The Lucid Dream / Pray For Mojo - Manchester Yes - 30th October 2021

The Lucid Dream finally brought their The Deep End album to the Pink Room of Yes in their second home of Manchester on Saturday night for an ecstatic seventy-minute trip through their growing collection of five albums supported by Pray For Mojo.

Lanterns On The Lake / Hilang Child - Glasgow King Tut's Wah Wah Hut - 29th October 2021

Lanterns On The Lake continued their much-rearranged UK tour with a sold-out show at Glasgow King Tut's Wah Wah Hut on a wet and cold Friday night. Despite being one woman down they put on a performance to warm the hearts and minds of the audience supported by fellow Bella Union artist Hilang Child.

Odd Morris - Cityscape The Ballet EP

Before revealing The Once Was Enough, the first track to be released from Cityscape The Ballet, Odd Morris had already made their mark with a series of singles - What Might Be, Lilac Leaves, Cold Water and Your Four Walls. They marked them out alongside fellow Irish bands like The Murder Capital who they supported just prior to lockdown as creators of music that wasn’t afraid to delve into the murky waters and toxic masculinity. Odd Morris’s approach has always been much more considered and restrained in its execution and Cityscape The Ballet very much feels like an extension of that, a broadening of horizons, a deepening of the questioning in the search for answers.

Sprints - Manchester Castle Hotel - 28th October 2021

Sprints are the latest in the wave of Irish bands making their mark across the sea. Their first visit to Manchester sold out weeks in advance, no mean feat these days, and The Castle’s music room is packed right back to the door to witness a powerful forty-five minute set of loud songs that Sprints scrawl their effervescent personalities across.

Neon Waltz / Little Strange - Manchester Yes Basement - 25th October 2021

Neon Waltz are celebrating the completion with a short UK tour that took in the basement of Yes in Manchester on Monday night. Focusing on tracks from their debut Strange Hymns and subsequent interim releases while revealing one new track they left us wondering quite why they're not playing much bigger stages. Support came from Little Strange.

TRACK OF THE DAY : James Holt - One Hand Strikes The Other

The latest release of One Hand Strikes The Other by arguably Manchester’s most promising singer-songwriter James Holt, sees him evolve and explore new musical territory as he writes about the often hidden, but now more than ever talked about subject of domestic abuse.

Billy Nomates / Memes - Oldham Library - 24th October 2021

The latest in the series of gigs put on by Get Loud In Libraries saw Billy Nomates and Memes play a Sunday afternoon slot in Oldham Library with the Pennines in the background outside the glass windows behind the stage. 

Neon Waltz - Interview

Neon Waltz head to Manchester tonight as part of their first tour since 2019 showcasing songs from their second album that they've just completed as well as reminding us of the brilliance of their debut Strange Hymns. We caught up with them in the van as they hit the road.

Wet Leg / Honeyglaze - Manchester Night And Day Cafe - 23rd October 2021

The hottest ticket in town on Saturday night was without doubt Wet Leg's sold out show at the Night And Day Cafe. With just two singles to their name, their Gorilla show in April sold out in no time so catching them in such intimate surroundings was an opportunity that won't come around for a long time given their meteoric rise so far. Their fourteen song set proved to doubters that there's far more to them than their breakthrough debut Chaise Lounge. Support came from Honeyglaze.

Julia Bardo / Pale Blue Eyes / Stonebow - Halifax Festival Of Words - 22nd October 2021

Julia Bardo finished off her UK tour supporting her debut album Bauhaus L'Appartamento in the slightly surreal surroundings of the Albany Arcade in Halifax's Borough Market performing the album in full and her own interpretation of a Pixies' classic. The impressive support came from last minute replacements Pale Blue Eyes and a new local band Stonebow.

John Bramwell And The Full Harmonic Convergence / India Electric Co / Ellie Gowers - Manchester Ritz - 21st October 2021

John Bramwell brought his Full Harmonic Convergence to Manchester's Ritz for a long-awaited and oft-postponed gig to showcase their forthcoming album The Light Fantastic as part of the Manchester Folk Festival supported by India Electric Co and Ellie Gowers.

Humanist - Newcastle Think Tank - 20th October 2021

On a bitterly cold Wednesday evening in the North East of England we were left to the highly impressive Humanist to warm the cockles of our hearts with a performance way beyond our already huge expectations.

TRACK OF THE DAY : VLURE - Heartbeat

VLURE have today released Heartbeat, their second single in quick succession to be taken from their Euphoria EP due in January. Another live favourite, the song is very much aimed at the dancefloor, both in terms of the music and its lyrical content.

Egyptian Blue / Grandma's House - Blackpool Bootleg Social - 20th October 2021

With their Manchester show clashing with other commitments we jumped on the train to Blackpool and the brilliant independent Bootleg Social venue to catch Egyptian Blue on the tour to promote their new single Salt ahead of their debut album next year supported by Grandma's House.

Francis Of Delirium - Manchester Castle Hotel - 19th October 2021

Francis Of Delirium played their first ever Manchester show at the Castle Hotel on Tuesday night. An energetic ten-song set featuring tracks from their two EPs as well as recent singles Come Out And Play and All Love and a brand new track won over an initially reticent audience as the set progressed.

Saint Agnes / Sit Down / Sky Valley Mistress - Manchester Deaf Institute - 17th October 2021

Saint Agnes brought the opening night of their Vampire 21 tour to Manchester's Deaf Institute on Sunday night supported by Sit Down and Sky Valley Mistress. With the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands on command they turned a quiet evening into a bouncing mosh pit having fun.

