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MM RECOMMENDED REHEARSAL SPACE FOR LOCAL ARTISTS
01 January 2013 / Various Venues / Manchester
:: Mcr MusicRooms ::
In a band ? Looking for practice space ? Support Manchester Music by signing up with our sponsor - here you'll find the best city located rehearsal space and best rates - quote MM on enquiry

MM GOES TO THE SEASIDE: GREAT ESCAPE 2012 PART 3
12 May 2012 / Lots of places / Brighton
:: O Children :: Ghost Outfit :: The Louche :: Mmoths :: Cercueil :: The Naturals :: 8otto :: Tall Ships ::
In which we attend a panel debate like proper grown- ups, before ending the weekend getting messy with some of Manchester's finest...

MM GOES TO THE SEASIDE: GREAT ESCAPE 2012 PART 2
11 May 2012 / Lots of places / Brighton
:: The Longcut :: The British Expeditionary Force :: PLANK! :: Nils Frahm :: Great Waves :: Thomas White :: Pond :: Seward :: Furguson :: The Suicide Of Western Culture :: A Winged Victory For The Sullen :: Seams ::
Manchester turns up on the south coast - and they've brought the sunshine with them! Meanwhile the Erased Tapes label celebrates its fifth birthday in a rather more civilised manner...

MM GOES TO THE SEASIDE: GREAT ESCAPE 2012 PART 1
10 May 2012 / Lots of places / Brighton
:: Savoir Adore :: Nina Nesbitt :: Abi Wade :: Francois And The Atlas Mountains :: Savages :: Zulu Winter :: Fossil Collective :: White Arrows :: Sykur ::
With Manchester's music scene descending en masse on Brighton's Greay Escape festival we thought we would tag along for the ride. We arrived the day before they did, and this is what we found...

SFTOC12: SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY - SALFORD'S FINEST MOMENT
06 May 2012 / Various Venues / Salford
:: Day For Airstrikes :: Monster Island :: Daniel Land And The Modern Painters :: Easter :: From The Kites Of San Quentin :: Great Waves :: Victories At Sea :: Embers ::
With 83 bands on offer across 14 venues along Chapel Street, this is one event which is to celebrated for the variety of artists that highlight the vibrancy of our local music scene and beyond...

SFTOC 2012 : SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY - OUT WITH A BANG
06 May 2012 / Various Venues / Salford
:: Lovely Eggs :: Ghost Outfit :: Klaus Kinski :: Laser Dream Eyes :: Embers :: HipshakessekahspiH – Palindromic Performance ::
Bright, angular pop is a sweet way to end a day of self indulgence...

SFTOC12 : THE END?...SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY
06 May 2012 / Various Venues / Salford
:: Daniel Land And The Modern Painters :: Easter :: Ghost Outfit :: No Womb :: New Hips :: Victories At Sea :: Butcher The Bar :: Wode :: Shigetto :: Alphabet Heaven ::
The last SFTOC...?

SFTOC12: ALL DAY AND WELL INTO THE NEXT MORNING
06 May 2012 / Various Venues / Salford
:: Daniel Land And The Modern Painters :: Islet :: Patterns :: Great Waves :: Teeth Of The Sea :: Wode :: Shigeto :: Laser DreamEyes :: Stalking Horse ::Waterworld :: Seaman :: Meddicine :: Withered Hand :: Verity Susman ::
From the opening sax tones of Verity Susman's 3pm set to Patterns' 2am stage invasion, Cath Aubergine attempts to wring every last drop out of a Sounds From The Other City wristband, despite the best efforts of the Trinity Way pedestrian crossing

SOUNDS FROM A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CITY: LIVE AT LEEDS 2012
05 May 2012 / Various Venues / Leeds
:: I Like Trains :: Black Moth :: Kleine Schweine :: ∆ (alt-J) :: Savages :: Novella :: Peace :: Random Impulse ::
I Like Trains play to one of their biggest ever crowds, Alt-J step up to a vacant headline slot and make a fine show of it, Kleine Schweine shout about Albania in an overstuffed bar. All this and more on our favourite annual trans-Pennine day out.

SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY 2012 - PREVIEW & INFO
05 May 2012 / Various Venues / Salford
:: SFTOC2012 ::
ManchesterMusic's preview of what to look out for at this year's Sounds From The Other City - it's been our northern event of the year since its debut - don't miss out...

