LIVE: PRIMAL SCREAM – 26/11/2019

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- Touring in support of their greatest hits album Maximum Rock n Roll released earlier this year, the bar was already set high with anticipation for a gig fuelled with Primal Scream’s finest. Not that hearing a band’s latest album cuts is any less appealing, but there’s just something that makes you that extra […]
-THE BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER- Gaining entry into a seated, progressive rock concert would no doubt not appeal to most under 50, yet for me the opportunity to go a little left-field and cover a guitarist of Steve Hackett’s stature (familiar with finger tapping?) carried a subversive charm that contrasts with Manchester’s present musical disposition. As […]

LIVE: STEVE HACKETT – 26/11/2019

ALBUM REVIEW: BLOCKHEAD – BUBBLE BATH

Aaaah, it’s time to relax, and you know what that means: a glass of wine and a bubble bath and, of course, the latest album from prolific NY hip-hop producer Blockhead playing on your home stereo… Like an early DJ Shadow on a chilled out day (and without the scratching), this album is primarily spacey […]
-APOLLO, MANCHESTER- The city of Manchester has been one of disappointment recently, with both football teams failing to perform. However tonight, Mac DeMarco is here to Freak Out the Neighbourhood, and chances of disappointment are slim. It’s surprisingly my first time here in Manchester’s finest Apollo, and the wait has been worth it. An urgent […]

LIVE: MAC DEMARCO – 23/11/2019

LIVE: RICHARD DAWSON – 21/11/2019

-RNCM, MANCHESTER- Richard Dawson should really be a national treasure by now. The Newcastle born troubadour has released two of the best albums of the 2010s in 2017’s Peasant, a concept album set in medieval Northern England (stay with me here folks) that reflected our (then) current troubles (he introduces ‘Hob’ from the album tonight […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- Since I first heard of Working Men’s Club after seeing then-member Giulia Bonometti (also known under her stage name Julia Bardo) perform live earlier this year, I’ve been keen on them. Since then, many things have changed for the band: they have signed to Heavenly Recordings, original members Bonometti and Jake Bogacki have […]

LIVE: WORKING MEN’S CLUB / YOWL – 22/11/2019

ALBUM REVIEW: SPRINTERS – STRUCK GOLD

It had been a while since I’d heard from Sprinters after the release of their debut album and the cliché about absence and hearts growing fonder certainly rang true in this case. When I was given the opportunity to write this review I was both intrigued and excited to see how Sprinters sound had developed […]
-ACADEMY, MANCHESTER- Happy Mondays played the Manchester Academy on Thursday evening. For me, the only thing that overshadowed their performance were the disabled facilities. The gig took place in Manchester Academy – a venue that is not altogether unfamiliar to a Happy Mondays gig, with them having played there on greatest hits tours for the […]

LIVE: HAPPY MONDAYS – 21/11/2019

LIVE: THE RAINCOATS – 15/11/2019

-THE WHITE HOTEL, SALFORD- With the White Hotel largely full to capacity, it appears appropriate the Raincoats would perform their debut LP in its entirety 10 years after its 30th anniversary. If I abided by convention, I would proceed to ramble on about their supposed importance and point out the vague connections they have to […]
-RITZ, MANCHESTER- Dear Reader, this is going to be one of those reviews where I say how great someone has been before declaring ‘I don’t understand why they’re not a massive pop star’, because that is exactly, one hundred percent what I have witnessed tonight. Shura (real name Alexandra Lilah Denton), has electro-pop bangerz and […]

LIVE: SHURA – 18/11/2019