LIVE: WARPAINT – 14/05/2011

– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – I was lucky enough to see Warpaint last October at The Deaf Institute, and despite the addition of only one new tune, I am keen to see them again. That gig was possibly my favourite from 2010, in my favourite venue, so there is a lot to live up […]
– ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD – Preceded by former-Gowns singer, EMA, touring her debut album Past Life Martyred Saints and generally strutting around like a preening mental patient – Scout could only go on to raise the bar. Scout enters wearing a high-visibility jacket – the only piece of clothing that quite literally says ‘notice me’. […]

LIVE REVIEW: SCOUT NIBLETT – 13/05/2011

LIVE REVIEW: Moon Duo – 12/05/2011

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – I’m here tonight in the ever cool surroundings of The Deaf Institute’s music hall on the strength of one single. Is this right or is this wrong? Who knows, but Moon Duo’s last single ‘Mazes’, has been played to death on my walks to and from work and has […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Brooklyn act Gang Gang Dance seem an obvious choice to play Manchester’s annual FutureEverything festival. The Festival is a celebration of digital culture, with a strong emphasis on innovation and breaking new ground. Over the course of five studio albums Gang Gang Dance have displayed a willingness to experiment, […]

LIVE REVIEW: Gang Gang Dance – 11/05/2011

LIVE REVIEW: Group Doueh/Brothers Unconnected – 11/05/2011

– ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD – There is activity across the city/cities tonight owing to this year’s Future Everything Festival which is running throughout the week. In fact, I could’ve been somewhere else tonight as Gang Gang Dance are over at the Ruby Lounge (also reviewed on the site). But there are very few things which […]
– ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC, MANCHESTER – It is worth remembering that before Hugh Laurie was the debonair Dr. House, glibly diagnosing obscure ailments and generally maintaining a detached air of alluring misanthropy, he was one half of Jeeves and Wooster. And before that, A Bit of Fry and Laurie. And of course, Blackadder. […]

LIVE REVIEW: Hugh Laurie – 07/05/2011

ALBUM REVIEW: Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact

Over the past few years, a few of the most talked-about indie bands have been those making music with a historical sense of mystical drama. Fiery Furnaces, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, and Animal Collective, among others, have been variously and inventively appropriating rock ‘n’ roll’s roots in ritualistic sounds. By and large, they draw upon ideas […]
– CENTRAL METHODIST CHURCH, MANCHESTER – The queue for Manchester’s Central Methodist Church stretches all the way down Oldham Street to Piccadilly Gardens, and consists of people of all ages and backgrounds, all braving the sporadic sudden downpours in anticipation of spending an evening in the company of one of the most widely revered and […]

LIVE REVIEW: Bill Callahan – 06/05/2011

LIVE REVIEW: Psychedelic Horseshit – 05/05/2011

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – I wasn’t too sure what to expect this evening at the Deaf Institute. I get the impression that the point of Psychedelic Horseshit’s lo-fi pop, or ‘shitgaze’ as the band has pleasantly christened it, is that the music is more important than the presentation. Recording most of their records […]
– THE LOWRY THEATRE, SALFORD – So there I am at The Lowry Theatre in an all seated auditorium wondering how good a gig can be in such plush settings. A grand, cinematic sound sweeps in and Kloot enter to an appreciative, albeit theatre crowd, welcome. There’s the three maestros themselves plus backing musicians: guitar, […]

LIVE REVIEW: I Am Kloot – 04/05/2011