Saturday 29 April 2017

The Big Moon - Manchester Deaf Institute - 28th April 2017


In tour in support of their magnificent debut album Love In The 4th Dimension, The Big Moon's debut Manchester headline show was a triumphant sold-out gig at the Deaf Institute, a venue that will soon feel like an intimate warm-up once they've charmed and slayed festival fields all summer.

Friday 28 April 2017

Cupids - Manchester Night And Day - 26th April 2017


Good Things (Come To Those Who Wait) was the title of Cupids' last single, which turns out to be their final release as they rode off into the sunset and pastures and projects new after a sold-out farewell show at the Night And Day in Manchester on Wednesday night. What would ordinarily be a sad affair turned out to be a celebration of both Cupids and their predecessors Gramotones.

Tuesday 25 April 2017

TRACK OF THE DAY : Janileigh Cohen - Not Born In Chains


It's been over two years since Janileigh Cohen released her stunning debut EP As A Child that marked out the Bolton singer-songwriter as a talent to be watched closely. 2016 was a quiet year as she wrote and recorded new material, releasing videos to You Tube. Not Born In Chains is the second online release of 2017 following Broken Town and showcases an artist with a unique expressive warm voice that it's almost impossible not to fall for.

Maximo Park - Manchester HMV - 23rd April 2017


Maximo Park are launching their latest album Risk To Exist with a series of intimate in-store performances. We caught their Sunday afternoon visit to Manchester's HMV to find out a little more about the record and hear five acoustic songs, three from the new album and two from Our Earthly Pleasures.

Monday 24 April 2017

Heaven On Earth - Manchester Halle St Peters - 22nd April 2017 (Hannah Nicholson, The Maitlands, The 99 Degree, The Creature Comfort. Hey Bulldog, OLA, Dantevilles, The Goa Express, Déjà Vega, Crimsons)


Heaven On Earth festival celebrated Earth Day on Saturday in the beautiful surroundings of Halle St Peters smack bang in the middle of the Ancoats construction zone. A wide range of bands hand-selected by the audience entertained the crowd throughout the day and evening.

Sunday 23 April 2017

Ist Ist - Manchester Peer Hat - 21st April 2017


Once in a long while a band that comes along that breaks the mould, refuses to play by the rules and stands aside from everything else around it. Those bands might not get the recognition they get at the time. Ist Ist are one of those bands and we went down to the basement of one of Manchester's newest venues The Peer Hat to witness their latest trail of destruction.

Saturday 22 April 2017

Déjà Vega - Interview


Déjà Vega have recently been in the studio recording their debut album after four years of releasing great singles and performing some incendiary live shows. We caught up with Jack from the band as they were preparing for their set at Heaven on Earth festival at Halle St Peters in Manchester today to talk about the record and their plans.

Thursday 20 April 2017

Dantevilles - Interview


Dantevilles look set to be one of the next bands to break out of the local scene in Manchester. Already with a record deal under their belt, their first national tour just behind them and their biggest hometown show in the offing in June as well as the patronage of the likes of Blossoms and This Feeling and a big response to their last single Graffiti, they're set to hit the festival circuit this summer and play to much bigger audiences. We had a chat with them ahead of their performance at Heaven On Earth at Halle St Peters in Manchester on Saturday about their plans.

Wednesday 19 April 2017

Hana - Interview


One of our favourite singers, Hannah Nicholson, has recently started a project under her own name entitled Hana after spells with Hannah and Lois and Bird To Beast. We had a chat with her before her performance at Heaven On Earth at Halle St Peters in Manchester on Saturday to find out more about her forthcoming EP, her touring plans and the style of her music.

Tuesday 18 April 2017

Hey Bulldog - Interview


Last week we premiered the new Hey Bulldog single Stranger. Ahead of their show at the Heaven On Earth Festival at Halle St Peters in Manchester and a support slot with The Lucid Dream in May, we caught up with front man Rob Manton for a chat about their single and future plans.

Thousand Yard Stare - Deep Dreaming / Star Grazing EP


The resurgence of Thousand Yard Stare continues with not one, but two releases on their favoured format - the four track EP. Well, almost.

Sunday 16 April 2017

EVEN THE STARS PLAYLIST 8


Welcome to the eighth instalment of the Even The Stars playlist. Ten new songs that we've heard and loved this week and want to share.

When In Manchester 2017 - Manchester Northern Quarter - 15th April 2017 (The Strawberries, Berries, Jack Oliver Monty, Sapho, Ivory Wave, Where Fires Are, Asylums, Foxe, Jordan Allen)


The third When In Manchester Festival spread its wings further than before with four stages in Manchester's Northern Quarter hosting 23 bands from across the country with a rich diverse mix of styles that's sadly lacking in most festival line-ups. The only problem we had was choosing which bands to see.

