EVEN THE STARS
Friday 26 April 2024
TRACK OF THE DAY : Ist Ist - The Kiss
Thursday 25 April 2024
October Drift - Hebden Bridge Trades Club - 24th April 2024
Wednesday 24 April 2024
Hey Bulldog / The Lotts - Manchester Rose And Monkey - 23rd April 2024
Monday 22 April 2024
English Teacher - Manchester Soup - 22nd April 2024
LIINES / Hungry - Manchester Gorilla - 20th April 2024
Sunday 21 April 2024
Personal Trainer - Manchester Academy 3 - 20th April 2024
Personal Trainer headlined a sold out sauna-like Academy 3 in Manchester on Saturday night as the 6 Music favourites delivered an upbeat set taken from their debut album Big Love Blanket as well as singles and new material.
Ist Ist / Aerial Salad / Dog Sport - Liverpool Arts Club - 19th April 2024
Ist Ist headed to Liverpool for the penultimate show of their UK and European tour, filling out the loft of the Arts Club supported by Salford upstarts Aerial Salad and local support Dog Sport. Performing tracks from their forthcoming fourth album as well as their three albums to date they reinforced the growing belief that anything that stops their rise is going to come from outside the band's control.
Friday 19 April 2024
Johnny Marr / Gaz Coombes - Nottingham Rock City - 14th April 2024
Johnny Marr has just wrapped up a ten-date tour in support of Spirit Power - a compilation album commemorating a decade since he embarked on his solo career. The tour saw the guitar legend perform at iconic venues across the UK, including Hammersmith Apollo and Glasgow Barrowlands, before culminating at Nottingham’s Rock City. Johnny's career has been interwoven with a multitude of musicians since its inception and he often embarks on tours with them. For his ‘Spirit Power’ tour, he was joined by Supergrass frontman and solo artist, Gaz Coombes.
TRACK OF THE DAY : Vice Vera - Tourist
Thursday 11 April 2024
James - Yummy
James release their 18th studio album on Friday. Graham McPhail, aka TimBoothLyrics on social media, takes a critical look at the twelve tracks that make up one of the strongest records of their career to date.
Thursday 4 April 2024
James - Pudding
James release their eighteenth studio album Yummy on April 12th. The deluxe edition features another twelve tracks, collectively known as Pudding, which feature outtakes and demos and jams from the sessions. Even in their mostly unfinished state they provide a fascinating insight into the band’s songwriting methods that’s often talked about but rarely made public.
Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future
At only thirty-two and with her main output heading up the prolific Big Thief, Adrianne Lenker has just released her fifth solo album Bright Future. Julia Grantham takes us with her on her own voyage of discovery.
Sunday 31 March 2024
Easter - Manchester Star And Garter - 29th March 2024
Easter launched their album Facsimile Of A Dream on Good Friday appropriately at The Star And Garter. Against a sombre backdrop of the venue's landlord passing away earlier in the day, they delivered a three quarters of an hour set of tracks from the album and their previous work.
Friday 29 March 2024
Greater Manchester Music Commission / The Mill / Night And Day
Monday 25 March 2024
Ist Ist / October Drift - Hilversum De Vorstin - 24th March 2024
Ist Ist continued their triumphant European tour, starting the homebound journey at De Vorstin, an impressive and imposing venue in the small sleepy town of Hilversum to a five hundred strong crowd on a Sunday night. Support came from the ever energetic October Drift.
Tuesday 19 March 2024
Inspiral Carpets - Stockport AMP - 18th March 2024
Inspiral Carpets played their smallest show in decades on Monday night with a packed out show at AMP in Stockport as part of its Town Of Culture celebrations. With a set full of most of their back catalogue of hits the intimate hot and sweaty gig was a real throwback to their roots as a garage band that grew up on stages of this size before fame came their way.
Friday 15 March 2024
Happy Mondays / Inspiral Carpets / Stereo MCs - Glasgow Barrowland - 14th March 2024
When Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets announced their tour last year, tickets for the shows were in high demand with some venues selling out instantly, resulting in no fewer than three Glasgow shows. Tonight was the first of those sell out shows. Stuart Ralston ventured home for the evening.
Friday 8 March 2024
TRACK OF THE DAY : IST IST - Lost My Shadow
IST IST return with a new single, Lost My Shadow, the first fruits of their recent recording sessions for their as-yet-unannounced fourth album. Featuring many of their trademark characteristics, but with a crisper more direct sounding purpose to it, the song ushers in what promises to be their most successful year to date.
Wednesday 6 March 2024
Neon Waltz - Manchester Castle Hotel - 5th March 2024
Tuesday 5 March 2024
The Last Dinner Party / Rachel Chinouriri - Hebden Bridge Trades Club - 4th March 2024
The Murder Capital - London Moth Club - 28th February 2024
Make no mistake about it, The Murder Capital’s journey to the very top is getting closer and world domination may just be around the corner if their latest offerings are fully taken onboard by the potential new fan base they may capture when supporting Pearl Jam in the not so distant future.
