Bringing you all the Live Reviews that matter since 1998

HEADS DOWN AND NOISE UP
28 October 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: TOY :: Charlie Boyer and The Voyeurs ::
No longer riding on The Horrors' coat-tails, TOY leave the Ruby Lounge drenched in swirling riffs and striking feedback.

BIZARRE TRIANGLE LOVE
27 October 2012 / RNCM / Royal Northern College Of Music / Manchester
:: ∆ (alt-J) ::
Alt-J respond to the RNCM’s intimate auditorium like an animal returning to its natural habitat.

A CAREFULLY PLANNED FESTIVAL: PART THREE
21 October 2012 / Various Venues / Manchester
:: Bearsuit :: Kathryn Edwards :: Les Malheureux :: Cecille Grey :: Feeds :: Ajimal :: Wooderson :: The Fancy Dress Party :: Elisa & the Bear :: Sleeping Dog ::
Even the weather was carefully planned to accommodate trips between venues. Cath and Ged meanwhile couldn't have planned more carefully if they'd tried, as they saw entirely different bands all day. This is Ged's report.

A CAREFULLY PLANNED FESTIVAL: PART TWO
21 October 2012 / Various Venues / Manchester
:: This Town Needs Guns :: We Are The Physics :: Glass Ankle :: Burnst :: Juffage :: Cleft :: Ex Easter Island Head :: Alasdair Roberts :: Queer'd Science :: Carousel ::
Day Two sees us lurching from evocative folk to invigorating electropunk in the time it takes to walk up Oldham Street.

A CAREFULLY PLANNED FESTIVAL: PART ONE
20 October 2012 / Various Venues / Manchester
:: Day For Airstrikes :: Napoleon IIIrd :: PLANK! :: Songs For Walter :: Bad Grammar :: Tekla Szerszynska :: Anguish Sandwich :: Quadrilles :: Kiran Leonard ::
It's the middle weekend of October, but there's no In The City any more. What's a music addict to do? Phew, Carefully Planned have ensured it's still possible to watch bands for about ten hours a day.

THREE SHADES OF INTENSE
20 October 2012 / Sound Control / Manchester
:: The Twilight Sad :: RM Hubbert :: The Hidden Revolution ::
We're kind of surprised to arrive at the venue and discover that the gig's in the downstairs bar - but A small space like this is only going to serve to make The Twilight Sad even more intense.

TRAINS ON TRACK DESPITE SIGNAL FAILURE
18 October 2012 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: I Like Trains :: Talons ::
The keyboard's thrown a wobbler, but the friendliest band in the country still manage to pull out a great set.

GROWING PAINS
15 October 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart :: Echo Lake :: Hatcham Social ::
It’s tempting to suggest that they’re only 2-3 big singles away from making a serious dent in the musical landscape...

JAPANESE WHISPERS (WELL, NOT QUITE...)
17 October 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Bo Ningen :: Kaatskill Mountains ::
A calmer feel to their new material also serves to make their trademark freakout ending seem even more intense than ever by comparison. And three years after we first reviewed them, we finally discover the correct pronunciation of their name.

IT COSTS NOTHING BUT IT'S GREAT VALUE...
13 October 2012 / Star and Garter / Manchester
:: Mr Heart :: Second Hand Guns ::
After watching two bands at Soup Kitchen our roving reviewer needed more, so it's over to the other side of town...

SHARP BUT NOT TACKY
13 October 2012 / Soup Kitchen / Manchester
:: PINS :: September Girls ::
Don’t listen to the hype, listen to the band for yourself.

SECRET SESSION SUNDAY
14 October 2012 / Various Venues / Manchester
:: Aidan Smith :: Sweet Baboo ::
A small group of people are gathering around a silent figure, black cloaked and faceless, except for an animal skull. We're going to a gig... though we don't know who is playing, nor where.

WHEN I WAS YOUNG
14 October 2012 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Nada Surf ::
...sometimes best kept secrets are a beautifully selfish indulgence, but I can't help feeling guilty that Nada Surf's music should be shared by so many others...

HIGHER THAN A HARVEST MOON
11 October 2012 / The Met / Bury (mcr)
:: Ahab ::
Mixing indie and folk sounds in 2012 tends to have the unfortunate effect of drawing comparisons with one of the most hated bands in Britain - Ahab are worth so much more than that.

DANCE MUSIC FOR THE MIND
10 October 2012 / Soup Kitchen / Manchester
:: Errors :: Dam Mantle :: Palmstruck ::
MM's current near-residency in Soup Kitchen continues with another excellent bill from Now Wave.

SMASH IT UP
04 October 2012 / Sound Control / Manchester
:: Deadbeat Echoes :: Twisted Wheel ::
a predominantly youthful audience begin to get over- excited at the prospect at the return of Jonny Brown and his new rock n' roll cohorts

THE FUTURE IS... UNPRONOUNCEABLE
04 October 2012 / Soup Kitchen / Manchester
:: Nzca/lines :: Jonquil ::
In 2012 the pendulum of cool definitely seems to have swung back in the direction of guitars; good to see there are talented people doing exciting new things with electronics, too.

THE OSAKA RAMONES
02 October 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Shonen Knife :: Lovely Eggs ::
31 years and still going strong, Shonen Knife are a textbook case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".