Rews - Manchester Castle Hotel - 10th November 2018

Rews made a triumphant return to Manchester for a sold-out show at the intimate Castle Hotel on the opening night of their UK tour. With a set featuring tracks from last year's album Pyro as well as a number of new ones, they won the hearts and minds of the packed crowd in sauna-like conditions.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Urban Theory - Mandy

Mandy is the latest single from Bury's Urban Theory. Already a live favourite, Mandy sees them take the foot off the accelerator from their previous singles, like the comedown from the excesses of the night before of Weekend Offender and Fishbowls And Headf**kers.

Kashmere / Pinnacles / Fears - Sheffield Record Junkee - 2nd November 2018

Kashmere's UK tour called in at Record Junkee in Sheffield on Friday night. Julia Grantham made the short trip down from Leeds to catch one of her favourite bands in action.

Darling Club Interview - "Everybody's talkin' round me, could they hear a note we're saying?"

Walking into The Cheshire Tap in Altrincham this Saturday just gone, I was filled with a nervous kind of anticipation and excitement. My good friends Lisa, Allan and I were walking into this venue, a semi regular of theirs and a permanent slot for one of our friends Jake Fletcher, of Darling Club, formerly of Cupids who started out as Gramotones. I was wearing a t-shirt of the latterly named band which another of our group, Rob, had given me just eighteen months' prior.

Matter Of Mind - Manchester Night And Day Cafe - 2nd November 2018

Matter Of Mind’s first nationwide tour headed home on Friday night with a packed show for This Feeling at the Night And Day in Manchester. A seven-song set including new single Just A Stranger went down a storm in a hot and sweaty room.

The Blinders / White Room / Sweet Deals On Surgery - Preston The Ferret - 1st November 2018

The Blinders’ tour rolled into Preston on Thursday night with White Room and Sweet Deals In Surgery in tow. In possibly the most intimate venue they’ll play in for a long time, they took us on a journey through the dark demonic landscape of Columbia.

TRACK OF THE DAY 2 : The Bambi Kills - Lust

Lust is the second single from Australian sister duo The Bambi Kills. The follow-up to their debut Headlights is a full-on affair with by a dark menacing self-produced video that's a perfect visual accompaniment to the track.

TRACK OF THE DAY 1 : Matter Of Mind - Just A Stranger

Matter Of Mind release a new single Just A Stranger to coincide with their first nationwide tour in conjunction with This Feeling including a Manchester show at Night And Day Cafe tomorrow night. The song is something of a departure for the band, showing a more mellow widescreen element to the work as opposed to their usual head rush.

EXCLUSIVE : One-Way Song - Billy Fisher Fitzgerald

Billy Fisher Fitzgerald is the lead track from One Way Song's forthcoming EP Passionate Leave which we're delighted to be asked to preview. We described their last release as "a potent mix of theatre and music" as the band's origins are in a theatre group and they've brought some of that into their musical project. This song features guest vocals from Jay Stansfield of All Hail Hyena.

Mano McLaughlin - Salford Eagle Inn - 26th October 2018

To celebrate the launch of his new single and title track from his forthcoming second album Then Lightning, Mano McLaughlin played an intimate eleven-song set in the Eagle Inn in Salford, a stone's throw from Blueprint Studios where the album was recorded.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Kaze - Conversation

Conversation is the new single from Manchester five-piece Kaze. Released recently to coincide with World Mental Health Day, the lyrics are an honest reflection on feelings that people often leave below the surface and don't discuss openly. Like their previous work, the RNCM-trained duo at the centre of Kaze, Amy and Graham, have crafted a song that grabs your attention throughout as it packs so many musical ideas into its three minutes.

TRACK BY TRACK : Gypsyfingers - Stranger Things

Stranger Things is the second album from Gypsyfingers, the follow-up to their debut Circus Life. As they prepared for the release, Victoria and Luke took time out to walk us through each of the tracks on the record to provide us with some insight into how the song was written and what they're about.

TRACK OF THE DAY 2 : James Holt - Alone Again

Alone Again is the new single from Bolton singer-songwriter James Holt. With a video shot in the basement club Night People in Manchester, the single confirms his place as one of the city's most promising singer-songwriters.

TRACK OF THE DAY 1 : Mano McLaughlin - Then Lightning

Then Lightning is the first track to be revealed from Mano McLaughlin's forthcoming album of the same name. Its release coincides with a launch gig at Salford's Eagle Inn from one of the North West's best kept secrets, a songwriter who should be lauded up there with the city's favourite sons.

