– THE ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER – I saw (and reviewed) Django Django live in Manchester earlier this year at the Manchester Cathedral and the risk of repeating myself is high, so I’ll make a conscious effort to avoid that. The ‘problem’ is that they are simply brilliant, and at The Albert Hall – if possible […]
– BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER – Releasing an album on the 11th December and touring it before it’s even out, doesn’t sound like a move learnt from the PR textbook. But judging by tonight’s crowd, such things don’t appear to matter if your Jenny Lee Lindberg of Warpaint fame. If you don’t know, she’s […]
– GULLIVER’S, MANCHESTER – It’s a rather windy night as I catch the train to the ever impressively bustling city of Manchester, looking forward to a gang of Geordies putting on a heavy, sweaty and no doubt exciting show. Accompanied by yet another beautiful female companion, I have no idea why she agreed to come […]
– SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER – Before the gig I repeat to myself ‘Sex Swing, Sex Swing, Sex Swing’ but what the frack does it mean, ‘Sex Swing’? Sounds good though, the sex, the swing. Anyway, I don’t remember if because I was looking for the band online or if I had had a brief epiphany […]
– AATMA, MANCHESTER – Wolfgang Flür hails from Frankfurt, Germany and was a member of the illustrious and incredibly influential Kraftwerk from 1973 to 1987 where he played electronic percussion. Post-Kraftwerk, Flür founded Yamo in 1997 and released the album Time Pie, which was a collaboration with Mouse On Mars. In October this year, Flür […]
– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – Lanterns On The Lake are a moody Geordie band – doesn’t sound right, I know, but that oxymoron sort of sums up their sound, dramatic but never without a tinge of ever-present joy. The five-piece’s stellar new track ‘Faultlines’, the first single to be taken off their third album […]
– FAT OUT’S BURROW (ISLINGTON MILL), SALFORD – As another underwhelming and frustrating day at work draws to a close the abbreviation “WWPD?” is whirling around my head. Because I know the lady I am going to see would not stand for this boring, crap job: yes, “What Would Peaches Do?” Peaches (real name Merill) would […]
– THE LOWRY, SALFORD QUAYS – In an age of dreary X Factor hopefuls and manufactured pop acts, it’s always easy to forget the existence of raw talent in the music industry. Benjamin Clementine represents a refreshing alternative to the norm. Having been born in London, he plied his trade by busking on the Metros of […]
-THE O2 RITZ, MANCHESTER – As the year draws to a close, Courtney Barnett can look back on it as being something of a successful one. The last twelve months has seen the release of her latest album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit and the acclaim on the back […]
– MANCHESTER CENTRAL, MANCHESTER – Alt-J & Manchester Central – a duo that is definitely up there on the matches made in heaven list, alongside peanut butter & banana or Courtney Love & Kurt Cobain. Festival speakers hang from each side of the stage and an impressive catenary curved roof spans over the wave of […]