LIVE: ROLO TOMASSI – 18/01/2010

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Bassless wonders, Waiters, are an utter shambles. It’s conceivable that they all got given their first instruments this Xmas, formed a band, booked a gig, and thought to Hell with the consequences. The frontman somehow has a voice like a baby crying, the drummer impassive as he taps out […]
‘Space Shot’ is another by-the-numbers offering from the Northern Irish pop-rockers. A perfect pop song in many respects, it never deviates from the tried and trusted production values that dominate the singles chart nowadays: quirky intro, verse-chorus-verse, weird synth solo and all the trimmings. It also sounds like it was written by a computer program […]

SINGLE: Ash – Space Shot

LIVE: DENIS JONES – 16/01/2010

– Band On The Wall, Manchester – Walking around Band On The Wall, it’s not difficult to see where the multi-million pound investment money has gone. Visitors are treated to plush white carpets and decorative plasterwork that make the entire venue feel like a VIP section. If you squint, the sound desk (in front of […]
A funky little disco tune, Stand, is a tricky little track which urges us repeatedly to Stand Up for our minds.  It sounds like a meaningless but pleasantly familiar lyric ideal for dancing; but as the song ends you realise Woolf was issuing an early warning to us to beware of a tune which leaves you […]

SINGLE: Othello Woolf – Stand

SINGLE: Bullion – Say Goodbye To What/Crazy Over You

Bullion is a genius. I whole heartedly state this. This release was my first encounter with the man and after doing some research, he is now elevated to god status in my eyes. His production style is phenomenal, his beats are some of the crispest I’ve heard, and his tracks spit in the face of […]
For some reason that now escapes me I had already decided that I hated Paolo Nutini even before I put 10/10 in the stereo. I was even more cynical about him when my chef friend Ryan, who listens to shit radio-friendly house all day, assured me that “it’s mint that”. But what do you know, […]

SINGLE: Paolo Nutini – 10/10

SINGLE: Good Shoes – Under Control

Sorry guys, I’m confused. The plastic envelope tells me that this is the single Under Control by Good Shoes, but my iTunes player assures me that this is the album American Idiot by the Bee Gees. Now I’m sure you’ll be thinking that this is just another case of iTune inaccuracy, but I actually believe […]
I thought I’d better review this, because I’ve just heard that some kid called Owl City has hit the number one spot by imitating a boy drowning with a vocoder rammed down his throat. Now I don’t really give a shit about what’s at number 1, but at the same time I’m supposed to be […]

SINGLE: Owl City – Fireflies

SINGLE: Simian Mobile Disco feat Beth Ditto – Cruel Intentions

James Ford has been responsible for shaping some of the biggest British albums of the past few years producing Florence, Klaxons and Arctic Monkeys.  And alongside former Simian bandmate and Mobile Disco partner Jas Shaw he almost caused a renaissance of mainstream dance music in 2007 with ‘Attack Delay Sustain Release’ and their Justice collaboration […]
For those of you not in the loop, Broken Bells is one of those surprising dream collaborations you could neither hope for nor expect. James Mercer of The Shins and Danger Mouse, legendary producer of The Grey Album, Gnarls Barkley etc, have teamed up to put the rest of us mere mortals in our place, […]

SINGLE: Broken Bells – The High Road