LIVE: I BIKE MCR OPENING PARTY – 27/03/2009

– ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD – After a windswept mass bike ride around the city centre, it is a short detour at the end of the route to converge at Islington Mill in Salford for the “I Bike MCR 2009 Festival” grand opening party. As well as live music in the downstairs room of this former […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Clash Magazine prove their worth tonight with a line-up of three acts they are backing to go on to bigger things in the near future. First up on tonight’s rolling headline tour at the Lost & Found clubnight, are the Norwegian analogue masters Casiokids with their deep electronic dance […]

LIVE: CLASH MAGAZINE PRESENTS – 10/03/2009

LIVE: FIGHT LIKE APES/UNDERGROUND RAILROAD – 01/03/2009

– THE ROADHOUSE, MANCHESTER – With only 10 minutes to go before Underground Railroad take to the stage, there are possibly no more than 20 people populating The Roadhouse. Which is unfortunate, not necessarily for the Parisian trio that are providing the support tonight, but mainly for anyone that missed out on this chance to see […]
– THE NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – The first band to take to the stage tonight at The Night & Day Café, are Apache Beat. This five-piece from Brooklyn, New York, fronted by the Siouxsie Sioux-esque Ilirjana Alushaj, give us a short but powerful set of their punk-wave style. Even though Ilirjana is a fixating […]

LIVE: SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS/APACHE BEAT/KYTE – 27/02/2009

LIVE: IMELDA MAY – 23/02/2009

– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – When Imelda May takes to any stage, it is hard to see how anybody could possibly see past this vision of beauty that stands before you and concentrate on anything else, but this is soon put aside with the amazing talents that Imelda and her band members individually possess. Dave […]
– THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, MANCHESTER – It’s gone 10pm when our very own Broughton Bard strides gingerly on stage at Manchester’s Dancehouse Theatre. Clutching a bottle of water in one hand and tatty carrier bag in the other, there is no mistaking this instantly recognisable skinny figure. As the years have passed since his support […]

LIVE: JOHN COOPER CLARKE – 13/02/2009

LIVE REVIEW: La Roux – 07/02/2009

– THE ROADHOUSE, MANCHESTER – The boys behind Manchester’s bi-weekly Contort Yourself night at The Roadhouse managed to pull a rabbit from the hat tonight. The decks this evening are adorned by Rachel Barton (BBC Radio 1), Emma Chibuku and Natalie Esquire (Murkage). If for one moment you think this all-girl line-up could not be […]
– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – On arrival at Manchester’s Academy 1, it is clear to see that Half Man Half Biscuit are very much a boy’s band (not boy band), or maybe I should re-phrase that to a man’s band. Blokes in their late thirties and early forties make up a large percentage of this […]

LIVE: HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT – 30/01/2009

LIVE: DUKE SPECIAL – 25/01/2009

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Sometimes a gig is just a gig, but on other occasions they can be much much more. Tonight’s sold out performance on the top floor of The Deaf Institute is by far, the latter of the two! Before Peter Wilson, A.K.A Duke Special and his percussionist ‘Temperance Society’ Chip […]
– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – Over the past few years, we have seen an abundance of bands reforming. Some have worked and some have not. So there is always an air of anticipation when heading to one of these gigs, and tonight is no exception to this. Slightly later than expected, Peter Perrett and Co […]

LIVE: THE ONLY ONES – 24/01/2009