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.

The Slow Readers Club - Interview

The Joy Of The Return was the title of The Slow Readers Club's fourth album that went top ten just as we entered lockdown. As they finally are, fingers crossed, about to embark on the tour to promote that record and its follow-up 91 Days In Isolation and new single Tell No Lies, we caught up with the band backstage at Hebden Bridge Trades Club as they prepared for their Passport: Back To Our Roots show, their first indoor show since February 2020.

Elbow / Peter Alexander Jobson / Jesca Hoop - Manchester Apollo - 28th September 2021

Elbow opened the first of their trio of intimate (by their standards) hometown shows with a triumphant set of tracks taken from their mid- and late-period albums with a sneak preview of their forthcoming album Flying Dream 1. Arms were raised, songs bellowed back at the band at the top of the crowd's voice in an evening that was all about celebration and coming together unified by the music. Support came from a piano interlude from Peter Alexander Jobson and Jesca Hoop.

The Slow Readers Club / Sheafs / Stanleys - Liverpool O2 Academy - 27th September 2021

The Slow Readers Club's long-delayed tour continued with a show at Liverpool's O2 Academy on Monday night supported by Sheffield's Sheafs and Wigan's Stanleys. 

James - Glasgow Playground Festival - 24th September 2021

James concluded their 2021 festival season with an eighty-minute set at Glasgow's Playground Festival that mixed most of their biggest and best known songs with new material in a potent mix that lit up a main stage audience that had been passive up to that point. 

wych elm - Rabbit Wench EP

wych elm's EP Rabbit Wench clocks in at fourteen minutes across seven songs, a statement of intent and what the band are about, very short, exceptionally sharp shocks to the solar plexus whilst lyrically it’s equally direct, powerful and abrasive.

TRACK OF THE DAY : The Red Stains - Smile

The Red Stains return with their third single Smile!, a caustic biting retort at those who tell women to smile set to the musical chaos we've come to expect from the fledgling four-piece. It's a single that shows them finding their feet more as a band whilst retaining their unique sound and personality.

Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott - Manchester Castlefield Bowl - 23rd September 2021

Two songs in and Paul Heaton thanks us for a number of things, being careful, being patient after the multiple reschedulings of this show, for giving him and Jacqui their first number one in twenty three years with the appropriately titled Manchester Calling and telling us that we deserve "a good night out." With the most endearing duo around that was pretty much guaranteed as they ran through a mammoth twenty-five song set calling in at The Housemartins, The Beautiful South, Biscuit Boy and the growing Heaton / Abbott catalogue.

Ash - Manchester Ritz - 22nd September 2021

Half an hour before Ash were due on the stage at the Ritz, we were stood in the Night And Day waiting for Tim Burgess to turn up. Bored and spotting our friends from LIINES were heading to Ash, we jumped ship, hotfooted it across town and made it ten minutes before stage time. It was one of the spur of the moment decisions that makes gig going so great and a reminder of what we've missed for the last year and a half.

John Bramwell / Howarth - Sheffield Leadmill - 21st September 2021

John Bramwell made the short trip across the Pennines to the historic Leadmill venue in Sheffield for the latest in his series of shows to preview his forthcoming The Light Fantastic album as well as delight the audience with a series of old I Am Kloot classics accompanied by Dave Fidler and Harriet Bradshaw. Support came from Howarth.

TRACK OF THE DAY - Proletariat : Losing Control Is A Beautiful Thing

Proletariat released their new single Losing Control Is A Beautiful Thing on Friday, a marked change from their previous output yet unmistakably them, and today have announced its follow-up Don't Turn Out The Lights and their biggest headline show to date for next year.

Courting / Stone - Manchester Yes Basement - 20th September 2021

A Monday night in Manchester is often a sedate affair, but heading down to the basement of Yes for the Liverpool double-header of Stone and Courting there's no chance of a quiet night watching bands as the audience throw themselves around the room to two bands that trade on their ferocious live shows.

Little Sparrow - Hebden Bridge Wainsgate Chapel - 19th September 2021

Wainsgate Chapel sits on top of the hills overlooking Hebden Bridge and each year runs a small programme of live music to audiences of up to a hundred and fifty. Due to access being via narrow roads and up steep hills (we know, we walked up), the events take place in daytime with the audience sat in the church pews and on the balcony giving it a really unique feel and creating an intimate space for some very special concerts and Little Sparrow's two-hour two-set performance of tracks from her debut Wishing Tree and forthcoming second album was no exception.

The Slow Readers Club - Hebden Bridge Trades Club - 19th September 2021

The Slow Readers Club made a triumphant return to Hebden Bridge Trades Club on Sunday night for their first headline show since February 2020 as part of the Passport : Back To Our Roots series of gigs to raise funds for grassroots venues. A career-spanning set including new single Tell No Lies delighted a mix of hardcore fans and competition winners.

Blossoms / The Magic Gang / The Lathums - Manchester Arena - 18th September 2021

Eighteen months late, Blossoms make their triumphant first headline appearance at a sold out Manchester Arena with a set covering and celebrating their three albums to date and all the crowd favourites that have seen fans of all ages take them to their hearts. Support came from The Lathums and The Magic Gang.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Hey Bulldog - The People That You Know

Hey Bulldog today release The People That You Know, their most instant single to date, a song about celebrating the people that you go out with, who make you feel part of a scene and the person that you are. It's accompanied by a video made of Manchester gig footage from the Mancmusic Youtube channel of our mutual friend John Hall. It serves as a perfect reminder of the joy of live music and being in a crowd of like-minded people, an embodiment of what the song is about and as a tribute to our departed friend.

James / Zuzu / Beth Macari / Cruel Hearts Club / The Voluntears - Newcastle Exhibition Park - 16th September 2021

James' summer of festival shows moved on to Newcastle Exhibition Park where they headlined an event For The NHS supported across two stages by Zuzu, Beth Macari, Cruel Hearts Club and The Voluntears.