LIVE: THE FIELD – 28/11/2018

-YES, MANCHESTER- Axel Willner, AKA The Field, is an absolute dude. He’s probably the coolest person in Manchester at this very moment, despite the high hipster quotient currently in Yes waiting for him to come on and do his ambient, minimal techno thing. You see, Willner is Swedish, which immediately makes him cool, but now […]
There’s a lot going on in the world of Bauhaus these days, celebrating forty years since they first formed, and by way of celebration, they’re releasing this special E.P. of their first ever recording session. If the word Bauhaus conjures up images of goths, incense sticks, and dark moodiness, think again – they may be […]

EP: BAUHAUS – THE BELA SESSIONS EP

LIVE: ISAAC GRACIE – 19/11/2018

-YES, MANCHESTER- YES. YES. YES. I am confused as I enter the new music venue in Manchester. I mean, I’ve been in venues where the local drunk is propping up the bar with a crowd of around 20 people. But walking into a pizzeria bar hybrid is something bizarre… After being ushered up the stairs […]
-ACADEMY, MANCHESTER- When it comes to deciding on a support band, Miles Kane couldn’t have gone for a better choice than Manchester’s own Cabbage – especially in a Mancunian venue in which their energetic, self-proclaimed ‘semi punk’ performance has the crowd on each other’s shoulders and pitting within two songs of their set. Somehow they […]

LIVE: MILES KANE / CABBAGE – 23/11/2018

ALBUM REVIEW: GESTURES – FUNNY GAMES

It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to any new punk music – although to be fair, the last stuff I was listening to probably wouldn’t have been called “punk” by original punks – I like a lot of the Fat Wreck Chords stuff and Rancid, early Green Day & Offspring and others (sacrilege, […]
Killing Cartisano is an ensemble project by Italian vocalist Roberta Cartisano, previously described as “emotional rock”. In a way, that sums it up – but for me, the description has a slightly dismissive, condescending air of “woman’s music” about it. Killing Cartisano is rock music – the best of which always has emotional content. Call […]

ALBUM: KILLING CARTISANO – VOLUME 1

ALBUM: TEA STREET BAND – FREQUENCY

Only on their second album, this Liverpool lot create an electro pop stew with bits of disco, funk and catchy melodies which are capably of sticking around for days. Think Chemical Brothers meets Everything Everything with a sprinkling of New Order yet with their own distinguished electro ambience. Deep synth and dance rhythms overlaid with […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- Manchester’s YES is the hottest new venue in the North West, drawing attention with its unique 4 floor experience. It therefore comes as no surprise that its Basement room has been chosen by the promotion coalition of Band on the Wall x Grey Lantern x Manchester Psych Fest for tonight’s show. Opening are […]

LIVE: THE HOLYDRUG COUPLE / ECHO LADIES – 19/11/2018

LIVE: SLAVES – 17/11/2018

-ACADEMY, MANCHESTER- A boxing ring full of black belts with the overpowering aroma of cigarettes and alcohol, it’s Saturday night and the anticipation of Slaves coming out on stage begins to spill over despite the ironic pre-gig soundtrack playing cheesy 90s pop hits. Laurie and Isaac stomp onto the stage with the intentions of making […]
-CENTRAL METHODIST HALL, MANCHESTER- Being an enthusiastic reader of the liner notes of my favourite CDs as a kid, I remember seeing the SPARS codes that some of them had. The three-letter code, where each letter is either an A for Analogue or D for Digital, would indicate the type of equipment used in i) […]

LIVE: OFF THE RECORD CONFERENCE – MASTERING WITH KEVIN TUFFY – 16/11/2018