LIVE: JOHN BRAMWELL – 10/11/2016

– RNCM, MANCHESTER – The impressive Royal Northern College Of Music plays host tonight, to John Bramwell who has taken time out from recording a new album to road test his new songs and play a number of songs from his back catalogue. It’s a bigger venue than on his recent string of solo dates […]
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – It was emphatically recommended that I see this electro-jazz band live. I like their recent album Man Made Object but was a bit meh about seeing them perform. How wrong I was. And how glad I am that I allowed this enthusiasm to lead me to The Ritz on a […]

LIVE: GOGO PENGUIN – 09/11/2016

GIG REVIEW: YUSSEF KAMAAL – 10/11/2016

– THE BURROW, ISLINGTON MILL – Islington Mill’s Burrow has a surprisingly intimate quality in spite of its unmistakable industrial look. The lighting is considered, creating a warm tone on the stage, essentially only a small step up from the audience floor. I enter the room to a steady building kick drum, followed by some […]
– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Remember when things seemed a little more optimistic? When everything hadn’t seemingly gone to shit? When Prince was still funky and Bowie was still confounding expectations? When actual politicians were in charge of major countries? When hate wasn’t the ruling emotion? When the baby boomers weren’t making terrible decisions in […]

LIVE: LOCAL NATIVES – 08/11/2016

LIVE: DIRTY HEELS / THE HIPSHAKES – 06/11/2016

– THE CROWN AND KETTLE, MANCHESTER – To be able to see two bands of such high calibre playing for free in a pub says a lot for the quality of the music scene in Manchester in 2016. Having seen both these bands previously at venues spanning my twin hometowns of Sheffield and Manchester, for […]
– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – I’ve seen this band a couple of times before, but this is the first time I’ve seen Preoccupations. I won’t rake over old ground, but this band have been through the mill a little bit of late, having to change their name from Viet Cong when people started complaining, not only […]

LIVE: PREOCCUPATIONS – 06/11/2016

REVIEWS OF MANCHESTER’S NEW MUSIC CONFERENCE & EMERGING TALENT SHOWCASE

Friday the 4th of August saw Off The Record, a new music industry conference and emerging talent showcase burst onto the Manchester scene. By day a meeting of those involved in the music business willing to share what they know with those that don’t, or just want to know more. This included DJs, label owners, […]
– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – “Welcome to the public library” quips Carson Cox as he shuffles about the dimly lit stage in the bowels of The Castle Hotel. Merchandise, hailing from Tampa, Florida are about to take us on a journey of eighties influenced nostalgia. The original line-up was a three-piece playing with a […]

LIVE: MERCHANDISE – 03/11/2016

LIVE: CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS – 04/11/2016

– APOLLO, MANCHESTER – Time passes slowly when waiting in a queue for drinks at the Apollo’s Circle Bar with your favourite musical discovery of the year due to be on stage in five minutes. I’m starting to wonder whether everyone in line ahead of me is ordering extravagant cocktails. As I’m about to abort […]
– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – Marbled acid-fade projection paints the tin-foil armoured synth tower looming monolithic over Manchester’s Gorilla. ‘American Girl’ is playing, and ultra-fuchsia beams cross themselves in waves of vapour – fighting for air with the mixtape that is most-likely titled ‘1977-1992’. This is clearly an environment that’s been groomed by bearded galaxy-eater Ripley […]

LIVE: WOODEN SHJIPS – 29/10/2016