LIVE: NEW CANDYS – 29/05/2015

– FALLOW CAFE, MANCHESTER – After scouring the internet, I would like to congratulate New Candys for being the first Italian band in my record collection. If you know of any I may have overlooked, please, let me know. Lacuna Coil is a name I recognise, but that’s as far as it goes… Paulo Nutini […]
– ST. MARGARET’S CHURCH, MANCHESTER – This venue, St. Margaret’s Church, is truly unique. A solid gold statue of an eagle peers over the crowd, a huge painting by Greta’s (Edith’s) Dad stands at the back of the stage and a huge sculpture of a tortoise hangs perilously from the roof. Adding to the venue’s […]

LIVE: BERNARD + EDITH – 29/05/2015

LIVE: HOZIER – 25/05/2015

– THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – The Albert Hall is fast becoming an icon in Manchester. The surroundings are just stunning, I can’t believe this beautiful building was hidden and unused for nearly 40 years. The master minds of Trof (the people behind Gorilla & The Deaf Institute) have created the perfect venue. Every band […]
– DOCKLANDS, LIVERPOOL – It has been said that Peter Cook was a comedians’ comedian and something of a hidden gem during his time. To hijack this vein of thought, Liverpool Sound City is most certainly a creatives’ festival. From the first day, with action centred around Q&As with industry veterans including Slits guitarist and […]

LIVE: LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY – 22/05/2015 – 24/05/2015

Album Review: Eccentronic Research Council – Jonny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine (I’m Your Biggest Fan)

When Eccentronic Research Council announced they had signed to Trash Mouth Records for a collaboration with Fat White Family and Bafta-nominated Maxine Peake earlier this year, the lead track ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’ indicated a claustrophobic synth-rock stalker epic largely fronted by Fat White Family. What has been released is a spacier, more surreal narrative composition based […]
– VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER – It’s just turned half 6 and already the evening is off to a bad start. I’m at The Roadhouse, the first stop on a long night of festivities for Dot To Dot Festival, and I’m reluctantly paying £4.50 for a pint. To make matters worse, before I can even take […]

LIVE: DOT TO DOT 2015 – 22/05/2015

LIVE: RIDE – 23/05/2015

– THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – Ride exploded on to the music as one of the early vanguards of the then nascent shoegazing scene as a readymade package with their boyish good looks, floppy fringes and penchant for effects laden melody driven (no pun intended) songs. An early appearance on the cult BBC music programme […]
– MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL, MANCHESTER – Tonight’s show does nothing but confirm that Django Django entirely deserve the unexpected (by them) hype currently surrounding them. They arrive on stage soon after 21.30, facing a seriously raving crowd. I had a feeling they were popular, but not that they could cause a Beatles effect, with ultrasound screams […]

LIVE: DJANGO DJANGO – 23/05/2015

LIVE: EZRA FURMAN – 20/05/2015

– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – “I love music, like I never ever get sick of it and even when I feel like I am going to, something out there just surprises me. It’s like life in a way.” These are the words Ezra says tonight, as he draws his set to a close. It […]
– GULLIVERS, MANCHESTER – If you’re in a lo-fi shoegaze emo indie punk band, you can expect a number of your fans to be introverts. It appears they’re all out tonight – standing awkwardly, faces pointed towards the foot of the stage with hands in pockets, making sure they don’t invade someone else’s personal space. There are a […]

LIVE: PITY SEX – 19/05/2015