LIVE: JULIEN BAKER – 24/09/2018

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- If anyone has been following my series of ‘shit, how good are all these incredible young female songwriters at the moment’ reviews, then you’ll know this is approx. entry number 49, with previous editions featuring the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy, Florist and Let’s Eat Grandma. There’s just such a magnificent wealth […]
-HMV ARNDALE, MANCHESTER- Seeing Black Honey perform feels like that first hug you receive from a friend after having your heart ripped out. This is immediately showcased in the first track of their short set, ‘I Only Hurt The Ones I Love’, which reeks of y2k anthems of despair. There is a definite sad-moody aesthetic, […]

LIVE: BLACK HONEY – 23/09/2018

LIVE: MITSKI / EERA – 19/09/2018

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- A crucial starting point to any gig, I’m off my tits on Spoons refill coffee. I’m heading to see the performance of my Twittersphere’s latest darling, Mitski. She’s little known to me bar a few enjoyable listens to her latest album, Be The Cowboy. I could be here for that name alone. I […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- Having visited the promoter Now Wave’s new venue YES two days in a row, before I comment on tonight’s action here’s a brief digression regarding what I saw of opening night on Friday. Entering just before Dutch Uncles are due to play on YES’s third floor venue known as The Pink Room, the […]

LIVE: MUSH / HOLIDAY GHOSTS – 22/09/2018

LIVE: WHY? – 16/09/2018

-CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER- The lively shuffle dance rousing from the first track, ‘The Vowels Part 2′, sends a static current through the Academy. The energy and verve magnifies and emits from the crowd, hollering each phrase as an echo machine back to the stage. It is crazy that frontman Jonathon Yoni Wolf’s monotone delivery, distinctive […]
-VICTORIA BATHHOUSE, MANCHESTER- The term ‘bevs and boogies’ is possibly the most impeccable way to summarise the event that unfolded at Victoria Bathhouse on Thursday, a venue that couldn’t have been more fitting to Jack Daniel’s relationship with music dating back to 1892, wherein Mr. Jack himself created The Silver Cornet Band. The Bathhouse was […]

LIVE: THE VACCINES – 20/09/2018

LIVE: MOSES SUMNEY – 19/09/2018

-DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, MANCHESTER- Moses Sumney is otherworldly. From the moment he strides on stage with his impossible height, incredibly high waisted trousers, a kind of robe adoring his arms, it’s impossible to remove your eyes from him for the next hour or so. He is magnetic, enthralling, magical. He commands the stage, flanked by a […]
The North East-based folk duo Tall Shaves began writing their forthcoming single, ‘Waking Me Up’ whilst living the life of working musicians. Their upbeat folk-pop encapsulates the ambling thoughts that accompany the rootless 9-5 and subsequently the rest of the creative day. ‘Waking Me Up’ takes those concerns to a higher place, examining a current […]

SINGLE: TALL SHAVES – WAKING ME UP

LIVE: MR. BEN & THE BENS – 14/09/2018

-GULLIVERS, MANCHESTER- Tonight Gulliver’s has been taken over by Lancastrian label, Bingo Records for their first year anniversary, a birthday bash! The record label consists of a menagerie of interwoven bands, with label mates performing under a number of different guises and playing multiple instruments. The room is filled with affiliates, friends, family (a lovely […]
– Partisan, Manchester – When I arrive, Partisan offers us a quarter circle of sofas for viewing. Behind that, more chairs of plush and non-plush kinds. Though there’s a sizeable free space on the floor, with people clustering around the edges. I’m admittedly entering with some bias and expectation. I saw Cult Party (the collective […]

LIVE: KIRAN LEONARD/CULT PARTY – 08/09/2018