LIVE: THE SOFT PACK – 19/02/2010

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – There is a buzz about The Ruby Lounge as The Soft Pack take to the stage. The bar empties and the dance floor fills with an odd assortment of young indie types and older-looking mods. This sudden surge pricks my anticipation, expecting bigger and bigger things from this four-piece […]
Every now and again I go through the releases I haven’t had a chance to listen to, just in case I’ve missed something. Undercover Martyn is just such a release. Now, I’m not a massive fan of indie. The vast majority of releases sent to me, especially in 2008, were by God-awful Libertines clones that […]

SINGLE: Two Door Cinema Club – Undercover Martyn

SINGLE: Table – Songs You Can Sing

Table is not a particularly autoerotic name, but “Songs You Can Sing” is a small little gem of a song – not one turn to turn you on perhaps, but one that will squeeze deep pangs of emotion from the hardest heart. Hailing from Manchester, the guitarist plays in another very good act named Petty […]
As one listens to A Rumour In Africa, it is not the coming world cup, the political turmoil within, or the vast plains of the African nations which come to mind.  What one thinks of is jumping out of an aeroplane in Australia or New Zealand or some other god awful backpacker occupied island. Not, […]

SINGLE: Errors – A Rumour In Africa

SINGLE: Motion Picture Soundtrack – Glass Figures

Rewind 7 years and Glass Figures would be the shit, the cutting edge bollocks to inspire a generation of teenagers. Fast forward 7 years and this slickly produced car crash, which sounds like a rehash of early Bloc Party and Interpol combined, becomes an anachronistic plastic balls up, out of time and out of place. […]
Daisy Dares You is the nom de plume of 16 year old Daisy Coburn, a girl fresh from the badlands of Essex. Incidentally the name is taken from a 90s ITV television programme called ZZZap! which was aimed at deaf children. A cruel person would say that her music will attract the same audience. It […]

SINGLE: Daisy Dares You – Number One Enemy

EP: Kuedo (aka Jamie Vex’d) – Starfox EP

Jamie Vex’d is an artist in the truest sense of the word. He creates masterpieces of music, each beautifully intricate and layered to create one astounding final piece. And similar to a great work of art, it’s impossible to take it all in at once. This man should receive some kind of award for the […]
A Communion is defined as a joining together of minds or spirits, and although this compilation may put the fear of God into non believers with its religious connotations, the album is not a religious outpouring.  Communion is a collection of fantastic folk artists, whose music, whether you are atheist, Jew, gentile or Christian, pulls something spiritual […]

ALBUM: Communion – The Compilation

LIVE: MIDLAKE – 17/02/2010

– Academy 2, Manchester – The Academy 2 has sold out and there’s a smell of josticks in the air. Actual josticks. The lights go down on the crowd and there’s a buzz of anticipation, everyone halts their conversations and look towards the still empty stage. The seven band members arrive, beards outnumbering 6 to […]
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER – Cold, empty, unfriendly, not at all accomodating…but enough about me – on to my first experience of Sound Control. Unfortunately it’s not a good one, for much the same reasons. First up, Jo Rose fails to impress. Having seen his gentle, Niel Young-esque performances before, though, I can vouch for […]

LIVE: GABRIEL MINNIKIN/BLIND ATLAS/JO ROSE – 16/02/2010