ALBUM: The Megaphonic Thrift – Decay Decoy

Come on an imaginary road trip with me. We’re in a ’61 Thunderbird, top down, wind in our hair. We’re hurtling headlong down a never ending bolt-straight Mojave Desert road. The midday sun beats relentlessly down, the heat haze shimmers. Our arms are draped languidly over the side of the car. The occasional cactus is […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – Joan Wasser arrives in Manchester tonight in support of her latest release ‘The Deep Field,’ a record that cements further her reputation as soul diva for the hipster generation. She appears on stage like a vision, clad in a black leather jump suit accompanied by band members Tyler Wood and […]

LIVE: JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN – 09/02/2011

LIVE: LULU AND THE LAMPSHADES – 08/02/2011

– NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – Lulu and the Lampshades are made up of members, Luisa, Heloise, Jemma and Dan. There appears to be much talk of their happy and bright musical jaunts that have been arranged in some cut and paste fashion leaving a slap dash smile on your face. They appear to […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – When Kurt Cobain first drawled on MTV Unplugged that he was going to play Jesus Don’t Want me for a Sunbeam ‘The Vaseline’s way’ I was intrigued to know more. Judging by their name alone I am fan and if an icon such as Kurt Cobain favours them then they […]

LIVE: THE VASELINES – 05/02/2011

SINGLE REVIEW: The Megaphonic Thrift – Talks Like a Weed King/Fill Your Cup Tokyo

I’m listening to the Megaphonic Thrift’s single one last time as I finish off this review and I won’t be in any particular hurry to listen to it again – but on the other hand, I will definitely catch them if they play at any of the festivals I’m off to this year. There are […]
– CRYSTAL CASTLES, MAGNETIC MAN, EVERYTHING EVERYTHING, THE VACCINES – – ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Everyone loves to hate the NME, and let’s face it they make it easy. From lumping disparate bands together and falsely calling it a scene to overhyping them and having a superiority complex that could rival Liam “Lennon was right. […]

LIVE: NME AWARDS TOUR 2011 – 04/02/2011

LIVE: AZURE RAY – 03/02/2011

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – The Ruby Lounge is a force to be reckoned with. With their recent run of stellar line-ups and having undergone drastic refurbishments, the much-loved underground haunt is quickly establishing itself as one of Manchester’s finest live venues. It’s a bit of a letdown then, that the view tonight through […]
– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – Towards the end of tonight’s gig, during intense crowd favourite ‘Funeral’ – which Band of Horses threaten to swap for an “obscure cover track” – lead vocalist Ben Bridwell’s mic screws itself free and falls down to his knees. “There are some technical demons here tonight”, beardy keyboardist Ryan Monroe […]

LIVE: BAND OF HORSES – 01/02/2011

ALBUM: PETE YORN – PETE YORN

Pete Yorn’s self titled 6th studio album is the result of an impromptu 5 day recording session with Pixies frontman and indie rock legend Frank Black. Recorded in a makeshift studio over the summer of 2008 whilst the prolific songsmith was in the middle of making his 4th LP Back & Fourth, this record perhaps demonstrates […]
Amplifier’s third album is a gargantuan piece of work. Stunning in its scale, over the course of a two-hour opus, Sel Balamir, Neil Mahony and Matt Brobin ramp up the bombast to galactic proportions, somehow doing so without leaving the light of their earthly observatory. Self-financed and three years in the making, The Octopus is not merely […]

ALBUM: Amplifier – The Octopus