Bringing you all the Live Reviews that matter since 1998

BREEDS APART
27 April 2004 / Academy 2 / Manchester
:: Breed77 :: <209> ::
Gibraltan metal clashes with the harmonic scale and large numbers.

SOUR BITE
28 April 2004 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: yourcodenameis:milo :: McLusky ::
Live and in mono at 100 decibels is not the best way to decipher three equally intricate layers of guitar. But just because you can't hear it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

YEAR OF THE YEN
26 April 2004 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: The Sonar Yen :: The Preston School of Industry ::
The world is now listening as Manchester's finest support Scott Kannberg's (ex-Pavement) pop underground boys.

READY FOR THE MAINSTREAM?
22 April 2004 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Biffy Clyro :: Minus ::
As pioneers of this irregular style, which is immensely difficult to categorise Biffy Clyro may well be talking a short walk up to the Academy 1 very shortly.

EMO DEATH TOLL
15 April 2004 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: XisLOADED :: Million Dead ::
Unlike most gigs at bigger venues, you feel comfortable with the band and as if you were just out watching your mates.

UNITE AND CONQUER !
28 April 2004 / Satan's Hollow / Manchester
:: The Obsession :: (hooker) :: The Forest :: Carolgees ::
You won’t get bass, drums and guitar sounding this big very often

CHUTE OFF
19 April 2004 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: The Shins :: The Stills ::
Lost friendships, crashing kites and all manner of winsome topics - The Shins give a sunny disposition to the most melancholic of lyrics

GENTLE BEN
22 April 2004 / Academy 2 / Manchester
:: British Sea Power :: The Duke Spirit ::
Hell truly bursts from under the crust of the earth. What looks like the exhumed corpse of Gentle Ben invades the stage.

DEATHTONES
21 April 2004 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Willard Grant Conspiracy ::
Folk may frequently talk about the old and the dead, but it sure as hell ain’t dead...or even old.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS #8
24 April 2004 / The Castle / Oldham
:: Grand Volume :: Transelement :: Movie Made Children ::
The new, Peel playlists and the reborn all make the Castles 10k rig shudder..

PLENTY OF FRONT
21 April 2004 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: The Kirkz :: Without A Reason :: So Called Pride ::
But within this murky, toilety world of grey water and semi-solids, you catch a glimpse of golden sunlight

NORMAN BATES
11 April 2004 / Star and Garter / Manchester
:: Oneida :: Mugstar ::
How else would they get the words "hello mother", at face value a simple pleasantry, to grate together with the kind of sinister dissonance that would give Norman Bates a hard-on?

BELIEVE IT
13 April 2004 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Goldie Lookin Chain :: Lockdown Project :: John The White Rapper ::
Nine grown men in Argos jewellery chant over the riff from Clapton’s “Behind The Mask” with the hall full of fists in the air. This time, believe the hype

LUDDITE RIOT
13 April 2004 / Academy 2 / Manchester
:: Ikara Colt ::
Tracy a new hand to the Colt, conversely seems to be enjoying the abuse. She beams off the attention and points her derriere toward the crowd inviting them to kiss it.

LOOSE DELIVERY
09 April 2004 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: Loose Canon ::
Some snappy riffs and stirring melodies. Given a choice between Barney Gumble and Victoria Beckham, I know who I'd choose.

BLOODY RICH
09 April 2004 / Retro Bar / Manchester
:: Bilge Pump ::
Archdukes of avant-jazz/hardcore noise return to the Retro Bar with the finest sticks man in Christendom.

CIRCO MAXIMO
13 April 2004 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: Maximo Park :: Circlesound :: People In Planes ::
If spectators laugh in the face of a singer who reads from books on stage, then the joke’s on them.

METALLIC RISE
14 April 2004 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Forgotten Hopefuls :: InertiA- Rise ::
It all deliberately ends in tears, with the guitar slammed to the ground and howling feedback shattering sixteen year old ear drums

ICE MAJESTY
07 April 2004 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Madrugada ::
A grim looking band and a potential disaster for Norwegian tourism, it’s as if the new ice age has just reached Manchester.

GOING UNDERGROUND
07 April 2004 / Dry Bar / Manchester
:: The Forest ::
Like a rabbit in headlights - caught in the beat – locked into the churning sound of the engine..then...bang – you’re out

DEAF BEFORE DAWN
07 April 2004 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Vib-Gyor :: Blind Before Dawn ::
Big soled goth shoes and Electro-Clash Sci-Fi outfits mixed in with school uniforms

AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
03 April 2004 / Life Cafe (now see Studio / Chicago Rock) / Manchester
:: The Mountain Goats ::
One of the great questions surrounding The Mountain Goats was whether they were to be taken seriously.

FI-LO TAKE MANCHESTER BY STORM
01 April 2004 / Life Cafe (now see Studio / Chicago Rock) / Manchester
:: The Obsession :: Fi-Lo Radio :: Kinesis ::
Fi-Lo take to their instruments like Marines loading up for a beach assault and there’s no denying that guitars and drums are dangerous weapons in the hands of the threesome