Lanterns On The Lake - Manchester Gorilla - 14th October 2021

Lanterns On The Lake made their long-awaited return to Manchester for their biggest headline show in the city to date at their much-delayed Spook The Herd tour at Gorilla on Tuesday night playing their Mercury-nominated album in full.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Ist Ist - Extreme Greed

Extreme Greed is the second single to be taken from Ist Ist's forthcoming second album The Art Of Lying. Released digitally and on a limited 7" single that also features a demo version of the song, the track has already become a live favourite with its driving verse and chorus, retaining everything that's made Ist Ist a real underground success story over the past few years but with an added radio-friendlier sound that demands to be heard.

wych elm / The Red Stains - Manchester Yes - 14th October 2021

 

The start of our Thursday night gig-going saw us in the Pink Room of Yes to capture The Red Stains and wych elm, two of our favourite new acts in very different ways, open up for John.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Egyptian Blue - Salt

Egyptian Blue return with a new single Salt, their first since last year's Body Of Itch EP, and the first taster from their debut album that's scheduled for release in 2022 as they embark on their first tour for eighteen months.

The Lounge Society / Honeyglaze - Manchester Castle Hotel - 13th October 2021

Wednesday night saw a packed out Music Room of The Castle Hotel in Manchester reverberate to the sound of The Lounge Society, a band at the vanguard of a second wave of bands from the Calder Valley following in the footsteps of Working Men's Club in their own way and fellow Speedy Wunderground signings Honeyglaze.

Inhaler / Wet Leg / Dylan Fraser - Manchester Ritz - 12th October 2021

Inhaler completed their sold-out UK tour in support of their number one album It Won't Always Be Like This at The Ritz in Manchester on Tuesday night supported by Wet Leg and Dylan Fraser. A thirteen-song set featuring all but one songs from the album and three pre-album tracks showcased a band passing through on their way to much bigger things.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Before Breakfast - I'm A Good Friend

Sheffield's Before Breakfast, aka Lucy and Gina, release their new single I'm A Good Friend today, the latest track to be taken from their forthcoming debut album I Could Be Asleep If It Weren't For You. The single and video deal with the torturous process of dating and the cycle of attempting relationships that are doomed to failure when the other party is not emotionally mature enough to deal with the situation.

John Bramwell / Dave Fidler - Edinburgh The Old Dr Bells Baths - 7th October 2021

John Bramwell continued his never-ending tour of the UK with his first show in Edinburgh for four years at the splendid Old Dr Bells Baths at the foot of Leith Walk performing a set of I Am Kloot classics interspersed with tracks taken from his Full Harmonic Convergence's upcoming The Light Fantastic album, accompanied and supported by Dave Fidler.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Thousand Yard Stare - Upping Sticks

Thousand Yard Stare continue one of the most unlikely nineties reunions with their new single Upping Sticks, their first new material since last year's comeback album The Panglossian Momentum. 

CHERYM - Hey Tori EP

CHERYM are a three-piece from Derry who describe themselves as “three basic bitches” yet there’s nothing basic about this second EP although some of the caustic digs at some of the characters in the songs could easily be described as bitchy.

TRACK OF THE DAY : talker - Sad Chick

talker, aka Celeste Taucher, releases Sad Chick, her first solo release since last year's Wax EP. As ever talker isn't afraid to write about the downsides of human feelings and emotions and deliver them in an accessible way without turning the listener off.

The Magic Numbers / Ren Harvieu - Manchester Academy 2 - 5th October 2021

The Magic Numbers belatedly celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of their self-titled debut album with a show at Manchester Academy 2 on Tuesday night, playing the album in full in order including their first hits Forever Lost, Love Me Like You, Love's A Game and I See You, You See Me. Support came from Salford's own Ren Harvieu with a mix of tracks taken from last year's second album Revel In The Drama and brand new songs.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Odd Morris - Silhouette

Dublin's Odd Morris today release their new single Silhouette, the second track to be revealed from their forthcoming Cityscape The Ballet EP, which delves into the subject of toxic masculinity, in particular the inability or unwillingness to share feelings and the consequences of not doing so.

Hannah Ashcroft - Interview

Hannah Ashcroft was a familiar face on the Manchester gig scene pre-COVID and she announced her return with a new single Shadow. We caught up with her for a chat about the single and how she came to wrote it, what she's been up to and what her plans are.

Liverpool Sound City (The Murder Capital / Courting / Stone / Alright (Okay) / The Lottery Winners / Holly Macve / Jekyll / King No-One) - 2nd October 2021

Liverpool's Sound City festival returned after a year's absence with a belated 2021 three-day weekend event. We travelled across from Manchester for the Saturday and caught eight bands across the course of the day culminating in Arts Club headliners The Murder Capital after sets by King No-One, Jekyll, Holly Macve, The Lottery Winners, Alright (Okay), Stone and Courting.

The Slow Readers Club / The Clause / Lynchs - Warrington Parr Hall - 1st October 2021

The Slow Readers Club continued their UK tour with their nearest-to-hometown show at Warrington Parr Hall on Friday night supported by Birmingham's The Clause and Wigan's Lynchs.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Geneva - Memory Wars

Geneva continue their unexpected comeback with a second single Memory Wars to follow up last year's Fault Lines.