LIVE: ELIZA AND THE BEAR – 15/04/2016

 – ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – I’ve never been to the Manchester Academy 3 before, so I’m thrilled to see how small and intimate the room is. Sashaying to the front, hiding to the right of the stage to get a brilliant view of the crowd and the bands performing. Though the room is still relatively […]
 – 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, […]

LIVE: FRIGHTENED RABBIT – 12/04/2016

LIVE: FIELD STUDIES – 08/04/2016

– 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 […]
– 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 […]

LIVE: ALDOUS HARDING – 06/04/2016

LIVE: U.S. GIRLS – 07/04/2016

– 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 […]
‘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 […]

ALBUM REVIEW: THE DANDY WARHOLS – DISTORTLAND

LIVE: TELEMAN – 05/04/2016

– 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 […]
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, […]

EP REVIEW: THE ORIELLES – JOBIN

ALBUM: LAURA GIBSON – EMPIRE BUILDER

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 […]
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 […]

ALBUM: TELEMAN – BRILLIANT SANITY