#711: Muncie Girls, The Deaf Institute, Manchester

Anyone familiar with Manchester’s iconic Deaf Institute, either as a venue or just a bar, will probably be aware that the building’s second floor is where its shows take place. An old theatre with limited seating and a large disco ball, it’s one of the city’s most characterful venues, and any show there is usually worth going just to see the venue in itself.

This review was originally written for Louder Than War. Click here to read in full.

#710: Songs for Walter - An Endless Summer Daze

Songs for Walter, otherwise known as Manchester-based songwriter Laurie Hulme, is rapidly becoming one of the city’s unsung heroes thanks to his seemingly whimsical, but often deeply touching brand of folk-pop.

This review was originally written for Louder Than War. Click here to read in full.

#709: Muncie Girls - Fixed Ideals

Bridging the gap between punk and indie-pop, Muncie Girls straddle the same fine line as bands such as Diet Cig, Trust Fund and The Spook School, creating effervescent indie-pop that harbours DIY ideals and a punk attitude.

This review was originally written for DIY Magazine. Click here to read in full.

#708: Bad Sounds - Get Better

Bringing together elements from a multitude of genres, Bad Sounds have rapidly carved a niche of their own, resulting in a record that’s deliciously unpredictable and varied. Founding members and brothers Ewan and Callum Merrett have previously dipped their toe into different musical worlds; the former was a hip hop producer, the latter, a studio engineer with a penchant for artists as diverse as Michael Jackson and The Flaming Lips. It’s this combination of hip-hop swagger and soul-tinged pop polish that forms the backbone of the album, and indeed many of the tracks themselves.

This review was originally written for DIY Magazine. Click here to read in full.

#707: Alkaline Trio - Is This Thing Cursed?

Though Alkaline Trio are certainly a band who need little introduction, the past decade has seen them release a triptych of records that tried to recapture the jaded angst of their early years, yet unfortunately fell short of the mark. This, coupled with frontman Matt Skiba replacing Tom Delonge in Blink 182 back in 2015, suggested the future of Alkaline Trio looked uncertain at best.

This review was originally written for Clash Magazine. Click here to read in full.