Monday 29 September 2014

Dave Fidler - I'm Not Here

Dave Fidler's debut album I'm Not Here is one of those albums that might not reach the audience of more celebrated singer-songwriters, but those that are lucky enough to cross its path will recognise it as one of the finest of the genre and timeless in creation and execution.

Saturday 27 September 2014

Introducing - From Carbon

From Carbon are a four-piece band from Manchester that are due to release their debut album Wealth at the end of November.  Ahead of that we had a listen to some of their demos and were suitably impressed.

Friday 26 September 2014

Brown Brogues - Interview

Brown Brogues are releasing four songs as part of a split Cassette Store Day EP with Eternal Summers on Haus of Pins label.  We caught up with Mark from the band to discuss how they ended up in Manchester, their love of unusual formats and their new video which has them playing in a school.

Thursday 25 September 2014

Black English (NO) - Manchester Cathedral - 24th September 2014

Black English are one of America's best-kept musical secrets.  They're the sort of band that the NME and London press fawn over as the next great import, except they, like Milo Greene, would actually be worthy of the hype were it to come their way.  They're out on a rare UK trip supporting Yann Tiersen and we caught them at Manchester Cathedral.

PINS - Interview


PINS release a three-track cassette of covers of 1960's girl-band garage classics on Saturday as part of Cassette Store Day.   We spoke to Faith and Lois from the band about friendship, recording their second album, running their own label and their upcoming trip to the US.

Wednesday 24 September 2014

Purple Heart Parade - Interview

Purple Heart Parade have been generating a buzz in Manchester for the past year or so.  Now they're about to unleash not one, but two singles on us.  We spoke to front man Peter Cowap and bass player Ste Woods about how that came about and their plans for the future.

Monday 22 September 2014

The Slow Readers Club / The Reveurs / Hey Sholay - Manchester Night And Day - 20th September 2014



The Slow Readers played to a sold-out Night And Day in Manchester to celebrate the release of their new single Don't Mind on Monday.  They also introduced a new song, Cavalcade, to the set.  Support came from The Reveurs, Hey Sholay and Morning Pilgrims.

Sunday 21 September 2014

Rachel Hillary - Comfort Me With Apples EP

Comfort Me With Apples is Rachel Hillary's second EP this year, the follow-up to The Singing Of Birds and already a huge step-up.  Tinged with a hint of sadness and a lilting Belfast twang, her voice entices the listener in and melts their heart with simple, yet beautifully poignant takes on Celtic folk.

We're delighted to announce we're revealing a song a day from Thursday through Sunday ahead of the EP's release on Monday.

Saturday 20 September 2014

Tanya Donelly / Throwing Muses - Manchester Academy 2 - 19th September 2014


It's a tour most hardcore UK Throwing Muses fans have waited a quarter of a century for - Tanya Donelly reunited with Kristin Hersh on stage for the first time playing some of the songs that made them possibly the most powerful and inventive female-fronted band of the late 1980s.  We went along to Manchester Academy 2 to witness this special moment.

Thursday 18 September 2014

A Day With Catfish And The Bottlemen

 
To celebrate the release of their debut album The Balcony, Catfish and The Bottlemen hit Manchester for a session at XFM and an in-store at Manchester HMV.  We went along to see how they're coping with their new found star status.

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Mary Joanna And The Southern Electrikk - Interview

Mary Joanna And The Southern Electrikk release their debut single Wasted next Monday (September 22nd) and play a launch gig at The Tiger Lounge in Manchester this Saturday (20th).  We spoke to keyboard player Rikki Turner about the band and their background.

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Introducing - Laura James

Cumbria-born singer-songwriter Laura James and her band The Lyres released her latest EP Every Little Amber and accompanying video this week.

Monday 15 September 2014

Manchester Dogs Home Charity Fundraiser

Following the tragic fire at Manchester Dogs Home on Friday night, the £1m donations in twenty-four hours made news worldwide.  To show support locally a benefit gig has been arranged by Manchester venue bosses, managers, DJs and artists to take place at Sound Control on Sunday 21st September.

Catfish And The Bottlemen - The Balcony


Catfish And The Bottlemen have been plying their trade for six years now, yet are being seen as an overnight success.  Their debut album The Balcony precedes a sold-out UK tour and delivers on all the hype and promise that's surrounded them this year.

