Sunday 29 January 2017

Richard Hawley / Juanita Stein - Hebden Bridge Trades Club - 28th January 2017


As part of Independent Venue Week, Richard Hawley played the first of two special acoustic nights accompanied only by his trusty guitarist Shez Sheridan and harmonica player Clive Mellor at Hebden Bridge Trades Club with support by Juanita Stein who is embarking on her debut album in the next few months.

Friday 27 January 2017

Cabbage / The Goa Express / Avalanche Party - Hebden Bridge Trades Club - 26th January 2017



As part of Independent Venue Week, Cabbage headlined the latest of a series of gigs at our favourite independent venue, The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge in one of the last chances we're likely to get to see the most important new band in Britain in such intimate surroundings.  Support came from Avalanche Party and The Goa Express.

Thursday 26 January 2017

Dream Wife / Move - Manchester Night And Day - 24th January 2017



One of the most touted new bands around Dream Wife returned to Manchester to headline DIY's Hello 2017.  They more than lived up to the excited hysteria that's building around their live shows with a twelve song set from their debut EP and forthcoming album that took no prisoners yet was a whole load of fun with it. Support came from Manchester's Move.

Monday 23 January 2017

Carnival Club / Kashmere / Crimsons - Manchester Soup Kitchen - 21st January 2017



Saturday afternoon and night saw the first Lucoo all-dayer in Soup Kitchen with eight bands on the bill. Due to other commitments we were only able to catch three in the early evening, but with Carnival Club, Kashmere and Crimsons, we struck lucky.

Track Of The Day : Ist Ist - Silence


Ist Ist are a band on an unstoppable rise. Already famed locally for their incendiary and often controversial live shows, the three-piece have just released the video to their new single Silence ahead of their now sold out show at Salford's Sacred Trinity Church on February 3rd. We exclusively tipped the song on Shell Zenner's Amazing Radio show a couple of weeks back, but now it's online in all its doom-laden glory.

The Strawberries / The Assist / Jordan Allen / April / Dantevilles / White Room - Manchester Night And Day (This Feeling Big In 2017) - 21st January 2017




This Feeling club nights have become a thing of urban legend in music circles, the night that all bands want to get on as a stepping stone to bigger things. To see in 2017, they've set up Big In nights to showcase new talent that they believe will make an impact this year and we caught up with six of the eight bands on the Manchester bill on Saturday night at the Night And Day.

Sunday 22 January 2017

Peaness / Cowtown - Manchester Soup Kitchen - 20th January 2017


A packed Friday night Soup Kitchen crowd were treated to two sets of contrasting brilliance from Chester three-piece Peaness and Leeds' Cowtown.

Saturday 21 January 2017

The Vryll Society / Francobollo / Purple Heart Parade - Manchester Deaf Institute - 19th January 2017



The Vryll Society made a triumphant return to Manchester on Thursday night following last year's dual headliner with Hidden Charms at Gorilla. Throwing off front man Mike's throat infection that could have pulled the gig, they deliver a spellbinding set supported ably by Sweden-via-London's Francobollo and Manchester's own Purple Heart Parade.

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Track Of The Day : Rhine Valley - Tell The Truth


Tell The Truth is the debut song from the mysterious two piece Rhine Valley.  They describe themselves as "Melody & Riddims. Explosive heavyweights" and reveal nothing else other than their names on their Facebook page. But one listen to Tell The Truth and the two dark mysterious playful one and three quarter minute snippets on their Soundcloud page and it's very quickly clear that they're going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Tuesday 17 January 2017

October Drift - Manchester Night And Day Cafe - 15th January 2017


It's one of life's mysteries why October Drift are not much bigger than they are. One of the most visually thrilling live bands around, never standing still for a minute, either lost in the music or seeking to engage with and in the crowd, they brought their ever increasingly powerful live show to Manchester's Night And Day on a cold January night and swept away the cobwebs of the post-Christmas gig slowdown.

Thursday 5 January 2017

Track Of The Day : Blaylock - Lighthouse


We don't know much about Blaylock other than Lighthouse is the debut single from the Manchester based artist. A piano based track, simple, plain and emotional, it lets the words and his voice do the bidding for it. It feels dramatic, heartfelt and genuine and hopefully the first work of a real talent.  It precedes an EP that's due out soon.