LIVE: MALE BONDING – 28/09/2011

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – I’m back at the Ruby Lounge again and it seems to be turning in to a bit of a ritual.  The place has definitely pulled its finger out of late and is getting some top bands through its doors and down its stairs into its gloomy embrace. It’s certainly […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – The musical landscape created by Connan Mockasin is full of childlike innocence and a sense of wide-eyed wonder. It’s a world inhabited by Unicorns, Dolphins and Snats (a snake/rat hybrid in case you were wondering) all pitched against a backdrop of perfectly constructed, off kilter psychedelic pop. You would […]

LIVE: CONNAN MOCKASIN – 26/09/2011

Single Review: The Rifles – Tangled Up In Love

Don’t mistake The Rifles for just another indie band. Their new track is catchy, and has a really vintage feel about it. Team that with a serious string section and guitar solo and you have a very strong song from their new album Freedom Run. Chris Potter, who really has brought his experience to the […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – I saw Sparrow and The Workshop at The Roadhouse back in May. My enthusiastic review concluded with me wrongly predicting that their return to the city would be greeted by a much larger audience. Unfortunately, the majority of the crowd tonight is comprised of the support bands and staff. The […]
Sparrow and The Workshop

LIVE: SPARROW AND THE WORKSHOP – 18/09/11

LIVE: DJ SHADOW – 17/09/2011

– THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT, MANCHESTER – This is the first night of The Warehouse Project’s final series of events at Store Street. The car park under Piccadilly Station has been an ideal venue for some jaw dropping lineups over the last few years, the abandoned Boddington’s Factory was the first temporary home in 2006 and […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – It has been a while since I walked into a gig half way through the support act and immediately thought this is good…no, this is great. And glancing across at my partner in crime for the evening, she too is nodding along in complete agreement. I would like to say […]

LIVE: CRYSTAL FIGHTERS – 15/09/2011

LIVE: BRIAN WILSON – 13/09/2011

– BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER – After decades of playing huge capacity stadiums and open-air festivals, it seems the creative genius behind The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, has discovered a penchant for smaller venues. At Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, with an audience of just 2,300 fans, it is something of a novelty to see him perform close […]
– BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER – Scott Matthews, a relatively unknown singer-songwriter is back on the ‘ole wagon’ to promote his third studio album ‘When The Night Delivers’. Having only heard the track ‘Elusive’ which propelled him into the lime light – although maybe not enough. I signed up to my first ‘session’. consequently, […]

LIVE: SCOTT MATTHEWS – 12/09/2011

Album Review: Yann Tiersen – Skyline

Skyline is Yann Tiersen’s seventh album, so perhaps it’s uncharitable to kick off by saying he is still best remembered – especially on this side of La Manche – for his score of the movie Amelie. But Christ on a bike, what a soundtrack that was – one of the few soundtracks I have actually […]
The new Drums album is named after a 17th Century Italian word meaning a slide between two vocal pitches, an apt name for an album, which also slides from one mood to another. The first album, Summertime!, is a release the band describe as a concept album, that while visceral and fun, lacked depth. This […]

Album Review: The Drums – Portamento