Ascended Dead, Slimelord & Trench Foot - Star & Garter, Manchester (19/9.24)

Trench Foot open with a short instrumental piece that sounds like My Dying Bride or Paradise Lost before the blasting starts. When they play at a fast pace, it sounds rather generic but when they play at more mid-pace, it is a weighty rumble which possesses a considerable amount of power. These slower death metal songs are reminiscent of Jungle Rot. A new song 'Gradually Torn In Two' feature some slow, grinding guitars which sound pretty cool. 'Canine Mutilation' rages in an early Obituary fashion and they definitely get better as the set goes on.

Slimelord are dizzying. They have a level of technicality similar to Gorguts but they are also dark and terrifying like Portal. It's technical death metal being dragged screaming into the abyss. The vocals are drenched in reverb, giving them that cavernous effect but they aren't always that audible. You can hear the guitarist's backing vocals much clearer and he sounds like Chuck Schuldiner. It's slow and dark most of the time and the sense of impending doom is ever present yet at the same time it's inventive and the amount of musical ideas contained within their set is staggering.

Ascended Dead are much more old school and primal in their delivery of death metal. They hark back to the '80s when death metal was still in it's infancy with bands like Slayer, Possessed and Hellhammer. The Brazilian blackened thrash of bands like Sarcofago is probably an influence too. It's fast and savage with zero subtlety. There are pounding beats and plenty of Jeff Hanneman-style squealing, out of control guitars. It is unrelenting but it also gets a bit repetitive. It desperately needs a change of pace or some light and shade to make it more interesting and give the blasting parts more impact. The so-called 'slow one' (as the band describe it) is yet more frenetic blasting  which includes some Tom Araya style 'Angel Of Death' screams which make me chuckle. Overall though, I find a full set too much as it is all rather one dimensional.

Ascended Dead ***

Slimelord *****

Trench Foot ***

Gogo Penguin - Aviva Studios, Manchester (18/9/24)

Tonight is billed as the world premiere of 'Apophenia', a collaboration between Gogo Penguin and arts collective, Tenentnet.

Gogo Penguin start off as more piano led than previous performances I've seen. The elegant first couple of numbers are mostly piano and are almost classical. It is only on the third track when their jazz sensibilities start to run free. They are accompanied by beautiful, stylised images of the natural world such as coral, leaves and clouds, and there seems to be a great synergy between the music and the images. As the music becomes more dexterous and frantic so do the visuals. I'm often transfixed by the playing but this time round I'm equally captivated by the visuals. The footage of volcanos interspersed with chimneys spewing out pollution is deeply affecting. It all has a very modern feel as although it is jazz, it can also be seen as dance music interpreted by a piano jazz trio. Nick Blacka's double bass playing often gives it a 90s drum 'n' bass feel that brings Roni Size to mind. All the players are exceptional individually but they blend together amazingly well to create something incredible. I hope they keep using the visuals for future performances because they add an extra dimension to something that is already very special live.

Gogo Penguin *****

Ride & junodream - New Century Hall, Manchester (13/9/24)

junodream open with strummed acoustic guitar backed by a steady rhythm section, cinematic electric guitar work and reverb drenched vocals which result in early 90s shoegaze reminiscent of early Spiritualized. 'Kitchen Sink Drama' is like 'In Rainbows' era Radiohead mixed with tonight's headliners, and features some excellent Johnny Greenwood style guitarwork. I'm not as keen on 'Death Drive' which has the feel of Primal Scream's 'Screamadelica'. The guitar is again lovely, the whistling not so much. In fact, the guitar playing is sublime throughout and is probably the highlight of each of the songs they play. A couple of tracks sound a little like shoegaze versions of Duran Duran's 'Ordinary World'. It's pretty hypnotic, as this type of music often is.

Ride open with the straight forward indie rock of 'Monaco'. It's nothing spectacular. The brooding, spellbinding 'Last Night I Went Somewhere To Dream' is much more like it. The '60s style dual vocal harmonies are really nice. 'Dreams Burn Down' is classic shoegaze. It's hypnotic and calming despite its power. 'Future Love' shows off their strengths - memorable guitar lines and those dual vocals from Andy and Mark which blend together seamlessly. Their more standard indie tracks are definitely weaker, such as the Echo & The Bunnymen meets Lightning Seeds sounding 'Last Frontier'. 'I Came To See The Wreck' has a plodding pace and not even a powerful mid-section can fully rescue it. 'Lannoy Point's undulating guitars and driving bassline, along with some fiery solos, are excellent. 'Peace Sign' unfortunately brings it back down to average. This seems to be pattern for the evening, great followed by average followed by great again. The driving 'Black Nite Crash' raises the levels again, and the swirling guitars are particularly satisfying. I still don't think the vocal lines of 'Cool Your Boots' match the rhythm but I enjoy it live more than I do on record and the instrumental climax is extremely good. The crowd makes 'Vapour Trail' by singing the guitar lines back to the band, and it's hard not to be carried away. 'Seagull', with its swirling guitars and rolling rhythms, is fantastic and this closes the regular set. The run of the last few songs of the regular set is great. Swirling psychedelia and hypnotic shoegaze is where the band is at their best, even better when they marry the two together such as on the classic 'Leave Them All Behind'. Ride are clearly a good band but the quality control isn't always what it should be. Some of the new songs just don't cut it. The most up and down gig I've been to in quite some time.

