Monday 29 May 2023

Ist Ist - Rees Haldern Pop Bar - 28th May 2023


Ist Ist's European tour continued with a packed out show at Haldern Pop Bar with people watching outside through windows as the venue was full to capacity. An hour-long set taken from all three of their albums felt even more brutal and uncompromising in the baking heat of the German bank holiday weekend.

Saturday 27 May 2023

Ist Ist / TV Cult - Cologne Artheater - 26th May 2023


Ist Ist's second night of their European tour in support of their UK Top 50 album Protagonists saw them make their Cologne debut in a packed out Artheater in the Ehrenfeld district of Cologne. Mixing songs from across their three albums in front of an enthusiastic crowd, they demonstrate the cross-border appeal of their sound. Support came from locals TV Cult.

Monday 22 May 2023

TRACK OF THE DAY : Tom A Smith - Weirdo


Sunderland teenager Tom A Smith precedes a busy summer season of shows and his biggest tour to date in winter with the release of Weirdo, the third track to be taken from his forthcoming EP3. 

Sunday 21 May 2023

Déjà Vega / Avalanche Party / Bee Bee Sea - Manchester Projekts MCR Skatepark - 20th May 2023


On Saturday Manchester label and promoters Sour Grapes held their Meltchester II festival at the intriguing location of the Projekts MCR Skatepark under the Mancunian Way. A day and night full of artists performed and we managed to catch a trio of them - Déjà Vega, Avalanche Party and Bee Bee Sea.

Saturday 20 May 2023

SBT (Sarabeth Tucek) - Salford Eagle Inn - 18th May 2023


SBT (Sarabeth Tucek) made her very long-awaited return to the UK for live shows at the Eagle Inn in Salford on Thursday night. On the eve of the release of her third album, Joan Of All, she played the album in full before finishing with her 2006 single Something For You which first brought her to the wider attention over here.

Thursday 18 May 2023

James - London Royal Albert Hall - 17th May 2023


James concluded their James Lasted 40th anniversary tour with Orca 22 and the Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir with a celebratory sold-out show at London's Royal Albert Hall. An emotional evening that was in doubt up to the day of the show due to Tim Booth's illness turned out by an uplifting night of music from their earliest days right up to the current day.

Monday 15 May 2023

Inspiral Carpets / Cal Ruddy / The Lottery Winners / French Coriandah - Stockport Bask - 14th May 2023


Clint Boon has always been a champion of The Lottery Winners and it was fitting that the four-piece celebrated their number one album and end of their mammoth promotion cycle at Mrs Boon’s Tea Party at Bask. The event’s special guests were revealed to be Inspiral Carpets who performed a seven song set to a surprised and delighted audience.

Saturday 13 May 2023

James - Blackpool Opera House - 12th May 2023

James headed to the seaside on Friday night for a sold out show with Orca 22 orchestra and Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir. With Tim suffering with a cold a few adjustments had to be made, but these became happy accidents that gave new life and takes on some of the songs they'd been playing on the tour. A rich mix of hit singles and more obscure selections from their forty year back catalogue delighted an attentive audience that also sought to participate where possible.

Friday 12 May 2023

TRACK OF THE DAY : James Holt - Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?

Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? is the new single from James Holt. A song about looking back at a past love and wondering whether they still think about them, it's his most accessible single to date whilst retaining the rich detail and lyrical openness in the storytelling of his previous releases.

Thursday 11 May 2023

James - Manchester Apollo - 10th May 2023


James played the second night of the hometown Manchester leg of their tour with the Orca 22 orchestra and Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir on Wednesday night. A radically rejigged setlist  had the crowd dancing in the aisles by the end of the night.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Lanterns On The Lake - Real Life


Real Life is the third single to be taken from Lanterns On The Lake's forthcoming album Versions Of Us released by Bella Union on June 2. Their most upbeat offering to date, with a twist at the end, the song focuses on throwing aside your inhibitions and self-doubts and living life to its full potential.

Wednesday 10 May 2023

James - Manchester Apollo - 9th May 2023


James returned home to Manchester for the first of two nights with Orca 22 and The Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir for their first show at the city's legendary Apollo venue for twenty-five years. 

Monday 8 May 2023

James - Liverpool Philharmonic - 7th May 2023

Night nine of fifteen of James' Lasted 40th anniversary tour with Orca 22 orchestra and the Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir headed to Liverpool, scene of many of their most memorable gigs in the late 1980s as they broke for the first time, for a Sunday night set that became the longest and most celebratory of the tour so far.

Saturday 6 May 2023

James - Birmingham Symphony Hall - 5th May 2023

James reached the half way point in their Lasted fortieth anniversary celebration tour with Orca 22 and the Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir with another sold out show in the imposing surroundings of Birmingham's Symphony Hall. Once again playing with the setlist to keep the show fresh and improvising within the framework of a thirty-nine person set-up, they delighted the crowd with a mix of old favourites from the start of their career right up to new material.

Friday 5 May 2023

James - Sheffield City Hall - 4th May 2023


James' tour with Orca 22 and the Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir headed to Sheffield on Thursday night for the seventh of fifteen dates on the Lasted tour commemorating forty years since their first release. Introducing a couple of new songs to the set for the first time and continuing their quest to change the setlist around to make each experience different, they delighted a reverential and respectful crowd with a mix of hits and deep cuts.

Wednesday 3 May 2023

James - Newcastle City Hall - 2nd May 2023

The James Lasted tour headed back into England on Tuesday night for a sold-out show at Newcastle City Hall with the nine-piece James augmented by Orca 22 and the Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir. A radically restructured set on the smallest stage and venue of the tour made for an intimate experience. 

Tuesday 2 May 2023

James - Glasgow SEC Armadillo - 1st May 2023


Night five of the James Lasted fortieth anniversary tour with the Orca 22 orchestra and the Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir reached Glasgow on Monday and the three and a half thousand capacity SEC Armadillo. A rejigged setlist challenged and delighted a for once restrained Glasgow audience, scene of some of their most raucous nights on previous tours.