LIVE: SWANS – 22/05/2014

– ACADEMY 2,  MANCHESTER – In a recent interview with The Quietus, Swans frontman Michael Gira confirmed an urban myth that his response to a sound engineer asking how the gig should sound was to punch him in the stomach and say “like that”. The engineer in question might feel fortunate to have only been […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – A lot can happen in four years, and so it is with San Diego’s Crocodiles. I saw them four years ago and reviewed them for Silent Radio (here) when they toured in support of their Sleep Forever album. Reading back over that review, I think I was in two […]

LIVE: CROCODILES – 23/05/2014

LIVE: TOM HICKOX – 21/05/2014

– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – “A sunny day in Manchester – cause for celebration!” Tom Hickox says with a knowing smile, connecting with his audience before a single note is struck. While the content of his songs are not always celebratory, the quality of them is certainly worth cherishing. Pitching a look somewhere between […]
Tonight’s not your typical gig, there’s no official tickets or fancy venue; simply an email stating the address, my host for the evening and the option to bring a cushion and a few beers. I have gin in a tin and no soft furnishings; I hope they let me in. I find a rather pleasant […]

LIVE: CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH – LIVING ROOM TOUR MANCHESTER

LIVE: LA DISPUTE – 20/05/2014

– GORILLA, MANCHESTER –  Special night tonight. One of the most influential bands in the hardcore scene is visiting our town with a sold out show at Gorilla. We’ve had to wait more than two years to see Jordan Dreyer and his band on a Mancunian stage, and the release of their most recent album […]
– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – It is unseasonably warm and Nick Mulvey’s first UK live date since the release of his debut album First Mind is a sold out Gorilla. It’s been only one week since the album release, but having charted at number 10 in the official album chart it has already created a lot of […]

LIVE: NICK MULVEY – 19/05/2014

LIVE: NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL – 18/05/2014

– THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – Tonight is the second of Neutral Milk Hotel’s two night residency at Manchester’s wonderful Albert Hall, and as we walk to the venue I am engaged in a debate with my friends.  To the uninitiated – me – the Neutral Milk Hotel back-story throws up some concerns.  Said band […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – I’ve been doing some calculating and can confirm that its been 10 years since I’d fallen for the fuzzy blues rock stylings of Archie Bronson Outfit. I first saw them in Wolverhampton, as an impressionable 15 year old supporting The Black Keys. Oh how time flies! So I’m definitely […]

LIVE: ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT – 19/05/2014

LIVE: HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER – 18/05/2014

– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Donning a well-worn Caterpillar hat, Hiss Golden Messenger takes the stage with deck-chair strung aside as the one man band looms threateningly in-front of us. The first song of the night is ‘Daylight’, a song off the masterful yet unfortunate Bad Debt album, which was originally destroyed in the Sony Warehouse […]
– DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – I’m late getting to the venue tonight – yet another title winners celebration in central Manchester – and only catch the end of the opening set by The Scenes.  First impressions are, there are a lot of them: A six piece crammed on the stage, leaving little room for manoeuvre for […]

LIVE: BO NINGEN – 12/05/2014