Sunday 14 September 2014

The Slow Readers Club - Interview


You may well have realised The Slow Readers Club are one of our favourite bands, having recently exclusively premiered their Don't Mind video.  Ahead of the single's launch on September 22nd and their gig at the Night And Day next Saturday, 20th, we spoke to Aaron, Kurtis and David from the band about their past and their forthcoming album.

Saturday 13 September 2014

Our Fold - Manchester Ruby Lounge - 12th September 2014

We recently featured Our Fold in our Introducing section.  Excited by their new single, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to catch them live headlining This Feeling's club night at Manchester's Ruby Lounge and we weren't disappointed.

Jenny Lewis - Manchester Ritz - 12th September 2014


Jenny Lewis stopped off at Manchester Ritz on her whistle-stop tour of the UK to promote her third solo album The Voyager and charmed us all with a mix of tracks from it and a few favourites from her earlier solo albums and her Rilo Kiley past.

Friday 12 September 2014

Sister Flo - Tragician's Hat

If there were any justice in the world, Tragician's Hat would be recognised worldwide as a classic album of its time. Released in 2004 it marked a landmark in Finnish independent music movement with wistful guitars, seemingly effortless hooks and one of those rare records that fits together perfectly as a whole.  It's been reissued by our friends at Soliti with a bonus disc to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

U2 - Songs Of Innocence

Here at Even The Stars, we're a bit ambivalent towards U2.  They've made some great records and also some dross.  They've given us their latest album Lost Innocence for free, so we thought we'd share our thoughts on it with you as we play it for the first (and maybe last) time so you don't have to listen to it.

Introducing - Wall Market Racketeers (Invisible Ink EP Review)

Wall Market Racketeers’ debut release is an EP entitled Invisible Ink.  It manages a neat trick of being minimalist and yet intricately detailed at the same time.  It's one of the most exciting new records we've heard this year.

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Purple Heart Parade / The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger - Manchester Ruby Lounge - 8th September 2014


It's not often you get a packed out Ruby Lounge on a Monday night, particularly for a band that hasn't yet set the charts alight or been hyped by the media, but the draw of a son of a Beatle fronting the remarkably named The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger plus the appearance of local heroes Purple Heart Parade meant that there's a fairly sizeable crowd in for this show.

Monday 8 September 2014

John Bramwell - Live At The Trades

As frontman of I Am Kloot, John Bramwell is one of the celebrated and charismatic band leaders of his generation.  Live At The Trades captures him performing many of the band's classic songs as they were written with just him and an acoustic guitar.

Introducing - Lazuli


Lazuli is a female artist from Sheffield about whom we know very little, but we've been bewitched by her song Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?

Sunday 7 September 2014

Velvet Two Stripes - VTS

You don't usually associate Switzerland with loud rock and roll music, but Velvet Two Stripes are bucking that trend with the release of their debut LP entitled VTS which sets down a marker for all-women rock bands to aim for.

Saturday 6 September 2014

No Hot Ashes / Velocets / Jordan Allen - Manchester Kraak Gallery - 5th September 2014


The latest of Mr Peeps' headline shows in Manchester pulls together the highly-tipped No Hot Ashes, Velocets and Jordan Allen.   We went along to check whether the hype machine is in working order.

Friday 5 September 2014

Kate Bush - Hammersmith Apollo - 29th August 2014

Kate Bush commenced her run of 22 shows in London last week.  Debby Walker went along to see her musical heroine, 35 years on from seeing her perform in Manchester aged just nine. As back then she left utterly bewitched.

Tuesday 2 September 2014

The Minx - Interview

The Minx reissue their debut single No Friends this week.  We spoke to front man Chris Haddon about the last eighteen months in the band's rise and their plans for the future.

Monday 1 September 2014

Esben And The Witch - A New Nature

Brighton trio Esben And The Withc return with their 3rd LP, on their own label, winning over Stuart Ralston in the process.

Henry Maybury - Lost Days EP


Henry Maybury's debut EP Lost Days is an accomplished first offering, which demonstrates a voice that stands him out from the multitude of singer/songwriters striving to be heard.  But as we delved further, there's far more to Henry that meets as the eye as he's championing the cause of addiction charities as a result of a tragedy of his own.