LIVE: TANGERINECAT / SLOW KNIFE / FACTORY ACTS / TIN MOLE – 07/09/2019

-GULLIVERS, MANCHESTER- Tin Mole Experimental is a label difficult to define, but it appears Deco have rummaged the attic for a few of the more warped figurines you’d be wise to inspect before touching. Dominated by menacing bass lines, Tin Mole succumb to the irresistibility of synthesisers as they purge onward, almost as though a […]
-THE PEER HAT, MANCHESTER- Furrowed Brow With additional personnel and two months of gigging since their live debut, Furrowed Brow has (much to my predication) significantly gained in confidence and cohesion, akin to a unit of conscripts surviving the very skirmishes that would make or break their service. Having a more technically proficient guitarist (albeit […]

LIVE: GLOVE / CHINA MOON / FURROWED BROW – 06/09/2019

LIVE: SASAMI – 04/09/2019

-YES (THE BASEMENT), MANCHESTER- Sweet relief. The basement in Manchester’s finest establishment Yes is a safe haven tonight, a place to take refuge from the bonkers weather that has plagued this city on this early autumn day (and plagued the England cricket team all day across the city at Old Trafford), and a place to […]
-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

LIVE: THE BETHS – 31/08/2019

-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 […]
-THE WHITE HOTEL, SALFORD- The idea of amassing a selection of bands a few clicks off normal appears to pay off as the White Hotel’s ‘performance room’ slowly starts to fill to capacity in time for the headliner/non-set closer White Fence. I had the suspicion that carting out a load of bands on a half […]

LIVE: WHITE FENCE / ESYA / THE STARLIGHT MAGIC HOUR – 17/08/2019

LIVE: RUSSIAN CIRCLES – 13/08/2019

-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 […]
-JODRELL BANK OBSERVATORY, CHESHIRE- Thursday Arriving at the festival late Thursday afternoon, we are just in time for Emma Gene Thackery. After finding a space in the busy camping ground to pitch, we make our first journey through the festival grounds. The festival is full, ready for the Halle Orchestra who are just as much […]

LIVE: BLUEDOT FESTIVAL 2019

LIVE: SHONEN KNIFE / SLAP RASH – 23/07/2019

-NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER- Slap Rash You’d think having two wheels on a car would be a disadvantage in terms of road-worthy technicality; likely it would but since I’m using it as an analogy for this half-quartet, exception is granted. The labour constraints compel the duo to juggle their rhythm-but-also-lead instrumental roles with a […]
-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- With a title as pompous as displayed above, flattering claims about the performers and MIF’s growing international esteem enticed me enough to think I could actually withstand 6 hours of standing (I did). Largely ignoring the initial DJ set by the event curator, I start to take notice when the first live […]

LIVE: QUEENS OF THE ELECTRONIC UNDERGROUND – 20/07/2019