LIVE: DANIEL KNOX – 25/01/2016

– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – ‘This is a song about germs,’ breathes Daniel Knox. A few beads of sweat drip down his forehead as he introduces ‘Don’t Touch Me’. This starkly titled song taken from his self-titled latest album, he tells us beforehand, is about his germophobic tendencies narrated with a slight sense of […]
 – ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER – Great and wild Phil Campbell has this voice, so manly, so pleasantly throaty, that one could be watching his performance for countless hours. Even if he’s just singing a prosaic “Yeah-yeaaah-Naah-Na-ah-ah!”, in a hypnotic loop. Manchester’s Academy 2 is packed with fans of all range, from kids to those who […]

LIVE: THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT – 24/01/2016

LIVE: JASON ISBELL – 23/01/2016

– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – It’s an early start at The Ritz tonight. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, to give the evening’s main act its full name, is working to a 10pm curfew to allow time for the venue to put on its Light Boxx club night afterwards. Appearing in front of us with […]
 – THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – This naughty boy from another planet (although it is said he comes from Kirkby, Liverpool) causes a real mess here at The Castle Hotel. Judging by his appearance, it seems he has never hurt a fly, but his look inevitably betrays him. “Yes, it was me and I’d do […]

LIVE: LOUIS BERRY – 22/01/2016

LIVE: THE LIBERTINES – 23/01/2016

– MANCHESTER ARENA, MANCHESTER – There’s a sense of nostalgia is the air tonight as fans pour into the Manchester Arena. For many, The Libertines meant a sense of freedom in their most influential years – the teens. They gave us drug and alcohol fuelled rock anthems with lyrics that were catchy, and better sung slurred […]
– THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – No matter what genres of music you like to think you are generally affiliated to, some bands are just so good at what they do, it’s impossible to ignore them. I admit that the world of Indie folk isn’t something that I’ve been delving into of late, so I […]

LIVE: DAUGHTER – 21/01/2016

LIVE: BEACH SLANG – 21/01/2016

 – THE STAR & GARTER, MANCHESTER –  My new favourite band, sorry Fat White Family, you’re gonna have to share a room! Looking like Angus Young was an only child, frontman James Alex, not to be confused with Brit pop cheese maker of similar name, rallies the ranks with: “Hey we’re Beach Slang from Philadelphia […]
 – THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – The Maccabees are an all too rare band in this world of chew-them-up-spit-them-out hype blogs; a band who have been allowed to breathe and develop over a number of years and four good to brilliant albums. I dare say such a band wouldn’t be able to exist if they […]

LIVE: THE MACCABEES – 18/01/2016

LIVE: SLAVES / SPRING KING / WONK UNIT – 15/01/2016

– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – After a huge year, Slaves return to The Ritz once again and play a stellar show to an enthusiastic Mancunian crowd. With help from cockney punk good guys Wonk Unit and the up and coming Spring King, tonight is set to be a memorable evening of great music in a […]
– THE EAGLE INN, SALFORD – Due to late arrival at the Eagle Inn tonight, Kiran Leonard and band have to set up and soundcheck in front of a sold out and expectant room, and it’s both telling and enlightening to see how this unfolds. The standard soundcheck process tonight is both familiar and yet […]

LIVE: KIRAN LEONARD – 13/01/2016