LIVE: HOLIDAY GHOSTS / FRUIT TONES – 23/03/2019

-YES (THE BASEMENT), MANCHESTER- I was slightly disparaging about aspects of YES on account of my visit to it on its opening weekend but it’s clear that the rest of Manchester stand in firm disagreement. Walking in to the sound of Joy Division this Saturday night it’s clear that it has managed to sustain the […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- London’s own afro-funk party known as Ibibio Sound Machine have gained a passionate following from all walks of life, young and old. A likely reasoning is the way they sew West-African dance and funk music with the hyper-animated electro-punk heard over at labels like DFA Records. Tonight, they play at Yes in Manchester […]

LIVE: IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE / AADAE – 15/03/2019

LIVE: SELF ESTEEM – 14/03/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- Self Esteem is the new solo project of former Slow Club member Rebecca Taylor, a band which I know very little about so that’s all the info you’re getting about them from me. Having never been a fan of said band, I came to Self Esteem on the back of hearing the wonderful […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- I’ve comprised a theory that Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice and Nick Valensi of The Strokes secretly had four children. They’re stood right in front of me, being blinded by the projector showing images of a trippy nature; disturbing to some viewers but hypnotising to most. They might’ve thrown in some of Ross […]

LIVE: WILLIE J. HEALEY / EGYPTIAN BLUE – 20/02/2019

LIVE: BODEGA / GONG GONG GONG – 17/02/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- Gong Gong Gong Probably the first foreign (not that it matters really) music act I have reviewed, this duo of but bass and guitar invoke deliberate repetition in their playing style; unusual I suppose. The vocals, adequate in their delivery as the set progresses, are sung in Cantonese lyrics; while I am fond […]
YES (THE BASEMENT), MANCHESTER- First of all: what a name for a project. Imagine all the songs in the world that have ‘lala’ in them, then thinking ‘I’m going to call my band that’ and sticking another ‘lala’ on the end of it and thinking ‘my work here is done’, and you’d be right in […]

LIVE: LALA LALA – 19/02/2019

LIVE: TOY – 15/02/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- The last time I saw Toy was when I reviewed them for Silent Radio back in 2012. A lot has happened since then, but I still remember their instrumental wonders filling all corners of the Soup Kitchen. Tonight, they’re playing at Yes. I’ve yet to see a gig here and I’m excited to […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- Wild Nothing are a group hellbent on melting my insides via extreme doses of summertime nostalgia and as they step onto the stage, I anticipate an epic singalong where only I will be vocal. That’s right, the dickhead in the Carhartt with his arms in the air all night is me, what you […]

LIVE: WILD NOTHING / J FERNANDEZ – 11/02/2019

LIVE: SWEARIN’ – 31/01/2019

-YES, MANCHESTER- I’m not one to partake in salacious gossip (*side eyes emoji*), but it seems like talking about scrappy Philadelphia lo-fi heroes Swearin’ without talking about their storied past is almost impossible. So…after a couple of brilliant albums, including 2013’s magnificent Surfing Strange, singer/guitarist Alison Crutchfield and band mate Kyle Gilbride, who were dating, […]
-YES, MANCHESTER- Fads come and fads go. It’s what keeps the system churning over. Our fair city has dozens of venues that need filling every night, whilst carefully curated publications like this one rely on fresh artists to emerge at a constant, consistent rate. We crave the new. And yes, at times the hype can […]

LIVE: BLACK MIDI – 26/01/2019