Friday 1 March 2024
John Bramwell And The Full Harmonic Convergence / Harriet Bradshaw - Manchester Stoller Hall - 29th February 2024
Wednesday 21 February 2024
Meryl Streek / Scattered Ashes / Marginal Gains - Newcastle Zerox - 19th February 2024
Since moving further up North it’s been noticeable that many bands bypass Newcastle as part of their U.K. tours yet the amazing Wandering Oak managed to pull off somewhat of a coup with a trio of talented artists - Meryl Streek, Scattered Ashes and Marginal Gains - at Newcastle Zerox.
John Bramwell - The Light Fantastic
Sunday 18 February 2024
The 1975 - Manchester Arena - 17th February 2024
Very few bands divide opinion as much as The 1975 these days. Persuaded to go along by two friends who are devotees to their headline show at the Arena in Manchester eleven years after being completely unimpressed by a nascent version of the band, we went with an open mind...
Saturday 17 February 2024
Smalltown Tigers / Chasing The Fall / The Homecoming - Stockport The Spinning Top - 16th February 2024
Wednesday 7 February 2024
The Last Dinner Party - Manchester HMV - 6th February 2024
Monday 5 February 2024
Ist Ist / Midnight Gallery - Huddersfield The Parish - 3rd February 2024
Ist Ist completed a triumphant four-date mini-tour for Independent Venue Week at a sold-out Parish in Huddersfield on Saturday night. Performing tracks from across their three albums, their recent reissue of their debut EPs and showcasing a couple of brand new songs they delighted the growing band of Ist Ist faithful with a show that confirmed their seemingly unstoppable momentum as they enter what promises to be the biggest year for the band yet.
SKIES - Manchester Gullivers - 1st February 2024
Thursday 1 February 2024
The Miserable Rich - Overcome
Ist Ist / Midnight Gallery - Preston The Ferret - 31st January 2024
TRACK OF THE DAY : John Bramwell - A World Full Of Flowers
Monday 29 January 2024
LIINES - Manchester New Century Hall - 26th January 2024
Saturday 20 January 2024
The Lottery Winners / Reverend And The Makers / Dirty Blonde - Manchester Apollo - 19th January 2024
Monday 15 January 2024
TRACK OF THE DAY : James - Is This Love
Tuesday 26 December 2023
Déjà Vega / Velkro - Manchester Yes - 23rd December 2023
Sunday 24 December 2023
EVEN THE STARS - TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2023
Monday 11 December 2023
Music Feeds Live - 27th February 2024
The Johnny Marr Orchestra - Manchester Aviva Studios - 7th December 2023
Johnny Marr has proved unstoppable this year - juggling multiple projects and leaving an indelible mark on the music scene. From joining The Pretenders at Glastonbury to releasing a photography book and a Greatest Hits album, his relentless creativity and dedication has made it a truly prolific and unforgettable 2023 for the legendary guitarist. To commemorate his tenth anniversary as a solo artist, Johnny has just performed two homecoming concerts at Manchester’s Factory International Aviva Studios, where him and his band were joined by a 30-piece orchestra. Led by conductor Fiona Brice, the orchestra was assembled by Johnny himself and composed of musicians from across the North.
Saturday 9 December 2023
The Slow Readers Club - Manchester New Century - 8th December 2023
The Slow Readers Club completed their Manchester mash-up with the biggest show of the three, a sold out show at the imposing New Century. A career spanning greatest hits set was accompanied by a brand new song in front of an adoring hometown crowd who sang, danced and lost themselves in music for an hour and a half.
Thursday 7 December 2023
Tom A Smith / Jack Valero / Tom Abisgold - Manchester Deaf Institute Lodge - 6th December 2023
Wednesday 6 December 2023
Lanterns On The Lake / Sophie Jamieson - Manchester Band On The Wall - 5th December 2023
Lanterns On The Lake brought their UK tour in support of this year's fifth studio album Versions Of Us to Manchester's Band On The Wall on Tuesday night. In front of an enthralled and attentive Manchester audience they played the album in full plus standout tracks from its Mercury Prize nominated predecessor Spook The Herd and a couple of old favourites. Support came from fellow Bella Union artist Sophie Jamieson.
Saturday 2 December 2023
The Slow Readers Club / Test Card Girl - Manchester Canvas - 1st December 2023
Thursday 30 November 2023
Dirty Laces - Blink For Nothing
Sunday 26 November 2023
Spaceheads / Paddy Steer - Manchester Carlton Club - 25th November 2023
Spaceheads, featuring Andy Diagram of James on trumpet and Richard Harrison on drums, played their first post-pandemic gig at a sold-out Carlton Club in Whalley Range on Saturday.
Saturday 25 November 2023
The Slow Readers Club / May Payne - Manchester Yes Basement - 24th November 2023
Friday 24 November 2023
TRACK OF THE DAY : Rosellas - The Same Curse
Rosellas continue their impressive volume of output with a new single Same Curse and b-sides Feels Like Yesterday and Who Remembers Love? ahead of support slots with The Stanleys and Starsailor to top off an impressive year of growth in the size of their own shows both in Manchester and further afield.