LIVE: BAND OF HORSES – 08/06/2010

– THE RITZ BALLROOM, MANCHESTER – It’s been a long time since I last visited the Ritz. Many a Monday night of my youth (I) was recklessly wasted there before I was old enough to get into real clubs. It’s hardly changed – by which I mean: ‘they appear to have done no maintenance whatsoever’. […]
– BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER – Band On The Wall is a classy venue that attracts quality acts for genuine music lovers. The first support Dan Whitehouse sings alone onstage with his guitar to an attentive, silent audience. After the song he comments on how nice it is to finish a tune and realise […]

LIVE: THE MISERABLE RICH – 08/06/2010

SINGLE: Kele – Tenderoni

It will be of no surprise to you that Bloc Party’s whining crooner has come out as a song and dance man with this debut single from forthcoming album “The Boxer”. Freed from the shackles of his behemoth band, Kele is expressing himself just as you would expect given the popularity of “Flux” – a […]
A debut release from Ill Blu on the all powerful Hyperdub, feeding us more funky sounds as the UK Funky Monster continues to snowball into oblivion. With only two years under their belt, these guys have managed to make their mark through remixes of the likes of Hot Chip and Cheryl “won’t tell anybody” Cole. […]

SINGLE: Ill Blu – Bellion/Dragon Pop

SINGLE: Delphic – Counterpoint

Though it’s already starting to sound tired, the crossover from guitar-based indie to new rave to outright electro pop has been a joyous thing. It seems that few will benefit more greatly from this change than Delphic, who has achieved that rare thing which requires a large amount of skill and luck working in combination. […]
– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – In the eight years since the release of their debut album ‘Reinventing Axl Rose’, Against Me have gradually transformed from the angry anarchist darlings of the underground punk scene, into fully fledged rock stars. The shift to a more mainstream sound and the commercial success that comes with it has […]

LIVE: AGAINST ME – 02/06/2010

LIVE: THE OH SEES – 01/06/2010

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – One of my favourite bands of the last couple of years, Thee Oh Sees have been building into something much more than another side project from the prolific and prodigious talent of San Francisco’s John Dwyer. The last time I saw them, around two years ago, they packed out […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – It’s been a busy weekend for music festivals in Manchester. Hungry Pigeon has been and gone, Euro Cultured is still ongoing. Dot to Dot Festival’s placement on the Bank Holiday Monday is perhaps not ideal but Oxford Road is a buzz with people nevertheless. The bulk of today’s acts […]

LIVE: DE STAAT (DOT TO DOT) 31/05/2010

LIVE: DOT TO DOT 2010 – 31/05/2010

– VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER – To level with you, I came out tonight to see Fun. I did not know (much to my shame) that they were playing as part of a larger festival. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered that lots of other fine acts were playing the Academies for no […]
– NORTHERN QUARTER, MANCHESTER – If you love watching live music then you have probably asked yourself this question many times before: just why is this band or singer not a household name? There’s no accounting for taste, but some people are just so talented that not even the most musically deadened, tone deaf oaf […]

LIVE: HUNGRY PIGEON Pt2 – 30/05/2010