I was caught out a bit last night, with a band delivering a set I wasn’t expecting. That can be good of course, but not always. I feel I might be on firmer footing tonight, with some Turkish darkwave ...

How many Cure fans are in here tonight I wonder. A few I suspect. It’s why I’m here, after The Cure guitarist Reeves Gabrels wore the bands shirt on stage this summer, The Empty Page received some solid free promo. That alone isn’t enough though is it. A tshirt doesn’t make the band and truthfully it was more to do with the way they joyfully responded online that made me want to listen and discover some local doom-laden punk. Their album, Imploding, is a good listen, as are the more recent singl

Let’s get the tiny bit of negativity out of the way. Manchester Psych Fest is very spread out this year. My first stop is a delightful little pub venue called The Abbey, but it is quite a trek and the...

After successfully dodging the rain with The Cure and Pulp, it seems my luck has run out with The Prodigy. That’s okay though, the storm clouds are merely an excuse to embrace the chaos as the Essex r...

I’m a little later than I hoped tonight (unable to take my own advice), but the sun is doing it’s best to hold off the torrential rain we’ve had all day as Self Esteem takes the stage. There’s no mist...

The sun is struggling as it slowly drops amongst the looming clouds over Wythenshawe Park. Quite fitting for tonight’s bill, as local lads and one of my favourite bands, The Slow Readers Club take to ...

I’m thankful to be outside, in the shade, with the beautiful Manchester sun slowly setting, but it’s still damn hot at Castlefield Bowl tonight as Wet Leg take to the stage. The weather certainly help...

A severe gear change tonight from the last gig, as we switch from drawn out drone chords, to complex avant-garde jazz with The Bad Plus. A long time fan, this is my first time watching them live. I, l...

Well this is a nice surprise. After a stormy drive over to Liverpool with the rain lashing down, I find myself in The Dome in the city’s Grand Hall. It’s already busy and pretty warm as our ears are t...

Honestly I’m not really in the right frame of mind for this. It’s hot outside and it’s hot inside and I’d rather be somewhere cool with a nice drink, than in Manchester Arena, that although has its to...

It’s a hot day in Manchester, a hot night for that matter. It would take a special band to drag me indoors, I give you… Pixies! We’re in a different room than I’ve been in Aviva Studios for a gig befo...

I swear gigs are getting earlier, this one kicks off at 8 o’clock, then again this is not a standard gig, it’s Kraftwerk. The last time I saw them was in the spacious and luxuriously sounding Bridgewa...

I’ll be honest, this is a gamble. I was hooked in the mid-90s after someone put the first two Puressence singles on a mixtape for me, but aside that first album, I’ve never really dug deeper and reall...

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched IST IST live and I’m pretty sure I’ve said something along the lines of them getting better each time too. If you don’t want to read further, I’ll just s...

Once more into the breech with a big venue. Honestly I might have to think carefully about booking for gigs this size. I like this venue and I love James, who need spaces this size with the demand to ...

It’s funny how your favourite venues change over the years. I don’t mean walls shifting, I mean our perceptions of them. Yes has always ranked high ever since its opening, but its Basement stage reall...

This feels like it’s been a long time coming. I became a little obsessed with the ABOMINATION album a couple of years back, it’s brilliant to run to and I did on repeat. I’ve been dying to witness Lyn...

It’s been a while since I’ve been in Albert Hall (I had to check, it was June ‘25, longer than I thought). Anyway it’s nice to be back in here with Gene. They were brilliant in Leeds last year, so exp...

Well after a nightmare with the tickets getting in, we finally take to the massive Coop Live floor space as Gorillaz warm up with ‘The Mountain’. This is the perfect introduction not only to the new r...

I’m trying to behave this year and stick to Manchester venues. There are going to be exceptions though and one such is the wonderfully named Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan who are playin...

It seems like years since I last saw David Byrne, it’s 8 to be precise, another world away with everything that’s happened. That’s where we’re to be transported to too, another world, a better one. He...

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Choices have been made this evening. The Slow Readers Club are playing their Cavalcade album in full across town. As great as they and that album are, I’ve opted instead to get totally destroyed by 80...

Stereolab are a band that were always on the periphery for me. A band whose singles caught my ear, but whose albums I’ve not really explored too deeply. I suspect I’m not the only one, but the sold ou...

I’ve dashed here from another gig to find the band I wanted to see, My First Time, have pulled out. Gutted. The headline spot then is taken by Morn, who I know nothing about. This is a Mood Swings nig...