Live Review
Live: Shed Seven / Inspiral Carpets – Leeds 22.12.15 / Sheffield 10.12.15
Seeing Shed 7 has become as big a part of Christmas as turkey and sprouts. Every second year the boys take their show out on the road, and treat us to a set full of their greatest hits. We caught them at Sheffield and again at Leeds for the final night of the tour. (All …
Festival Review: London Contemporary Music Festival
Spreading a festival over seven murky London nights is an ambitious move. Not only is it near-impossible to attend every single event, but one also gets an overbearing sense that the programme will wear itself thin over the week. Not so. Even though some work photographed better than it sounded and certain performances engaged the …
Live Review: Kim Wilde, Holmfirth Picturedrome, 16/12/15
When I was ten years old I fell in love for the first time. Her name was Kim. She was an older woman. That was when I heard Kim Wilde’s cover of The Supremes’ hit ‘You Keep Me Hanging on’. I’d never actually heard the original version of the song at that time, but listening …
Live: Maxïmo Park – Rock City, Nottingham – 15-12-15
I first saw Maxïmo Park as a gawky twelve-year-old at Sheffield Octagon with me dad and a mate, on their UK tour for their debut record, A Certain Trigger. The high energy set saw a smartly-dressed Paul Smith with characteristic hat pogo-ing around on stage to the delight of the crowd. Ten years on and nothing …
Live Review: Big Scary – The Lexington, 8 December 2015 plus Gallery
After impressing audiences throughout Europe supporting Courtney Barnett, Big Scary brought their funky indie pop to The Lexington on the last of two debut headline shows in London. The Australian duo of Tom Iansek (vocals, keyboards, guitar) and Jo Syme (drums, vocals) are joined on stage by a bassist/saxophonist to reflect the layers of sound …
Live: The Story So Far, Turnstile, Drug Church – Leeds University Stylus, 12/12/15
Drug Church aren’t the stereotypical choice for The Story So Far support, the crowd seem less than unsure until vocalist Patrick Kindlon says “If you’re unsure whether this is cool or not, I can asure you it is.” If that doesn’t indicate this is a love it or hate it band then what does. While …
Live: Nothing More, SHVPES, In Search Of Sun – Manchester Academy 3, 7.12.15
It’s brisk December and In Search Of Sun hold the task of warming the crowd up for the evening. There’s only about 20 people in the room by the time the band take the stage but if you didn’t turn around to look at the gaping empty floor you wouldn’t know it given the intensity …
Live Review: 3AM & The Dead-End Alley Band, Zwolle
Every now and again, a band comes along that compels you to move heaven and earth to see them play live – 3AM are one such band. “3AM it’s the solo project of Chino Burga (La IrA de Dios, La Garua, Necromongo, Los Entierros, Black Saqras, Espira) based on riffs, loops and a lot of tremolo.” I …
Live: Fish & Lazuli – Sheffield City Hall – 10.12.2015
Way back in the mid-90s, I turned down the opportunity to see Fish live in concert, and opted to go and see another band, who I was more familiar with. The band I saw were distinctly disappointing, and I’ve regretted not choosing to see the former Marillion frontman instead ever since, especially as, a couple …
Live: Ash at The Ritz Manchester 9.12.15, plus gallery
It remains one of rock’s enduring mysteries why Northern Ireland’s finest Ash are only playing decent sized venues like this instead of stadiums and this fun packed greatest hits sets only added to the conundrum. Most bands would settle for a couple of indie pop classic like Girl From Mars or Goldfinger, but this set …