OUT OF THE ABYSS
02 May 2012 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: We Are Augustines ::
It has been an emotional journey for We Are Augustines but one which only appears to be beginning for a band on the verge of something very big indeed. It may be some time before they occupy a stage this small again.

STRANGEWAYS RIOT
01 May 2012 / Strangeways Studio AKA The Führer Bunker / Manchester
:: Savages :: Pins ::
On a deserted looking road up the side of the prison, past a building with a number of structural necessities absent, is a near-mythical new venue featuring a wooden cage: inside it, one of the most exciting new bands of 2012.

COMMON PEOPLE
29 April 2012 / Common / Manchester
:: The Former Bullies :: Brown Brogues :: Sex Hands ::
Sunday afternoon and Common is rammed full, there's a washing line full of T-shirts, amps stuffed between randomly placed sofas... and what's that on the window?!

BRING THE NOISE
29 April 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Russian Circles :: Deafheaven :: Our Man In The Bronze Age ::
Four drummers, three bands, one great night from Fat Out Til You Pass Out who appear to have hit a particularly rich seam of such this year.

THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT
26 April 2012 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: Salford Media City :: The Yossarians :: ILL ::
Frenzied folk, fevered rantings about Prince Philip and a band dressed in bandages: welcome back Stroke Club and indeed Gullivers, we have missed you...

KEVIN'S TECHNICOLOUR DREAMS
22 April 2012 / Sound Control / Manchester
:: Of Montreal :: Patterns :: Kishi Bashi ::
If there is an age beyond which no man should wear turquoise eyeshadow then nobody told Kevin Barnes. Of Montreal's show is as flamboyant as you'd expect, but there could be an even greater talent lurking in the ranks...

WELL FED
21 April 2012 / Soup Kitchen / Manchester
:: Young British Artists :: Die Hexen :: Shinies ::
Soup Kitchen celebrates Record Store Day by providing food upstairs and live music downstairs for those wearied from hours of queueing (and those who didn't bother).

AFTERNOON DELIGHTS
21 April 2012 / The Castle (Oldham St) / Manchester
:: Glass Ankle :: Vei :: Kiran Leonard :: Teletextile ::
In part two of his Record Store Day afternoon adventures, Ged goes to check out Carefully Planned at the Castle. We are actually not sure how he did this as we're pretty certain these gigs were on at the same time...

TRUE LIFE STORIES
20 April 2012 / The Art Of Tea, Didsbury / Manchester
:: Songs For Walter :: T G Elias :: Douga ::
A bunch of photographs show real life as it was depicted in a twentieth century that already seems like another world; this is their soundtrack.

TIME OUT FROM THE BLACKOUT
19 April 2012 / Alter Ego / Manchester
:: Gavin Butler :: Neil Starr ::
They're better known as the frontmen of the decidedly un-acoustic The Blackout and Attack! Attack! but tonight sees Butler and Starr in stripped down mode.

INDUSTRIAL SURFGAZE
18 April 2012 / Kraak / Manchester
:: Odonis Odonis :: Kult Country ::
"Am I too loud, what's happening?" drawls the skinny one in the "HELL" t-shirt in the manner of a man who just woke up and realised he was halfway through a gig. Loud? Yep. Too loud? What do you think?

BEAUTIFUL NOISE
17 April 2012 / Islington Mill / Salford
:: Barn Owl :: A-Sun Amissa :: Tombed Visions ::
"The floor is vibrating. I'm pretty certain the floor is concrete in here so I'm not even sure how they're doing this..." For the second time in a week Salford plays host to some of the world's finest ambient and experimental music.

UNDERGROUND OVERGROUND SUN-SHINING FREE
14 April 2012 / Club Academy (Academy 4) / Manchester
:: The Sunshine Underground :: Troumaca ::
TSU specialise in crafting powerful waves of indie- rock that’s been unjustly overlooked over the past couple of years - here they return with a flag waving triumph...

TIME WAITS FOR NO-ONE
12 April 2012 / Dulcimer (Chorlton) / Manchester
:: Vieka ::
This dark and brooding atmosphere is a tasteful play on their livelier sets

NORTHERN LIGHTS
12 April 2012 / Sacred Trinity Church / Salford
:: The Rustle Of The Stars (Richard Knox and Frederic D Oberland) :: Jasper TX :: Matthew Collings ::
An imagined musical passage through the North Pole explorer diaries: it's good to know people are still finding new ways to combine music and imagination.

