3.5 Stars If God was a DJ, he’d almost certainly have played at Warehouse Project. But in the absence of any real divinity, it was headline DJ Boys Noize (a.k.a. Alexander Ridha) who was the subject of worship in the temple-like space beneath Piccadilly train station last Friday night. Continuing seamlessly from Fake Blood’s hour-long […]
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3 stars Free from the heavy burden of a major record label and now striking out on his own, Darren Gough, aka Badly Drawn Boy, is no doubt feeling pretty liberated. Gone are the days when a new album was demanded of him before he felt he was ready, with Gough never feeling that he […]
4 stars Having had the Nick Cave experience for the first time when seeing him perform live with his band The Bad Seeds last summer, I had good reason to be excited for Grinderman, Cave’s other musical jaunt, perform live at the Academy. Whereas the Bad Seeds serve – albeit with Cave’s own brand of […]
“The first time I stepped off the coach at Victoria – this was also the first time I’d also been to the city – I was greeted by a shaven-headed man, with beckoning eyes and a rolled up twenty pound note in his mouth.” Not the warmest welcome one might hope for, but nevertheless that was Rich Mitchell’s […]
4 stars Last Saturday I witnessed the business that is Mark Ronson and The Business International. Ronson’s latest album Record Collection swept in to claim the no. 2 spot in the album chart last week, beating the likes of Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Katy Perry. The night’s performance was a non-stop joy-ride through Ronson’s […]
In the run up to this year’s festival, music editor Eoghan Bennett chats to the festival’s organisers to see what all the fuss is about. The Mancunion: To anybody who’s not familiar with the festival, sum up what it’s all about. In The City: In The City is a three-day music conference held in the […]
4 Stars Without seeming too unsympathetic towards the millions of people across the globe who are fighting tooth and nail to ‘make it’ as musicians in the world of showbiz, the brand of ‘music’ that is espoused by men like Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh is simply the worst thing that has ever happened to […]
3. 5 Stars The Warehouse Project opened its doors for the second week and fourth consecutive sold out event, with headliners Kelis and Calvin Harris. Bromley-born keyboard Don Starsmith warmed up the main room with synthy house remixes of recent pop favourites. Manchester favourites Juicy DJs kept room two busy, dropping the standard classics found […]
4 Stars Its 7:30pm, and outside the union a group of teenage girls are shelling out £40 each for a ticket. Bearing in mind the normal price was £9.50, it’s not surprising the touts are laughing their heads off. It’s also no surprise to find that at least of half of the crowd is underage, […]
With a supposed techno-based new album coming out later this year, SMD could be bringing a heavier sound to Warehouse than they ever have before. But still, expect plenty of analogue bleeping, and some of their Kitsuné remixes of Klaxons, Air and Muse. As SMD are in control of the whole line-up, it’s a bit […]
3 and a half stars With a discography that includes two well-received albums and a handful of top 40 singles, it may come as a surprise that KT Tunstall has never had a top ten single. Maybe, it’s because she has forged a career as being more of an album artist. ‘Tiger Suit’ follows this […]
2 Stars The progression from frontman to solo artist is a well documented one. Morrissey, Richard Ashcroft, Sting – all have tried their hand at breaking away from the constraints of a rock band democracy to pursue their own creative interests. But the one thing that the above have in common is that their music […]
Three and a half stars ‘I only want to be in your record collection, and I’ll do anything it takes just to get there’, chimes the chorus on ‘Record Collection’. This is without a doubt a feeling shared by many frustrated musicians across the UK. It is all about reaching that problematic balance between […]
Alex Trimble, Kevin Baird and Sam Halliday, otherwise known as Two Door Cinema Club, are sitting backstage at the Academy 2, admiring the glorious view of the building site in front of the John Rylands library. They may have just driven through the night from Glasgow, but as lead singer Alex starts talking, you can instantly tell they wouldn’t change it for the world.
3 stars Despite having sustained a career that spans the last decade, and becoming something of a household name following their critically acclaimed eponymous debut album, family band The Magic Numbers have never really enjoyed the success that they deserve – either in terms of album sales or gig attendance. Maybe it’s because their […]
About to embark on the well trodden path to Mancunion music fame are local 5 piece Dutch Uncles. Coming up in a complete new wave of Manchester electronic/dance sound, Dutch Uncles are not mere replicas of current successes, but act as a complement to this ever growing landscape. The Night & Day Café served as […]
What separates a drunkard eating a kebab and Lady Gaga? I ask this question on the basis that both will eventually arrive at a party covered in meat.
Recently, I saw the band Sublime, though really I didn’t. As their original lead singer had died fourteen years previously, they were now being fronted by what many saw as Some Other Guy and were, instead, touring under the banner of Sublime with Rome, even though the other two thirds of the band were original […]
