LIVE: WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS – 06/12/2019

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- After some unexpected problems on the door regarding the guest list, I finally take shelter from this cold Friday winter night in a packed Gorilla. Unfortunately, I have missed the first four tracks of this ten-year celebration of the band’s 2009 debut album These Four Walls. The opening four tracks contain two of […]

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- Having witnessed Dylan Carlson as a solo act earlier in the year, observing the limitations he had in many respects (one man – one guitar), I had great anticipation for the Drone-Master-General’s return, this time with both a band at his disposal and material that would hopefully be the best in his present […]

LIVE: EARTH – 11/11/2019

TICKET GIVEAWAY: !!! (CHK CHK CHK) AT MANCHESTER’S GORILLA

The iconic New York City dance-punk outfit, returned this summer with the exuberant new album, Wallop via Warp Records. Wallop, the band’s eighth LP, is another stellar addition to the wildly impressive catalogue they’ve built over the course of over two decades together and stands as a testament to their hardworking approach and ceaseless desire […]

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- Binge With the headline act billed as one of Japan’s most interesting ‘noise’ bands, it’s not a particular surprise that this opening act is also a two-piece, with a technical heaviness that places the 4/4 convention into a dustbin and promptly kicked down an escalator, never to return. With but a guitar and […]

LIVE: MELT-BANANA / BINGE – 21/10/2019

LIVE: NEIGHBOURHOOD FESTIVAL 2019 – 12/10/2019

-VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER- It’s the morning after my best mate’s 21st birthday and believe you me, my body is feeling it. The beautiful sight of a sunny Manchester (which is rare these days) is slowly curing my soul, and the inevitably incredible Neighbourhood Festival is the light at the end of the tunnel. The day […]

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- “Thanks for coming out guys, we haven’t really done much since last time so we really appreciate it!” says Camp Cope leader Georgia McDonald in her distinctive Aussie drawl, to much whooping from the crowd. People don’t care that the band haven’t released any new music since their brilliant 2018 LP How To […]

LIVE: CAMP COPE – 25/09/2019

LIVE: MANCHESTER PSYCH FEST 2019

-VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER- As the title shows, the event primarily caters towards a genre half a century in age, although that didn’t stop the promoters from cherry picking enough non-psych bands to give off the impression it was a name only title. I mean understandably you need a healthy balance of differing styles and realistically […]

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- Gorilla is sold out for The Beths tonight. We arrive a little later than most and the crowd is already one pensive mass of energy and anticipation. Managing to find a corner at the top of the stairs, we have a clear view of the whole scene, the stage and audience. Jackpot. It […]

LIVE: THE BETHS – 31/08/2019

MANCHESTER PSYCH FEST RETURNS THIS WEEKEND

With both local and external talent alike forming the nucleus of this year’s line-up, Manchester’s annual commemoration of all that is paisley has once again returned to the forefront. The seventh annual edition of Manchester Psych Fest takes place across five stages in three great Manchester venues on Friday 30 August. Alongside an eclectic mix […]

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- I am currently excited about two American heavy rock bands who, before this month, haven’t released a single word in over a decade. But while Tool have just brought out their first new material since 2007, Chicago three-piece Russian Circles have gone on from the departure of their original bass player in that […]