ALBUM REVIEW – RACHAEL DADD: KALEIDOSCOPE

Rachael Dadd’s previous album, ‘Flux’, was one of 2019’s hidden gems. When I saw her perform those songs at Manchester Gullivers, it was 31st January 2020, the date on which Britain was leaving the European Union, a cause for grief on stage and amongst the audience.  The atmosphere was uniquely protective, a celebration of people […]
Being old enough to have seen The Lemonheads plenty of times in the early 90’s, the fact they were returning to play the whole of one of my favourite albums, was a gigging opportunity which was not to be missed. Last time Evan Dando and his band toured the seminal ‘It’s A Shame About Ray’ […]

LIVE: THE LEMONHEADS – 08/10/2022

ALBUM REVIEW: THE BLACK ANGELS – WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS

The Black Angels never fail to make you lose yourself in their heavy-duty riffs, calling on the spirit of Sabbath, Led Zep and even the motorik grooves of Can, On album number six, the hefty guitar lines are there in abundance for a free-spirited ride yet one infused with thought provoking lyrics on environmental destruction, […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- Last time I saw Let’s Eat Grandma (LEG for simplicity and word count for the rest of this piece) I was in pain. It was a Monday night in April 2018 at the Deaf Institute, and I’d just cycled over from playing 5-a-side where I’d fallen awkwardly on my wrist. It was throbbing […]
Let's Eat Grandma

LIVE: LET’S EAT GRANDMA – 07/10/2022

ALBUM REVIEW – TELEFIS: A DO

One of the saddest musical losses of 2022 was the death of former Microdisney and Fatima Mansions frontman, Cathal Coughlan on 18th May. He enjoyed a prolific late period with 2021’s solo album, ‘Song of Co-Aklan’, and two full-length collaborations with producer Jacknife Lee under the guise of Telefis, ‘a hAon’ and the posthumously released […]
Bjork occupies a unique place in pop music, famous enough to be accorded a Channel 4 documentary with David Attenborough and to be an answer in prime-time TV quiz shows, yet the creator of increasingly unlikely music. From the early wonky indie of the Sugarcubes, through the first two dance-inflected solo records that made her […]

ALBUM REVIEW: BJORK – FOSSORA

ALBUM REVIEW: KRAMIES – KRAMIES

Kramies is a Dutch singer songwriter from Ohio, who on his latest album has created eight tunes which he states are a like a “polaroid scrapbook of his life”. With inspiration for each song originating in the different life stages and situations he’s encountered over the years it could have made for a disjointed listen, […]
– Ritz, Manchester – Sophie Allison’s music as Soccer Mommy has always had a cathartic edge (see tonight’s encore closer ‘Your Dog’ from her debut album Clean, with the positively holler-able opening line “I don’t wanna be your fucking dog”), but rarely has it been so goddamn dark as it is on her latest LP […]
Soccer Mommy

LIVE: SOCCER MOMMY – 20/09/2022

ALBUM REVIEW: THE LOUNGE SOCIETY – TIRED OF LIBERTY

The name may conjure up smoky wood panelled rooms and hushed conversations, or loafing around on hazy Sundays, yet this lot couldn’t be further from that imagery if they tried. Lounge Society hail from Hebden Bridge and Todmorden and are the latest band to emerge on the wonderful Speedy Wunderground label. Not fitting in and […]
Hailing from Galway, Oisin Mod has created a debut album that brims with a calmness and sense of serene yet vibrant melodies. It’s no wonder that Bill Ryder-Jones liked his songs so much he ended up producing his debut album, as the two operate in the same realms of gentle vocal sounds mixed with dreamy […]

INTERVEW: OISIN MOD – BILL RYDER-JONES PRODUCED HIS DEBUT ALBUM, A SERENE YET CAPTIVATING COLLECTION OF SONGS FROM THE NEW GALWAY BASED SONGWRITER