LIVE: HINDS – 17/04/2018

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- It’s three days since I was last in exactly the same place, and four since I conked my head on, of all places, the floor. On my way in the bouncer also knocks his head, on the less ridiculous place of the brick arch he is standing under at the entrance to Gorilla. […]
-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- Disclaimer: yesterday I hit myself on the head embarrassingly forcefully. With that mild concussion in mind, I’ll be keeping this brief. The album sleeve for The Orielles’ Silver Dollar Moment is smears and dabs of bright colours. For myself, and maybe others, the record came along without warning. From nowhere, the chimes of […]

LIVE: THE ORIELLES – 14/04/2018

LIVE: IDLES – 18/04/2018

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- Idles have not been an easy band to see in Manchester since they caught fire at the tail end of 2016. Their only appearance last year was at the Neighbourhood Festival in October, their Spring tour curiously skipping Cottonopolis. It all means that the anticipation tonight at Gorilla as they take the stage […]
-THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER- The Castle’s small side room and Brooklyn band Florist are the perfect match. The music Emily Sprague and Jonnie Baker make is quiet, beautiful and intimate, and with the exception of the squeaky door (guys, get some WD-40 on it!), the room in the Castle has similar qualities. Tonight it’s packed, […]

LIVE: FLORIST – 16/04/2018

LIVE: SNAPPED ANKLES / PADDY STEER – 10/04/2018

-NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER- The stage is rather full tonight for a support act consisting of only one man. An array of crazy devices and fascinating instruments litter the stage. Wires are entwined through a complex range of synth modules, hi-hats have what appear to be goblets stuck to their upper halves and an […]
-ACADEMY, MANCHESTER- Frank will always be one of my favourites so heading down to Manchester Academy on Friday night it feels like I’m coming home, and I bounce in to the delightful sounds of The Homeless Gospel Choir, much to my ear’s delight. The ironic satire of Derek Zanetti is reminiscent of early Tenacious D, […]

LIVE: FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS / ARKELLS / THE HOMELESS GOSPEL CHOIR – 13/04/2018

LIVE: PORCHES – 13/04/2018

-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- Aaron Maine’s Porches project has been one of my favourite acts of the last few tears. When his album Pool came out in 2016 I was in Miami alone and spent the balmy evenings wandering the neon streets listening to his brand of downbeat, sad-boy synth pop, songs like ‘Be Apart’ and […]
-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- The Beauty Witch have brought something special to a drab Tuesday night in Manchester in the form of Minami Deutsch, who are Japan’s answer to all your krautrock needs. First up we have Girl Sweat, a one-man maniacal compilation of electronic noise and bizarre vocal sound. Having garnered a loyal local fan […]

LIVE: MINAMI DEUTSCH / GIRL SWEAT – 10/04/2018

ALBUM: EELS – THE DECONSTRUCTION

When Eels first emerged in 1995, they were lumped in with all the ‘slacker’ bands around at the time, and although Mark ‘E’ Everett’s vocals do lend themselves nicely to that laid back categorisation, Eels have always been uniquely different. Eels’ songs have been used in tons of films and TV shows, and I’ve got […]
-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- Tonight is an odd night. I’ve just played football, and after a heavy fall in which I landed fully on my left wrist, I have quite the shooting pain in my arm. Thinking it’s just sprained, I play on for the final 45 mins, including a stint in goal, and then I […]

LIVE: LET’S EAT GRANDMA – 09/04/2018