Thursday 13 April 2017

Pip Blom - Manchester Castle - 12th April 2017


Pip Blom recently supported Surfer Blood at Soup Kitchen and impressed enough of us to pack out The Castle for her return a few weeks later. A nine-song set full of hooks, melodies, energy and some genuine rock music power from the nineteen-year old Dutch singer and her band left us all hotter and sweatier than when she started and went down a storm with a crowd waiting to be impressed.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Stickboy - The Artful Tale Of Following Your Heart And Not Your Head


Stickboy is a name that might be familiar to those who followed the Manchester underground scene around a decade ago. A prolific songwriter who performed regularly around the local gig circuit, he's returned from exile, appropriate as it's Easter, the time of resurrection, with songs from a forthcoming album entitled The Importance Of Words.

The Slow Readers Club / Skies - London Borderline - 11th April 2017



The seemingly unstoppable rise of The Slow Readers Club continued with their highest profile headline London show to date at a sold-out revamped Borderline on Tuesday night and a set that had the packed tight crowd singing back every single word of every song, even the two that are as yet unreleased. Support came from Folkestone's brilliant Skies.

EXCLUSIVE : Hey Bulldog - Stranger


We're proud to reveal an exclusive first online stream of the new Hey Bulldog single Stranger, due for release on April 21 through Doing It To Death Records. The song has already picked up play from long-time supporter John Kennedy on X Radio and there's a video to come in a couple of weeks, but this is the first opportunity to hear the track on the internet.

Wednesday 12 April 2017

The Big Moon - Manchester Fopp - 10th April 2017


In support of their excellent debut album Love In The 4th Dimension, The Big Moon played an intimate completely unplugged eight-song acoustic set in the basement of Fopp's Manchester store. Fighting colds and the shop going about its business, they delivered beautiful stripped-down versions of the songs that retained the hooks and melodies of the originals but gave them a completely different spin.

Monday 10 April 2017

Dantevilles / Cleargreen / The Nix - Manchester Jimmy's - 7th April 2017



Dantevilles played two sold-out shows at Jimmy's in Manchester over the weekend after announcing their biggest headline set at Sound Control for June. With the recent buzz being generated around latest single Graffiti, it feels like their star is in the ascendancy and we went along to see whether the growing fuss is worthwhile. Support came from The Nix and Cleargreen.

Track Of The Day : Wild Front - Views


Views is the latest single from Southampton four-piece Wild Front. Impressively ambitious and wide-reaching in its sound, it's a big shimmering anthem that's accompanied by a video that replicates the impact of the song.

EVEN THE STARS PLAYLIST 7


Welcome to the seventh of our Even The Stars playlists featuring ten songs that we've had on repeat this week.

The Kar-pets / The Apparells - Glasgow Audio - 7th April 2017


A capacity crowd embrace an energetic Tom Hingley and his band The Kar-pets as they deliver a 90 minute Inspiral Carpets tribute.

Friday 7 April 2017

TRACK OF THE DAY : Ist Ist - Strangers


Ist Ist return with a new single Strangers, just a couple of months after their last release Silence and a sold-out gig at Sacred Trinity Church in Salford. Set to a video recorded live in Brunswick Mill that captures the ferocious energy of the live performance and with a chorus that hits you square between the eyes and leaves you reeling, it's their biggest boldest statement of intent to date.

Wednesday 5 April 2017

Space Monkeys - Interview


Ahead of their Manchester Band On The Wall gig on Saturday night, we caught up with Richard McNevin Duff for a chat about them reforming, the reaction they've received and their plans for a new album.

Monday 3 April 2017

Maddy Storm / Gathering Of Strangers / Charlotte Cannon - Manchester Jimmy's - 2nd April 2017


To celebrate the release of her debut single To The Sun, a packed out Jimmy's on Sunday night watched Maddy Storm deliver a set that confirmed the growing belief that she's one of the most talented newcomers on the Manchester music scene at the moment. Support came from the impressive Gathering Of Strangers and Charlotte Cannon.

Blossoms / Cabbage / Rory Wynne - Glasgow O2 Academy - 1st April 2017



The final night of this year's NME with V05 tour (yeah, whatever) rolled into Glasgow's O2 Academy on Saturday night. We caught up with Blossoms, Cabbage and Rory Wynne's three-carriage Greater Manchester express in a packed out crowd of delirious teenagers.

EVEN THE STARS PLAYLIST 6


Welcome to Even The Stars playlist number 6, ten songs that we've been listening to on repeat in the last week. Have a listen and discover something new.