TOY COME OUT TO PLAY
10 April 2012 / Soup Kitchen / Manchester
:: TOY :: Golden Glow ::
Even if they are effectively off-the-peg shoegaze- gone-krautrock tunes, they're good ones.

SOUPED UP!
29 March 2012 / Soup Kitchen / Manchester
:: Blondes :: Die Hexen ::
It's not easy to make it feel like a late Saturday night in summer on a Thursday in March, but this came pretty close.

WILD AND ELUSIVE
27 March 2012 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: Wild Birds ::
In this media savvy age when everything from the colour of a musician's undies to who the groupies are is announced on twitter three weeks before the gig, here is a band that have focused on delivering their music first.

AUDIOVISUAL MEMORIES
26 March 2012 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: Patterns :: Memoryhouse ::
Memoryhouse may have been created as a multimedia project, but the music more than stands up on its own.

RETURN OF THE ELECTRIC MAINLINE
25 March 2012 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: Spiritualized ::
No orchestras line the stage this evening, no complex arrangements, instead lights flash and guitars scream: this is Spiritualized the rock'n'roll band and right now they sound like the best rock'n'roll band in the world.

HANGING AROUND
24 March 2012 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: The Stranglers :: Mike Marlin ::
Almost exactly 35 years ago, The Stranglers dropped into Manchester’s Electric Circus..today they make an equal statement...

STRANGER STROKES
22 March 2012 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: Stranger Son :: It Hugs Back ::
"We got double booked... with a thrash metal night. Their last band's just finishing, our first one'll be on about half ten..." Yes, it's another late night at Stroke Club but well worth the wait.

THE WORD ON THE STREET
16 March 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Santiago Street Machine ::
Manchester – a city of beats, bass, booms and breaks should take note and take note soon. In terms of live dance music, there aren’t many doing it better than Santiago Street Machine.

FRENCH REVOLUTION
15 March 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Yeti Lane :: Diagrams :: Butcher The Bar ::
Parisians Yeti Lane have shrunk to a two-piece but somehow their sound seems bigger than ever.

SWITCHGEAR
15 March 2012 / The Ritz / Manchester
:: WU LYF :: Herb Diamante :: Shinies ::
Ay, Ay, Ay. What a difference two years makes....Wu Lyf claim home turf...

HIDDEN TREASURES
14 March 2012 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: The Detour :: Black Lights ::
It's easy to forget sometimes that not all great new bands are to be found in fashionable typefaces on exquisitely designed posters: here an in-house weeknight bill at Night & Day showcases a couple of jewels.

UNEASY LISTENING
13 March 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Xiu Xiu :: Trumpets Of Death ::
Like the young Edwyn Collins fronting a post-rock band trying to play pop disco but without any real idea how to go about it...

NEW LIFE ON PLANET EARTH
07 March 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Mount Eerie :: Earth ::
Three tracks in all concept of time has evaporated - in reality it's been about half an hour.

FLYING SOLO AGAIN
05 March 2012 / Academy 2 / Manchester
:: Mark Lanegan ::
Eight years on from "Bubblegum", Lanegan has finally stopped collaborating for long enough to make another album of his own - and here, delivers to the crowd exactly what they came to hear: that deep, unmistakeable, whisky soaked voice

CELEBRITY FUN FAIR
04 March 2012 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: The Cast of Cheers :: Theme Park ::
A frenetic evening out with staccato singing, tight playing and tighter jeans

WE ARE POP STARS
04 March 2012 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: We Are Augustines :: The Louche :: The Sun Electric Band ::
We Are Augustines look ridiculously pleased with themselves as they walk out onto the stage, but then you would be, wouldn't you? They've been through a lot and now they're being screamed at like pop stars. But that's not tonight's only story...

PROMISED YOU A MIRACLE
03 March 2012 / The Ritz / Manchester
:: Simple Minds ::
Moving, innovative and spine tingling crescendos of a time never to be forgotten

ROCK'N'ROLL SPIRIT
01 March 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: The Duke Spirit :: Sissy And The Blisters ::
You don't go and see The Duke Spirit expecting massive leaps of innovation, you go because they're a bloody great live band. Well, you do if you're a girl, anyway. I concede that gentlemen of the heterosexual variety might have other reasons.

