LIVE REVIEW – INHALER: MANCHESTER APOLLO – 08/02/2025

Imagine if you took a picture of your heart outside your chest and the very next day, more than 3,000 people were wearing it on a chain around their neck. This goes some way to describing how Inhaler must be feeling as they’re pumped on stage to find that the lyrics of their new album […]
The world is lacking many Motown inspired bands that are full of soul and character.  With bands like Thee Sacred Souls and Leon Bridges manning the lantern, The Altons are here to help fill that void, originating from Southeast LA and being grossly submerged in the growing soul scene.  From the sticky floors in local […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE ALTONS: HEARTACHE IN ROOM 14

ALBUM REVIEW – THE OCELOTS: EVERYTHING, WHEN SAID SLOWLY

I find myself on a train, witnessing the Welsh countryside pass me by as I head home. My soundtrack? A glistening acoustic folk album which reflects the setting and, at points, the thoughts entering my mind perfectly. The Ocelots’ Everything, When Said Slowly is remarkable in its divisive beauty, whether you find yourself focusing on […]
On The Wire is a long-running radio show presented by Steve Barker which started broadcasting in 1984. Unlike anything else on BBC Radio Lancashire (or any other station) in its Sunday afternoon heyday, it introduced its listeners to a huge array of sounds. Among the delights being offered up in the 1980s were On-U-Sounds, cutting […]

ALBUM REVIEW – BHAJAN BHOY: BHOY ON THE WIRE

LIVE REVIEW – FIELD MUSIC: BAND ON THE WALL – 06/02/2025

Last time I saw Field Music was on 28 February 2020 at the Dancehouse in Manchester. They were doing a tour of seated venues accompanied by visuals in support of their ‘Making A New World’ album which had arisen out of a commission for the Imperial War Museum. Those who were taking Covid seriously sensed […]
I’ll be honest, I didn’t anticipate there being that much of a turnout for this show. In actuality, the Kikuoland concert at Manchester Academy was sold out, but I had made the easy mistake of assuming that, as the music of the headliner is relatively niche and enjoyed particularly in communities whose interactions are mostly […]

LIVE REVIEW – KIKUOLAND: MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2 – 01/02/25

ALBUM REVIEW – OLLY ALEXANDER: POLARI

Olly Alexander, the former frontman of Years and Years, makes a striking debut with his album Polari. The title itself is a nod to a coded slang historically used by minority groups, particularly within the gay community, symbolising themes of visibility and self-expression. This rich metaphor is intricately woven into the lyrics, as Alexander embarks […]
Another busy week of new releases with plenty of highlights. Nadia Reid      Enter Now Brightness            Reid was pregnant during the album’s creation and plagued by morning sickness — there are photos of her asleep on the studio sofa and memories of vomiting between takes. But she found impending motherhood, and, later, the intricate process of […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 7 FEBRUARY 2025

ALBUM REVIEW – INHALER: OPEN WIDE

Orchids shoot upwards from a single point. Their stem and flowers stretch from one inseparably tangled mass of roots. Perhaps this imagery was the exact thinking behind the artwork for the third studio album of Irish sound-florists, Inhaler. Their Joy Division meets Radiohead feel coupled with an ambition and work ethic to rival any emerging […]
There is a magic to the story of The Delines’ foundation. Willy Vlautin, singer-songwriter with Richmond Fontaine, heard Amy Boone of The Damnations sing one ballad. So struck was he by her voice that he secretly wrote her songs for over a year before approaching her and asking to form a band. Fortunately, she was […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE DELINES: MR LUCK & MS DOOM