Bringing you all the Live Reviews that matter since 1998

NORTHERN ROCK
29 September 2006 / The Castle / Oldham
:: The Shallow Call :: Palmstruck ::
A fusion of handy little grenades of three minute exciting sonic explosions.

NEVER AT A STANDSTILL
21 September 2006 / Academy 2 / Manchester
:: Liam Frost :: Fear Of Music ::
...a lady next to me cries out before quickly covering her mouth with her hand. And time? Well, it stood still

PHOTO FINISH
30 September 2006 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: The Hidden Cameras :: My Latest Novel ::
There are a lot of The Hidden Cameras so the tiny N&D stage is stretched to its limits,

DIRTY FUN
22 September 2006 / The BierKeller / Manchester
:: The Fountain :: The Permissive Society :: Ape Drape Escape :: White Heat ::
..we write songs from the head not the hair

BAD MOOD RISING
28 September 2006 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: Ryan Adams ::
Ultimately Adams is a stubborn and selfish performer....he remains a less than vital live prospect.

NICE SKATING
29 September 2006 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Matt Costa :: Mark Stone ::
Former skate boarder has found a new way of displaying his exhilarating style

CROSS DRESSING
27 September 2006 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Circus Girls ::
Come and join us / Be part of the gang

GET HOT.GET DRUNK.NOD
22 September 2006 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: getcape.wearcape.fly :: Lucy & The Caterpillar :: Jeremy Warmsley :: Napoleon IIIrd ::
Exposing demented tape loops of swooping, multi-layered noise-pools and blissful, drunk and disorderly pop songs

ACID FOOD
24 September 2006 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: Mogwai :: Kid 606 ::
British rock music is all the better for a Mogwai this lean and sharp.

REJECTED GLORY
23 September 2006 / Apollo / Manchester
:: All American Rejects :: Matchbook Romance ::
'We actually wanted to contribute to the evolution of music...'

COHESION 06
23 September 2006 / Platt Fields / Manchester
:: The Longcut :: I Am Kloot :: The KBC :: The Permissive Society :: Elbow :: Snowfight In The City Centre :: The Answering Machine :: redcarsgofaster :: The Sunshine Underground :: Daggers (aka / formerly Bureau) :: Asinine :: Lucy And The Caterpillar :: Toolshed :: Graham Coxon :: Roland Shanks :: Badly Drawn ::
Fine intentions aside (an attempt to raise money to build a park in Kosovo), the 1-day Cohesion Festival in Platt Fields boasts a great looking line-up...read on >>

STAGNATE WITH INFESTED REGRET
13 September 2006 / Life Cafe (now see Studio / Chicago Rock) / Manchester
:: Scott Mathews ::
‘Midlands born, Midlands bred; blues in the heart and folk in the head’

WAVING FLAGS
16 September 2006 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: Reuben :: Billy Talent ::
'Red Flag’ sees the crowd lost in the moment and it has a British sound to help the band feel at home

BREEDING HECK
20 September 2006 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Breed77 :: Last Stop China Town ::
Breed 77 stoically resist against moulding their sound to rock music trends

LIVING ON THE CEILING
21 September 2006 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Daggers (aka / formerly Bureau) ::
My ears ring happily after an explosion of poppy retro beats and blustery, exciting, joyfully thumping music

STRUMMER NIGHTS
21 September 2006 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: Rachael Kichenside :: Ian Adamson :: Redruth ::
It’s a balmy evening and there’s an acoustic flair to the first few acts

THE THREE DAVES
13 September 2006 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Fevercaine :: Grand Volume ::
GV actually have noise levels that allow them to easily live up to their name

SMOG FUELLED
09 September 2006 / Fuel, Withington / Manchester
:: The Unfortunates :: King Street Hobo ::
Wood-heavy, softly lit, candles on tables, banners draping the windows....there's even a sofa

DO YOU WANT TO DRINK SOME ALCOHOL?
05 September 2006 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: CSS / Cansei de Ser Sexy ::
Sugar rushes of queasily-erotic electronics, with cute blips over siren-like wails, honks and cheeky beeps - oh and the singers crazy...no seriously. Mad.

WHISKEY, ASH & CINDERS
08 September 2006 / Academy 2 / Manchester
:: Devendra Banhart :: (and some guy called George) ::
There’s something mysterious in Banhart's aura, like he’s a pied piper of folk communes, leading waifs and strays to the fire, drumming out skewed stories

HOLLIDAY FROM HISTORY
04 September 2006 / The Octagon / Bolton (mcr)
::
“The Billie Holiday Story” with some poignant scene setting, is as much about Black history as it is about the career of a pioneering singer