LIVE: BORN RUFFIANS – 08/06/2018

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- Canadian band Born Ruffians have been releasing music since the early noughties and have toured the world, supporting the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip and Caribou along the way. Now, having just released their fifth studio album Uncle, Duke and The Chief, they are nearing the end of their own headline […]
-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- Courtney Barnett chooses a brave route for the first half of the show, playing the whole new album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, in full. No smattering of previous hits to keep the crowd appeased. But it pays off. The new album is brilliant and well received. There is a greater […]

LIVE: COURTNEY BARNETT – 04/06/2018

LIVE: LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – 06/06/2018

-APOLLO, MANCHESTER- Having just returned from the World’s Greatest Festival(tm), Primavera, a day ago, I have to confess that I am not exactly massively up for this gig. I still have that festival ‘jet lag’ where everything is a little hazy, I feel like I haven’t slept for about 2 weeks, and even though LCD […]
-APOLLO, MANCHESTER- Tucked into the modest seats of the Apollo’s circle, and the second song in is a cover of ‘Paint in Black’ by The Rolling Stones. It’s an impromptu addition. Patti reads the lyrics from a sheet of paper and misses a vocal cue, having to re-join the song a few bars down the […]

LIVE: PATTI SMITH – 05/06/2018

LIVE: VIRGINIA WING / APOSTILLE – 23/05/2018

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- In detailed album reviews from The Quietus, Virginia Wing receive strong praise. There is particular attention paid to the careful vocal blend of singer Alice Merida Richards, and also the various references their music nods towards (Broadcast and Stereolab to name two). Detachment, haze and dreaminess are all considered key elements of […]
-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- This is the third time music promoters Now Wave and Strange Days have brought their pysch rock night to Manchester and the line up certainly doesn’t disappoint, Despite the blistering bank holiday sun outside, the first act, Boy Azooga, must have had a pretty sizeable crowd because by the time I get […]

LIVE: STRANGE WAVES III (UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA / DEERHUNTER / BLACK LIPS / SAM EVIAN) – 26/05/2018

LIVE: EZRA FURMAN / DU BLONDE – 27/05/2018

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- With the room still lit up by the sunlight, I arrive at Manchester’s Albert Hall about five minutes before tonight’s support act Du Blonde is due to begin. I’ve been aware of both Du Blonde and tonight’s headliner Ezra Furman for a few years now without ever making the leap to see […]
-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Glamour at the Ritz is a night that would get any Manchester music fan frothing. Ten bands spread across two excellent live rooms – one massive, one small – over the course of 5 hours… paradise. Well, if your paradise consists of aggressive punk rock, high energy activity both on and off […]

LIVE: CABBAGE / PINS / THE BLINDERS / LADY BIRD / THE RHYTHM METHOD – 19/05/2018

LIVE: T.V. SMITH / HARVEY’S RABBIT / JOE SMITH – 24/05/2018

-AATMA, MANCHESTER- A lovely little surprise greets me as I head into Aatma on Thursday night. I’ve only ever been here on metal nights so the acoustic sounds of Joe Smith, who I can only presume is the son of the headliner we’re here to see, gets me settled straight away. The lights are brighter […]
-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- Michelle Zauner, aka Japanese Breakfast, has made two albums of immaculate American indie that could soundtrack the very best films from the golden age of teen movies, which everyone knows ran from the late 90s to the early 00s and included such masterpieces as 10 Thing I Hate About You, She’s All […]

LIVE: JAPANESE BREAKFAST – 22/05/2018