Bringing you all the Live Reviews that matter since 1998

MONARCHS OF ALL THEY SURVEY
23 October 2002 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: Queens Of The Stone Age ::
Following on from their triumphant “Songs for the Deaf” album comes the Manchester leg of this British tour. QOTSA are big in Manchester. QOTSA are big everywhere right now.

GARAGE REVIVIALISTS OVERFLOW WITH LIFE
24 October 2002 / Life Cafe (now see Studio / Chicago Rock) / Manchester
:: Moco :: The Obsession :: Sound Advice Tour ::
Steve Jones goes on the prowl, straddling the gigantic noise his band mates create, comically pouting for photographers and the cameramen... Manchester and Wigan 2, Life Café 0.

ARE THE FAMOUS FIVE ALIVE ?
22 October 2002 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: British Sea Power ::
Just as I'm about to shout out loud in painful desperation "fuck me, I'm falling asleep" in an attempt to shake things up a bit, the band go into their finale

ANY CITY IN THE WORLD
18 October 2002 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Interpol ::
I’m sure someone has asked this before but how can all these bands from New York be so good looking and so immaculately turned out. Barney Sumner made do with an old school shirt and funeral tie

HOME SWEET HOME
18 October 2002 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Appliance :: Oceansize :: Transelement ::
“Titanic”, “Oceanic”, “Deep”, “Gargantuan” and more latterly “Preposterous” are just some of the epic labels placed next to the epic band who are Oceansize

BETTER THAN OASIS ?
16 October 2002 / Life Cafe (now see Studio / Chicago Rock) / Manchester
:: Autokat :: Silverstones :: Saint Lips :: DC10 ::
There’s a curious mix of the lo-fi with the almost jazzy ruffle of a discordant and slightly disjointed output. But it's warm, affectionate and most of all probably cool

SHINE SHINE SHINE
10 October 2002 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Bynatone :: Flawed :: Tsuji Giri :: : FESTIVAL OF BRITON ::
For the (un)initiated, The Festival of Briton is another source of alternative mayhem, dashed with the spice of oddly arranged humour. enjoy.

SONIC YOOF
02 October 2002 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: The Parkinsons :: Jackie O :: The Strap Ons ::
The Uni plays host to an intensity, which runs alongside the machine gun dispensed chords - a performance that you will talk about ? read on...

ERASER HEAD
02 October 2002 / Retro Bar / Manchester
:: Bilge Pump :: Erase Errata ::
For any liberal minded Mancunian punk who has been disillusioned with the genre’s current stagnant and directionless state, the Retro Bar on Oct 2nd 2002 could well have been the place of hope and change.