Dial back two years and Proletariat were on many people's lists as the next band to break out of Manchester and then, almost overnight, they announced a split and disappeared. Now they're back, with a new line-up, a powerful new single Go Ahead and a new approach to what they do best. We caught up with front man James for a chat about what happened and what's going to be different in 2021 for Proletariat.
And finally we reveal our five favourite albums of 2020, a strange year in pretty much every respect, but one that still managed to deliver some stunning new music to our ever-growing collections of albums.
Today we reveal five more of our favourite albums of 2020, a strange year in pretty much every respect, but one that still managed to deliver some stunning new music to our ever-growing collections of albums.
Today we reveal five more of our favourite albums of 2020, a strange year in pretty much every respect, but one that still managed to deliver some stunning new music to our ever-growing collections of albums.
Today we reveal the first five of our favourite albums of 2020, a strange year in pretty much every respect, but one that still managed to deliver some stunning new music to our ever-growing collections of albums.
The Red Stains return with their second single, live favourite Freezer Jesus, and their first ever video that captures both the wild lyrics of the song and the chaos that seems to follow the band around wherever they go.
Live From The Attic was the first opportunity for people to hear Ist Ist's debut album Architecture played live in its entirety with the addition of a few old favourites and the first airing of a brand-new track from the sessions for their second record. The self-released album hit number three in the independent charts in May against the odds and has consistently won new admirers since. Yet as the evening was to prove, Ist Ist are at their most formidable in the live environment even without an audience present as they deliver an alternate version of the songs from Architecture that will cement its place in the hearts of those whose path it has crossed.
Back in March, Blossoms' biggest UK tour to date to celebrate their number one album Foolish Loving Spaces was cut off in its prime. Nine months on, they performed a live stream from on stage at Brixton Academy with songs taken primarily from that album.
Loose Articles return with their first single since last year's Orchard Lounge EP. Up The Disco is a riotous barrel of fun that doesn't take itself too serious accompanied by a music video that follows in the same vein.
Watching the latest series of Jools Holland during these troubled times unearthed a gem for many in terms of Dublin artist For Those I Love.
Last Friday saw Cobain Jones release his debut single Hooked and last night he revealed the first in his series of Estate Tour videos. We caught up with him for a chat about the single, signing a record deal, meeting his musical heroes and how he wants to be an inspiration to others.
In celebration of the vinyl reissue of his debut album Show Me How The Spectres Dance, Liam Frost and friends performed an in-the-round live performance of the album plus a bonus track at his hometown venue Bury Met.
Distant Life is Celestial North's seventh single and her first of 2020 as she has spent lockdown writing tracks for her debut album. Her most uplifting song to date, there's an infectious energy from the opening bars as she takes a look back over her life and contemplates finding herself and learning from the lessons of earlier life
It's been quite a year for Lanterns On The Lake. Their fourth album Spook The Herd earned them a Mercury Prize nomination to go with universally positive reviews for their strongest record to date. Touring plans had to be put on hold because of lockdown and tonight's show, initially planned to be a socially distanced event in the stunning surroundings of Gateshead's Sage, had to be changed to a livestream playing Spook The Herd in full.
LIINES today release their new single Sorry and couple it with last year's On And On as part of a limited 7" single. With new member Anna Donigan joining earlier this year and recent appearances on Gorilla TV and radio play for the single, it feels that LIINES' star is continuing to ascend despite the constraints of lockdown. We caught up with Zoe and Leila for a chat about the single and what's been going on over the past few months.
We caught up with Liam Frost to talk about the vinyl reissue of his 2006 Slowdown Family album Show Me How The Spectres Dance, his live show A Love Letter To Bury that is broadcast tonight from The Met and his new project The Fountainhead.
VLURE might only have one released track available, a live video at all, but they've got a lot of people excited about their uncompromising sound and attitude. That excitement is heightened by a second video, a live performance of Euphoria '94 for the SAY Awards last week.
Ist Ist today revealed Under Your Skin, the penultimate in a series of ten videos shot to accompany their independent and vinyl chart top five album Architecture. A simple shoot captures perfectly the claustrophobic cloying nature of the track.
Meal Deal is the second track to be taken from Meal Deal's forthcoming EP Tell Me Your Mind And I'll Tell You Mine due for release on November 20. Clocking in at seven minutes and fifty second, the song takes the listener on a real musical journey with enough ideas for an album in its own right told by Hannah's rich emotive and unique vocals.
The Slow Readers Club follow up Spring's Top 10 album The Joy Of The Return with the eight track 91 Days In Isolation, written during lockdown and recorded as soon as it was possible to get back together in the studio. Featuring singles Yet Again and Two Minutes Hate, it's a much more direct yet nuanced record than its predecessor whilst maintaining the anthemic qualities that have won them so many new fans over the past few years.
Beast Behind Your Eyes is the first single to be taken from Jack In Water's forthcoming debut album due for release in early 2021, a decade after his first release. Following on from last year's Presence EP, the single continues to deal head-on with personal issues that affect him and those around him, this time focusing on members of his family who seek solace and escape in alcohol.
