Monday 31 October 2016

LIINES / Heavy Heart / Lull - London Birthdays - 29th October 2016



LIINES launched their new double A-side single Disappear / Be Here with a triumphant show at Birthdays in Dalston, London on Saturday night supported by Heavy Heart and Lull. Armed with the confidence of universally positive reviews of the single and with a couple of new songs, they cemented their growing reputation as one of the most raw and exciting live bands around.

Friday 28 October 2016

Hidden Charms / The Vryll Society - Manchester Gorilla - 27th October 2016


Two of the country's most exciting new bands have combined to go on a double header tour. Whilst Hidden Charms and The Vryll Society performances might differ in style, they both exude an exuberant energy and love of playing live backed up with sets that demonstrate they're both developing into bands that could break through big time in 2017.

Heavy Heart - Interview


London five-piece Heavy Heart have spent 2016 releasing a song a month building their name and reputation steadily with each song showing a different side of them. We spoke to lead singer Anna ahead of their support slot with LIINES on Saturday about how the band came together, why they took the Wedding Present approach to releasing songs and what they've got planned for 2017.

Thursday 27 October 2016

EXCLUSIVE : Track Of The Day : Control Of The Going - She


We're delighted to be able to do the online reveal of Control Of The Going's new single She. A live favourite that often completes their set, it represents a massive progression for them from the minute the chiming guitars upon which Liam's vocals float kick in. Already having had an exclusive first airing from KEXP in Seattle, one of the world's best loved and influential alternative radio stations, She is the sound of Control Of The Going bursting out of the Manchester psyche scene where they've almost become the house band with aims much wider and further afield.

Wednesday 26 October 2016

Track Of The Day : Nicole Atkins - A Little Crazy


A Little Crazy is the first track from Nicole Atkins' forthcoming fourth album Goodnight Rhonda Lee which is due for release in 2017, the follow up to her critically acclaimed 2014 album Slow Phaser, which made number eight in our album chart of that year.

Haley Bonar - Manchester Granada Studios - 25th October 2016


Currently on a UK tour and fresh from an appearance on Later With Jools, Haley Bonar and her band played an eight song set in the intimate surroundings of the old Granada Studios building in Manchester, broadcast live on internet channel Low Four.

Monday 24 October 2016

Thousand Yard Stare - Glasgow Nice N Sleazy - 21st October 2016


Purveyors of pop Thousand Yard Stare complete their UK tour with their first Scottish shows in nearly twenty five years with dates in Glasgow and the Shetlands. Seamlessly mixing songs old and new, they delighted a packed crowd at Glasgow's best small venue, Nice N Sleazy.

Farewell To The Tapestry


One of Manchester's finest bands have announced today that they're calling it a day after a show at The Witchwood in Ashton-Under-Lyne on Boxing Day, drawing to a close six mad years of The Tapestry. The four-piece always felt like they were on the brink, just about ready to make a breakthrough that never came, perhaps because they were always reluctant to compromise on their beliefs and principles to make it big, perhaps because they were already too old in a business that wants a bright young shiny band that can be manipulated and told what to do.  Those that witnessed their mad live shows, listened to their infectious catchy singles or spent time chatting to any of the four of them will mourn their passing after one final huge send off.

Saturday 22 October 2016

Berries - Those Funny Things EP


Back in July we previewed Sirens, the opening track on Berries' debut EP Those Funny Things on Shell Zenner's Amazing Radio. The EP is now ready to be released to the world and to our delight Siren proved to be just a taster of the wonders of the other five tracks.

Friday 21 October 2016

Captions - Iterations


Iterations is the debut album from Captions, a four-piece based in Ventura, California. Their sun-kissed location shines through loud and clearly in the mood of the nine tracks on the record, a perfect chilled out and laid back record.

Tuesday 18 October 2016

A Carefully Planned Festival Day 2 - 16th October 2016 (The Gildings / Corinthians / Hannah Nicholson / Katherine Priddy / Jo Rose / Freschard / Laura James / Freakout Honey / Soccer96)


Day Two of the sixth edition of A Carefully Planned Festival and as ever the line up threw up a number of clashes as well as times where we were forced onto a voyage of discovery. We saw The Gildings, Corinthians, Hannah Nicholson, Katherine Priddy, Jo Rose, Freschard, Laura James, Freakout Honey and Soccer96 across our favourite Northern Quarter venues.

Sunday 16 October 2016

A Carefully Planned Festival Day 1 - 15th October 2016 (Lake Komo / Laura J Martin / The Orielles / Peaness / The Tuts / Cowtown / Calico / The Capital)


Manchester's finest urban music festival is still A Carefully Planned. Held over two days each October across Northern Quarter venues and a proper DIY effort rather than corporately funded, it showcases bands that might never get the corporate success its bigger and better funded contemporaries put on for that exact reason. It's a vehicle for discovering new bands, opening up to genres that you wouldn't ordinarily go and watch and in its most inspired moments an introduction to bands that will become your favourites.

Saturday 15 October 2016

The Rainkings / The Train Set / Déjà Vega - Manchester Ruby Lounge - 13th October 2016



The Rainkings' comeback continued with their third show since reforming earlier this year at Manchester's Ruby Lounge.  Support came from another band from the late 80s / early 90s heyday making a comeback in The Train Set and the very much of the present Déjà Vega.

