LIVE: J. MASCIS & THE FOG/DEAD CONFEDERATE – 07/12/2009

– MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER – Dead Confederate make a mountainous racket. The Georgian quintet, resplendent in their gas pump attendant chic, stay rooted to the spot while dry ice as choking as their riffs floods the venue, the only flickers of movement on stage coming where guitars and drums meet in perfect torrents of noise, […]
The boast on the CD is that this debut EP is produced by Steve Albini (of Pixies fame) and my immediate reaction is a cynical one. If the band is any good, why is it that the producer is the main pulling point? It makes me think that there’s a quality deficit somewhere, and that […]

EP: The Marder – Men’s Ruin

LIVE: ‘A’/THIS CITY – 05/12/2009

– ACADEMY 3, MANCHESTER – It’s difficult to fight indifference, just ask This City frontman, Chris Purr, whose repeated pleas for the audience to edge closer to the stage fall on reluctant ears, and the foolproof clap-your-hand-above-your-head gambit is cruelly greeted with an audible titter. In truth, the Brighton quintet’s happy post-hardcore is ruined by […]
I was slightly pessimistic about the prospect of Depeche Mode’s new tune. Recently there has been a mass of long-running bands releasing disappointing new music. Bands such as Muse, The Cure, and Bruce Springsteen to name a few, and I thought Fragile Tension would fall straight into this category…but it doesn’t! They have created something […]

SINGLE: DEPECHE MODE – FRAGILE TENSION

LIVE: THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART – 04/12/2009

– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Right kids, we’ve got a problem here – I may not objective about this band. And strictly speaking I’m not to blame. If you come together as five piece with four boys and one ridiculously attractive female, I will probably come to watch, but I,m going to be distracted. That […]
Paloma Faith produces a very contemporary, familiar sound continuing in the long line of recent soulful singer songwriters like Adele and Duffy. But what sets Paloma Faith apart and above her peers is her voice. It’s an incredible cross between Amy Winehouse, Joanna Newsom, and Beth Gibbons and sets a strongly atmospheric tone for her […]

SINGLE: Paloma Faith – Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful

LIVE: SAM ISAAC/THE XCERTS – 03/12/2009

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Feldspar are a one-band version of David Cameron: The Oxford Years…On A Yacht. The four polite, neatly turned out, studious gents are in all probability called Rupert, Giles, Will, and something exotic like Everest (there’s a soprano sax present, after all), yet despite being formidable musicians, their meticulously arranged, […]
 – ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD – This is my first visit to Islington Mill, the hub for creative minds in Salford is difficult to find in the dark. It is understated to say the least, in an ‘affordable for artists’ kind of way. Four bands are on the bill tonight, organized by WOTGODFORGOT. Irma Vep kick […]

LIVE: SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE – 03/12/2009

LIVE: I AM BLACKBIRD – 30/11/2009

– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Even though tonight’s temperature is plummeting quicker than Tiger Woods’ squeaky clean reputation, it’s good to see that the music lovers of Manchester are turning out early and in force. By the time the doors to the upstairs music hall are opened, the queue is stretching down the full […]
– THE APOLLO THEATRE, MANCHESTER – Derry trio, General Fiasco, have come a long way since opening up for Fighting With Wire at The Roadhouse a little over a year ago. Here, in an already heaving Apollo, Owen Strathern’s hooks have sharpened up considerably, each melody mercilessly jumped upon by his guitarist brother, Enda, with […]

LIVE: THE ENEMY – 29/11/2009