LIVE: CHASTITY BELT – 16/10/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- Dear readers, I have recently returned from Poland’s absolutely unbelievable electronic music festival Unsound, and it’s fair to say my brain is slightly addled. Five days of 5am finishes, dancing the night away in a disused brutalist hotel in the middle of Krakow to some of the most exciting, cutting edge electronic music […]

-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 […]

LIVE: NEIGHBOURHOOD FESTIVAL 2019 – 12/10/2019

LIVE: MODERN NATURE – 17/09/2019

– YES BASEMENT, MANCHESTER – Modern Nature who take their name from the late film director Derek Jarman’s garden diaries arrive at Manchester’s Yes venue on the back of their recently released debut album ‘How to Live’. A flowing and at time meditative record which is destined to feature in many end of year critic […]

-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 […]

LIVE: MANCHESTER PSYCH FEST 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 […]

-YES, MANCHESTER- USA Nails Awkwardly emerging from the backstage curtain-thing, the opening act favours a fast tempo, ‘angry’ guitar rock that is somewhat let down by Yes’ sound system; they might as well have put their socks in their mouths for the duration of the performance. The format of having everything excessively loud alongside enough […]

LIVE: METZ / USA NAILS – 27/06/2019

LIVE: HATCHIE – 13/06/2019

-YES BASEMENT, MANCHESTER- With her debut album on the horizon, Hatchie delivers a dreamy, blissful performance at YES Basement, Manchester. After being recommended to get on Hatchie by a friend , I quickly listened to the gorgeous, Cocteau Twin-like EP Sugar & Spice and was left wanting more. It was a similar experience on Thursday night. […]

-YES, MANCHESTER- For YES Fest on this bank holiday Sunday, thirteen artists and bands are invited to play gigs in the Basement and Pink Room at YES. The two bars and the roof terrace are open as usual, so there are a lot of people in the multi floor venue. The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets from […]

LIVE: YES FEST – 26/05/2019

LIVE: A CERTAIN RATIO – 24/05/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- The whistles chirrup, as though there are unseen urban disco crickets stalking the dancefloor of the Pink Room at Yes, rubbing their legs in celebration at the home-coming of Manchester’s A Certain Ratio. Old ravers have oiled their joints well enough to groove at the front; even older Factory heads have their arms […]

One ratio is certain. ACR are 40 years old. And to celebrate, the band – via their latest record label Mute – have released ACR:BOX – an absolutely engorged collection of 50-odd B-sides, alternative takes, remixes and new recordings, overseen by ACR’s Martin Moscrop at Abbey Road studios. For real completists, there is also a […]