LIVE: EZRA FURMAN / DU BLONDE – 27/05/2018

-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- With the room still lit up by the sunlight, I arrive at Manchester’s Albert Hall about five minutes before tonight’s support act Du Blonde is due to begin. I’ve been aware of both Du Blonde and tonight’s headliner Ezra Furman for a few years now without ever making the leap to see […]
-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- Glamour at the Ritz is a night that would get any Manchester music fan frothing. Ten bands spread across two excellent live rooms – one massive, one small – over the course of 5 hours… paradise. Well, if your paradise consists of aggressive punk rock, high energy activity both on and off […]

LIVE: CABBAGE / PINS / THE BLINDERS / LADY BIRD / THE RHYTHM METHOD – 19/05/2018

LIVE: T.V. SMITH / HARVEY’S RABBIT / JOE SMITH – 24/05/2018

-AATMA, MANCHESTER- A lovely little surprise greets me as I head into Aatma on Thursday night. I’ve only ever been here on metal nights so the acoustic sounds of Joe Smith, who I can only presume is the son of the headliner we’re here to see, gets me settled straight away. The lights are brighter […]
-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- Michelle Zauner, aka Japanese Breakfast, has made two albums of immaculate American indie that could soundtrack the very best films from the golden age of teen movies, which everyone knows ran from the late 90s to the early 00s and included such masterpieces as 10 Thing I Hate About You, She’s All […]

LIVE: JAPANESE BREAKFAST – 22/05/2018

LIVE: ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER – 21/05/2018

-GORILLA, MANCHESTER- The steam rising from the oversold and packed crowd gathered in Gorilla on this warm early Summer’s evening is testament to just how huge this band have become in a short space of time. Plus it’s also proof that no matter how much Manchester’s skyline changes with new developments, as the city expands, […]
-GULLIVERS, MANCHESTER- A warm summer’s evening walk to Gullivers tonight, as Snail Mail play their first ever gig in Manchester. The small venue from the outside, makes you question if you’re at the right place, surely the gig isn’t here? But once you walk through that door, the pub becomes a Tardis. The trendy and […]

LIVE: SNAIL MAIL – 20/05/2018

LIVE: THE BLUETONES / JORDAN ALLEN / THE GALLERYS – 17/05/2018

-O2 RITZ, MANCHESTER- O2 Ritz is one of those places that takes on whichever band or artist is playing – the vibe is set by the music, the crowd and how excitable they are. So I’m a bit unsure what to expect from 90s Britpoppers The Bluetones on Thursday – a bit of an institution […]
-THE RITZ, MANCHESTER- “We did our first live show in Manchester,” beams Jungle’s Josh Lloyd-Watson mid-set, with evident pride. And tonight they’re back, bringing the urban beat to the urbane heart of Manchester, organic beats emerging from our concrete jungle. Together with childhood friend, school pal and one-time next-door neighbour Tom McFarland, the duo formed […]

LIVE: JUNGLE – 10/05/2018

LIVE: PETE ASTOR / SKI SAIGON – 12/05/2018

-THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER- Pete Astor was once labelled the next ‘Dylan’ by Creation Records head honcho Alan McGhee who signed Astor’s then band The Loft to McGhee’s fledgling record company in 1984. Unfortunately following the demise of The Loft and his second band, The Weather Prophets, the latter being signed to the major label […]
-ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER- “Jazz is like a telescope, and a lot of other music is like a microscope,” speaks Los Angeles-born saxophonist Kamasi Washington, who since the age of three has been an obsessive practicing musician, and with 34-years of experience now behind him, can site Kendrick Lamar and Ryan Adams as collaborators while still […]

LIVE: KAMASI WASHINGTON – 04/05/2018