LIVE: JAMIE LENMAN – 7/12/2013

– NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – So, if you weren’t into the British rock music in the early naughties, they you probably may not be familiar with the work of Jamie Lenman. Basically, Jamie was in one of my favourite bands, Reuben, a post-hardcore trio from Surrey who were super heavy and riffy but […]
– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – At the very start of this year, I was lucky enough to catch Manchester’s bravest indie popster’s Dutch Uncles dazzle a small yet packed out crowd at The Castle in Manchester, the day they released their excellent third LP Out Of Touch In The Wild.  It’s been a good few […]

LIVE: DUTCH UNCLES – 6/12/2013

LIVE: MARK MORRISS – 30/11/2013

– TIGER LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Mark Morriss was the front man of Brit indie outfit The Bluetones (1993 – 2011 RIP) and most fondly remembered for making a duffle coat look well hot. Probably equally so, the band were responsible for some of the best loved songs that helped to shape one of the most […]
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – The first time I saw Metz, in the Soup Kitchen basement, was a very memorable gig indeed. Since then I’ve been counting down the days until I could go see them again.  For this gig, not only did I make a ticket purchase weeks in advance to minimise things that […]

LIVE: METZ – 22/11/2013

LIVE: JONATHAN WILSON – 28/11/2013

– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – With his second album Fanfare newly released Jonathan Wilson is a busy guy at the moment, well into his tour that’ll take him into the New Year. I’m eager to hear him play some of his new stuff, at Gorilla. Arriving and seeing the stage set up and lots of patient and […]
 THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – There’s much excitement and lure around the newly reopened Albert Hall as to the Canadian four-piece Half Moon Run. At least for me. Since a short run of shows for MIF, I’ve been keen to see a live performance here and it’s incredible. Like a gilded frame; bands perform against […]

LIVE: HALF MOON RUN – 22/11/2013

LIVE: CRYSTAL FIGHTERS – 23/11/2013

– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Unexpected, crazy, eclectic – are just several of the adjectives that describe Crystal Fighters’ gig at Academy 2. The five-piece come from London and are known for the mad live shows they throw. It’s almost half-carnival, half-rave. The band plays a total of 16 songs from Star of Love and […]
– PHONES 4U ARENA, MANCHESTER – Though in recent years we may see Josh Homme hidden under the radar as a family man with his two children and rock prom queen Brody Dalle by his side, most of us dreamt of the day we would see ‘Ginger Elvis’ take the stage again. True Rock n’ […]

LIVE: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – 20/11/2013

Album Review: Eric Clapton – Give Me Strength

With the expensive Italian suits, perfectly trimmed beard and collection of exotic girlfriends (and even more exotic cars), it’s perhaps easy to fall into a trap, forgetting that Clapton was once one extremely cool bluesman.  As the graffiti put it: ‘Clapton is God’.  For a while it seemed the celestial one had indeed returned, and […]
– GORILLA, MANCHESTER – It’s actually impossible to categorise White Denim, which is what makes them such an uncompromisingly brilliant live band. I saw a tweet from someone who had been to their London gig which said ‘White Denim are without doubt the finest rock-soul-jazz-punk-AOR-funk-garage-prog band I’ve ever seen.’ This is about as accurate a […]

LIVE: WHITE DENIM – 19/11/2013