LIVE REVIEW: JOHN GRANT SINGS THE SONGS OF PATSY CLINE WITH RICHARD HAWLEY AND BAND 11/07/2023

John Grant is blessed with a glorious, honeyed voice. Early in his solo career, he lived up to the cliché about being able to make anything sound good by turning a list of the items for sale in his childhood sweet shop into the most wonderful confection full of wonder and longing (‘Marz’). At Manchester […]
Until now, Habibi Funk Records has specialised in releasing music that was originally recorded decades ago. With their latest release, Charif Megarbane’s ‘Marzipan’, they have unleashed a collection of tracks recorded in Beirut and Lisbon in the second half of 2022. Megarbane is a multi-instrumentalist making what he calls ‘Lebrary’ music, a mix of Lebanese […]

ALBUM REVIEW – CHARIF MEGARBANE: MARZIPAN

THE MIGHTY BARD – BEYOND THE GATE

I never used to be pleased to see an album with only seven songs; it just didn’t seem like good value –but nowadays seven songs clocking in at over an hour seems like a promise of some good development and most likely some serious musicianship, so I’m all aboard! The Mighty Bard are a British […]
With pre-released singles, ‘Lovers Come and Lovers Go’, ‘Falling To Pieces’, and ‘Summer Girl’ already drilled into the brain of every indie-lover, The Pigeon Detectives are raising the tension in the scene with the wait for their sixth studio album, ‘TV Show’. The band’s celebratory rerelease of ‘Emergency’  for its 15th anniversary from earlier this […]

ALBUM REVIEW: THE PIGEON DETECTIVES – TV SHOW

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 7 JULY 2023

July begins with a hefty batch of releases. It is an especially busy week for bands with Pigeon in their name, although no sign of a Lieutenant Pigeon reissue. Anohni and the Johnsons My Back Was A Bridge To Cross For You Inspired by Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ tackling global and environmental concerns, the […]
When PJ Harvey released her debut single, ‘Dress’, in 1991, it was immediately apparent that she had star quality. Matching a startling self-possessed voice to attention-grabbing lyrics, her songwriting managed to blend a recognisable indie rock style with more experimental elements. Over the subsequent 32 years, she has developed an ideal career, one where she […]

ALBUM REVIEW – PJ HARVEY: I INSIDE THE OLD YEAR DYING

PREVIEW: MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL RETURNS

Manchester International Festival has made a welcome return to the city, running from 29th June to 16th July, across various venues with music, theatre, art, and many free events taking place at Festival Square, the hub of the MIF. This year Festival Square is located in Aviva Studios, a new purpose built home for the festival […]
The emotional rollercoaster ‘Chaos For The Fly’ is lead singer of huge rock band Fontaines DC, Grian Chatten’s first solo album. Chatten decided to create an album of raw, earnest songs that he wrote alone with his guitar. Certainly, this album incorporates poetic lyricism and powerful guitar to shape a masterpiece.  A moment of airy […]

ALBUM REVIEW: GRIAN CHATTEN – CHAOS FOR THE FLY

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 30 JUNE 2023

June ends with a lovely collection of releases which are gathered here in our weekly guide. Sweeping Promises – Good Living is Coming for You Boston post-punk band that dirties up earworm melodies with a lo-fi charm. Influences discernible on the album take in Young Marble Giants, Kleenex/LiLiPUT, B-52s and Blondie. Mong Tong – Tao […]
With their second album, Kansas based duo Sweeping Promises have got post-punk and riot grrrl influenced tunes that maximise urgency while retaining space and minimalism off to a fine tee. The ten songs that comprise ‘Good Living Is Coming For You’ pack plenty of inspiration into their tightly packed two and three minute durations. While […]

ALBUM REVIEW – SWEEPING PROMISES: GOOD LIVING IS COMING FOR YOU