Turin Brakes know how to make the London Palladium feel as intimate as a rough-and-ready basement pub venue. They start by introducing songs from their brand new album. Over the next couple of hours or so, the band take us on a journey back and forth over the past 18 years, many members of the…
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Picturesque Port Eliot festival, set on the South East Cornish coast, has built a reputation for its thoughtfully curated lineup, a mix of music, comedy, workshops and talks. Food, fashion and literature also feature. The beautiful estate is buzzing from dawn to midnight and beyond with a huge variety of events, so one minute you…
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A new festival bursting with 90s acts is all set for this August Bank Holiday weekend. Called Cool Britannia festival, the event is suitably set in the old-school festival site of Knebworth Park, and takes us on a journey back in time with a mishmash of Britpop(ish) era bands and dance acts. If this sounds…
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This is reposted from last year, as the exhibition has just won Best Art Exhibition at Manchester CityLife Awards. The ceremony was hosted at The Deaf Institute. From 19th May, Manchester Art Gallery will show the exhibition Women, Children; and Loitering Men, photographs by Shirley Baker taken primarily in the 1960s. Of Baker’s prolific output, these photographs…
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Arty indie band Django Django showcased their new album Marble Skies at Rough Trade East. Their distinctive sound is still there – the deep echo effects, the whoops, the harmonies – sun-dappled and wistful, adding an intensity and beauty to their songs. And there’s always that compulsive beat underpinning their material, almost forcing you to head…
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Sea Change festival in Totnes has established quite a name for itself in its two years of its existence. Started by Drift Record shop, its knowledgeable owners have enticed a raft of stellar names both emerging and established, to play at a host of quirky venues around the town. There’s the restored Totnes Cinema, two…
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There’s a touch of magic about Bearded Theory festival that keeps me, and around 9,000 other souls, keep coming back year after year. Great lineups, fancy dress, imaginative beards and a genuinely brilliant crowd do it every time. And joining this year’s Bearded Theory lineup is none other than the magnificent Robert Plant, who will…
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Little West-country festival Chagstock takes place this year on the 21st and 22nd July, in the heart of the Devon countryside. And by little we mean it, Chagstock is exclusively 5,000 strong – perfect for those who like an intimate, friendly family atmosphere. This year the lineup features The Correspondents and dynamic Americana duo The…
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2017 has been more than a ‘best albums’ type of year. Not that there has been a dearth of great new releases, with Jane Weaver and The BJM amongst several faves, but those “best of” moments have been more diverse: single releases and emerging artists with a promise of more to come for 2018. There’s…
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The Daylight Music sessions at Union Chapel in Islington are gentle, pay-what-you-like lunchtime concerts with tea and cake. There are around 30 sessions per year. This Saturday was the turn of artists on the Lost Map record label run from by remote Hebridean isle dweller, Johnny Lynch, otherwise known as Pictish Trail. Lynch and team…
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