Ride ***

junodream ****

The Lemon Twigs & Tchotchke - Academy 2, Manchester (12/9/24)

Tchotchke are an all girl group who play '80s style power pop in the vein of The Go-Go's and Voice Of The Beehive. The drummer, Anastasia Sanchez, handles lead vocals and she wails away on a few occasions, sounding like a cross between Kate Bush and Raissa. The vocal melodies and harmonies remind me of both the 1940s and 1960s girl groups. The Tammys' cover 'Egyptian Shumba' fits in pretty well with their original matierial. It's all pretty simplistic but it's pleasant enough.

The Lemon Twigs open with 'My Golden Years', the opening track on this years superb 'A Dream Is All I Know' album. All the key elements which make the studio recordings so  good are present and correct, namely the dreamy vocals and heavenly harmonies. It sounds like 'Pet Sounds' era Beach Boys covering The Stereophonics' 'Local Boy In The Photograph' but is way better than that sounds. Their retro take on psych tinged pop is glorious. The Byrds' styled 'In My Head' is excellent. It isn't all '60s inspired. They also borrow from the 90's but mainly the bands who were influenced by the same era, such as The La's on 'What You Were Doing'. The guitar solo at the end of the track is pretty tasty. Members switch instruments for an incredible 'Any Time Of Day', and the CSNY style harmonies are otherworldly. The Byrds sounding verse of 'Peppermint Roses' is great, and this gives way to a more pastoral, psychedelic chorus. The Hollies' influenced 'They Don't Know How To Fall In Place' has more great harmonies (but then again, they all do). 'A Dream Is All I Know' provides even more CSNY influenced delights. 'Ghost Run Free's jangly chorus is imbued with an infectious energy. The cover of The Rolling Stones' 'I'd Much Rather Be With The Boys' fits in seamlessly and just sounds like one of their own. Brian comes out on his own for the encore to perform a solo acoustic 'Corner Of My Eye' which has more fragility than the full band numbers. A solo 'When Winter Comes Around' is equally beautiful. The Jellyfish styled 'How Can I Love Her More' is exquisite. They also nail the harmonies on a cover of Gerry & The Pacemakers' 'How Do You Do It?'. I've only recently discovered The Lemon Twigs but this gig just makes me feel silly that I've left it so long. However, I'm glad that I've now found them as this music that is piped down from the heavens.

The Lemon Twigs *****

Tchotchke ***

Melt Banana, Bleach Brain & The Sewer Cats - Rebellion, Manchester (5/9/24)

I first heard Melt-Banana on the John Peel show on Radio 1 in the mid-nineties. I used to listen to that show fairly regularly in the hope that he would play something that would just blow me away. Although, he used to play the likes of Napalm Death, Carcass and Electro Hippies early on in their careers, by the mid-90s he didn't play heavy stuff as much so when he played Melt-Banana for the first time, I sat up and took notice. I'm not sure I liked it, it was probably way too crazy for me at that time and I didn't know what to make of Yasuko's yelping vocals. However, John played them a lot as he was fairly obsessed with their 'Scratch or Stitch' album and the more he played them, the more they chipped away at me until I quite liked it enough to buy the album myself.

I saw them live about ten years later and they seemed a totally different band. Gone were the frantic blasts, replaced by an insistent power and guitars which sounded like a circular saw slicing through my brain. It was very impressive, although I seem to have missed them every time they've toured subsequently.

The Sewer Cats open up the evening. They are a messy two piece riotgrrl/fempunk band. The drumming is pretty rudimentary and the guitar playing is standard three chord grungy punk. The drummer's vocals are pretty good though, high pitched and screeching but in a way that suits the music. There's a big Bikini Kill influence at play. There are also a number of songs which have a Johnny Cash outlaw country rhythm but much faster and more discordant. It's ramshackle but not unenjoyable.

Bleach Brain's opening track is riffy and rhythmic, not unlike CopShootCop if they were fronted by Courtney Love. The second track is more hardcore sounding. Another track (about creepy old men) is sixties pop given a punk makeover, like Minor Threat's cover of 'Steppin' Stone'. Their sound is rooted in 90s alt rock, and there are elements of 'Bleach' era Nirvana, Hole, Bikini Kill and Action Swingers in there. 'The Amp' is energetic and powerful. It has a a lo fi feel but is in your face and punchy. The final track even has a Melvins style sludgy middle section. Good stuff.

