Wode, Slags In Tapestry & Aggressive Perfector - The Peer Hat, Manchester

Aggressive Perfector (featuring a couple of members of the headliners) play a primitive form of blackened thrash which falls somewhere between 'Show No Mercy' era Slayer and Midnight. They are energetic with catchy riffs and are great fun. Their 80s styled proto black metal sometimes sounds like a gnarlier Priest. Good stuff.

Slags In Tapestry are a much different proposition. They produce noise similar to Psywarfare. I can really feel the noise pulsing through me. It's loud as fuck and it makes me feel very uncomfortable. It isn't a pleasant experience but it is reasonably engaging for a period of time, although it does lose its impact towards the end.

Everything Wode do has an amped up rock energy. 'Serpent's Coil' has an epic metal feel reminiscent of Maiden or Manowar. It is still firmly black metal though. 'Sulphuric Glow' is fast and furious thrashing black metal like prime Dissection whilst some of the newer songs have a Motorhead influence. The rock vibe persists throughout their set, and this will always remind me of 'The Children Of The Night' era Tribulation. Midway through the set, there seems to be a problem with the base drum mic and it sounds horrible through the PA. It is sorted out after a couple of songs but it does detract from the overall enjoyment and it never fully recovers. 'Lunar Madness' rocks with a frenetic, kinetic energy and it has some real fist in the air moments. Despite the sound gremlins, this is still very good.

Wode ****

Slags In Tapestry ***

Aggressive Perfector ****

Mono & Gggolddd - Band On The Wall, Manchester (3/6/23)

Gggolddd's atmospheric, pulsing electronics give way to powerful electronic noise, all topped with beguiling vocals which gives them a Portishead feel. When the intensity rises, they are crushing. 'Spring' follows a similar quiet/loud pattern. Singer Milena has a great voice and presence. Some songs have a set of choreographed hand and arm movements which adds to the presentation. New song 'I Let My Hair Grow' mixes the playful and the powerful as twinkling piano lines are backed by heavy beats. There is a bit of a Chelsea Wolfe gothic rock feel to these songs, particularly the excellent 'Notes On How To Trust'. The sparse vocoder ballad 'On You' closes the set in a captivating and emotional fashion.

Mono play around with the quiet/loud dynamic that is typical of post rock, but there is often a violent contrast between the two which is staggering. Gently strummed intros suddenly transition into them really attacking their instruments. It is pretty dynamic and powerful, and they seem much more upbeat than I remember them the last time I saw them. They are still very cinematic though. The bass tone is delicious whilst the shimmering guitar lines are gorgeous. The timing of the transitions is expertly done, switching from gentle to crushing before your attention wanders. The guitars during the encore sound like jet engines and it is a glorious cacophony. Excellent.

Mono ****

Gggolddd ****

Gogo Penguin & Nina Cobham - New Century Hall, Manchester (23/5/23)

Nina Cobham opens up this evening with some gentle lounge jazz featuring warm guitar licks and sultry vocals. There is a bit of a bossanova vibe too. 'Empezar De Neuvo (Que Pena)' is very relaxing, and the softer vocals and mix of languages is lovely. 'Interested' again has a bossa feel and this, along with vocals reminds me of the bossa/trip hop/chill out mix of 90s act Smoke City. The Spanish verse in the middle of 'Self Care' has a great flow to it. A very relaxing and calming start to the evening.

Gogo Penguin are a classic piano jazz trio but they sound very modern and contemporary with their takes on drum and bass, downtempo and other dance genres. All three players are phenomenal. Everyone does their own thing in terms of beats, rhythms and melodies yet it sounds so harmonious and inspiring. Pianist Chris Illingworth's fingers dance across the keys whilst the double bassist Nick Blacka plays stuttering rhythms and drummer Jon Scott plays steady yet loose beats. 'Bardo' has an almost trance vibe. The ethereal piano melodies are otherworldly whilst Nick's dexterous fingers defy belief. 'Friday Film Special' does indeed have soundtrack qualities, sounding a little like Goblin or John Carpenter without the retro synths. 'Saturnine' sounds like it could have come out on Warp Records in the 90s and it is glorious. 'Murmuration' is majestic, with its Roni Size style bass work and glacial piano melodies. The crowd are really into it too. Encore 'You're Stronger Than You Think' again has a Plaid/Warp feel. Closing song 'Protest' is epic and dramatic, with classically influenced piano work which reminds me of Gershwin's 'Rhapsody In Blue'. Phenomenal.

Gogo Penguin *****

Nina Cobham ****

A.A.Williams & Zetra - Deaf Institute, Manchester (22/5/23)

Zetra do not sound like how they look (or is it the other way round?). They look very theatrical and metal in their boilersuits and corpse paint yet they sound like The Cocteau Twins. The vocals are dreamy and hypnotic whilst the guitar has a doomy heft which gives their swirling noise a fair amount of power. There is an 80s goth influence too. They also have a church window prop which is really neat and adds to the overall presentation. This is really, really impressive.

A.A. Williams takes to the stage shrouded in smoke, and she is captivating from the outset. Starting off very quietly, the drums seem too loud but this makes sense when you consider how loud it can get when the songs build. 'Evaporate' is brooding and ominous. 'Melt' is incredible, as epic as prime Radiohead with PJ Harvey-esque vocals and the power of Mogwai. Her voice is excellent, beguiling when operating at the lower register and truly impressive when she opens up and reaches the higher end of her range. The sound is bowel shaking when the band are at their loudest and heaviest. The quiet/loud dynamic is expertly balanced, making the loud parts seem as heavy as hell. 'Golden' is beautiful yet crushing, a winning combination which Williams and her band frequently mine. Excellent.

A.A. Williams ****

Zetra ****

Loop - Deaf Institute, Manchester (21/5/23)

Loop sound much more powerful than I expected. Their indie psych rock is rooted in the late 80s/early 90s but it is very loud and dynamic. The vocals are more straight up indie of the same period, reminiscent of The High or Tim Burgess. The newer material is more tribal post-punk with a Killing Joke feel and Peter Hook basslines. It is still hypnotic though. Overall, their swirling psych rock is powerful and mesmerising.

Loop.****

Elephant Sessions & Minerva Daisy - Academy 3, Manchester (20/5/23)

Minerva Daisy tells us that she is usually backed by a band but tonight is a solo performance. It is piano led singer songwriter fare with a voice reminiscent of Florence Welch. She has a strong voice but it's at the very limit of what I can tolerate without earplugs. Her cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is a bit boring. Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game' suits her much better but overall this is rather bland and uninspired.

Elephant Sessions contemporary take on Celtic folk is great. There are enough traditional elements to still make it identifiable as folk but it is mixed with more dance elements. 'What Makes You' is excellent. Its dance rhythms providing the base for the real stars, the fiddle and mandolin, to shine with playful interaction between the two instruments. The dark electronic grooves make it seem as much of a rave as a folk gig and there are some proper arms in the air moments. The combination of electronic backing along with the picking of the stringed instruments sometimes reminds me of Ed Alleyne-Johnson. 'The Treble: Sinners' is fiery duel which is reminiscent of the Charlie Daniels classic 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia'. Terrific.

Elephant Sessions ****

Minerva Daisy **