LIVE: MOON DUO – 08/04/2015

– ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD – Moon Duo would most likely fill a larger venue, which makes tonight’s album launch even more special – those lucky enough to gain entry to this sold-out show get to experience the band in this intimate space, with it’s low ceiling and incredibly loud and clear sound system. Whatever comes at us through those speakers is […]
– THE NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – For me, it is easy to remember the first time I heard Jessica Pratt’s ‘Back Baby.’ It was when I was sat on my scruffy computer chair, expecting just another normal acoustic song, when suddenly I was absolutely blown away by a song that sounded like an […]

LIVE: JESSICA PRATT – 07/04/2015

LIVE: ERRORS – 04/04/2015

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – I’m so pleased to be watching Errors. I’ve missed the Scottish ‘post-electro’ band every time they’ve toured for one reason or another, and the only glimpse I’ve had of them live was a couple of songs at the end of a Bestival set in about 2012 that I stumbled […]
– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – There must be a time portal at the door of Gorilla:  We’ve arrived early to check out the support bands, but somehow between the doorman and the cloakroom we’ve been transported to Greenwich village in 1961.  Fraser A Gorman is a man who wears his Dylan influences on his sleeves, in […]

LIVE: COURTNEY BARNETT – 03/04/2015

LIVE: DEMOB HAPPY – 30/03/2015

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – It’s a stormy Monday night, but shelter and warmth from the high winds and incessant rain has kindly been provided tonight by Manchester’s renowned basement rock venue. Intrepid, die hard music fans huddle around the stage, eager to hear the next big thing, while trying to shake off their weekend hangovers. […]
With only a couple of brushes with the charts over the course of a 35-year career, Stephen Duffy is no stranger to commercial failure. Yet so disheartened was he with the non-impact of his last album, 2007’s Runout Groove, and the state of the music industry that he decided not to release any more records. […]

Album Review: The Lilac Time – No Sad Songs

LIVE: BAD GRAMMAR – 27/03/2015

– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – When I arrive at The Castle Hotel, unfortunately it’s too late for the first band Elephantine, but I am on time for support act Violet Violet. The Norwich duo, Felicity/Fliss Kitson on drums and Cheri Percy on guitar, have been playing together since they met at sixth form but decided […]
– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – The gig space in the Soup Kitchen looks like a catacomb and it fits the night perfectly, given that the devotion shown by fans of The Lovely Eggs shares some traits with a religious cult, and this is now the cult of the Magic Onion, as explained later. The amplification […]

LIVE: THE LOVELY EGGS / THE HIPSHAKES – 28/03/2015

LIVE: DUTCH UNCLES – 27/03/2015

– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – “Hello Ritz, we’ve gone too fast and need a breather” beams Duncan Wallis, frontman of Stockport’s finest Dutch Uncles. He’s not the only one. Just three songs into their biggest headline show to date and the energy in the room is electric. While a moment of respite gives an adoring […]
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – Hype Machine named them the UK’s most blogged about artist of 2013 and then in 2014 they were named Breakthrough Act Of The Year at the UK festival awards. So it’s fair to say a lot has already been written about tonight’s headliners Wolf Alice, and their growing stature has […]

LIVE: WOLF ALICE – 26/03/2015