What can I say? Flying cars, floating boxing gloves, and a heartfelt finale—I fear I have become a massive Bryan Adams fan. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting this performance to be very similar to Frankie Valli’s from 2023. You know, the almost ventriloquist act with overly enthusiastic backing singers doing most […]
– Arena, Manchester – There’s no two ways about it: this is the most thrilling arena show I’ve ever seen. It’s quite a grand statement to make, but what Matty Healy et al have constructed (and constructed is definitely the word) for the mega-tour in support of their latest album Being Funny in a Foreign […]
– Manchester Arena – James’ gig on Friday 3rd December 2021 at the AO arena in Manchester was phenomenal. There are very few words to describe it. A lot of people were drunk on alcohol and live music. Being my first gig after lockdown, I honestly cannot tell if my judgement was clouded or it […]
-MANCHESTER ARENA- Manic Street Preachers are a band of mythologies. They were born as hard-line punks, so devoted to their ideology that their original bassist Flicker left because he felt the band were betraying their roots. That was in 1988. At times tonight, some three decades later, the Manics look and sound every bit a […]
-MANCHESTER ARENA- It’s not often that support bands appeal so accurately to the main act’s crowd, but many have made the extra effort to get in early tonight to see John Grant. It’s easy to see why he appeals to Elbow fans, as his songs have a certain depth to them; whether it’s the slow […]
-MANCHESTER ARENA- There’s a part near the beginning of the recent Nick Cave documentary, which charts the making of Skeleton Tree, his latest album with the Bad Seeds, in which he says: “Isn’t it the invisible things, the lost things, that have so much mass? And are as big as the universe?” Cave has recently suffered […]
Following a run of shows across the UK and Europe this summer, Arcade Fire have announced a headline tour for Spring 2018. The live show will feature songs from the band’s forthcoming album Everything Now, due out on Friday 28th July 2017, featuring the title track as well as the likes of ‘Creature Comfort’, and […]
It is no underestimation to say that the return of Gorillaz has been feverishly anticipated. Last week saw the launch of Humanz, their first new studio album in 7 years, to widespread critical acclaim. Not only that, but tickets to their US live dates sold out in the blink of an eye this month, as […]
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have announced an 8-week European tour kicking off in the UK at Bournemouth’s International Centre on Sunday 24th September 2017. The European shows follow dates across Australia (January 2017) and the USA (May & June 2017), and the tour will be the first time European audiences can experience live […]
– MANCHESTER ARENA, MANCHESTER – Now this isn’t the type of gig you usually see reviewed on these pages, and it’s not really the type of thing I spend my Sunday nights at. But when the opportunity to see two of the all time RnB titans together on the same night came up, I jumped […]
GIG GUIDE
Our gig guide is handpicked and every act has been listened to before making it onto the list.
See this month's guide
SINGLE REVIEW - THE KOWLOONS: I DON'T CARE
LIVE REVIEW – EZRA FURMAN: LIVERPOOL ROUGH TRADE – 21/05/2025
INTERVIEW - AMMAR 808
ALBUM REVIEW – AMMAR 808: CLUB TOUNSI
ALBUM REVIEW - SPORTS TEAM: BOYS THESE DAYS
ALBUM REVIEW - ROBERT FORSTER: STRAWBERRIES
ALBUM REVIEW - ANATOLE MUSTER: HOPECORE
LIVE REVIEW - SUPERGRASS: MANCHESTER ALBERT HALL - 16/05/2025
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 16 MAY 2025
EP REVIEW - FARMER’S WIFE: FAINT ILLUSIONS
