LIVE: FRIGHTENED RABBIT – 12/04/2016

 – ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – It’s been over 2 years since Frightened Rabbit toured. Their last studio album Pedestrian Verse was released back in 2013 and received both critical and mainstream success,  reaching number 9 in the UK album charts and finding the band stepping onto the radar of a wider number of music fans. Since then, […]
– NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – It pretty much feels like a showcase of up-and-coming bands here at Night and Day, and with each band it just seems to get better and better as the night goes on. We’re entertained by self described ‘multi-instrumental-ising, loop pedal driving duo based in Manchester’ band The Vanity […]

LIVE: FIELD STUDIES – 08/04/2016

LIVE: ALDOUS HARDING – 06/04/2016

– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – The intimacy of The Castle Hotel is palpable, as support Chloe Foy, tonight requests everyone to move forward, get closer, and feel the innards of the music. She’s gentle and gracious, and her music is charming, much like curling up with a classic book such as one by Jane […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Half Free, Meghan Remy’s first album on 4AD, bubbled under the surface last year, never quite reaching the end-of-year lists but still capturing the attention of a new audience; including myself. This release might also go some way to explaining the packed house in the Deaf Institute, although throughout […]

LIVE: U.S. GIRLS – 07/04/2016

ALBUM REVIEW: THE DANDY WARHOLS – DISTORTLAND

‘Distortland’ seems an apt title for an album of these (strange) days. The latest album by The Dandy Warhols will be available on CD, (poly)vinyl, digital and, guess what, on cassette too –regret getting rid of your ‘walk-man’ already? Apparently, The Dandy Warhol’s frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor first recorded this new album on an 80’s cassette […]
– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – Tonight marks the fifth night of Teleman’s UK tour – not a particularly astounding fact, I grant you. But what makes it worth mentioning is that the London band’s joyous second album, Brilliant Sanity, is only due to be released after the seventh date of the tour – that is to […]

LIVE: TELEMAN – 05/04/2016

EP REVIEW: THE ORIELLES – JOBIN

Halifax surf-pop trio The Orielles have been making a name for themselves over the past few months thanks to sets at festivals like Dot To Dot and Carefully Planned, not to mention their sugary harmonies and fuzzy guitars. Their debut EP Jobin is being released on excellent DIY record label Art is Hard. Even better, […]
Laura Gibson’s ”Empire Builder” serves as a memento of an individual in transformation. Showcasing themes around loss, loneliness and womanhood, this singer-songwriter’s second album relays the story of Gibson’s rebuilding of her own life after an explosion which destroyed her home and work. Blending traditional genres such as folk and country with indie influences creates […]

ALBUM: LAURA GIBSON – EMPIRE BUILDER

ALBUM: TELEMAN – BRILLIANT SANITY

I remember watching Franz Ferdinand on the Jonathan Ross Show about seven years ago. I quite liked them, but I remember my Sister saying “Hum….they’re quite neat aren’t they?” not exactly a massive insult but still, a band being ‘neat’ seems somehow, a little, boring? Why am I saying this? Well, in some respects neat […]
 – THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – There’s a young crowd here bright and early for WEDDING, but their overly enthusiastic dancing seems chemical fuelled, almost sarcastic. It’s not a great start. The band are definitely fans of the Ronettes, but even if ‘Be My Baby’ is the best song ever written, it’s OK to write […]

LIVE: NAI HARVEST – 29/03/2016