Friday 14 October 2016

Blossoms / Blacktop Queen / Glass Gang - New York Baby's All Right - 13th October 2016


Fresh from a sold-out UK tour, Blossoms have embarked on their first American tour this week. Our good friend Martin Clark caught up with them at Baby's All Right in New York City for their first American headline set.

Wednesday 12 October 2016

Summer Cannibals - Manchester Gullivers - 11th October 2016


With the launch of their third album Full Of It earlier this year, Summer Cannibals made a significant step-up both sonically and in terms of reach having signed to cult label Kill Rock Stars. This tour of the UK ahead of supporting The Wedding Present in Europe is their first visit to these shores and despite a low turnout for a number of reasons beyond their control, they delivered a set that delighted those of us who'd been waiting years for them to come to the UK.

Tuesday 11 October 2016

EXCLUSIVE : New York Tourists - Only For The Summer

New York Tourists have been making a name for themselves around Manchester with a series of incendiary high energy live shows and Only For The Summer is set to capitalise on that growing reputation, enhanced by a ferocious set at Kendal Calling that had crowds flocking to the Woodlands Stage. The single is out on Friday, but we have an exclusive stream on Even The Stars.

Lloyd Cole - Salford Lowry Theatre - 10th October 2016


With the success of last year's Collected Recordings 1983-1989 spanning Lloyd Cole's career with The Commotions and a forthcoming boxset of similar magnitude covering his early solo albums early next year, there's no better time for Lloyd to take a look back over his career and perform this series of retrospective shows. A two-set performance, the second with his song William, covered most bases from 1983 to 1997 with old favourites as well as a few less well-known tracks to a packed attentive audience in the beautiful surroundings of the Lowry's Quay Theatre.

Monday 10 October 2016

Julia Jacklin - Don't Let The Kids Win


Julia Jacklin’s debut album Don’t Let The Kids Win is one of the most impressive debut albums released this year. The twenty-five year old singer-songwriter hails from Australia’s Blue Mountains and the album feels like a collection of stories of her life and her observations on it to date, full of heartaches and lessons learnt.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Georgie - Company Of Thieves


Georgie was one of our top five tips for 2016, but she's had a relatively quiet year up to now, but that's about to change with the release of her debut single Company Of Thieves and her October and  December tour dates with Jake Bugg and the omnipotent Blossoms that will catapult her into the spotlight and in all likelihood into all manner of sound of 2017 lists.

Friday 7 October 2016

Ist Ist / Louie Louie - Manchester Dive Bar - 6th October 2016


CTRL is a new live music club night launched on Thursday claiming to showcase the city's best live bands and touting The Charlatans' Tim Burgess as guest DJ. In Ist Ist and Louie Louie they at least deliver on the band side of the deal.

Tuesday 4 October 2016

Blossoms / Cabbage - Glasgow ABC - 1st October 2016


The Blossoms bandwagon rolled into Glasgow on Saturday night with another sold out show at Glasgow's ABC mixing tracks from their self-titled debut album with some deeper cuts from the accompanying singles. The night was opened up by the riotous Cabbage.

Track Of The Day - Liset Alea - Alexander

Liset Alea's new single Alexander comes from her forthcoming album Heart-Headed released at the end of the month. The Cuban-American singer is probably best known for her time as lead singer of Nouvelle Vague, but Alexander sees her branching out on her own with a powerfully intimate and delicate string-laden track, which she describes as a man and a woman who find themselves living an amorous chess game, that gives her voice room to breathe and wrap itself around the listener.

Monday 3 October 2016

David Ford - Manchester Fallow Cafe - 2nd October 2016


David Ford has been quiet for much of 2016 recording a new album for release next year and preparing for impending fatherhood. Ahead of that, he's out playing a few small intimate shows that both preview new material and revisit old favourites. We caught up with him in the cosy surroundings of the Fallow Cafe in Manchester for two sets littered with songs from his four albums, his numerous EPs, five new songs and a lot of conversation.

Sunday 2 October 2016

The Phantoms / IBG - Glasgow King Tut's Wah Wah Hut - 1st October 2016



A sold-out show at King Tut's is no mean achievement for an unsigned band, but Edinburgh's The Phantoms did just that for the Glasgow instalment of This Feeling's club night. We joined a boisterous beered up crowd to watch them deliver a powerful set of big straight down the middle rock and roll punches after a great set from Glasgow's IBG.

Saturday 1 October 2016

Thousand Yard Stare / Our Fold - Manchester Deaf Institute - 29th September 2016


The reformation of Thousand Yard Stare was possibly not high on the list of "reunions you'd like to see" polls, but for those that fell for the charms of Slough's finest in the early 1990s it was one of the most exciting announcements of last year. Freshly armed with Live At Electric Studios, an album of revisited versions of their finest songs and a selection of new ones, they're on their first UK tour for twenty-three years and we caught up with them at the opening night at Manchester's Deaf Institute. Support came from Bolton's Our Fold.

Blossoms / Cabbage - Manchester Academy - 30th September 2016


From the likes of Sound Control to the Academy and two weeks at the top of the album charts in two years is some journey for Blossoms, but as the last strains of Charlemagne rang out around the aircraft hangar that is the Academy, the overwhelming feeling is that this is just another stepping stone on their unstoppable rise to the very top. The show was opened up by Mossley's own Cabbage, a shirtless rabble that took a lifeless crowd and left them in a heaving mess by the end of their set.