Friday 31 May 2013

Jess Harwood - I'll Find A Way - EP review

Jess Harwood

I'll Find A Way EP

DL / CD

Out Now

Self-released via Bandcamp

Jess Harwood is a twenty-year old singer-songwriter from Blackpool who's slowly but surely growing a burgeoning reputation on the live circuit in the North West.  She's recently released her debut EP I'll Find A Way via Bandcamp.

Monday 27 May 2013

Gramotones - Manchester Pretty Green - 26th May 2013

The Gramotones

Manchester Pretty Green

26th May 2013

There's a growing buzz about The Gramotones, built upon a growing reputation as a live band with a fantastic knack for harmonies and great straight-forward intelligent tunes and lyrics, backed by a couple of self-released EPs.  They've caught the attention of Tim Burgess who has invited them to support on his autumn tour and Liam Gallagher, whose Pretty Green chain asked them to do this in-store and one in London a couple of days earlier.  We went along to see what the fuss was all about.

Sunday 26 May 2013

Little Sparrow - Chorlton Nook And Cranny - 25th May 2013

Little Sparrow

Chorlton Nook And Cranny

May 25th 2013

Little Sparrow’s headline set as part of the Chorlton Arts Festival was scheduled for the Nook And Cranny, a tiny little bar / restaurant bar by Chorlton Metrolink station.  It’s a beautifully intimate setting for an evening of music with a respectful audience there to listen to the music rather than chattering away as we’d experienced at her set at Dot To Dot the previous night.


Friday 24 May 2013

Dot To Dot - Manchester various venues - 23rd May 2013

Dot To Dot is a one-day festival across three UK cities on consecutive days. It's a multi-venue festival where one wristband gets you access to all bands in any of the venues. Fresh from three days of this experience at The Great Escape, we attended the first of the three at Dot to Dot Manchester and this is what we thought.


Thursday 23 May 2013

The National - Trouble Will Find Me - album review

The National - Trouble Will Find Me (4AD

CD / LP / DL 

Out Now

9.5 / 10

You sense that Trouble Will Find Me is a direct reaction to the success of The National’s previous album High Violet, where Matt Berninger’s personal demons became a rallying point, and - whisper it quietly - a clarion call for the lonely, self-doubting, confused masses of the indie-rock crossover fanbase that the band had acquired over the course of their previous critically acclaimed albums.

Sunday 19 May 2013

The Great Escape Day 3 - Brighton various venues - 18th May 2013

The Great Escape is a three-day festival spread across thirty of Brighton’s finest small and medium sized venues attracting hundreds of acts from across the world.  It’s now become the opening event of the UK festival season and attracts visitors from all over the country and further afield.  We trawled the streets armed with a map and a timetable and an iPhone for last minute schedule changes and Twitter recommendations.  Following on a band-packed Day 1and a more relaxed Day 2, this is who we saw on the third and final day.

She And Him: Volume 3 - album review

She And Him - Volume 3 (Domino Recordings)

CD / DL / LP

Out Now

7.5/10

Easily dismissed as the doe-eyed star of cheesy TV and chick-flick flims, Zooey Deschanel proves on her third She And Him album with M Ward that there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Saturday 18 May 2013

The Great Escape Day 2 - Brighton various venue - 17th May 2013

The Great Escape is a three-day festival spread across thirty of Brighton’s finest small and medium sized venues attracting hundreds of acts from across the world.  It’s now become the opening event of the UK festival season and attracts visitors from all over the country and further afield.  David Brown from Louder Than War trawled the streets armed with a map and a timetable and an iPhone for last minute schedule changes and Twitter recommendations.  Following on a band-packed Day 1, this is who we saw on Day 2.

Friday 17 May 2013

The Great Escape Day 1 - Brighton various venues - 16th May 2013

The Great Escape is a three-day festival spread across thirty of Brighton's finest small and medium sized venues attracting hundreds of acts from across the world.  It's now become the opening event of the UK festival season and attracts visitors from all over the country and further afield.  We trawled the streets armed with a map and a timetable and an iPhone for last minute schedule changes and Twitter recommendations and this is who he saw.

Sunday 12 May 2013

Liam Frost / Hannah And Lois - Manchester Anthony Burgess International Foundation - 11th May 2013

Liam Frost / Hannah And Lois

Manchester International Anthony Burgess Foundation

Saturday May 11th 2013

It’s been two and a half years since Liam Frost’s last solo gig.  As he prepares songs for his third album, he ventured to the unique surroundings of The International Anthony Burgess Foundation to dust down some old favourites.

Saturday 11 May 2013

The Tapestry / The Delaplains / The Watchmakers - Manchester Band On The Wall - 10th May 2013

The Tapestry / The Delaplains / The Watchmakers

Manchester Band On The Wall

10th May 2013

Three of the most exciting up-and-coming bands in town on one bill?  It’s difficult to turn this sort of evening down.   We went down to The Band On The Wall in Manchester to check out The Watchmakers, The Delaplains and headliners The Tapestry.

Saturday 4 May 2013

The Rainkings - Interview with Stephen Holt and Dave Swift

The first release on the resurrected Playtime Records is Another Time 1989-1994, a compilation of singles, outtakes and unreleased tracks by The Rainkings, who featured Stephen Holt and Dave Swift after they left Inspiral Carpets in 1989.  Twenty-four years on, we met up with Stephen and Dave in a Manchester boozer to discuss the history of the band and the reasons for the compilation.