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Laibach Friday 3rd April
Girl Friend Saturday 11th April (Ruby Lounge)
Toseland Wednesday 15th April
Finley Quaye Friday 17th April
Evil Blizzard Saturday 18th April (Ruby Lounge)
Portico Sunday 26th April
WIRE Wednesday 29th April
Only Real Sunday 3rd May (Ruby Lounge)
Lazy Habits Thursday 7th May (Ruby Lounge)
FM Saturday 9th May
Sleaford Mods Friday 15th May
Ozric Tentacles Friday 22nd May
Bad Manners Saturday 13th June
Jace Everett Friday 26th June
Jimmy Cliff Saturday 25th July
Mordred Thursday 6th August
Sugarhill Gang Saturday 8th August
Buzzcocks Saturday 10th October
Peter Hook & The Light Friday 30th October
Heaven 17 Sunday 31st October
The Wedding Present Saturday 14th November
Big Country Saturday 12th December
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Oxford Road, Manchester
M13 9PR • Tel: 0161 275 2930
Louisa Roach, aka SHE DREW THE GUN is
up next. A talented poet as well as singersongwriter, she opens with new single If I
Could See, backed by guitarist Jack Turner. The
Kazimier’s stage had been graced by another
dazzling female poet and songwriter only two
nights previously (Kate Tempest), and, on this
evidence, Roach can certainly ‘hold her own’ in
such company.
In our political situation (general election
looming, ‘none of the above’ looking like the
best option), the remarkable If I Could See
illuminates a way we can express ourselves:
“I picked up my pen/I drew the gun”. Then,
explaining that “Sometimes life’s about fighting
for what you want to, sometimes it’s about
love”, she slips into some “soppy” numbers.
Roach also demonstrates that she can dial up
the pace with foot-tapping, chugging tunes; it
is just unfortunate that the chattering crowd
often drown out her words. Collaboration and
interaction are key to Roach’s vibe and, in her
hook-up with Skeleton Key Records, she has
a supportive base from which to continue her
assault on the apathetic.
Next up are five-piece SANKOFA – upping
both sound and tempo, although they mix
the pace well. Tracks include new single Slow
Killer City and its B-side, Vanishing Point to
Point,
be released on Record Store Day (18th April).
They are an assured band, but seem a little
contained tonight, only really letting rip in the
bluesy jam with which they finish their set,
singer Stephen Walls’ sister Jodie joining them
for Got My Mojo Working, made famous by the
Working
inimitable Muddy Waters.
The Sundowners, playing to a packed,
enthusiastic crowd, start their set with
Wild As The Season, the first track on their
eponymous debut album – a lovely piece of
vinyl, by the way. Tight harmonies, evocative
lyrics and fuzzy guitar riffs are the order of the
day, accompanied by the thrill of seeing two
women with Rickenbackers fronting a band –
heightened when Rowe slips on an Epiphone
for a kaleidoscopic trip Into The Light
Light.
Half a dozen or so perfectly modulated
tracks later, the reverb and distorted guitar
sounds of single Medicine close the set, further
evidencing that the Sundowners are not just
one-trick ponies. From the sweet harmonies
of Hummingbird to the driving energy of Soul
Responding,
Responding this band have it all. My advice:
follow the Sundowners as they dance from star
to star.
Debra Williams
from THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN, was one of
them, and its appeal has endured in the twenty
years since its release. The charming roughness
of its production and simplistic song structures
have found even greater resonance in today's
musical climate, and so it was with much glee
that fans learned of the band's intention to play
it in its entirety for a whole tour. Tonight at the
Guild the anticipation is massive, and the huge
crowd ranges from those who witnessed the
band in their heyday to new disciples.
The band begin proceedings with a short set
of new material. Long gone are the days when
William Reid would emerge clutching a twostring guitar, and the band's sound has become
more polished and full. Professional is the word
I'm trying to avoid, and though this is certainly
applicable, frontman Jim Reid's demeanour is
as withdrawn and sulky as ever.
After five new songs to whet the appetite
it’s time to get down to business; cue Just Like
Honey, the band's much-loved, signature tune.
Honey
The guitar sounds are lush and fuzzy, oozing
out of the PA system and begging comparisons
to, well, honey. Anyone expecting the brief
and violent performances of old has these
expectations quashed almost immediately,
and the slow tempo makes everyone present
aware that we are in it for the long haul. No
instant gratification here, but a slow-building
caress that is overwhelmingly satisfying.
Lazy sexual metaphors aside, the group have
clearly benefited from experience and know
how to keep an audience enraptured even
while providing little in the way of physical
enthusiasm on stage.
Never Understand, situated perfectly in
the middle of the set, provides the perfect
showcase for the kind of laconic yet captivating
vocals that Jim Reid has become famous for,
and there is even some tension between the
brothers when a guitar is adjudged to be too
loud. It's nice to see they haven't lost that edge.
Though the songwriting duties fall solely to the
Reids there are three other members who hold
the songs together, providing a steady base on
which the pair can build.
With the set nearing its end the attention
of the crowd is unwavering, with most people
evidently hungry for more. The Jesus & Mary
Chain could roll into any town and pull a crowd,
but it is hard to imagine them finding a more
receptive one than they’ve had tonight. Keep it
coming, Reids.
Alastair Dunn
PLACEBO
THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN
The Mirror Trap
Mountford Hall
Mountford Hall
For most music fans growing up in the 90s
there were certain records that had surfaced
in the previous decade that held an almost
mythical quality. Psychocandy, the debut LP
Psychocandy
“We hate those Tory c**ts like Boris Johnson,
here's a song about hating Tory c**ts.