Album Review: Elvis Costello & The Imposters – The Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook

It’s a neat conceit. In a cramped marketplace of ever diminishing record store shelves; in a world where established artists continually look to re-interpret their back catalogue, to breathe life into old songs, it can be hard to divine an original approach. Some artists strip their songs down to their naked nuts and bolts, some […]
– THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT, MANCHESTER – I enter the Warehouse Project’s Store Street venue a little late, and on my own and so have to somehow find my friends- this is no easy task in the refurbished car park, which looks as much like a done up archaeological dig as it does a music venue. […]

LIVE: FOALS – 31/12/2011

LIVE: NEW MODEL ARMY – 15/12/2011

– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – I like gigs at the Ritz in Manchester. They’re more like events, the ones you should have been at. They are the ones your mates talk about in the pub while you look glumly into your beer. It must be something to do with the history of the place. It’s […]
– ST. PHILIP’S CHURCH, SALFORD – Lovely as this ecclesiastical venue is, my view is partially blocked by a sizeable eagle carving near the chancel, so what follows is filtered via a large, wooden bird of prey. I’m assuming it’s an eagle anyway – if you happen to know, don’t write in. Unperturbed by raptor-based […]

LIVE : SLOW CLUB – 15/12/2011

Album Review: Serge Gainsbourg – Histoire De Melody Nelson (2CD+DVD Deluxe Edition)

Antoine de Caunes, presenter of 90s comedy titillater Eurotrash, famously once said: “Only one French person per generation makes it in England”. Serge Gainsbourg was that Frenchman of his generation, and like Antoine de Caunes he is today most famous for his sexually-charged material – who could forget ‘Je T’aime’? Unlike the Eurotrash man, Serge […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Cherry Ghost is the moniker of singer songwriter Simon Aldred. After doing the rounds in bands for a number of years he decided to go it solo in 2005. Listening to his latest album “Beneath this Burning Shoreline” comparisons to Stephen Fretwell and Ben Howard can be made. Cherry […]

LIVE: CHERRY GHOST – 11/12/2011

LIVE: THE DRUMS – 10/12/2011

– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – So here I am at the Manchester Ritz and while I’m not a die hard fan, I’ll confess right now to have a bit of a liking for The Drums and so as it turns out, there were a number of surprises in store. It hit me immediately how much […]
– THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT, MANCHESTER – The car park under Piccadilly Station has showcased some incredible line-ups over the last few years. Friday night sees The Warehouse Project bring in some of the most innovative and forward thinking electronic artists in the world, headlined by Modeselecktor, with Squarepusher, Four tet, Skream, amongst others. Upon entering […]

LIVE: MODESELEKTOR – 09/12/2011

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LIVE: PEAKING LIGHTS – 10/12/2011

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – All the way from a basement in Wisconsin, the duo of Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis finish their brief European tour in Manchester tonight, bringing their very young son Mikko along for the ride. Peaking Lights‘ homemade equipment, jumbled together from random bits of old electrical goods such as alarm […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – The UK has been treated this year to tours from the full roster of artists on the Sublime Frequencies label. Locally, Group Doueh visited Islington Mill back in May, last week Group Inerane stopped off in Leeds as part of their first European tour, and tonight Omar Souleyman is […]

LIVE: OMAR SOULEYMAN – 09/12/2011