WHIPPING UP A FRENZY
29 February 2012 / Club Academy (Academy 4) / Manchester
:: The Whip ::
Always one of those bands that feeds off crowd enthusiasm there's plenty of fuel for the trio tonight.

NO DEADLINES
27 February 2012 / Sound Control / Manchester
:: War On Drugs ::
You’re a bit rowdy for a Monday...but you’re all looking beautiful...

VISIONS OF SUNSHINE
24 February 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Superhero Eugene & the Orange Juice Sunshine Band :: I See Angels :: Jon Kenzie :: ( Kraak & Ruby Lounge) ::
The spring blossoms seem to mirror the flourishing number of gigs that crop up after the January lull

MANCHESTER'S GREATEST UNDERACHIEVERS
24 February 2012 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: The Longcut :: Victories At Sea ::
As we enter another year awaiting new material from a band that have been a major source of inspiration for the current local music scene, the prospect of witnessing them head out of hibernation makes tonight a must-see event.

GLASGOW STROKE CAPITAL
23 February 2012 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: Post :: Death To The Strange ::
Stroke Club welcomes some spectacularly good visitors from Scotland

SOMETHING GOES RIGHT
23 February 2012 / The Ritz / Manchester
:: SBTRKT ::
Booked into Islington Mill, sold out, upgraded to the Ritz and sold out again: proof that even in a crowded and often derivative genre, true class will be noted and acknowledged.

SUNSHINE AND SURF... IN FEBRUARY
19 February 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Grouplove :: Two Wounded Birds ::
Rockabilly surf punk kids or happy clappy hippies - which is best? There's only one way to find out... by spending Sunday night in Ruby lounge, obviously. Why, what were you expecting us to put there?

BETA THIS!
18 February 2012 / The Castle (Oldham St) / Manchester
:: Citizens! :: The Lottery Winners ::
This collective seem to have plundered the seventies' and eighties' musical styles, with the drummer displaying a Ron Mael pencil tache and the main singer adopting a dramatic delivery performance in the manner of Tony Hadley...

GHOST IN THE HOUSE
18 February 2012 / Sound Control / Manchester
:: Ghostpoet :: ∆ (alt-J) :: Lulu James ::
Two decades after trip-hop redefined the sound of the British urban landscape, its 21st century echoes are present throughout tonight's bill - three very different acts all pushing boundaries in their own ways.

MONKEY MAGIC
17 February 2012 / TV21 (Northern Quarter) / Manchester
:: Monkeys In Love :: Shirokuma :: David Gaffney featuring Sarah Clare Conlon ::
....yes, it's a big kitten face with glowstick whiskers! Two hours ago this would have definitely been a "what the fuck?" moment, and now it just seems to make perfect sense....

WE'RE NOT SUM 41
15 February 2012 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: New Found Glory :: The Blackout :: Letlive :: While She Sleeps ::
Injured bands, boos and big noises from the raucous Kerrang tour ...

GOT THE VAUDEVILLE BIG BAND JAZZ STEAMPUNK BLUES...
13 February 2012 / Band On The Wall / Manchester
:: Louis Barabbas And The Bedlam Six :: Blind Atlas :: Alabaster DePlume ::
There is a parallel Manchester superimposed on the one we know, or underneath it, inhabited by fantastic characters with names like Louis Barabbas and Alabaster DePlume, ringmaster and warm-up man for this fine evening

NEW PAINTINGS
11 February 2012 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Daniel Land And The Modern Painters :: Mozart Parties ::
Despite their undoubted class on record, there’s a lot to be said for the live setting being the ideal place to see Daniel Land and the Modern Painters. And tonight is glorious in every single respect.

TWILIGHT'S BREAKING DAWN
10 February 2012 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: The Twilight Sad ::
The Twilight Sad can write their own rules now...nothing need necessarily limit them apart from their own wills and wishes...

NME MINE
10 February 2012 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: Metronomy :: Two Door Cinema Club :: Tribes ::
With a curated list of happening bands, it’s difficult to disengage from the excitable, happy atmosphere in the room

THE SOUND OF NOW
08 February 2012 / Islington Mill / Salford
:: Patterns :: Niki & The Dove ::
Within the space of their first track they've covered bases from dark 21st century post-trip-hop to weird cut-up Europop, spooky oddness with a distorter mic and dance music you can't really dance to...

