LIVE: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB – 24/03/2013

– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – There is an undeniable feeling of heaviness in the air tonight at The Ritz as San Francisco alternative rock trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are about to begin a sold out gig in Manchester in promotion of their seventh studio album Specter At The Feast.  At best, the new record […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Oh what a sexy night. From the moment the first chord reverberates through the dark, expectant air Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds are on a trip to crazy town, and they’re taking no prisoners. Brian Tristan of The Gun Club, The Cramps and The Bad Seeds infamy […]

LIVE: KID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS – 22/03/2013

Album Review: Port St. Willow – Holiday

Port St. Willow is the poetically named brainchild of Nicholas Principe, a solo multi-instrumentalist working out of Portland, Oregon. He released his first EP, entitled Even // Wasteland in November 2010. It was a record that, albeit only an EP, carried and conveyed the ambition that we would come to expect from Holiday. This is […]
American Indie also-rans Cold War Kids have been knocking around for a while now; long enough for them to be considered veterans by any rate. 8 years have passed since they first emerged onto the scene with their spiky yet soulful début EP Mulberry Street, in which time they’ve… well, they’ve continued doing just that: putting out […]

Album Review: Cold War Kids – Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

Single Review: Charge Group – Run

Sophomore releases are a thing of beauty. They can either make or brake a fledging act – whether it’s a disappointing follow up to a smash record or a momentum builder which keeps the fans on side. It’s been over 4 years since they dropped their début record Escaping Mankind, but Sydney 4-piece Charge Group are back […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – Nocturne was one of my favourite albums of last year, and is certainly my favourite jangly-American-indie album of 2013. I only heard it in about October, so for such a summer-y album the climate at the time felt a bit at odds with the tunes within, but I fell hard […]

LIVE: WILD NOTHING – 19/03/2013

Album Review: Diamond Rugs – Diamond Rugs

Match a group of dudes from different bands who each hone gritty vocals and a love of beer with borderline vulgarity in lyrical ascension, and you may just have yourself a trailer park indie super group. Diamond Rugs is the newest blue collared engaging side-project between John McCauley (Deer Tick), Robbie Crowell (Deer Tick), Ian […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – There seems to have a lot interest surrounding London based outfit Theme Park since there formation back in 2011. Even before the release of their debut single they were already all over the press and all the underground indie scene kids were also getting far too excited. Since then, […]

LIVE: THEME PARK – 15/03/2013

LIVE: SCHOLARS – 13/03/2013

– THE ROADHOUSE, MANCHESTER – Scholars are five chaps from London who make passionate indie rock music and deserve to be massive! Having formed about 6 years ago, the Hemel Hempstead based outfit have watched their peers get to an almost arena bothering status, and although everyone loves an underdog, with a live show as […]
– THE RAILWAY, BOLTON – I really couldn’t believe it when I saw that PSB were playing at a little known venue in Bromley Cross just outside Bolton. The Railway is located on the main line between Manchester and Blackburn. The last time Bolton saw anything of this kind was 1990, when baggie Manchester band […]

LIVE: PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING – 13/03/2013