LIVE: PERFUME GENIUS / CATE LE BON – 09/05/2012

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – The buzz of a full-bodied Deaf Institute is never anything less than thrilling, but tonight is special. We are blessed with a venerable safe pair of hands to open proceedings – Cate Le Bon is such an established and cherished figure in the national music scene that she actually […]
– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – Disco. It’s a dirty word. People are scared to be associated with it, and I often find myself breaking down the locked doors of people’s closets, and saying, “you don’t have to hide!” Now is the best time for disco, it is a burst of decadence without the calories or […]

LIVE: FRIENDS / ALUNAGEORGE – 08/05/2012

NEWS: HERE WE GO MAGIC – LATEST SINGLE AND VIDEO ‘HOW DO I KNOW’

Here We Go Magic have released the video for their new single ‘How Do I Know’ ahead of the band’s first UK shows in two years (full details below). Directed by Sean Pecknold (Fleet Foxes, Beach House, Grizzly Bear) the video stars Janet Pants as a happy-go-lucky dancing robot who is being returned to the factory by her owner. Pecknold […]
– SACRED TRINITY, SALFORD – There are two possible reactions to the suggestion of spending a Friday night in a small Salford church watching a prodigious, virtuoso acoustic guitarist perform a number of solo, instrumental pieces. Sure, it may sound a little on the arduous side to some. Indeed, more often than not, it would […]

LIVE: JAMES BLACKSHAW – 04/05/2012

LIVE: NHAM QUARTET / HELMUT LEMKE / BRIDGET HAYDEN – 04/05/2012

– ST. MARGARET’S CHURCH, MANCHESTER – I read an article on The Guardian website this week about a venue in London called Cafe Oto which puts on experimental music, free-jazz etc. There was the option to comment after the article and there were lots of disparaging remarks about this kind of place being for ‘hipsters’ […]
– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – In less than two months since a shimmering set in the Night & Day Cafe, We Are Augustines have returned home from their first European tour, galvanised neutrals at South By Southwest and Coachella, delivered headline sets from Hollywood to native New York, and released their debut album, Rise Ye […]

LIVE: WE ARE AUGUSTINES / MY GOODNESS – 02/05/2012

NEWS: KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS – UK LIVE DATES + MARIBEL REMIX

Following a rousing Coachella performance and US shows with St Vincent, Keep Shelly In Athens are about to embark on their first extensive UK/EU tour this week. Starting in Paris (3rd May), the enigmatic Grecian electronic duo headline new London venue Birthdays on the 7th May as well as appearing at Camden Crawl, Sounds From […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Catching a band for the last gig of a tour is a good idea. They’ve had a chance to perfect their setlist, they know exactly what they’re doing, they’re (I would presume) keen to go out on a high note, and there’s a chance of scooping up some of […]

LIVE: NEDRY – 28/04/2012

LIVE: VARIOUS CRUELTIES – 25/04/2012

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Tonight I find myself skipping down the steps in to what feels like a musical cave that is The Ruby Lounge. Personally I have never seen it heaving in here, (tonight is no exception) which I can’t understand as it has a decent sound system, and good gig listings. […]
Building on the country-folk-rock template laid down in their King Island Coyote and Once on the Grand Union EPs, London quintet Billy Vincent are set to launch their debut album, She. A vivid, well-observed collection of songs, the five-piece capably bring together a range of big-hearted influences on this lively LP. One of the more […]

Album Review: Billy Vincent – She