While musically the album is interesting, Reed’s coyly clever lyrics are the star of Transformer

Moya Crockett vists Cornerhouse to check out David Shrigley’s latest offering

The New York outfit marked their biggest Manchester show to date with a slick, assured set

Ellie Scallan finds a thrilling atmosphere which delights human curiosity by taking the individual firmly out of their comfort zone

Remember how fun reading was when you were a kid? Joelle Jefferis advocates reigniting the adventure

The politically timed re-release of We Got Him!: A Memoir of the Hunt and Capture of Saddam Hussein rankles

Sophie Lipton reviews ‘And the girls in their Sunday dresses’ at the Contact Theatre

The best of theatre for the week ahead.

The Great Gatsby may be coming to the big screen (again), but the real magic still lies between the pages

Josephine Lane reviews the UK premiere of American Idiot, performed at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton on October 9th

George Latimer-Butler finds the precursor to todays’ Bond movies in the 1959 Hitchcock masterpiece

The Compton rapper’s latest record proves that there’s still more to hip hop than controversy and materialism

Sankeys 12th October 5/10

Why? bring their unique blend of hip hop and folk to one of Manchester’s more eccentric venues.

The legendary outfit’s finest hour changed the face of alternative rock

The Texan alt-rockers bring their incendiary live show to Manchester for the second time in as many years

Tom Ingham chats to world-renowned reggae producer Michael Goldwasser on the Easy Star All-Star’s new project

Joshua Val Martin reviews the UK premiere of Dolly Parton’s musical: 9 to 5

Rosie Panter reviews The Cell at the Bolton Octagon, one of the new plays showcased in Manchester’s 24:7 Festival

Bastille talk to The Mancunion about God, lying and Forrest Gump