LIVE: ESBEN & THE WITCH – 08/04/2011

– ST. PHILIPS CHURCH, SALFORD – Where better to see a prog goth band than in a church? The interior of St. Philips may be too well kept to be the perfect backdrop for tonight, some of Salford’s industrial abandoned and rain soaked buildings could offer Esben and The Witch possible music video locations, but […]
When Fela, Seun’s father, died of AIDS in 1997, you can bet that the Nigerian authorities could not believe their luck. For decades, Fela Kuti was an outspoken and fearless critic of his native government – Nigeria is (according to Forbes) the world’s 18th most corrupt country. His self-given middle name Anikulapo, adopted by his […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Seun Anikulapo Kuti & Egypt 80 – From Africa With Fury: Rise

LIVE: SMITH WESTERNS – 03/04/2011

– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – Smith Westerns produced one of my favourite albums of last year with the excellent ‘Dye It Blonde’, so to say that I am really looking forward to this gig is an understatement. The gig sold out well in advance, due to being headlined by the current darlings of indie […]
– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Punk rock is supposed to be unpredictable, theatrical and ball-bustingly energetic, and if there is one band encompassing those elements with every fiber of their being, it is Killing Joke. Not only is their fourteenth and most recent album, Absolute Dissent, every bit as liable to strip paint from studio […]

LIVE: KILLING JOKE – 31/03/2011

LIVE: DUM DUM GIRLS – 31/03/2011

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER –  I didn’t come to the Deaf Institute tonight to review  the support band for Dum Dum Girls, but the music of Mazes is so good I feel compelled to let you know about them. All the songs feel ‘killer, no filler’.  They play with boundless energy and come across […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – I’m not overly fond of the Ruby Lounge as a venue at the best of times- it might be that it’s dark and dingy, or the strange design, I can’t put my finger on it, but when I walk in and see about six people in the crowd my […]

LIVE: DUCKTAILS – 31/03/2011

LIVE: DEERHUNTER – 30/03/2011

– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER –  The band are ready, lead singer Bradford Cox talks over the Foals tune that can still be heard and amusingly comments on the audiences startling red faces. The result of heavy backlighting. Technical difficulties allow him to break the ice with his natural wit as he urges the crowd to […]
– CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – As one of the true oddities of the New York punk scene in the mid 70s, The New York Dolls are considered to be the godfathers of American punk. The band imploded in spectacular fashion back in 1975, and articles in various music magazines, books and punk rock documentaries kept […]

LIVE: NEW YORK DOLLS – 29/03/2011

SINGLE REVIEW: The Jim Jones Revue – Dishonest John

If you’re expecting an unbiased critique of “Dishonest John”, you’re not going to get it. The Jim Jones Revue is the best good time rock n roll band around right now.  Dishonest John sums up JJR perfectly: 2 minutes of blistering rock ‘n’ roll blues that you’ve just gotta shake your ass to. To really […]
Chopped & Screwed is being touted as Rough Trade’s first ever classical release, and is the live product of a collaborative effort between three-piece Micachu and The Shapes and contemporary orchestra London Sinfonietta. The set, recorded last May at King’s Place in The Big Smoke, came about after frontwoman Mica was invited by London Sinfonietta […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Micachu & The Shapes and The London Sinfonietta – Chopped & Screwed