Review: The Staves @ Gorilla 03/05/13

We’re well acclimatised to The Staves‘ live brilliance, and yet, we just keep coming back for more. Whether it’s the clever quips the sister trio and their band make in between songs, or the actual songs themselves, The Staves are hands down one of the best live bands about these days. We arrive early to catch support [...]

Review: Washington Irving Album Launch @ King Tut’s 30/04/13

Homecoming shows are the best. Were it possible to see every band in a room full of their biggest and oldest fans on a landmark occasion, it’s likely even the most dire of bands could pull off a good show. But it’s not a feat that’s as easy as it seems when variables are brought [...]

Review: Night Beds @ The Soup Kitchen 17/04/13

Night Beds‘ first appearance in Manchester was one we were extremely happy to have encountered. Following the group’s extremely effective slot on Later…With Jools Holland, The Soup Kitchen’s cellar venue is slightly more full than it would have originally been with a fresh spate of listeners. Farewell Jr (Nick Rayner) opened the evening with his [...]

Photos & Review: Farewell Jr @ The Ruby Lounge 03/03/13

Farewell Jr are currently on tour playing support to Maps and Atlases and promoting their upcoming release Health, a beautiful EP you’ll hear more about soon. Farewell Jr’s music is a powerful blend of raw emotion and delicate musicianship that creates rousing instrumentals. This translated wonderfully live, the five piece set up dedicating themselves to [...]

Review: Nomads//Joe Banfi

  Nomads is Joe Banfi‘s second EP but you’d be forgiven for thinking it was his tenth due to its emotional and instrumental precision and intensity. Nomads encapsulates a lot of complicated themes; isolation, frustration and distance being a handful, and the acuteness with which Banfi articulates his ideas is astounding. Despite having heard title track ‘Nomads’ [...]

Review: Women//Underwater Seacreatures

  American duo, and TLS favourite, Underwater Seacreatures have been harbouring a little something that’s been on our wishlist for a while now. Said little something is Women, a full length Bandcamp-released collection of supreme songs about subjects such as anticipation and the ladies. A great range of synths and electronic programming has been used [...]

Review: Keaton Henson @ The Mitchell Library 07/02/13

Keaton Henson is currently playing a string of gigs comprising of new material from forthcoming album Birthdays and songs from last year’s Dear… in interesting and alternative venues in Britain’s bigger cities. Last week he performed two sell out shows in the Mitchell Library’s Jeffrey Room, a beautiful gallery that runs across part of the [...]

Review: Mull/Alek Fin

We missed Alek Fin‘s release of the Mull EP last December but as the phrase goes, better late than never. There’s something to be said for 2012′s penchant for gaudy, percussive music, which is unfortunately ongoing. Alek Fin’s subtle approach to the alternative subgenres of electronic music is a much needed respite from all too [...]

Review: Same Old Story//Ed Black

Liverpool-based Ed Black releases his debut EP Same Old Story later this month. After interviewing him last year, we were keen to hear more of his bright, distinctive work. Same Old Story opens with the sprightly ‘Easier Said Than Done’, a song which displays Black’s deft use of rhythm and arrangement. From the song’s minimal [...]

Review: Running to the North//Harry Ridgway

‘Running to the North’ starts the EP off on a brisk and driven note that pushes through lyrics that would otherwise be disheartening to a promising, forward facing atmosphere. The EP’s title track reflects an aspect of escapism that Harry Ridgway’s lyrics condone, saying, “Tell your God you’re fine…and find which man is to blame” [...]