HMV HOST XFM - MORE NEXT BIG THINGS HIT MCR
08 February 2012 / The Ritz / Manchester
:: [All the Young] :: Willy Moon :: Ren Harvieu :: Spector :: Dry The River ::
Whilst the annual XFM awards tour still seizes the same popularity, its partnering with HMV's Next Big Thing is providing a new and even better rising platform for bands...

BIG GIRL'S BLOUSE
06 February 2012 / The Castle (Oldham St) / Manchester
:: Blouse :: Golden Glow :: Gnarwhals ::
Blouse... BLOUSE? Seriously? I'm sure that was one of the imaginary bands me and my student housemates dreamed up...

MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR
03 February 2012 / The Ritz / Manchester
:: The Janice Graham Band :: The Sundowners ::
The timing is right for the Janice Graham Band and tonight is a celebration of how far they have come in such a short space of time

NEW YEARS
31 January 2012 / Kraak / Manchester
:: The Early Years :: Advances In Mathematics ::
The Early Years disappeared from view for about four years, but now they're back - maybe they were just waiting for everyone else to catch up...

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT
29 January 2012 / Islington Mill / Salford
:: Songs For Walter :: New Hips :: Nat Baldwin ::
We spend Sunday afternoon in Islington Mill because it's better than telly. A man with a double-bass gets on stage, introduces himself, thanks the supports... so there's really just him and that? Intriguing...

WHERE TWO FAST RIVERS MEET
28 January 2012 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: AAAK [As Able As Kane] :: Section 25 ::
Section 25 prove their deserved place within the Factory history books with a fresh new performance...

A CALL TO ARMS
28 January 2012 / Kings Arms / Salford
:: Air Cav :: The Lightshines :: The 000 to Nowhere Band ::
2012 will prove a big year for Air Cav in so many ways. They have proved themselves musically; now they must spread the word from town to town. And this journey begins on a freezing night in Salford...

TWO STROKE
26 January 2012 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: Salford Media City ::
Another essential night out where lyrical references to lizards and Vimto are accompanied by three chord wig outs...

ANTISEPTIC VICE
24 January 2012 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: Clockwork Radio :: Foreign Hands ::
A sound that works like the Eurostar train picking up passengers at stops on this side of Dover before travelling along at dizzying speeds on the continent

EMOTIONAL PUNCH
23 January 2012 / Band On The Wall / Manchester
:: The Louche FC :: New Hips :: Daniel Land and Oisín Scarlett ::
New Manchester Review is the first in a series of monthly showcases at the BOTW and despite it being a cold, frosty and biting night it's an inspiring turnout for the opening show...

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
21 January 2012 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: Womb :: Rats On Rafts :: Minny Pops ::
This is a reunion without the baggage and lowest common denominator expectation that drags so many down; if anything, Minny Pops sound as simultaneously contemporary and timelessly out there as they probably did first time round.

COAST IS CLEAR
20 January 2012 / The Barfly / London
:: The Domino State :: Daniel Land And The Modern Painters :: SPC ECO ::
Guitar music is out partying with us, matching us drink-for-drink and laughing at us as we fall into our taxi at the end of the night

WHAT YEAR IS IT AGAIN?
19 January 2012 / The Castle (Oldham St) / Manchester
:: Mount Fabric :: Binary ::
Four young men dressed head to foot in black with guitars and a kind of Chameleons meets early U2 sound - if this was 2002 our Britpop-exhausted ears would be pricking up with excitement. Unfortunately it's not.

A GUITAR AND A HEART... BUT NO SAXOPHONE
18 January 2012 / The Ritz / Manchester
:: M83 :: Porcelain Raft ::
After years as the preserve of assorted electro fans, shoegazers and Francophiles the arch pop of Anthony Gonzalez is filtering through into the mainstream - sadly, on this occasion, via a less than flattering sound mix.

THREE FOR TWO
18 January 2012 / The Castle (Oldham St) / Manchester
:: Projectionists :: The Steals :: Lucille ::
Wotgodforgot goes back to its roots with this excellent little backroom gig, where two quid entry bought an audience with three diverse talents.

THE FUTURE'S BROWN
14 January 2012 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Brown Brogues :: Great Waves ::
The future looks bright for the Underachievers Please Try Harder promoters whose nomadic wandering has led them to the Roadhouse. If a capacity crowd is anything to go by, it will be there for a good while to come.