Ist Ist release Night's Arm, the eighth in their series of individual videos from their indie / vinyl top five album Architecture. The oldest of the tracks that made up their debut record, it's set to a stark black and white live performance video that heightens the sense of dramatic tension within the song.
atmos bloom (no capitals) are a new "indie / dreampop duo" (their words) from Manchester. With little fanfare they release their debut self-titled EP today alongside a video for lead track just another day and across four tracks they make a very impressive first impression.
Cabbage are at a crossroads as they release their second album Amanita Pantherina - third if you count the Young Dumb And Full Of Cabbage compilation that really was their debut. Are they still relevant? Can they still conjure up the headrush adrenaline that their first four EPs announced them with? Has too much of the mud of the ultimately false accusations made against them stuck? Freed from the constraints of a record deal and returning home to their Brassica Studios in Mossley to regroup and record Amanita Pantherina, it very much feels like a release from the events of the past few years.
One Little Atlas return with new single Path Of The Sun, their first new track since 2018's single Orenda. Capturing a mix of hypnotic vocals, beats and more traditional instruments, the song feels like the soundtrack to an imaginary film full of mystery and intrigue.
Hulme's King of the Slums, legends of the Manchester scene for more than three decades, return with their seventh album, the follow up to 2018's Artdog Gods. Stuart Ralston has a listen.
Two Minutes Hate is the second track to be taken from The Slow Readers Club's forthcoming album 91 Days In Isolation. Taking aim at the way hatred is spread on social media and then translates into real life, the song is a very prescient observation about the way people thrive off creating chaos and division.
Hailing from Dundalk in County Louth Just Mustard are another band from across the water shining bright during these dark troubled times. Their debut album Wednesday, rightly so, featured in many Album of the Year lists for 2018 and it felt like the band would go from strength to strength before a global pandemic brought the quintet’s juggernaut to an unexpected halt. This limited edition release seeks to bridge the gap yet is exceptional in its own right.
The latest in the series of outdoor shows at The Rose And Monkey in Manchester saw an intimate Sunday lunchtime show by Dave Fidler accompanied by Adrian Gautrey playing a mix of new songs as well as tracks from his two albums I'm Not Here and Songs From Aurora to an appreciative crowd.
The Blinders emerged from lockdown with a stripped back "lounge lizard" set at their second and spiritual home The Rose And Monkey on Tuesday night to a socially-distanced audience of forty lucky fans who snapped up tickets within seconds of going on sale. An hour-long song set took favourites from their debut Columbia and predominantly tracks from their 2020 album Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath and reinvented and redrew them for the intimate surroundings.
Chris Helme played the latest of Jezebel Music's outdoor shows in the intimate surroundings of Blackjack Brewery's yard down by the railway arches near Manchester Victoria with support from Hannah Ashcroft. Mixing classic Seahorses tracks with a few choice covers and some excellent new material he delighted the small appreciative crowd with both music and self-deprecating humour.
Recommencing their series of videos and limited edition prints to accompany each of the ten tracks from their independent top five album Architecture, Ist Ist reprise with track seven from the record Drowning In The Shallow End and a video shot in the first days of lockdown relaxation.
Déjà Vega have announced the digital and physical release of their new single Spitting Gas and their biggest UK tour to date. Clocking in at just two minutes and fifteen seconds, the song captures the exhilarating live performances of the track in the times before lockdown - and is likely to feature on their second album that they were recording at the start of the year.
When Doves went on an indefinite hiatus after their celebratory homecoming at Warehouse Project in Manchester in 2010 the omens for them coming back at all weren't great. Rumours abounded of a breakdown in communications, Jimi headed off to produce a solo album and Andy and Jez combined on their Black Rivers project. Whilst the internet head of steam slowly built demanding a reunion, they'd already got together behind closed doors, rekindled old flames and started work on what was to become The Universal Want. Whereas their last album Kingdom Of Rust was fraught with the sound of fractious relationships, there's a joyful undercurrent of warmth and love that runs through The Universal Want.
Matter Of Mind return with Oblivion, their second single of the year after Poison Ivy featuring their new line-up. Their trademark sound is still very much intact, big powerful guitar riffs and drums and soaring vocals that build to a climax in the chorus. Oblivion is a very personal track that will resonate with many dealing with lead singer Jordan's anxiety.
Dublin's TV People return with their third single of the year Nothing More. Accompanied by a strikingly simple yet complementary video, the song reflects on the endless struggle to survive and understand the world around you. Delivered with Paul Donohue's vocals imbuing a genuine sense of helplessness to control the uncontrollable that we're living in, it's their most reflective track to date without losing the energy and intensity of predecessors Kitchen Sinking and Time Eats Up.
Simeon Hammond Dallas's new single August drops as that month draws to a close and moves into September. It's a break-up song timed to coincide with the end of the month - sharply observing that "we're all fools for love and desire" as it picks over the remains of a relationship and being misled by a narcissist and his games with a honesty and clarity before looking forwards.
