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

LIVE: YO LA TENGO – 30/04/2018

-ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER- The songs that have escaped New Jersey trio Yo La Tengo’s three-decades of eclectic experimentation spin in slow-motion in the form of little silver discs above the stage of Manchester’s Academy 2, and the evening aims to honour the dichotomy between unclouded atmosphere and razor-wire feedback that hangs above them as they […]
-THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER- Tonight is an exciting night for me for two reasons. Firstly, I have patronised the Castle Hotel on a few evenings, but have never ventured past the cosy piano room. Tonight I get to visit door number 2, joyfully adding another Manchester music venue to my ever growing list. Upon entering, […]

LIVE: STELLA DONNELLY – 07/05/2018

LIVE: WE ARE SCIENTISTS – 09/05/2018

-RITZ, MANCHESTER- Out of that mid noughties indie disco scene, there haven’t been many bands that have stood their ground and kept going in the same way that We Are Scientists have. Keith and Chris have just released their sixth long player Megaplex, which sees the band take a more electronically infused tone to their indie […]
-VARIOUS, SALFORD- Once a year the incredible people behind Sounds From The Other City (SFTOC) turn a section of Chapel Street and the surrounding area into an oasis of the best new music in the country that’s like a playground to explore and discover your next favourite band. Over 130 acts play across 20 odd […]

LIVE: SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY 2018 – 06/05/2018

LIVE: WYE OAK – 04/05/2018

-DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER- Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner tells us that she and her fellow American bandmates started their day in London, completing a radio session at a BBC studio for Lauren Laverne’s 6 Music show. Departing for Manchester in the van at around 2pm, for reasons of Bank Holiday traffic it was only by the […]
-THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER- A projectile courgette carves a path, like Gravity’s Rainbow, from the stage into the audience. This is music with menaces and only one of many signs that tonight is not the usual gig fare. When an artist is able to weaponise vegetables, you know they’re on to something. Kaze are the […]

LIVE: KAZE – 27/04/2018