LIVE: …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD – 16/11/2014

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Post hardcore, alternative rock, indie rock, progressive rock, math rock, art rock, noise rock: these are the genre labels on Trail Of Dead’s Wikipedia page. It’s fair to say that every rock genre has been levelled at the Texan band across their 15 year, 9 album lifetime, and tonight […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – So, it turns out halloween is an appropriate time to catch Foxygen. Now touring their third album in 2 years, the Californian duo of Jonathan Rado and Sam France have genre hopped from Sergeant Pepper, and The Velvet Underground to Bowie and The Rolling Stones, emulating many other prevalent bands from the […]

LIVE: FOXYGEN – 30/10/2014

LIVE: THE BESNARD LAKES – 30/09/2014

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – ‘Are you guys the leftovers who missed Psych Fest?’ (referring to last weekend’s event in Liverpool) teases Jace Lasek from the stage at the modestly assembled crowd in front of him at the Ruby Lounge. Amongst the yeahs and whoops someone from the back of the crowd replies ‘you […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – I guess being the son of one of the most iconic musicians of the 20th century and an internationally renowned avant-garde artist, brings with it a lot of expectation concerning your creative talents. Sean Lennon, whose godfather is Elton John – who appeared in Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – who co-wrote […]

LIVE: THE GHOST OF A SABER TOOTH TIGER (GOASTT) – 08/09/2014

LIVE: ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE – 26/08/2014

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Good grief. Even the most seasoned gig-goer would be forgiven for taking an extra moment to process proceedings when Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. (to give them their full title) roll into town. The veteran free-form progressive psychedelic experimental rock group, or as they would have […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – In the parallel universe in which Guitar Wolf reside, time has not stood still, but in fact, permanently loops round between 1958 and 1978.  The mothership jettisoned Guitarwolf Seiji, Basswolf UG and Drumwolf Toru in sealed crystal caskets to preserve the purity of rocknroll from the Planet of the […]

LIVE: GUITAR WOLF – 31/07/2014

LIVE: EMA – 04/06/2014

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Musicians have really had it in for technology this year; Damon Albarn conjured up a nightmarish future where everyday robots were in control, St Vincent took up the role of robot in Digital Witness singing ‘I want all of your mind’, but it was EMA who dealt the most […]
– 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

INTERVIEW/REVIEW: PHANTOGRAM – 10/05/2014

Saturday turned out to be a typical day for Mancunians; grey and wet and one in which you’re much happier being indoors. But I was off to meet incredibly hip two piece Phantogram, so I braved the weather. Manchester did its best at welcoming the duo from Upstate New York by ensuring it was raining […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Tonight at the Ruby Lounge I have a good idea of what to expect. Support comes from two bands I have already seen in 2014 and headline act Goldheart Assembly are to play their debut album Wolves and Thieves in full. There are one or two small surprises left […]

LIVE: GOLDHEART ASSEMBLY – 02/04/2014