Well, it makes me feel old but this NFG tour was called ‘20 Years of Pop Punk’. The band formed in 2007 and are celebrating 20 years of making reliably cheery yet angsty pop punk sounds together and also celebrating the release of their 9th studio album ‘Makes Me Sick’. After support from Roam who are also celebrating an album release in the next fortnight (available to pre-order here) NFG opened with a funfair edition of a ‘Happy Anniversary’ song and jumping onto the stage
A very rare sweltering bank holiday Monday in Manchester didn't deter folks from queueing all the way onto Oxford Road outside trendy mid-sized gig venue, Gorilla, this week. Only the second time (since I was a young enthusiastic teen with nowhere better to be) that I've queued that far for a gig, and I'm very proud to say both times have been for poets (Arguably that's because I wasn't sure how the support acts would work, but proud nonetheless). This time I had queued to se
Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary year has seen a surge in popularity for King Lear with performances springing up up and down the country. It’s a testament to the Bard that his scripts are still so relevant today and clear to see why Lear is proving first choice for so many. With a rise against corrupt politics and headlines of Scotland’s division from GB and GB from Europe, King Lear’s bemusement and rapid onset of old age reflects how a lot of the country feels about the cur
I’m going to go ahead and talk about the venue choice first, as that’s the thing on everyone’s minds. When New Order tickets went live for their two shows on home-turf it sold out in minutes and I think they still would have done even if they were playing in some smelly underground car park... Oh, right. Except this isn’t just any smelly underground car park it’s Manchester’s finest sub-cultural club venue and original home of infamous Warehouse Project. Why would New Order n
Brand New have graced the UK with a fair amount of presence this year, Manchester being particularly lucky as they played at Gorilla back in July, as well as opening their new European tour at the Albert Hall last night. With its church-like stained glass and draughty ceilings this was a great choice for the New York band to fuel us with a set mostly dominated by The Devil and God, which was no bad thing. We also saw several tracks from Deja Entendu of course, but the surpris