GIG GUIDE: JULY 2024

  We have trawled through the forthcoming gigs in and around Manchester so you don’t have to. We believe that if we are going to recommend a gig to you, then it should be exactly that, a recommendation. There’s always plenty of great gigs going on in Manchester, too many to cover them all, but […]
It’s the hottest night of the year so far, and as the evening sunlight shines through the beautiful ornate windows of the Albert Hall, the place is packed. It’s been over thirty-three years since The Breeders burst on to the early 90’s indie scene with the astonishing debut album ‘Pod’, and with the 30th anniversary […]

LIVE REVIEW:THE BREEDERS – ALBERT HALL (26/06/24)

ALBUM REVIEW: SEASICK STEVE – A TRIP, A STUMBLE, A FALL DOWN ON YOUR KNEES

With an overwhelming level of cool oozing from every guitar note, Seasick Steve is back with his much anticipated new album ‘A Trip A Stumble A Fall Down on Your Knees’. An album which is even more reason to check him out live, as I did recently, trust me, you won’t be disappointed. Back to […]
In a strange world, where pots and pans perform synchronised swimming routines, exists Max Blansjaar. Blansjaar has been to many places absorbing a myriad of  influences, all of which have fed into ‘False Comforts’. Born in Amsterdam and raised in Oxford, he recorded ‘False Comforts’ in Brooklyn, giving the album a genre melding, free-flowing feel. The boundless […]

ALBUM REVIEW: MAX BLANSJAAR – FALSE COMFORTS

FEATURE – REBELLION FESTIVAL – LOUD WOMEN BRING THE NOISE TO BLACKPOOL 1ST-4TH AUGUST 2024

Rebellion Festival has been an annual feature on the festival calendar since 1996 (then known as The Holidays In The Sun Festival), now the family run, all ages festival returns to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens 1st-4th August with another outstanding line-up of punk and new wave heavyweights including The Stranglers, Stiff Little Fingers, The Alarm, Toyah, […]
Softcult have an ethereal yet brilliant touch of music magic out now. The title is labelled Heaven as it truly is an unusual place to be. Heaven is THE psychedelic, gloomy, soundscape to elevate an eclectic summer vibe. The band say describing Heaven’s reverberation “This EP has an underlying theme, although the songs themselves may […]

EP REVIEW – SOFTCULT: HEAVEN EP

FEATURE: JOE MATERA – DEMYSTIFYING THE LIFE OF THE TOURING MUSICIAN WITH NEW BOOK FROM MANCHESTER PUBLISHERS – EMPIRE PUBLISHING

Joe Matera is an Australian journalist and musician who has been demystifying the life of the touring musician with his new book ‘Louder Than Words – Beyond The Backstage Pass’. Using interview quotes gained from several decades in journalism, along with his own experiences as a musician, ‘Louder Than Words – Beyond The Backstage Pass […]
It is never easy to predict what is coming next from Laura J Martin. Her previous solo album, 2016’s ‘On the Never Never’ was recorded in Nashville with members of Lambchop, Silver Jews and Jesus Lizard. Most recently, in 2020 she collaborated with Lavania Blackwall, formerly of Trembling Bells, on the exquisite freak folk project, […]

ALBUM REVIEW – LAURA J MARTIN: PREPARED

LIVE REVIEW: STILL HOUSE PLANTS – THE WHITE HOTEL 17/04/2024

Isn’t it brilliant when something connects seamlessly, when something locks in perfectly? For jigsaw nerds it might be that final piece snapping into place to reveal the whole; it might be something as simple as the feel of a key turning to open a lock; it could be something more complex, like the final bit […]
There is something especially engaging about trios. I first became obsessed with the idea in the 1980s due to Big Flame. Slimmed down line-ups bring an element of clarity and demand that everyone’s contribution must be essential. Amongst post-punk acts of this size, the most notable have a frenetic quality, from The Minutemen through Big […]

ALBUM REVIEW – OBJECTIONS: OPTIMISTIC SIZING