Who Let The Dogs Out is the sound a police car makes when you set it on fire. It’s the sound of a brick connecting with a fascist. It’s precisely where punk needs to be in 2025. Where do we find punk in 2025? Arguably, split into two distinctive camps.…
All bark and no bite: punk’s biggest posers eviscerate Nick Clegg IDLES are an interesting prospect in 2024. Their explosion onto the burgeoning post-punk scene was one of vital urgency. Back-to-back albums in the shape of 2017’s Brutalism and 2018’s Joy As An Act Of Resistance were colossal eruptions of…
A glorious evening of soulfully melancholic, countrified pop-rock. Katy J Pearson takes to Manchester’s New Century Hall tonight in support of her new record, Someday, Now. Doubling the size of the room since Gorilla hosted her last foray to the city in 2022; the leap in capacity speaks not only…
There are plenty of artists who have had their moment in 2024, but few have shone quite like Fontaines D.C. A stellar studio effort came in the shape of their fourth LP Romance, alongside hoards of critical acclaim, bigger stages, a y2k meets post-punk restyling and hordes of new fans.…
Manchester is at its best this time of year. The gig calendar is full, as are the pubs and bars surrounding each venue. This evening, hoards of winter coats and scarves are crammed inside YES’ Pink Room for Honeyglaze, who return to the city riding the wave of their sophomore…
Exhibiting a masterclass in solo pop performance and stagecraft. Truly, there is no one doing it like Charlie xcx. The status of Charli xcx in 2024 is that of a pop culture monolith finding profound success in fusing traditional pop with sleazy dance tunes, floorfilling hyperpop and experimental electronica. Not…
“We do things differently here” is the much-quoted adage Tony Wilson may or may not have said about Manchester. As much of Manchester is hurtles towards a London-lite vibe, the quote’s efficacy may be debated but the city’s musical heritage is unmatched and the live music culture is deep-rooted in…
Tiny, sweat-from-the-ceiling rooms like this is where the real fun lies. The rise of Irish punk and post-punk has been extraordinarily well documented over the last six or seven years, with artists from both the North and South pushing the island to the vanguard of alternative and new wave punk.…
The way Amyl have grown and matured over the last two records is on display here, as feisty punk evolves into muscular hard-rock. It’s a Saturday night in town and it feels like Manchester is in one of those moods: there is a selection of gigs going on up and…
Bob Vylan are one of the most important British bands on the scene right now. Once again, Bob Vylan are back in Manchester: they have a habit of kicking up venue sizes every time they end up in the North West and their Humble As The Sun tour is no…