LIVE: BETTER OBLIVION COMMUNITY CENTER – 12/05/2019

-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst kept a noble secret before the release of their self-titled Better Oblivion Community Center album back in January. With no build-up whatsoever, the record came out of the blue, something that I loved, especially given just how immensely enjoyable a listen it is. For sure, it’s […]
Mac DeMarco us one of those musicians who has been creeping into the public consciousness slowly with each album, an indie underground figure whose laidback sounds have seen him crossing over into mainstream territory following the release of 2017’s album ‘This Old Dog’. Apparently DeMarco uses “cowboy” as an affectionate term for friends so far […]

ALBUM REVIEW: MAC DEMARCO – HERE COMES THE COWBOY

ALBUM REVIEW: ZIG ZAGS – THEY’LL NEVER TAKE US ALIVE

Zig Zags are a three piece from Los Angeles with a nine year pedigree and only one surviving member from their original line-up: vocalist and guitar player Jed Mahue. The opening track ‘Punk Fucking Metal’ lives up to its name and beneath Mahue’s Ozzy-reminiscent vocals, you can hear a band who aren’t afraid to play […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- Nothing beats a chill Saturday evening gig after a busy week, and I’m positive that’s what I’m going to get as I head to the basement of Manchester’s newest ‘cool kidz’ venue, Yes, on Saturday to see Norwegian indie-pop stalwart Jakob Ogawa. I’m lucky enough to catch Stockport natives Valve while they’re finishing […]

LIVE: JAKOB OGAWA – 11/05/2019

LIVE: STEPHEN MORRIS IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVE HASLAM – 11/05/2019

– THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, MANCHESTER- Launching his autobiography by having a chat with local writer and DJ Dave Haslam, Joy Division and New Order’s drumming legend Stephen Morris is in fine form. Although guitarist and frontman Bernard Sumner and former bassist Peter Hook have already released their autobiographies, Morris states that this is “his side” […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- C33’s A rather up-tempo opener provides the spectators with a redux to classic punk, energetic yet rather simplistic, perhaps a little too much so. The noise they emit certainly earns them notice, but their inability to actually innovate beyond a string of Ramones-inspired tantrums does little to warm me to them. The drums […]

LIVE: DRAHLA / SNAKE EATERS / C33’S – 07/05/2019

EP REVIEW: POTTERY – NO. 1

Having supported Parquet Courts and Thee Oh Sees previously, plus having written songs about Hank Williams, and Andy Warhol’s attempted killer Valerie Solinas, all without releasing a proper album yet, Pottery are one of those bands who seem destined for wider acclaim but strictly on their own terms. The new release from the Montreal five […]
-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Fat White Family’s performance at Manchester’s glorious Ritz offers an insight into the wild minds of its members, who, seemingly possessed by seedy, dark forces, are as ever electric and uncompromising. Rifling through delicious tracks from their small yet juicy back catalogue, FWF seem to have a real connection with the Manchester […]

LIVE: FAT WHITE FAMILY – 04/05/2019

LIVE: SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY FESTIVAL – 05/05/2019

-REGENTS TRADING ESTATE, SALFORD- This is Sounds from the Other City’s birthday and to celebrate they’re throwing a quindecennial party. To save you a trip to your pocket e-dictionary, that means they’re fifteen years old, a hell of an achievement for an annual one-day music festival. For this one-off occasion, they’re throwing their usual format […]
-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- If you’ve had any interest in guitar music over the past eighteen months, you’ll have heard their name, they’ve made it sure as hell that everybody who needs to know, knows. The Blinders have been of interest to many, especially this past year, after the release of their debut album, Columbia, to great praise […]

LIVE: THE BLINDERS – 27/04/2019