LIVE: TALL SHIPS – 08/10/2014

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – A few years back, I had the pleasure of seeing Tall Ships play to a packed out crowd at Soup Kitchen, as part of the annual Carefully Planned Festival. I’ve been a big fan of Tall Ships for a while now, so I was delighted to hear they were coming […]
– THE ROADHOUSE, MANCHESTER – Andrew ‘Falco’ Falkous is an angry man. The Future of the Left singer is not only responsible for some of the best straight up rock music this country has produced in the last decade, but also a misanthropic outpouring that could make Charlie Brooker blush. Tonight the welsh band hit […]

LIVE: FUTURE OF THE LEFT – 05/10/2014

LIVE: THE TWILIGHT SAD – 05/10/2014

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – I’ve spent the past few days downing lemsip, using all the toilet roll and refusing to take off my coat. Winter is here folks. Despite my immune system being at its weakest, there is something about this time of year that I love. There seem to be a few bands […]
– 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 […]

LIVE: DRY THE RIVER – 04/10/2014

LIVE: JESSIE WARE – 03/10/2014

– 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 […]
– 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 […]

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

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

– 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 […]
-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 […]

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

LIVE: THE BESNARD LAKES – 30/09/2014

– 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 […]
– 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 […]

LIVE: WOMAN’S HOUR – 27/09/2014