TRACK OF THE DAY 2 : James - Backwards Glances (Acoustic)

James today released the latest in the series of acoustic versions of tracks taken from their top ten album Living In Extraordinary Times. Backwards Glances featured on the deluxe version of the album only, but has been rerecorded in even more stripped down format for this release.

Ash - Manchester Ritz - 23rd October 2018

With the release of their eighth studio album Islands, Ash are back on the road and we caught the penultimate show of their UK tour at The Ritz in Manchester as they delighted a crowd with a mix of their biggest hits and a healthy selection of songs from Islands that show that their spark still burns bright in the third decade of their existence as a band.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Bugeye - Disco Dancer

Bugeye return with a new single Disco Dancer out on December 7th. The London band have expanded to a four-piece and this is the first release with the new line up, recorded with celebrated producer Paul Tipler.

She Makes War - Manchester Castle Hotel - 20th October 2018

Fresh from the various chart successes of her independently released fourth album Brace For Impact, She Makes War made her way to Manchester with her five-piece band to The Castle Hotel for a sold-out sweatbox of a show that focused heavily on the new album with a liberal sprinkling of tracks from her impressive back catalogue.

OLA - Manchester Soup Kitchen - 19th October 2018

OLA returned to Soup Kitchen on Friday night to launch their new single Orenda with an hour-long set of old and new material full of experimental sounds mixing electronic trickery and live vocals and instruments in an enthralling collection of songs.

LIINES - Manchester Night And Day - 18th October 2018

LIINES opened Dave Haslam's WAM (Words And Music) Festival at the Night And Day in Manchester with a fourteen-song set featuring all ten tracks from their Stop - Start album and four new tracks.

OLA - Interview

OLA (One Little Atlas) headline Soup Kitchen in Manchester tonight. We caught up with Kevan for a chat about the gig and their new single Orenda.

Lights On Moscow - Aorta Songs Part 1

Aorta Songs Part 1 is the first fruit of the Lights On Moscow collaboration between Hazel Wilde of Lanterns On The Lake and Justin Lockey of Editors. Dark, claustrophobic and haunting in the most part, it feels like a soundtrack from an imaginary black and white silent film.

The Lucid Dream - Actualisation

Carlisle’s favourite sons return with their magnificent fourth album, the progressive, acid house inspired Actualisation. Stuart Ralston has a listen (and a dance).

Puppet Rebellion / Room D - Manchester Band On The Wall - 13th October 2018

Even The Stars favourites Puppet Rebellion announced earlier this week that tonight’s Band On The Wall gig was to be their last. Playing their hometown to a packed crowd at their biggest headline show is as good a way as any to bow out. Playing with as much passion and enthusiasm as they always have, it didn’t have the air of a final show but a celebration. Support came from one of the most promising local bands Room D.

The Beths - Future Me Hates Me

Future Me Hates Me is the debut album from New Zealand’s The Beths. It’s a brilliantly observed record about the battle to find love both internally and externally with songs set to the sort of jangling guitars that are impossible to resist if that’s what turns you on.

TRACK OF THE DAY : The Mysterines - Hormone

There's an element of mystery about The Mysterines. With very little social media presence they're already starting to make a buzz around the North West with a number of support slots and low-key mid-afternoon festival slots and no music floating around on social media. However that's changed with their debut single Hormone.

Fuzzy Sun - Interview

Fuzzy Sun released their second EP Warm Evening / Cold Morning last week via Blossoms' Very Clever Records label. We caught up with Kyle for a chat about the tracks on the EP and their rollercoaster ride of a first year as a band.

John Bramwell / Dave Fidler - Manchester Albert Square - 7th October 2018

The final night of this year's Manchester Food And Drink Festival was billed as John Bramwell's Greatest Hits and he didn't disappoint a busy crowd as he ran through a selection of favourite I Am Kloot songs as well as a couple of tracks from his solo debut Leave Alone The Empty Spaces and a new song from its follow-up. Support came from Dave Fidler who also previewed a raft of new songs from his forthcoming second album.

Lights On Moscow - Interview

Lights On Moscow is a long-running secret collaboration between Hazel Wilde of Lanterns On The Lake and Justin Lockey of Editors that is about to finally see the light of day with the release of an EP entitled Aorta Songs - Part 1 this Friday. We caught up with the pair of them for a chat about how the project came together, their writing process and their plans for future releases.

The Slow Readers Club - Manchester Albert Square - 4th October 2018

Three years ago The Slow Readers Club played Manchester Food And Drink Festival in Albert Square as one of the attractions to draw a few people into a beer tent. Now, with a top 20 album under their belt, they've got people queuing for hours to catch a very rare full band acoustic set in the tent in front of Albert Hall ahead of their already sold out Apollo show in December.

