– RNCM, Manchester – Let’s get it out of the way up front. Yes, this is my first ‘proper’ post-covid-restrictions gig back in a full capacity venue (Squid at a sparsely populated, socially distanced Stoller Hall in Summer does not count), and yes it feels absolutely thrilling to be sharing a communal experience with actual […]
– Ritz, Manchester – In support of their seventh studio album ‘Nature Always Wins’, released earlier this year, Maximo Park are tonight playing at Manchester’s Ritz. I seem to have lost track of the band’s album releases somewhere along the way, pretty sure I haven’t heard all of them despite being a fan when they […]
– Academy 2, Manchester – Back in 2015, Black Honey headlined the first gig I reviewed in my thirties. They were playing a free show, to only a handful of people, at Manchester’s Castle Hotel. In the six years since they’ve hugely grown their fanbase, a prediction it was not hard to make in my […]
Released on Jack White’s Third Man Records, ‘Up’ is a swirling psychedelic gothic blast of an album, originally recorded in 1987 but only getting a release now after thirty three years. Formed in Manchester in 1986, and taking their cues from The Velvet Underground, The Fall and Buzzcocks, they had a guitar driven squalling soundscape […]
Over the past twenty years, Jesse Malin has managed to craft some of the best americana, verging from more mainstream rock to laid back heartbreak tunes. A sound that takes in Tom Petty, Springsteen, with a twist of Husker Du and Wilco. On his latest album, ‘Sad and Beautiful World’, he’s been inspired by the […]
In a sense, I have always had a prejudice against “world music” as being the sort of quirky but forgettable background to lunch in a vegetarian cafe – but on the other hand I really take offence at the arrogance of the sections of British music industry that pigeon-hole anything that isn’t English-speaking western-style music […]
The Chameleons, part of Manchester’s musical tapestry and post punk pioneers, may never have received the accolades many felt they deserved in the eighties, but since their split in 1987, followed by frontman and bassist Mark Burgess resurrecting them in various forms from 2000 onwards, their legacy has only expanded. Now touring again as The […]
I like going to music festivals very much. Not a particularly controversial statement I know, but after twenty-seven months without attending one, I’m pleased I made a last minute decision to travel to the Isle of Wight Festival 2021. The event felt a lot like other large festivals I’ve been to over the years, more […]
It’s amazing what you can learn these days, the fact you can’t get mushy peas from chip shops in Australia, is my newly acquired fact of the day. As Amyl And The Sniffers guitarist, Dec Martens, waits for his chippy order in Melbourne, by the magic of zoom we’re all together on screen to discuss […]
A new Ty Segall album is always a cause for celebration around these parts. Often lumped in with the Californian garage rock scene, Segall’s music has always delved into other musical realms, and if you thought you knew what Ty Segall was all about, think again. ‘Harmonizer’ is Ty’s thirteenth studio solo album, and this […]
GIG GUIDE
Our gig guide is handpicked and every act has been listened to before making it onto the list.
See this month's guide
LIVE REVIEW - PERSONAL TRAINER: BAND ON THE WALL - 22/10/2026
EP REVIEW - STRANGE PINK: GUEST ROOM
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 23 OCTOBER 2026
ALBUM REVIEW - MANIC STREET PREACHERS: THE HOLY BIBLE LIVE
LIVE REVIEW - COURTNEY BARNETT: AVIVA STUDIOS - 17/10/2026
ALBUM REVIEW - ORCHESTRA BAOBAB: MADE IN SENEGAL
ALBUM REVIEW - SHOVEL DANCE COLLECTIVE: EVERYTHING IN READINESS
ALBUM REVIEW - TEENAGE FANCLUB: DO NOT DARE TO DREAM
LIVE REVIEW - BLOSSOMS: LIVERPOOL ACADEMY - 14/10/2026
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 16 OCTOBER 2026
