Del Barber / Lottie Gray / Mike Blue / Hetta Falzon - Manchester Retro - 30th January 2023

Del Barber's UK tour called in at Retro in Manchester on Monday night following his appearance at the UK Americana Week in London. He and his band performed songs from across his career and introduced us to what he describes as "Manitoba honky tonk". The supporting line up of Lottie Gray, Mike Blue and Hetta Falzon provide an excellent and varied introduction to the evening.

Meryl Streek / Products - Manchester Deaf Institute - 28th January 2023

Meryl Streek's 796 album was one of last year's most striking and important releases. Musically diverse, fuelled by the anger at the state of his native Ireland, the way religious and political power has corrupted society and its consequences. On Saturday he brought the album and his predominantly solo show to the Lodge of the Deaf Institute in Manchester supported by Products.

Charm Of Finches / Little Sparrow - Salford Sacred Trinity Church - 27th January 2023

Charm Of Finches returned to Greater Manchester after last year's shows in Manchester and Bury for an intimate sold out night in the inspiring surroundings of Salford's Sacred Trinity. Performing songs from their three albums to date as well as new songs from their fourth which they plan to record in Canada next month, the Australian duo had a reverent audience under their spell over two sets. Support came from closer to home in the form of Little Sparrow who reminded us of the majestic beauty of tracks from her debut album Wishing Tree and subsequent singles.

The Murder Capital - Manchester Piccadilly Records - 24th January 2023

As part of the promotion of their second album Gigi's Recovery which currently sits in the top 10 midweek album charts, The Murder Capital popped into Piccadilly Records in Manchester as part of a whistlestop series of acoustic sets and signings to promote the record.

Powder House - Dublin Workman's Cellar - 19th January 2023

Hailing from the West Coast of Ireland are Powder House. A three-piece folk, alternative, indie rock band who are threatening to create a stir in 2023. Ahead of The Murder Capital's launch shows for Gigi's Recovery in Dublin, Jason Wynne stumbled across Mayo’s next big thing at the Workman’s Cellar one bitterly cold evening where they played in celebration of the release that day of new single My Corner. 

TRACK OF THE DAY : New Divide - Delora

Delora is the second single by Manchester-based band New Divide, the follow-up to last year's debut All I Am. 

Mackay Hingley - Decades

2023 promises to be a busy year for Tom Hingley; next month sees the return of his post-Inspiral Carpets band The Lovers, plus extensive solo and band dates with his latest band The Kar-pets. But first, he starts the year with an exciting new project. Tom has taken time to record a new mini-album with his life long friend, former Hacienda co-worker and band mate from his pre-Inspirals beat combo, Too Much Texas, Gordon Mackay. It marks the first time they have recorded together in 38 years. 

The Murder Capital - Dublin Tower Records / Workman's Club - 20th January 2023

Album launch day for Gigi’s Recovery saw two shows in the space of three hours in their home city of Dublin which encapsulated the spirit and highlighted the continued rise of Ireland’s The Murder Capital.

Dirty Blonde / The Lotts / Barstaff / Ruby J / Overpass (This Feeling Big In 2023) - Manchester Bread Shed - 20th January 2023

This Feeling's Big In 20xx nights have often been a place for new bands to really make their mark before heading off to bigger venues and record deals. The Manchester leg of this year's series took place at Bread Shed with a massive line-up of seven bands, of which we caught the first five - Overpass, Ruby J, Barstaff, The Lotts and Dirty Blonde.

TRACK OF THE DAY : VLURE - Cut It

VLURE return with a new single Cut It, their first new material in almost a year since the release of their debut EP Euphoria.

Big Joanie / GHUM / Chemtrails - Manchester Deaf Institute - 17th January 2023

Big Joanie concluded their UK tour with a sold-out show at Manchester's Deaf Institute on Tuesday night in support of last year's second album Back Home. The Black Feminist Sistah Punk quartet ensured their messages of inclusion and empowerment were conveyed to a receptive crowd. Support came from GHUM and Chemtrails who impressed the audience with their sets.

The Murder Capital - Gigi's Recovery

When James McGovern declared “The evolution will not be compromised” in an interview ahead of the release of second album Gigi’s Recovery it raised a few eyebrows in some quarters. Alas, any fears the band may have lost their way can be immediately quashed with their brand new offering Gigi's Recovery. The follow up succeeds the pain and grief from their dark and abrasive debut, When I Have Fears, with a kaleidoscope of colour and melody whilst still retaining that intensity, honesty and beauty of the debut record.

