October Drift / China Bears / BÖHMEN - Manchester Deaf Institute - 29th March 2022

October Drift headed to Manchester for the latest show on their rearranged UK tour on Tuesday night accompanied by a depleted in numbers China Bears and new kids on the block BÖHMEN for a high quality evening of three bands at different stages in their evolution as bands but who each win over the packed out crowd.

As The Cro Cro Flies (Loose Articles / Queen Cult / Bugeye / The Red Stains / I, Doris) - Manchester Retro - 27th March 2022

Cro Cro Land, the London-based festival, headed North on Sunday for what was billed as "a day of explosive punk, rock and indie bands celebrating female and non-binary musicians" under the As The Cro Cro Flies banner in the basement of Retro. Headlined by Loose Articles, the line-up also featured a mix of local and out-of-town bands - I, Doris and Bugeye making their Manchester debuts as well as Macclesfield's Queen Cult and Manchester's adopted The Red Stains.

The Be Positives / The Big Peach - Salford Kings Arms - 26th March 2022

The Be Positives and The Big Peach brought the second night of their combined tour to the intimate upstairs theatre of the Kings Arms in Salford on Saturday night for a sold-out show.

Dream Wife / Lucia And The Best Boys / Chemtrails - Manchester Gorilla - 25th March 2022

Dream Wife made a long-awaited return to Manchester on Friday night with a sold-out show at Gorilla supported by Lucia And The Best Boys and Chemtrails. A high-energy hour-long set saw them draw from both their albums and reveal some impressive new material whilst spreading their empowering message and having the time of their lives at the same time.

talker - In Awe Of Insignificance EP

In Awe Of Insignificance, talker's third EP, is more a mini-album than an EP as the Los Angeles-based artist spreads her wings and delivers a series of songs that deal with the pressures of modern day living and its impact on mental health. Raw and revelatory in lyrical content, it explores a number of musical styles from the dancefloor to a simpler stripped down approach.

Yumi Zouma / Freak Slug - Manchester Yes - 19th March 2022

With their fourth album Present Tense being released on Friday, New Zealand four-piece Yumi Zouma brought the album and its predecessor Truth Or Consequences to Manchester for the first time and turned the night into a communal celebration of a band that's sailed under most radars for far too long. Support came from Manchester's own Freak Slug.

Madame Claude / 25th Hour / Stone Mile - Manchester Gullivers - 18th March 2022

Without having a release to their name Madame Claude are causing a bit of a stir in Manchester with their own unique reggae-influenced songs that have had crowds dancing and singing along. We caught their first headline show at a sold-out Gullivers on Friday night supported by the contrasting styles of 25th Hour and Stone Mile.

Nilüfer Yanya / Léa Sen - Manchester Band On The Wall - 14th March 2022

Nilüfer Yanya brought her recently released second album Painless to a sold-out Band On The Wall on Monday night supported by Léa Sen.

Gang Of Youths / Charlie Collins / Tom A Smith - Manchester Albert Hall - 13th March 2022

Gang Of Youths concluded their UK tour to promote their top ten album Angel In Realtime with a sold-out show in front of an ecstatic audience at Manchester's Albert Hall with two excellent support slots from Tom A Smith and fellow Aussie Charlie Collins. 

White Lies / VLURE - Manchester Academy - 11th March 2022

White Lies brought their extensive As I Try Not To Fall Apart tour of the UK and Europe to a full Manchester Academy on Friday night to showcase their new album as well as deliver some old favourites supported by VLURE.

LIINES / The Short Causeway - Hebden Bridge Trades Club - 10th March 2022

LIINES headed out of town on Thursday night for their postponed Independent Venue Week show at Hebden Bridge Trades Club, a venue perfectly suited to their sound and ethos to play their longest ever set today including tracks from their in-progress second album. Support came from Hebden Bridge's own The Short Causeway.

Working Men's Club - Manchester Yes Basement - 9th March 2022

Ahead of their US trip for SXSW Working Men's Club returned to their roots with a hot and sweaty warm-up show in the basement of Yes in Manchester revealing a new line-up and new material.

David Ford / Annie Dressner - Manchester Gullivers - 8th March 2022

David Ford and Annie Dressner performed the second of two shows in Manchester on Tuesday night at a sold-out show at Gullivers, across the road from the previous night's more intimate set at The Castle. With both artists only performing one song on both nights and with David bringing along his full kit and looping set-up, it was a very different but not less enthralling evening of entertainment.

David Ford / Annie Dressner - Manchester Castle Hotel - 7th March 2022

David Ford's tour in support of his forthcoming album May You Live In Interesting Times and his impromptu 48 Hours With mini album that he recorded with support act Annie Dressner hit Manchester's Castle Hotel for the first of two nights in the city. Veering away from his tour set and with a stripped down kit he delighted a crowd of devotees with a career-spanning set and plenty of witty anecdotes.

Silverbacks / Pale Blue Eyes - Manchester Yes Basement - 6th March 2022

Silverbacks opened their short tour of England and Ireland in support of their recently-released second album Archive Material with a Sunday night show in the basement of Yes in Manchester to an enthusiastic crowd supported by Pale Blue Eyes who gave a performance worthy of headliners themselves.

You Are Not Alone Festival (Proletariat / Déjà Vega / Hey Bulldog / The Notion / James Holt / Cold Water Swimmers / Double Good Company / This Summit Fever / Spin Klass / Freeda) - Manchester Northern Quarter - 5th March 2022

After many postponements Manchester's You Are Not Alone Festival finally took place on Saturday around eight venues in the Northern Quarter with a full line-up of artists from the local scene and further afield, often playing in venues much smaller than you'd traditionally find them. We got out our Clashfinder and spent eleven hours in the company of ten acts, some familiar and some new to us, on one of the best-run urban festivals we've ever attended.

Wolf Alice / Lucia And The Best Boys - Manchester Apollo - 3rd March 2022

Wolf Alice's triumphant belated tour of the nation to celebrate the success of their first number one album Blue Weekend rolled into Manchester on Thursday night for the first of two sold out nights in front of an adoring audience from the barrier right to the back of the room hanging on every word and note with a band blossoming in front of our eyes.