marvellous night where the Atlanta-based quintet introduce their brand new album Cope. The indie-rock outfit grew out of songs that singer and songwriter Andy Hull […]
– THE ROADHOUSE, MANCHESTER – Arcane Roots are no strangers to the road, in fact this is about their third visit to Manchester in the past year. The Kingston-based trio have been working hard on the live circuit which is not a bad thing at all, but with the Manchester shows having been modestly attended, […]

LIVE: ARCANE ROOTS – 09/04/2014

Album Review: Cleft – Bosh!

Cleft are a turbo-prog two-piece (or that’s how they describe themselves) from grey Manchester bringing huge repercussions to the British experimental music scene. In the last few years there has been a growing instrumental scene in the UK, with a relevant number of bands supporting it such as That Fucking Tank or The Physics House […]
– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Choosing Peggy Sue as my first review for Silent Radio seemed like a safe bet having seen them a few years previously, and having followed their progress from their formation in Brighton way back in 2005. Numerous tweaks to the name, side projects, additions to the sparse line up  and […]

LIVE: PEGGY SUE – 09/04/2014

Album Review: EMA – The Future’s Void

Nearly a year ago now I reviewed Little Boot’s most recent album: a spirited but ultimately doomed effort to try and provide music that has a pop sensibility with a dark, brooding electronic edge. The results were… mixed, to say the least, resulting in something far more latter-day Kylie than Kid A. However, flawed though […]
– NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – There’s nothing worse than when a really original, great band call it a day. But when certain members decide  to come back with a new band, it’s always wonderful. The band in question were Grammatics, an indie rock outfit from Leeds who just wrote melodic and dramatic pop […]

LIVE: DEPARTMENT M – 04/04/2014