Bringing you all the Live Reviews that matter since 1998

A QUIET NIGHT OUT
30 March 2010 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Pearl Divers :: A Death In Brazil :: Sixteen Tonnes ::
Meanwhile across town, MM's other roving reporter finds herself in a somewhat "selective" audience for three bands who really deserve better...

NOT ENOUGH FLORENCE, TOO MUCH MACHINE
30 March 2010 / Club Academy (Academy 4) / Manchester
:: Ellie Goulding ::
She’s the BBC Sound of 2010! And the Brit Awards Critics’ Choice! David Edwards goes to investigate the hype and finds a young girl not without talent but some way out of her depth in the fast-track hothouse that is today’s music industry.

MAY DAY PARTY
27 March 2010 / Retro Bar / Manchester
:: May 68 ::
British Summer Time starts here with a band who seem poised to be its soundtrack.

IS THAT A NEW OUTFIT?
28 March 2010 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Archie Bronson Outfit :: Alexander Tucker ::
Synths and effects? That doesn’t sound like the Archie Bronson Outfit we rememeber. But rest assured, they still rock as hard as ever…

CRACK, SMACK AND ROCK'N'ROLL PSYCHOSIS
26 March 2010 / Sound Control / Manchester
:: The Jim Jones Revue :: Euchrid Eucrow ::
Can you really get away with calling a song ‘Big Hunk O’Luv’ in 2010? Seems The Jim Jones Revue can, whilst Euchrid Eucrow like it even dirtier.

WORRIED ABOUT INTERFERENCE
26 March 2010 / Nexus Art Cafe / Manchester
:: worriedaboutsatan :: Her Name Is Calla ::
A lovely chilled out venue, a quiet and respectful audience, this is the first night of a long tour for these two excellent young bands and everything seems just perfect. Until the gremlins arrive...

ATMOSPHERIC BY NAME AND BY NATURE
24 March 2010 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: North Atlantic Oscillation :: Whiskey Cove :: Daystar ::
Named after an atmospheric phenomenon where regions of high and low pressure come together, North Atlantic Oscillation take a similar approach to their music as sunny harmonies collide with strange electro-prog drones.

EVERYTHING WILL FLOW
24 March 2010 / The Royal Albert Hall / London
:: Suede ::
In her second report from London's Teenage Cancer Trust week, Liz Tray comes face to face with her teenage love - but have they stood the test of time?

MAGNETIC ATTRACTION
22 March 2010 / The Barbican / London
:: The Magnetic Fields ::
Stephen Merritt and co make you feel like you’re in the middle of a movie from the golden age of cinema, albeit one with a soundtrack that perfectly articulates the romantic story of your life. David Edwards is spellbound.

OLDHAM UP!
13 March 2010 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Gabrielle's Wish :: Butcher & Bolt :: Dirty Avenues ::
Are Gabrielle's Wish happy to hang in the shadows? MM catches up with a Manchester institution - and witnesses a rather geographically specific stage invasion...

FAST, FURIOUS AND LOUD
22 March 2010 / The Royal Albert Hall / London
:: Them Crooked Vultures ::
Three behemoths of rock, one Royal Albert Hall: MM's London correspondent survives with her ears intact - just about.

BEAR NECESSITIES
14 March 2010 / The Roundhouse / London
:: Grizzly Bear :: Beach House ::
Where on earth do these songs come from?

OUT OF THE CITY
19 March 2010 / Irish Association Social Club, Chorlton / Manchester
:: Audio Supply :: Books ::
Chaotic as ever, Blowout is still the place to catch a great new band before anyone else does...

NO MORE HEROES, POSSIBLY, AFTER THIS YEAR ANYWAY
20 March 2010 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: The Stranglers ::
With a combined age of 236, one original member long estranged and a different lead singer even since last time we saw them five years ago, you'd be forgiven for thinking The Stranglers in 2010 could be a dubious proposition. You'd be very wrong.

SOMETHING MORE
18 March 2010 / The Scala / London
:: Engineers :: Chapterhouse ::
Advertisements for band reunions often play on the idea that you probably know more songs than you thought you did, and as memories come flooding back this is certainly the case in the Scala tonight.

SANKEYS SQUEEZE
17 March 2010 / Sankey's / Manchester
:: Delphic :: Little Comets ::
Another outstanding and euphoric performance from the new kings of Manchester - for those who got there early enough to see it, anyway.

TAKING CONTROL
16 March 2010 / Sound Control / Manchester
:: The Satellite Towns :: On Off Switch :: Pseudo Stereo ::
This is SC Presents, Manchester's new Tuesday night pic'n'mix, and heavens knows we needed one since FictionNonFiction departed the official Crap Night Of The Week For Gigs...

LIGHTS, BALLOONS, ACTION
09 March 2010 / Club Academy (Academy 4) / Manchester
:: Dutch Uncles :: Optional Wallace :: Charlie Barnes ::
Forget the chicken suits and baths of porridge of old; these days when students want to raise money for good causes they start record labels and promote gigs, and here they do it very well indeed.

MIDDLE CLASS REBELLION
07 March 2010 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: Sara Lowes :: The Miserable Rich :: Jamie Harrison ::
They play chamber instruments and manage to make one of Iggy Pop's dodgier tunes sound immense and beautiful: The Miserable Rich prove that defying convention doesn't have to be rude or noisy.

BACK TO THE FUTURE
06 March 2010 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: The Woodentops :: The Slow Readers Club ::
If a bunch of edgy looking twentysomethings from this week's fashionable postcode were playing this exact same set, note for note, NME would be messing its trousers.

A QUIET REVOLUTION
04 March 2010 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: Mumford & Sons :: Fanfarlo ::
And then it suddenly hits you. This is a folk band packing out the Academy. Someone starts crowd surfing. Everyone knows the words. As a triumph of a musical genre over adversity, it’s somewhere akin to Merthyr Tydfil winning the FA Cup.

WE'LL MEAT AGAIN
04 March 2010 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: The Witch And The Robot :: Arthur Rigby And The Baskervylles ::
One lucky gig goer looks pleasantly confused by the generous chunk of shrink-wrapped ham presented to her by the man with the papier mache face, as a large pumpkin dances behind her...