Liam Fray / Rianne Downey - Manchester Ritz - 13th January 2023

To support the Greater Manchester Mayor's charity project A Bed Every Night that aims to help alleviate the homeless problem on the region's streets, Liam Fray headlined The Ritz with a one-off performance that included the whole of Courteeners' St Jude debut album as well as selected highlights from their back catalogue and a couple of covers. Support came from Glasgow's Rianne Downey.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Ist Ist - Something Has To Give

Ist Ist have today released Something Has To Give, the third single to be taken from their forthcoming album Protagonists, and its accompanying video. 

TRACK OF THE DAY : Sugarfungus - Feeling Forever

Canadian band Sugarfungus, whose debut EP Letting Go Moving Still was one of our favourite and most-played releases of 2022, return with a new single Feeling Forever, a song that explores the age old questions around finding happiness and fulfilment.

TRACK OF THE DAY : The Slow Readers Club - Modernise

The Slow Readers Club have released Modernise, the opening track and second single to be taken from their forthcoming studio album Knowledge Freedom Power which is released on February 24th. 

Déjà Vega / Pray For Mojo / The Rafters - Darwen Sunbird Records - 30th December 2022

Déjà Vega closed out their most successful year to date where they finally released second album Personal Hell with a packed out show at Darwen's Sunbird Records supported by Pray For Mojo and The Rafters. 

The Lottery Winners / Andrew Cushin / Lois - Manchester Albert Hall - 22nd December 2022

The Lottery Winners played their biggest headline show to date on Thursday night at a sold-out Albert Hall in Manchester that the four-piece had eating out of the palms of their hands. Tears, singalongs and a celebration of an outsider band taking the long road to success made it one of the most heartwarming evenings we've spent at a gig in a long time. Support came from Lois and Andrew Cushin.

TRACK OF THE DAY : The Height - Nowhere

Nowhere is the debut single by teenage Salford trio The Height. It's a wonderfully laid-back song that has plenty of touchpoints in musical history but which still manages the neat trick of sounding fresh and vibrant. It's an impressive first outing from a band that's likely to be heard much more in 2023 and beyond.

EVEN THE STARS ALBUMS OF 2022 - 5 to 1

2022 was a year that most of our favourite artists didn't release an album after last year's run of them. So our 2022 list is a little more varied than in previous years and features a lot of artists that go under the radar of most mainstream lists with a couple of exceptions. In this second post, we recall 10 to 6 before revealing our favourite five.

EVEN THE STARS ALBUMS OF 2022 - 10 to 6

2022 was a year that many of our favourite artists didn't release an album after last year's run of them. So our 2022 list is a little more varied than in previous years and features a lot of artists that go under the radar of most mainstream lists with a couple of exceptions. In this first post we count down our favourite ten from 10 to 6

Blossoms / Brooke Combe - Manchester Apollo - 11th December 2022

Blossoms completed their sold-out four-night residency at Manchester Apollo and their twenty-three date sold out UK and Ireland tour on Sunday night with a hit-packed set that included a special guest appearance by Rick Astley who performed four classics from The Smiths to reprise their shows earlier in the year. Support came from the impressive Brooke Combe who stunned an already packed audience with her showstopping voice.

John Bramwell And The Full Harmonic Convergence / Harriet Bradshaw - Manchester Deaf Institute - 11th December 2022

John Bramwell And The Full Harmonic Convergence warmed up a freezing Sunday afternoon in Manchester with an intimate show in the Deaf Institute that previewed tracks from the forthcoming album The Light Fantastic as well as revisiting classics from his I Am Kloot back catalogue as well as his solo album Leave Alone The Empty Spaces. Accompanied by Dave Fidler, Alan Lowles and Harriet Bradshaw, who earlier performed a short four-song set of her own, he demonstrated that he's writing the best material of his career and looking the happiest up on stage that he ever has.

Blossoms - Manchester Apollo - 10th December 2022

The third night of Blossoms' four gig residency at the Apollo in Manchester always threatened to be overshadowed by the World Cup quarter final between England and France. However, the band lifted the deflated spirits of the audience with an hour and a half set of infectious, glorious songs that lifted the spirits and provided the communion that music provides that nothing else can.