STROKE OF LUCK
12 January 2012 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: The Blimp ::
The carpets and curtains hail from another era and probably have more history trodden into them than any other Mancunian musical landmark

NO WOMB AT THE KRAAK INN
06 January 2012 / Kraak / Manchester
:: Corpsekisser :: Maria & The Mirrors :: No Womb ::
Memories of Christmas are receding fast but some people still appear to be playing with their toys

LAST EXIT FOR STORE STREET
30 December 2011 / The Warehouse Project / Manchester
:: Tom Vek :: Foals :: Chad Valley :: Stay+ ::
There is a sudden realisation at just how important this band has now become and how intensely passionate they can be.

MERRY KONGMAS
19 December 2011 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Kong :: Warm Widow :: Blacklisters ::
Whilst there is something undeniably pleasurable about having your ears sonically violated until your teeth rattle, this band were always too good to be just that.

PUNK ROCK IS FOR LIFE, NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS!
18 December 2011 / Star and Garter / Manchester
:: Leather Zoo :: Kingcows :: Cuplrits ::
The spirit of 1977 is alive and well in Manchester's longest established DIY music pub.

A VERY MANCUNIAN CHRISTMAS
17 December 2011 / Sound Control / Manchester
:: Puressence :: No Tokyo :: The Slow Readers Club ::
A remarkable display of heart-wrenching emotion that never fails to impress.

SLOWLY DOES IT
15 December 2011 / St Philip's Church / Salford
:: Slow Club :: Literature Thieves ::
The church tonight has a full congregation who have braved the freezing cold and slippery pavements for Slow Club - who have produced one of the best, and, judging by the lack of acclaim in end of year lists, most underrated albums of 2011.

FINAL STROKE OF 2011
15 December 2011 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: Onions :: Rapid Pig ::
Before the band is halfway through the first number, the singer is crawling off the front of the stage, his legs flailing in the air as if he is trying to swim across the floor. Just a regular night at Stroke Club then...

ELECTRONIC EXTRAVAGANZA
13 December 2011 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: The Narrows :: Swansong :: Flashing Astraptes ::
It's an mini-festival of all things synthy and bleepy at Night & Day, with one of Manchester's most exciting new bands of 2011 and two intriguing solo artists...

"FUCK THE SINGING, LET'S ROCK!"
11 December 2011 / Academy 3 / Manchester
:: Amplifier :: Mojo Fury ::
There's something borderline criminal about the fact that bobble-hatted waste of oxygen Dappy ex of N- Dubz is "playing" Academy 2 whilst local heroes Amplifier are up in 3.

CHAPEL CLUB
07 December 2011 / Platt Chapel / Manchester
:: S.C.U.M. :: Money :: Butchers :: Great Waves ::
Is no religious building in Manchester and Salford safe from the Now Wave crew? Tonight's four band bill of hotshots takes place in a freezing 222 year old chapel in December - and it's brilliant.

FUCK IT!
06 December 2011 / Night & Day / Manchester
:: Lovely Eggs :: Literature Thieves :: Jezabellezza ::
Swearing is, we're often told, not big and not clever. It is however fucking ace when done properly.

MEN FROM UNCLES
02 December 2011 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: Dutch Uncles ::
...another new song that has so many 80s references that you half expect Axel Foley to walk on stage

STRANGER THAN EVER
01 December 2011 / Gullivers / Manchester
:: Stranger Son :: Mr Heart ::
A slow-grinding spiral of malevolent psychedelia punctuated with heavily reverbed proclamations that gives the odd impression of being half made up as it goes along, even though it clearly isn't.

RANDOM RHYMES
30 November 2011 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: Das Racist :: Dr Syntax ::
When MC Heems manages to lose a grip on his microphone during a break in proceedings, he remarks “I’m sorry I dropped my mic”. Quick as a flash, MC Dap replies “Man, I’m sorry you ever picked up a mic”. Not your average hip hop crew, then...

BRIGHT LIGHTS
27 November 2011 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: Lanterns On The Lake :: Jonny Kearney and Lucy Farrell ::
Dreamy folk and shoegazey sounds, just what you want on a Sunday night. Lots of people seem to agree.

BLAKE'S HEAVEN
26 November 2011 / The Warehouse Project / Manchester
:: James Blake :: Vondelpark :: Mount Kimbie ::
Somehow the pop star from the future became a pop star of the present, even if there's something decidedly weird about hearing a crowd singing along to the heavily processed vocals...

