SINGLE REVIEW: TSHEGUE – THE WHEEL

This wasn’t really what I was expecting when (I thought) I saw Tshegue described as ‘Afrobeat’ – I was thinking jazzy, musical and upbeat, where this is scuzzy, dirty dance music. Unfortunately, setting me to review this is like a gardener reviewing a computer – but never mind. Looking again, I realise that “afrobeats” is […]
-YES BASEMENT, MANCHESTER- With her debut album on the horizon, Hatchie delivers a dreamy, blissful performance at YES Basement, Manchester. After being recommended to get on Hatchie by a friend , I quickly listened to the gorgeous, Cocteau Twin-like EP Sugar & Spice and was left wanting more. It was a similar experience on Thursday night. […]

LIVE: HATCHIE – 13/06/2019

LIVE: FOALS – 11/06/2019

-VICTORIA WAREHOUSE, MANCHESTER- This year is proving to be an extremely ambitious one for Foals; with a two-parter album release and an on-going World tour, the Oxford four-piece are ruthlessly solidifying their status as headliners. After the March release of Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part. 1 received critical acclaim, it’s clear that this […]
-CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER- Just a quick missive from the front line, as I find myself rolling out of the award-winning Cocktail Beer Ramen Bun into the Castle Hotel and happen upon a gig from an Icelandic singer songwriter called Axel Flóvent and his troupe (well, his two accompanists). It is lovely, gentle, chilled music and […]

LIVE: AXEL FLOVENT – 11/06/2019

ALBUM REVIEW: RICHARD HAWLEY – FURTHER

Sheffield’s Richard Hawley is now in his twentieth year as a solo artist, and not one to re-tread old ground, his eighth album marks a turning point, as not only is this is the first album which doesn’t feature a Sheffield landmark but it’s one of his most full on rock records to date, finding […]
-BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER- It’s Sunday night and the Positive Force are warming us all up for the incredible, inimitable Femi Kuti and as the groove swells and the brass punches in and Femi starts dancing, we all start dancing too, and all the cares in the world melt away and a huge grin […]

LIVE: FEMI KUTI & POSITIVE FORCE – 09/06/2019

SINGLE REVIEW: YAMMERER – POISONOUS REPTILIAN COLLEAGUES & CO

It’s safe to say that Chester’s music scene is just a shadow of its big brother Manchester.  It might have something to do with the lack of venues, or maybe just the lack of interest from the ageing demographic of the city, but for somewhere that doesn’t stop fucking raining it is miraculously dry. However, not […]
– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – If one has been paying attention to the indie music sphere over the past 365 days, you will have definitely come across the name ‘Snail Mail’, the solo project of classically-trained guitarist Lindsey Jordan. Much like preceding Habit EP did in 2016, her debut album Lush has raided review sites and […]

LIVE: SNAIL MAIL – 04/06/2019

ALBUM REVIEW: IRAH – DIAMOND GRID

IRAH, named for an entity that Danish vocalist Stine Grøn encountered during meditation, is a collaboration between Grøn and respected pianist, Adi Zukanović, a Bosnian refugee who came to Denmark as a four-year-old when his family fled Sarajevo when war broke out in the early 1990’s. Their collaboration has resulted in an evocative and generally […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- For YES Fest on this bank holiday Sunday, thirteen artists and bands are invited to play gigs in the Basement and Pink Room at YES. The two bars and the roof terrace are open as usual, so there are a lot of people in the multi floor venue. The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets from […]

LIVE: YES FEST – 26/05/2019