Blossoms - Manchester Apollo - 9th December 2022

Blossoms' run of four consecutive sold out nights at Manchester Apollo continued on Friday with a hit-laden ninety minute set of crowd favourites from across their four albums and featured a guest appearance from Liam Fray of Courteeners.

I Like Trains - Manchester Deaf Institute - 7th December 2022

I Like Trains opened up a short UK tour with a packed out show at Manchester's Deaf Institute on Wednesday night. Heavily featuring 2020's excellent Kompromat album and including new single The Spectacle, they delighted their dedicated fanbase with an intense and powerful performance.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Ist Ist - Mary In The Black And White Room

Ist Ist have released Mary In The Black And White Room, the second track to be taken from their forthcoming album Protagonists which is due for release in March 2023. A more synth-driven track than the album's opening release Stamp You Out, it will both delight long-term fans of the band and give an insight into the progression of their sound on their third record.

Heartless Bastards - Manchester Low Four Studios - 2nd December 2022

Heartless Bastards brought their delayed UK tour in support of their A Beautiful Life album to Manchester's Low Four Studios on Friday night for a sold out show. Overcoming technical issues that threatened to scupper the whole gig they delivered a powerful rocking performance interspersed with more intimate moments to delight the enthusiastic crowd.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Fondabath - Craving

Craving is the second single by Manchester's Fondabath. The follow-up to their debut Where's Your Smile Gone? is a powerful guitar-heavy take on the harm that social media can do and the pressures it puts on people.

Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott / Billy Bragg - Blackpool Opera House - 28th November 2022

Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott brought the third night of their tour in support of their number one album NK-Pop to the resplendent surroundings of Blackpool Opera House on Monday night supported by Billy Bragg. A career-spanning set from Paul's earliest days in The Housemartins right up to tracks from NK Pop delighted an initially reticent seated audience and had the whole building on their feet by the end to celebrate two of music's most enduring characters.

Wet Leg - Manchester Ritz - 19th November 2022

Wet Leg's triumphant year continued on Saturday night with a sold-out-in-seconds show at Manchester's Ritz as part of a triumphant year-end celebration of one of the year's biggest success stories.

Sundowners - Manchester Ditto - 19th November 2022

Sundowners concluded their intimate record store tour in support of their Pulling Back The Night album with an afternoon set at Ditto off Albert Square in Manchester. Performing tracks from the album as well as their two previous offerings as well as a special cover version, Fiona and Niamh delighted an attentive crowd with a set full of songs laced with beautiful harmonies, uplifting songwriting and accompanied by witty in-between song chat about the songs and their creation.

HotKid / The Twisted Dolls / Full Billy / Kyle Toolan - Manchester Retro - 18th November 2022

HotKid opened their first ever UK tour in Manchester on Friday night with a powerful intense set in the basement of Retro bar supported by excellent sets from Manchester's The Twisted Dolls and Preston's Full Billy and solo artist Kyle Toolan. 

TRACK OF THE DAY : The Slow Readers Club - Knowledge Freedom Power

The Slow Readers Club return with the first single and title track from their forthcoming sixth studio album Knowledge Freedom Power. Embracing a much more synth-based approach without dispensing with their ability to craft songs with huge anthemic memorable chorus which grab you on first listen and hold you in their spell.

TRACK OF THE DAY : The Murder Capital - Ethel

The Murder Capital have revealed their new single, Ethel, the third track from their forthcoming album Gigi's Recovery. More reminiscent of the style of their debut When I Have Fears than the previous two singles, the powerful track still marks out the new record as a new beginning for a band that has eschewed the album treadmill cycle of many of their contemporaries and taken the time to make a record that reflects their headspace and evolution as a band.

Sorcha Richardson / Morning Midnight - Manchester Yes Basement - 15th November 2022

Sorcha Richardson returned to Manchester after two and a half years away for an intimate show in the basement of Yes on Tuesday night, featuring primarily songs from her second album Smiling Like An Idiot as well as four tracks from her debut First Prize Bravery and a couple of early singles. Support came from Morning Midnight.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Luca - Til I Met You

Manchester singer-songwriter has released her first single of the year Til I Met You after a summer of live performances. The single is a gorgeously rich country-tinged string-laden track that showcases Luca's voice from the very first second to the end.