WHIP UP THE VOLUME
25 November 2011 / Club Academy (Academy 4) / Manchester
:: Whipcord ::
Tonight Manchester was served a little reminder of how heavy rock needn’t be clichéd or trite.

THREE FOR TWO (QUID): STUDENTLAND SPECIAL
24 November 2011 / Trof (Fallowfield) / Manchester
:: Shark Teeth (formerly Blood Oranges) :: Two Wounded Birds :: Younghusband ::
Though they’re clearly retro in sound and influence, there’s something about the way it all fits together that is sumptuously satisfying and curiously right and modern.

SMASHED PUMPKIN?
18 November 2011 / Academy / Sheffield
:: Smashing Pumpkins :: Ringo Deathstarr ::
The glory days may be a long way behind The Smashing Pumpkins in 2011, but Billy Corgan appears determined to bring them back in his own very unique way

DON'T LET THE BELL END
17 November 2011 / Trof (Fallowfield) / Manchester
:: The Bell Peppers :: Fear of Men :: Bos Angeles ::
The band are honest enough to admit that the slightly detuned guitars are accidental (as a result of leaving them lent against a radiator)

BEAST-REALITY
16 November 2011 / Manchester Cathedral / Manchester
:: Wild Beasts ::
Wild Beasts, Cumbria’s finest export since Wordsworth and Barrow Pie provide a special opportunity to see a band performing at the peak of their power

ARE YOU CALLING ME A LYRE?
15 November 2011 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester
:: David's Lyre :: I Am Blackbird :: Beware! Beware! ::
He's not called David and the jury's out as to whether he has a lyre or not: we investigate a young man whom we reckon is going to be in a few "Sound Of 2012" lists, and come away none the wiser.

CONSTELLATIONS 2011: A GALAXY OF GREAT LIVE MUSIC
12 November 2011 / Various Venues / Leeds
:: Stephen Malkmus :: Wild Beasts :: Vessels :: Islet :: Ringo Deathstarr :: Bos Angeles :: Exitmusic :: Big Deal :: Outfit :: Hookworms ::
A one day four venue festival packed with exciting bands that brings a bit of May mayhem into the middle of November: sensibly, the four venues are all under one roof.

PAINTING A NOISY PICTURE
12 November 2011 / The Roadhouse / Manchester
:: Young British Artists ::
Each member twists and contorts themself as they deliver a brutal and beautiful set.

GOING IT ALONE
10 November 2011 / Dulcimer (Chorlton) / Manchester
:: Gerard Starkie :: Najia Bagi ::
Now Then Manchester present an intimate evening with Gerard Starkie who enjoyed acclaim as a member of Witness, and Najia Bagi who is the voice of To Sophia, Electronic Exchange and The Ground.

WINTER MUSIC
08 November 2011 / Band On The Wall / Manchester
:: Nils Frahm :: Alexander Tucker :: Date Palms ::
There's a grand piano on the stage, along with a vintage Yamaha electric, evidence of a string quartet and enough boxes and cables to launch a spaceship. This is not your average gig...

ACID TRIP
07 November 2011 / Ruby Lounge / Manchester
:: GNOD :: Acid Mothers Temple ::
Wasn't punk meant to have saved us from wizardy men bending guitars for hours on end?

KNOW YOUR ONIONS
05 November 2011 / The Castle (Oldham St) / Manchester
:: Onions :: Pearl And The Beard ::
The connection between having a band member named James Brown and producing non stop action is tenuous...

BANGERS AND MOSH
05 November 2011 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: The Blackout :: We Are The Ocean :: Canterbury :: Page 44 ::
An explosion of music on this cold Bonfire Night

SHOOTING FROM BOTH SIDES
04 November 2011 / Academy 1 / Manchester
:: Magazine :: In Fear Of Olive ::
So this is real life, your telling me, and everything is where it ought to be...

THURSDAY NIGHT VENUE CRAWL
03 November 2011 / Various Venues / Manchester
:: Politburo :: Warm Widow :: The Christophers :: Paul Green ::
This used to be the time of year where Mancunians could always go to more gigs than there were days, although the In The City shaped hole in 2011 has rather deprived us of the joys of venue-hopping - mostly. Not tonight.