Tuesday 29 January 2019

Jerry Williams / Wild Front / Maddy Storm - Manchester Jimmy's - 28th January 2019



As part of her Independent Venue Week tour Jerry Williams returned to Manchester for a sold-out performance in the basement of Jimmy’s with an hour-long set of songs that demonstrated the diversity of her songwriting and the energy of her performance. Support came from Wild Front and Maddy Storm.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Weimar - John Doe


Weimar's double A-side debut single is released this Friday featuring John Doe and Curse The Songs. Described as being "preoccupied with the seedier side of culture and the darker elements of humanity, and the need for cultural and artistic rebellion in the face of political oppression", the single is an amalgam of the band's influences but with their own personalities writ large across it.

Monday 28 January 2019

TRACK OF THE DAY : Julia Bardo - Desire


Desire is the debut single by Manchester-based singer-songwriter Julia Bardo, an impressive sounding song, drenched in 60s vibes and a timeless vocal.

Sunday 27 January 2019

The Howl And The Hum / St Martiins - Manchester Soup Kitchen - 26th January 2019


The Howl And The Hum played a sold-out show at Manchester's Soup Kitchen on Saturday night supported by Dundee's St Martiins. A set mixing tracks from their previous releases as well as new songs to be revealed during the course of 2019 had an attentive crowd hooked from the start and singing along to Godmanchester Chinese Bridge by the end, marking them down as one of the bands to keep a very close eye on in 2019.

Saturday 26 January 2019

Red Rum Club / Cleargreen / King Kartel / Social Room / The Seamonsters - Manchester Night And Day (This Feeling Big In 2019) - 25th January 2019


This Feeling's January set of gigs championing their biggest tips for 2019 hit a hot and sweaty sold-out Night And Day Cafe in Manchester last night with five bands - The Seamonsters, Social Room, King Kartel, Cleargreen and Red Rum Club - from near and far coming together to showcase their talents.

TRACK OF THE DAY / INTERVIEW : Venus - Deranged


Today Leeds five-piece release their debut single Deranged and play a headline show at their hometown Hyde Park Book Club to celebrate. We caught up with them to find a little more about them, the unambigious message of the song and the burgeoning DIY scene that's exploding in Leeds.

Wednesday 23 January 2019

The Seamonsters - Interview


Ahead of their sold-out appearance at This Feeling's Big In 2019 night we caught up with Sheffield's The Seamonsters to discuss their new single Blue Movie Baby, the slow-burn that sees them heralded as a potential breakthrough band six years in and their fierce independent streak.

Tuesday 22 January 2019

Geneva - Interview


Geneva were one of the most underrated bands of their time, caught in the backlash of Britpop around the turn of the century, guilty by association, despite not fitting into that scene at all. Their second album Weather Underground was hampered by financial meltdown at their label which destroyed any chance of it following their debut Further, which yielded four top forty singles, into the top twenty. The band inevitably called it a day soon after with a lot of unfinished business. They return next week for two very low-key shows in Edinburgh and London before taking part in the Starshaped Festival in September. We caught up with front man Andrew Montgomery to discuss the reunion and future plans.

The Twilight Sad - Leeds Jumbo Records - 20th January 2019


As part of promotional duties for the brilliant new album It Won/t Be Like This All The Time The Twilight Sad brought their miserable music to the fantastic Jumbo Records in Leeds and left the audience gasping for air, and more, with a rousing nine song set.

Monday 21 January 2019

Ist Ist - Everything Is Different Now


Ist Ist return with their second EP Everything Is Different Now released on January 25th ahead of a UK tour including an almost sold-out Independent Venue Week show at Hebden Bridge Trades Club and a return to Manchester's Gorilla. Still unsigned, ploughing their own furrow against the tide of the here this morning gone by lunchtime "look at us" culture that's polluting the music business, the EP sees the band expanding both in size and ambition, stretching themselves and their growing audience in the process.

Friday 18 January 2019

TRACK OF THE DAY : The Seamonsters - Blue Movie Baby


The Seamonsters might be hitting a load of the tip lists for 2019, but six years into their existence it feels a long time overdue for one of the most colourful bands around. They start off the year with a series of shows and the release of their new single and live favourite Blue Movie Baby.

Monday 14 January 2019

TRACK OF THE DAY : Winter Gardens - Coral Bells


Brighton-based four-piece Winter Gardens are about to release their debut single Coral Bells. Only a few months into their existence, they've already gathered some impressive support slots as well as opening last weekend's Rockaway Festival. Their debut is a scintillating mix of their influences with their own personality stamped right through the middle of it, accompanied by an intriguing take on the performance video.

Sunday 13 January 2019

The Twilight Sad - It Won/t Be Like This All The Time


January 18th 2019 sees the release of It Won/t Be Like This All The Time, the eagerly awaited new album by The Twilight Sad, and fortunately we don’t have to wait that long for what is already a contender for Album of the Year. Like all things The Twilight Sad the band refuse to stand still and continue to evolve. Don’t worry about the suggestions that they may have gone too mainstream though. This is bleak, dark, melancholic, depressing and beautiful. Once you immerse yourself in their music there really is no going back.

Tuesday 8 January 2019

The Blinders / Secs / Carnival Club / The Big Peach - Manchester Night People - 31st December 2018



Night People has made its mark on the Manchester live scene throughout 2018 and the relative newcomer was the place to be on New Year’s Eve as they put on an all-night collection of some of the city’s leading underground bands headlined by the world’s worst kept secret headliner The Blinders returning to their adopted home after a triumphant year touring the country to an intimate setting where it felt like everyone knew everyone else in the building.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Bella Estelle - Crazy In Love


We first saw Bella Estelle open one of the smaller stages at Victorious Festival in August 2017. Her second single Crazy In Love was released right at the tail end of 2018 and showcases the Portsmouth teenager's undoubted talent and ability to fuse pop and rock into a song that shows immense promise.

Thursday 3 January 2019

The Gallerys - Lucid Trail EP


Kent’s The Gallerys have been turning heads down south with shows around the county and in London culminating in a sold out end of year show at Tunbridge Wells Forum to coincide with the release of their third EP Lucid Trail on the final Saturday of 2018. We run the rule over the four songs that make up that EP and discover why more people are falling for their charms.