ALBUM REVIEW: CATE LE BON – POMPEII

Cate Le Bon has been one of the most thrilling performers of the past decade. From hitting her stride with second album, ‘Cryk’, through to 2019’s Mercury Prize nominated ‘Reward’, she has created a string of albums unmatched over the period by finding a perfect balance between experimentation and charming melody. She is blessed with […]
Reviewing an album of covers feels like a good time to consider the value of cover versions. Being in a tribute act has been a lucrative line of work over the past 30 years but, from a critical perspective, covers should act as more than a verbatim take on a favourite song. At the very […]

ALBUM REVIEW: CAT POWER – COVERS

ALBUM REVIEW: VIS-A-VIS – BEST OF VIS-A-VIS IN A CONGO STYLE

One of the joys of recent years has been the retrospective discovery of K Frimpong and His Cubano Fiestas. He was often backed by Vis-A-Vis who recorded 13 albums between 1975 and 1982. Toronto based label, We Are Busy Bodies, are now undertaking the admirable work of rereleasing their back catalogue.  In contrast to the […]
– Manchester Arena – James’ gig on Friday 3rd December 2021 at the AO arena in Manchester was phenomenal. There are very few words to describe it. A lot of people were drunk on alcohol and live music. Being my first gig after lockdown, I honestly cannot tell if my judgement was clouded or it […]
James

LIVE: JAMES / HAPPY MONDAYS – 03/12/2021

The Charlatans

LIVE: THE CHARLATANS – 06/12/2021

– The Engine Shed, Lincoln – Very few people have emerged from the last two sorry years with more goodwill than Tim Burgess. Aside from almost single-handedly reviving the long-form album format with his Twitter listening parties, he also played a hand in rescuing two of Manchester’s most sacred live music spaces, Deaf Institute and […]
– YES, Manchester – I’m looking forward to this. I’m looking forward to it a lot. William Doyle (FKA East India Youth, pseudonym fans) released one of my (and now one of The Quietus’) favourite albums of the year back in March, the superb ‘Great Spans of Muddy Time’, and I’ve been waiting to see […]
William Doyle

LIVE: WILLIAM DOYLE – 29/11/2021

ALBUM REVIEW: COURTNEY BARNETT – THINGS TAKE TIME, TAKE TIME

Following ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’, an album that found itself on numerous best of 2018 lists, including most improbably Barack Obama’s, was always going to be a difficult task. With ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’, Courtney Barnett has adopted a subtler musical palette and has set to sketching smaller details alongside honest emotions […]
Comparisons are odious but given that I went to two gigs in two days I think I can be forgiven for drawing them. On Wednesday night it was Self Esteem at Gorilla and on Thursday it was This is the Kit at RNCM. Both intelligent female-led music, but that’s where the comparisons end. RNCM is […]
This Is The Kit

LIVE: THIS IS THE KIT – 11/11/2021

Cassandra Jenkins

LIVE: CASSANDRA JENKINS – 14/11/2021

– YES, Manchester – Reader, a confession: I am very hungover. I have been in London for the weekend visiting friends and taking a trip to the Oval Space to see Tirzah and Koreless as part of the Pitchfork London festival (really very good, would go again). I’m trying to be enthusiastic about mustering the […]
Is black midi performance art now? Halfway through this absolutely ferocious gig, keyboardist ‘Shank’ sneaks up behind the extraordinary saxophonist ‘Cassanova’ with a plastic pirate cutlass, and proceeds to ‘slash’ his neck. But lo! Casanova rises (through ‘the power of love’, we are told by vocalist and guitarist Geordie Greep, who is narrating the pantomime […]
black midi

LIVE: BLACK MIDI – 08/11/2021