The Lottery Winners / Dan Selwood - Mrs Boon's Tea Party - Stockport Bask - 13th November 2022

Mrs Boon's Tea Parties were a Northern Quarter Mancunian institution in the 2000s with bands playing afternoon sets in venues in town accompanied by the sale of tea and cakes baked by Charlie Boon and DJ sets by her husband Clint, of Inspiral Carpets fame. They've been resurrected out of town at Stockport's newest venue Bask so we took our manbag with us and headed to catch sets by Lottery Winners and Dan Selwood and eat cake.

Hey Bulldog / Deathretro - Manchester Peer Hat - 12th November 2022

Hey Bulldog made a long-awaited live return in the basement of the Peer Hat in Manchester on Saturday night. Combining old favourites with a couple of new songs in the middle of the set, they delighted a packed crowd in the sweaty venue that's perfect for their intense powerful rock and roll.

HotKid - Interview

Canadian band HotKid are about to embark on their first-ever UK tour starting at Retro in Manchester on Friday. We caught up with front woman Shiloh for an introduction to the band, their history, their excitement at playing over here for the first time and an insight into the Toronto and Ontario scene that they're part of.

TRACK OF THE DAY : The Short Causeway - Tripping Down The Stairs

The Short Causeway are the latest band to emerge from the vibrant Calder Valley scene with their debut single Tripping Down The Stairs, an urgent unsettling track that refuses to stand still for a second and which is accompanied by a video that heightens the sense of unease of the song.

The Murder Capital - Leeds Oporto - 11th November 2022

The Murder Capital continued their short semi-secret acoustic tour on Friday night with a three-piece seven-song set at Oporto in Leeds. Previewing five songs from their forthcoming album Gigi's Recovery as well as a couple of reinvented old favourites, they delighted an enthusiastic audience privileged to see them at such close quarters before they head to bigger rooms in the new year.

Tim Burgess / Dean McMullen / Wax-Tree-Cast - Manchester Gorilla - 10th November 2022

Front man of The Charlatans, head of the listening party and solo artist Tim Burgess brought his Typical Music album tour to Gorilla on Thursday night for a sixteen song set pulled almost exclusively from his solo repertoire. Support came from The Muncie Girls' Dean McMullen and Halifax's Wax-Tree-Cast.

Harriet Bradshaw / Big Society - Manchester Gullivers - 7th November 2022

Harriet Bradshaw's small tour in support of her self-titled debut album that was released last week called in at Manchester's Castle Hotel for an intimate show on Monday night, performing tracks from the album as well as a special cover. Support came from an acoustic solo slot from Big Society's front man Will.

Ist Ist / The Silver Lines - Birmingham The Rainbow - 4th November 2022

Ist Ist played the second of their short three-date November tour in the basement of The Rainbow in Birmingham on Friday night supported by local four-piece The Silver Lines who gave an impressive account of themselves. Ist Ist previewed eight songs from their third album Protagonists due in March next year combined with a set of crowd favourites from their two previous albums Architecture and The Art Of Lying.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Clouds And Errors - See You See Me

See You See Me is the debut single by Bolton five-piece Clouds And Errors, one of the most impressive young bands we've seen over the past couple of years and the single delivers on the promise of the rare live shows of theirs that we witnessed back in 2021.

Tallies / Hup - Manchester Gullivers - 28th October 2022

Tallies brought their recently-released second album Patina all the way from Toronto in Canada to the ballroom above Gullivers in Manchester on Thursday night for an intimate show supported by the unpredictable and litigious Hup.

TRACK OF THE DAY : Ist Ist - Stamp You Out

Ist Ist return with Stamp You Out, the first track from their third album Protagonists that they have also announced today. Already a live favourite, and recollecting the raw energy of their early singles combined with the power and control of their more recent work, the song is a thrilling return for one of Manchester's successful but often overlooked bands.

Thousand Yard Stare - Earthanasia

Slough five piece and Even The Stars favourites Thousand Yard Stare deliver another album - Earthanasia - their fourth from the studio - and it’s everything we have to come expect and love about them. 

Inhaler / Stone - Manchester Academy - 15th October 2022

Inhaler are celebrating the announcement of their second album Cuts And Bruises with a short run of their biggest UK headline shows to date. A sold-out audience packed into an expectant Manchester Academy on Saturday night to witness a band on the ascendancy to much bigger things. Support came from Liverpool's Stone.