LIVE: BJORK – BIOPHILIA 27/06/2011

MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL – CAMPFIELD MARKET HALL (MOSI), MANCHESTER – The festival that promises nothing but original work continues to draw an impressive list of international a-list artists, inspired by the concept. Maybe it’s the creative freedom that they are entrusted with that beckons these already world famous names to step out of their comfort zones […]
Dubbed as ‘the world’s foremost purveyors of bar room chamber music‘, ‘Anything’s Possible’ is the first release taken from The Miserable Rich’s upcoming third album ‘Miss You in The Days’, a swift follow up to last year’s ‘Flight of Fancy’. I’ve been listening to the track on and off for almost a week now, and […]

SINGLE: THE MISERABLE RICH – ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE

LIVE: CRYSTAL STILTS – 24/06/2011

– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – There’s something very ’Ian Brown’ about the way Brad Hargettt, lead singer of Crystal Stilts, approaches the microphone. Though he sings like Jim Morrison on downers. The huge impact made when they start their set can partly be accredited to a support band. Dirtblonde are playing early when I arrive. […]
No stranger to the wax, DOK’s first EP outing on Hyperdub sees him team up with long time partner and some say evil twin (or is that eviler twin?) Terror Danjah for this filthy, funk fuelled slice of east coast, west coast grime goodness.   ‘West Coast’ is a hard hitting, grimey, filthy, low-riding roller. […]

EP REVIEW: DOK – West Coast

LIVE: THE BLANKS 23/06/2011

– MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER – Well, it was always going to be a weird gig. I’m standing in a dimly lit, smoky room with about fifty other people as hip-hop blares through the speakers , and the only real indicator I’m here to see an a capella group and not a heavy metal band is […]
– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – The Horrors were unfairly labelled a novelty act by the music press when they burst onto the live scene in 2005. With their birds-nest hair, black eyeliner and tighter than tight jeans, many thought it was all just style over substance; a Cramps tribute band with a singer who looks […]

LIVE: THE HORRORS – 16/06/2011

Album Review: Bon Iver – Bon Iver

When the Manchester Evening News relaunched CityLife a few years back – not long before the axe was plunged through its privates – Neil Sowerby, the then editor, personally warned me not to request the Bon Iver gig because everyone wanted it (and presumably I was not CityLife´s star critic). Fine, I was completely unaware […]
A pair of plain recycled cardboard CD sleeves popped through my letterbox, and if I hadn’t already known who Wu Lyf were, I wouldn’t have found out much more on the internet. Especially before the release of Go Tell Fire To The Mountain, their marketing strategy was to hide behind a bizarre mix of imagery […]

SINGLE: WU LYF – DIRT/LYF

EP REVIEW: VEZELAY – LYRE

This, the latest outing on Planet Mu, sees Vezelay (aka Matthieu Le Berre) make his label debut with this six track EP of electro pop dream dust. The EP opens with ‘Sedative’, where arpeggios and a simple but effective, kick and snare combination lead the way for distant vocals to float upon. ‘Demure’ follows on […]
East Londoner Ossie, gives us three gifts of musical goodness for his second outing on wax with the “Set The Tone EP” on a personal favourite of mine: Hyperdub. Imagine the scene if you will. I am just about to get off the bus and begin my walk to work. For me, the only way […]

EP REVIEW: Ossie – Set The Tone