Bringing you all the Live Reviews that matter since 1998

A DUCK WORTH SEEING
30 September 2011 / Moho / Manchester
:: getcape.wearcape.fly :: The Reveres :: The Refines :: The Cave Race ::
The folksy, easy listening electro acoustic pop master gets very political between songs

SALFORD MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011: THE GRAND FINALE
25 September 2011 / The Willows / Salford
:: George Borowski :: Danny Mahon :: Dirty North :: Girl Peculiar :: Jun Tzu :: A Me B :: Rae Morris :: V Thirteen :: Positronik ::
4 stages, 40 acts, 8 hours and an eclectic selection of great local talent. The Willows itself probably won't be with us this time next year, but Salford Music Festival most certainly will.

NICE AND SLOW
22 September 2011 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Slow Club ::
Topped with undeniably lovely vocals and underpinned with a well crafted rhythm section, the duo have a lot of strength to their sound. Sadly though, there isn’t enough filling between this.

SOME THINGS LAST FOREVER
24 September 2011 / The Palace Theatre / Manchester
:: Echo & The Bunnymen ::
MM's newest recruit James Kendrick wasn't born when Echo And The Bunnymen had most of their hits, but "Ocean Rain" has stood the test of time.

BEAT DIS!
23 September 2011 / Kraak / Manchester
:: From The Kites Of San Quentin :: T3ETH :: Ghosting Season ::
It's not just Underachievers that's relaunching tonight: Drowned In Sound returns to Manchester promoting with this forward-thinking electronics- based bill.

MUSICIANS WITHOUT BORDERS
22 September 2011 / Various Venues / Salford
:: Dr Mahogany's Goat Circus :: Frazer King :: Martyn Lewis ::
What do you do if you're a band and you turn up to play a gig and find the venue rather lacking in basic essentials? You could admit defeat and go home - or you could go and blag onto someone else's bill...

FOE AND FRIENDS
21 September 2011 / The Factory (Fac251) / Manchester
:: FOE ::
A mildly chaotic, topsy-turvy, left-right racket which actually coalesces quite marvellously together upon arrival at your brain.

ALL NEW UNDERACHIEVERS
23 September 2011 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Let's Buy Happiness :: Evans The Death ::
Underachievers has found a new home, and our reviewer enjoys it so much he loses his notes and has to try and remember it later...

SALFORD MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011: IRWELL BLUES
23 September 2011 / The Crescent / Salford
:: Jim Adama ::
This is everything the blues should be, and everything a lot of people playing "blues" aren't these days.

KYTE FLYING HIGH
21 September 2011 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Hello Mexico :: City Reign :: Kyte ::
If this were their first tour after releasing a few tracks online illustrated with one of those blurry fake Polaroids and tagged as "chillwave" then the bleeding-edge bloggers would be all over it...

WAREHOUSE PROJECT 2011: MUSIC OF THE SPHERES
17 September 2011 / The Warehouse Project / Manchester
:: DJ Shadow ::
As the Warehouse Project 2011 opens for business DJ Shadow shows he is still innovating - from inside a Death Star style globe!

FESTIVALS 2011: RAMSBOTTOM CALLING
17 September 2011 / Ramsbottom Cricket Club / Bury (mcr)
:: Guillemots :: Cherry Ghost :: Denis Jones :: Badly Drawn Boy :: The Janice Graham Band :: The Young Knives :: Kid British :: The Travelling Band :: The Rainband :: Lizzie Nunnery :: Harp & A Monkey ::
Hello Ramsbottom - rock hits the north - truly

CANADIAN INVASION
14 September 2011 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: Handsome Furs :: Little Scream ::
It is pretty much impossible not to spend most of a Handsome Furs gig with a great big smile on your face.

FESTIVALS 2011: BESTIVAL DAY THREE
11 September 2011 / Robin Hill Park / Isle Of Wight
:: The Chapman Family :: The Maccabees :: Lanterns On The Lake :: The Drums :: Goldie Lookin Chain :: Björk :: Two Wounded Birds :: Kelis :: Robyn :: DJ Shadow :: HEALTH ::
Day three, and as the festival season draws to a close David reflects on a music-packed summer. And on bands too arrogant to play their best known song...

FESTIVALS 2011: BESTIVAL DAY TWO
10 September 2011 / Robin Hill Park / Isle Of Wight
:: P J Harvey :: The Cure :: Primal Scream :: Tom Vek :: Palmoa Faith :: Grandmaster Flash :: Katy B :: Toots And The Maytals :: Village People ::
Let's face it, where else on this earth would you get to hear "Pressure Drop", "YMCA", "On Battleship Hill", "The Lovecats" and "Loaded" played live all in one day?

FESTIVALS 2011: BESTIVAL DAY ONE
09 September 2011 / Robin Hill Park / Isle Of Wight
:: Patrick Wolf :: Los Campesinos! :: Asian Dub Foundation :: Yuck :: Public Enemy ::Brian Wilson :: Chromeo ::
It's the first day of the last festival of the summer, and David Edwards is pleased to report that Public Enemy's Flavor Flav is still wearing that clock round his neck and annoying Chuck D like the last 20 years never happened...

READY FOR TAKE-OFF
13 September 2011 / Kings Arms / Salford
:: Airship :: Young British Artists ::
With their single all over 6 Music and dates across Europe over the coming weeks, we catch up with Airship at an intimate pub gig while we still can...

A TRIP INTO SPACE - OR AT LEAST UP THE A57
09 September 2011 / The Oakwood / Glossop
:: The Cush ::
We've heard they're a fantastic live band - "like floating in space" one review said - and they don't make it over to Europe very often. Which is why we're headed out of town on a Friday night and off into the hills...

ANGEL, DEMON, HUMAN
05 September 2011 / Sound Control / Manchester
:: Kurt Vile ::
Angels and demons aside, it’s Vile’s human side that prove to be the most powerful tonight.

A NAME YOU CAN TRUST
07 September 2011 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: The Jezabels :: Mount Fabric :: Projectionists ::
With high profile acts including Public Enemy and The Rapture presenting Manchester with a clash of choices tonight, we instead choose a band we've never heard a note by, on the grounds that Wotgodforgot rarely gets it wrong.

THE GENESIS OF O GENESIS
03 September 2011 / The Castle (Oldham St) / Manchester
:: Joseph Coward :: Replicas ::
While some of Manchester's musical elders seem content to milk the cash cow of their own past, Tim Burgess is already well respected for his genuine love and support of new music. And now he and his friends have started a label...

SUMMER IN THE CITY
03 September 2011 / Various Venues / Manchester
:: The Janice Graham Band :: Kid British :: Sonic Boom Six :: Aidan Smith :: Little Sparrow ::
This two day event is a direct, positive, response to the recent disturbances in Manchester, designed by to portray the more creative side of Manchester, by people who are proud to live in the city.

LOG ON!
05 September 2011 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Bob Log III :: Dave Arcari :: The Calimocho Club :: The Medicine Bow ::
Tonight’s Ruby Lounge show celebrates the bourbon soaked side of the blues. The side that prefers to celebrate, rather than commiserate their sorrows and losses.

FIRE AND ICE
02 September 2011 / Islington Mill / Salford
:: Iceage :: Eagulls ::
Danish teen punks Ice Age tear Islington Mill a new hole with their exhilarating feedback-laced 20 minute assault - but is there more to them than meets the eye, or less?