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 […]
-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- Jacco Gardner has been known to create swirling psychedelic pop boosted by his rich, resonant and baroque voice but on his third and latest LP Somnium, the vocals are gone and in their place is an equally seamless melodic exploration through instrumentation with a menacing edge. When talking about the album, Gardner […]

LIVE: JACCO GARDNER – 23/05/2019

LIVE: BIG THIEF – 22/05/2019

-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Big Thief can’t quite believe how they ended up here. “This is our first tour on a bus!” exclaims band leader Adrianne Lenker, thrilled by the prospect of actually being able to sleep between city stops. Before the last couple of songs this evening they pause to thank the 17 people who […]
-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- I arrive at the sold out Gorilla venue awaiting Aldous Harding to take to the stage. It’s so hot, and the extremely large fans are churning out mildly cold air, whilst making noises as loud as the current Manchester road works. I think about Aldous’ music style and how these fans might interfere […]

LIVE: ALDOUS HARDING – 21/05/2019

LIVE: MANIC STREET PREACHERS / GWENNO – 20/05/2019

-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- “C’mon everyone… sing along!” Normally at a charged, fizzing, visceral gig like the Manics in the rather cosy environs of The Ritz, a call to arms such as this would garner an immediate, loyal response. Only, the issue here is that it isn’t the Manics… it’s the support act, Gwenno. And the […]
-THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER- Monk Dominated by an almost dystopian theme, Monk plough through their set with particularly heavy-handed drumming, guitar tones presumably reliant on pedals and a kind of aggressive sing-speak approach (effects also employed) that tries to convey a sense of despair. The super-serious nature of the music doesn’t particularly invoke the sentiment […]

LIVE: POTTERY / THE BEAR AROUND YOUR NECK / MONK – 14/05/2019

LIVE: OH SEES – 18/05/2019

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- In front of a sold out Albert Hall crowd, Oh Sees main man and Castle Face Records label boss John Dwyer takes to the stage, to a huge cheer, but hang on a minute, he’s just setting up the equipment – himself. That’s just one of the million reasons to love this […]
-YES (THE BASEMENT), MANCHESTER- When I first saw punk band WITCH FEVER in March, they made such an impression on me that I really didn’t want to miss out on their headline show at Yes (The Basement). In between then and now, they have toured with Lady Bird and GURU, but tonight is their first […]

LIVE: WITCH FEVER / FERAL FAMILY / BLEACH BODY – 18/05/2019

LIVE: CHARLY BLISS – 09/05/2019

-NIGHT PEOPLE, MANCHESTER- Charly Bliss appear to be in permanent disbelief at the success of their band. As I wrote when I saw them play The Eagle Inn in 2017, they bounded around the stage as much in shock at the reality of the moment as through the joy of performing their music. Fast forward […]
-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst kept a noble secret before the release of their self-titled Better Oblivion Community Center album back in January. With no build-up whatsoever, the record came out of the blue, something that I loved, especially given just how immensely enjoyable a listen it is. For sure, it’s […]

LIVE: BETTER OBLIVION COMMUNITY CENTER – 12/05/2019