ALBUM REVIEW – OLLY ALEXANDER: POLARI

Olly Alexander, the former frontman of Years and Years, makes a striking debut with his album Polari. The title itself is a nod to a coded slang historically used by minority groups, particularly within the gay community, symbolising themes of visibility and self-expression. This rich metaphor is intricately woven into the lyrics, as Alexander embarks […]
Another busy week of new releases with plenty of highlights. Nadia Reid      Enter Now Brightness            Reid was pregnant during the album’s creation and plagued by morning sickness — there are photos of her asleep on the studio sofa and memories of vomiting between takes. But she found impending motherhood, and, later, the intricate process of […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 7 FEBRUARY 2025

ALBUM REVIEW – INHALER: OPEN WIDE

Orchids shoot upwards from a single point. Their stem and flowers stretch from one inseparably tangled mass of roots. Perhaps this imagery was the exact thinking behind the artwork for the third studio album of Irish sound-florists, Inhaler. Their Joy Division meets Radiohead feel coupled with an ambition and work ethic to rival any emerging […]
There is a magic to the story of The Delines’ foundation. Willy Vlautin, singer-songwriter with Richmond Fontaine, heard Amy Boone of The Damnations sing one ballad. So struck was he by her voice that he secretly wrote her songs for over a year before approaching her and asking to form a band. Fortunately, she was […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE DELINES: MR LUCK & MS DOOM

ALBUM REVIEW – DITZ: NEVER EXHALE

DITZ’s Never Exhale is a difficult album to categorise. I’d lean toward calling it a noise rock or post punk record, but that would undersell the sometimes unexpected range of influences that bubble up throughout the album. As a band who weren’t on my radar until very recently, I was super excited as every song […]
Number one albums weren’t on the agenda when Glasgow post rock pioneers Mogwai launched their epic tunes back in 1995. Yet following on from 2023’s album ‘As The Love Continues’ going to number one in the album charts, Mogwai have released its follow up, the brilliant new album ‘The Bad Fire’. It’s an album that […]

INTERVIEW: MOGWAI – Stuart Braithwaite discusses their new album, film and touring

ALBUM REVIEW – HELEN GANYA: SHARE YOUR CARE

On her previous album, 2022’s ‘Polish The Machine’ the Brighton-based musician Helen Ganya had begun with the words “I had a fear of the ordinary.” That was apparent in a style that contained echoes of Kate Bush, The Cocteau Twins and Bjork. However, her new album, ‘Share Your Care’, marks a progression into extraordinary realms. […]
While it may be the shortest month of the year, February always feels like a slog to get through! Whilst the weather is slowly getting hotter, the night still comes way too early, what’s better than to hide away inside a venue and listen to some amazing live music, here’s what’s coming up in Manchester […]

GIG GUIDE – FEBRUARY 2025

INTERVIEW – Getting to Know WTSN: Redefining UK Jazz and Hip-Hop While Dreaming of a Grammy

Dev (WTSN) didn’t start his journey as an artist in the traditional sense. In fact in the beginning, he might not have called himself an artist at all. There was no moment of stepping into the spotlight, no attachment of his name, face, or persona to the music he was creating. Instead, he found solace […]
January ends with a flurry of new releases. Here is our guide. Eddie Chacon               Lay Low             Best known for the Charles and Eddie mega hit ‘Would I Lie To You’, his third solo album is a thoughtful strain of R&B that muses on intimate themes like mortality, failure and experience. Geologist & D.S.         A Shaw […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 31 JANUARY 2025