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A BIG DAY OUT WITH FRIENDS
29 January 2011 / Kro and Jabez Clegg / Manchester
:: Air Cav :: Beat The Radar :: Spokes :: Lowline :: Run Toto Run :: Jo Rose :: The Janice Graham Band :: Brown Brogues :: Patterns :: Driver Drive Faster :: The Watchers :: Alex Hulme :: Ian Britt :: The Narrows :: A Rookery :: King Tree And The Roots :: I Am Austin :: Glass Ankle :: Weird Era :: Cal Roberts ::
Now established as the real start of the post- festive-break live music season, Friends Of Manchester is a great chance to catch loads of bands in one day for not much money: Cath Aubergine and David Edwards bring you the highlights.

REBEL SONGS
28 January 2011 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Goldblade :: GBH :: Obsessive Compulsive ::
Hardcore! War! Psycho! Riot! Power! A Goldblade set- list is a joy to behold - almost as much as the gig itself...

ACADEMY 3 MOVES TO THE SOUND OF L.A.
27 January 2011 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Funeral Party :: Flashguns ::
They've come half way round the world on a wave of hype to a freezing January night in Manchester - can LA's cheerfully-named next big indie thing cut it live?

EXISTENCE IS PUNISHMENT
19 January 2011 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Crowbar :: Shaped by Fate ::
This is music for blowing rusting ship-hulks up to; this is the thick sludgy music you might hear as you were being sucked relentlessly into a stinking swamp; so testosterone-driven the women in the crowd risked growing testicles on the spot.

RADAR LOVE
15 January 2011 / The Castle (Oldham St) / Manchester
:: Beat The Radar :: Emphemetry :: Haiku Salut ::
People are on each other's shoulders, only briefly getting a moments respite before the next three minute slice of enjoyment is served up.

ALPHABETICAL UNDERACHIEVERS
08 January 2011 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: The ABC Club :: Uranium Lake :: Douga ::
Settled nicely into their new Northern Quarter home, Underachievers start 2011 as they mean to go on.

BACK TO BASICS
15 January 2011 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: The Coral :: Delta Maid ::
The antagonisms between the people of Manchester and Liverpool are certainly put aside when it comes to music, as The Coral leave the stage shaking hands with those who have been fortunate enough to attend this intimate performance.

RINGMASTER OF THE CASTLE
08 January 2011 / The Castle (Oldham St) / Manchester
:: Theo :: Peace :: Voo ::
When he sits at the kit, it’s not so much as circling the wagons, as being at a circus...

AMORPHOUS PATTERNS
07 January 2011 / Fuel, Withington / Manchester
:: Patterns :: Beat The Radar :: With That Knife ::
In which we start the year with what feels like a world record attempt for the number of people that can be crammed into a tiny room above a cafe-bar, for MCR Scenewipe's excellent showcase night.