LIVE: LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE / SILVER VIALS – 10/01/2019

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- 2019 is upon us and it’s the first gig of the year for your reviewer, and there are genuinely not many better ways to kick off than with tonight’s line up. Opening we have Silver Vials, a psych-tinged electronic duo whose changing line up and set up keeps fans and novices guessing […]
-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- As far as well respected Scottish artists go, you can’t get more loved than Aidan Moffat and RM Hubbert, so the news of the two collaborating together for an album brought joy to the ears of many. And as it happens, the album did the same thing. Released through Rock Action Records […]

LIVE: AIDAN MOFFAT & RM HUBBERT – 14/12/2018

LIVE: ESTRONS / LUCIA / URF – 07/11/2018

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- The first act tonight at Soup Kitchen is the Manchester 5 piece, URF. They have a shoegaze vibe, with sustained cries over sombre guitars and keyboards. A hypnotically doleful start to the evening. URF gradually rise, opening up towards the end of their set, letting loose over thumping rhythms. The gloom advancing […]
-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- The Soup Kitchen’s minimal décor is mirrored on stage. Only a guitar, an amp and a mirror sit waiting as the crowd enters for tonight’s show. Anna B Savage is on first, going straight into the set. Her sonorous vocals remind me of Jacob Collier, without the electronic harmoniser, each syllable hitting […]

LIVE: STELLA DONNELLY / ANNA B SAVAGE – 06/11/2018

LIVE: CAMP COPE – 31/08/2018

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- Last night I went to see Spike Lee’s new film Blackkklansman, and it’s pretty brilliant. It’s very funny, and, as you might expect, it packs a hell of a social conscious punch in it. I also felt extremely uncomfortable as a white man, in a cinema full of middle class white people, […]
-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- Tonight is a night of alcohol spillage, intense joyful smiling and immense musical pleasure. The US hip hop musician gives the crowd an experience few would have predicted possible before he coolly struts on stage at quarter past 9… the chance to dance like a funky white boy and not give a […]

LIVE: DAM-FUNK – 15/08/2018

LIVE: L.A. WITCH / AFGHAN SAND GANG – 27/06/2018

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- Tonight’s opening act are Afghan Sand Gang, a three piece from Mossley. The band comprises Paddy Neville on guitars and vocals, Matthew Burgess on synth and vocals, and Will Owen on bass. The tunes instantly bounding from the stage are a menagerie of psychedelic guitars; full of shimmering reverb, pulsing synths and […]
-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- Canadian band Born Ruffians have been releasing music since the early noughties and have toured the world, supporting the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip and Caribou along the way. Now, having just released their fifth studio album Uncle, Duke and The Chief, they are nearing the end of their own headline […]

LIVE: BORN RUFFIANS – 08/06/2018

LIVE: VIRGINIA WING / APOSTILLE – 23/05/2018

-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- In detailed album reviews from The Quietus, Virginia Wing receive strong praise. There is particular attention paid to the careful vocal blend of singer Alice Merida Richards, and also the various references their music nods towards (Broadcast and Stereolab to name two). Detachment, haze and dreaminess are all considered key elements of […]
-SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER- Metz are an unstoppable machine. Since their formation in 2008, the Toronto trio have been hell bent on delivering the best noise punk going: whether it’s through their constantly reliable back catalog or their ear blitzing live shows, they have not slowed down. Due to the visceral nature of the band’s sound, […]

LIVE: METZ / MOANING – 02/05/2018