Fuzzy Sun - Warm Evening Cold Morning EP

Warm Evening / Cold Morning is Fuzzy Sun’s second EP of the year, following up on their debut Want Love.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Berries - Discreetly

Berries return with a new track Discreetly, premiered by John Kennedy on Radio X earlier this week and one of the stand out tracks from their festival sets across the summer.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Lexytron - Blackmail

Taken from her forthcoming album Something Blue, Blackmail is the lead track from Lexytron, who describes herself as "Half Greek, half Persian and half English", and features a video set to the 1903 film The Cake-Walk Infernal by Georges Méliès.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Sit Down - Take A Seat

Take A Seat is half of the new double A-side single from Brighton's duo Sit Down, the follow-up to their sold out debut EP Cheap Luxe.

She Makes War - Brace For Impact

Brace For Impact is She Makes War's fourth album and finds Laura Kidd rocking out like she's never done before without losing her innovative approach to making her music and in the process making her most accessible and intriguing record to date.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Déjà Vega - Chasing

Déjà Vega are back with Chasing, the latest in their series of limited edition vinyl singles due for release on October 8th, and have preceded it with the reveal of a very surreal new video for the single which features them playing in a field surrounded and circled by people dressed as crows.

Liam Frost - Liam Frost Is The Latchkey Kid

Liam Frost's third album has been a long time coming. It's been ten years since his second record We Ain't Got No Money Honey, But We Got Rain and thirteen since his debut Show Me How The Spectres Dance. The album, and the associated Pledge Music campaign, has been in the pipeline for a while, but has now finally seen the light of day. And it's a record that lives up to the sky-high standards of those first two albums, allowing long-term devotees to both reminisce at their brilliance and to swoon at where his art has taken him now, and newcomers to his sound to fall in love at first listen and then discover his past.

Control Of The Going / The Cosmics / Hey Bulldog - Manchester Night People (Sonderfest) - 29th September 2018

The Friday night of Sonderfest saw bands spread out across venues in the Oxford Road area of Manchester. We went along to Night People for late sets from Hey Bulldog, The Cosmics and a valedictory performance from Control Of The Going.

TRACK OF THE DAY : James - Leviathan (acoustic)

James have released a second acoustic track from their recent top ten album Living In Extraordinary Times. Fan favourite Leviathan has been stripped down and reworked with backing vocals from Deborah Knox-Hewson who joined the band for a few months earlier this year.

TRACK BY TRACK : Ed Cottam - My Goddess The Land

Ed Cottam's My Goddess The Land is released today. It's the follow-up to his 2015 album The Twisting Vine that he released as The Gildings. Inspired by paintings, poetry and Ed's reading, it's an album whose central focus is the sorry state of the environment and how science and spirituality impact on it. Ed was kind enough to walk us through the album track-by-track to provide us with some more insight into the songwriting process and the subject matter.

The House Of Love - The House Of Love (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Just before The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays dominated the late 80s, a band from London were the darlings of the scene, John Peel favourites, live favourites and the Creation label's brightest hopes. Their debut album from 1988 receives the reissue treatment - a mightily impressive eighty-five tracks fill five discs in this new 30th Anniversary edition. Stuart Ralston revisits his youth and reports back.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Charlie Steel - Staying In, Going Out

Staying In, Going Out is the debut single from London singer-songwriter Charlie Steel. Having spent two years in his bedroom perfecting his craft and saving up for equipment to produce music that wasn't "naff." He's succeeded and then some on this first public offering.

TRACK OF THE DAY / INTERVIEW - Rory Wynne - D'ya Wanna Do It Again?

Rory Wynne releases D'ya Wanna Do It Again? today, a new single via Very Clever Records, just a few short months after the release of his self-titled debut album. As he prepares for a show at Neighbourhood Festival in a couple of weeks, we caught up with Rory for a frank and honest chat about the music business, playing live and to talk about the single.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Ed Cottam - The Night Has No End

Having previously released music under the pseudonym The Gildings, Ed Cottam has reverted back to his own name for the release of his new album My Goddess The Land this Friday. The Night Has No End is one of the standout tracks and we're delighted to exclusively reveal its accompanying video.

Black Honey - Manchester HMV - 23rd September 2018

Black Honey are on a whistlestop tour of UK record stores to promote their self-titled debut album released last Friday. Included on the tour was an early afternoon stripped down set at Manchester’s HMV where they performed a seven-song set before sitting down to sign everything and anything.