Melt-Banana open with a blistering 'Blank Page Of The Blind'. Yasuko's vocals aren't as abrasive as they are on record. The guitar work is phenomenal as Ichiro twists and tortures his instrument, pushing what it is capable of. The electronic beats are fast and relentless whilst the guitar often sounds like power tools. The array of pedals Ichiro has on his pedal board is something to behold. With the sounds he can conjure from his guitar, he is a true guitar hero. The material off the new album '3+5' is devastating. It's invigorating, driving, challenging yet accessible all at the same time. Is it punk, grind, noise or pop? It's a mixture of all those genres, They constantly surprise, making it fresh and exciting throughout. They play a number of songs during the encore but most of them are less than a minute long! Not quite 'You Suffer' but almost. The crowd is wild too, and they receive the best reaction I've seen for any band at this venue.

Melt-Banana *****

Bleach Brain ****

The Sewer Cats ***

Agriculture & Still - Deaf Institute, Manchester (2/9/24)

Still play crusty sludge like Cursed mixed with Fudge Tunnel. It's played with a looseness which brings Eyehategod to mind. It is controlled though and never descends into chaos like EHG sometimes does. They are well marshalled by the drummer/vocalist who is a frantic Animal-esque presence at the back of the stage. Electronic samples bring the mighty Canvas to mind, particularly the split that they did with Hard To Swallow. Good stuff.

Agriculture's guitarist starts the set by playing some country chords which are then sped up and played with plenty of tremolo. Even when all the band join in and they blast through the opening song, there are still some homely, country touches in the background. At heart, they seem to be a country band masquerading as black metal. It comes across as fresh and original live as it does on record. Imagine if Liturgy were good ol' boys and girls. It's powerful and heavy yet there are huge swathes of melody running through the guitar lines. At one point they slow it down so it's just bass and drums played at a very crawling pace, topped with delicate vocals giving it a Chelsea Wolfe feel. When they kick back into gear, it is terrific and has real impact. The vocals are suitably harsh and anguished, although there is one part where the guitarist sings clean and it is terrific as he has a classic singer/songwriter style voice. Not to be overshadowed, the other guitarist breaks into some Eddie Van Halen guitar pyrotechnics at one point whilst the drummer is so fast, it's unbelievable. These are individual high points but, overall, I am blown away by this special band. I'm not the only either as the rest of the crowd seems to love them too. The feeling is mutual as the band seem genuinely excited to be here playing for us too.

Agriculture ****

Still ****

Manchester Psych Fest - Various Venues, Manchester (31/8/240

My wife says that Psych Fest is my version of Christmas. I make a list of bands to see and get so excited in the run up to it. I often struggle to sleep the night before. That was certainly true today as I was awake at 5am and found it difficult to get back to sleep, which is annoying as I was hoping for a good nights sleep to help me get through the day because I have planned to see bands right up until 2am.

The Psych Fest is basically a one day takeover of various venues along (and slightly beyond) the Oxford Road Corridor. Is it all psychedelic? Probably not. Some bands are psych in various forms, others have psychedelic touches whilst the rest just fall within various other genres of independent music. Some quibble at this but I'm glad that it's not so limiting. Who wants to sit  through a day of Hawkwind clones?

I pick up my wristband before midday and take a stroll to scope out the venues I want to go to and how long it will take me to get to various places. Even though I've lived in this city for over 50 years, there are a couple of venues that I'm not not too sure of where they are or the best way to get there. I then sit down for lunch as this is probably going to need to get me through the day as I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to eat again as the next twelve hours will be bands and waiting for bands (you often have to get to venues early for bands you want to see to make sure you get in as capacity is limited in each venue).

The first band I want to see are playing downstairs at The Ritz but I figure I've probably got time to kill as it's fairly quiet down there, so I head back upstairs to watch a bit of Juniore. The venue is packed so I just watch it from the back. Their 60s styled French psychedelia is surprisingly good, way better than the records. Imagine a mix of Stereolab, 60s TV soundtracks, Jane Birkin and early Inspiral Carpets and you're probably in the right ball park. I'm pretty sure that I recognise 'Le Silence' from an advert on TV. A really good start to the day.

'Drive', the opening number by Georgian sounds like 'Dog Man Star' era Suede with female vocals which add a darker, gothic tinge. It is gorgeous and hypnotic. 'Big Lips and Leather' ventures more into murder ballad territory but is no less beguiling or beautiful. 'Medusa' is folkier but the twinkling keys also give it a Doors feel. One track has an 80s smooth soul feel, like Sade only darker. The final track (which is about the gentrification of Manchester) is tribal post-punk. Excellent.

Thus Love open with the Joy Division flavoured 'Inamorato'. A new track is powerful and slinky, with a 70s Bowie feel. It all sounds like Thus Love though, as Echo's vocals give them a distinctive sound. 'Put On Dog' is much more driving and insistent than usual and it sounds fantastic. The band seems to be having much more fun than the last time I saw them. Echo, in particular, seems much less aloof. An amazing 'In Tandem' is fuelled by a Peter Hook style bassline and Echo's Julian Casablancas style vocals. 'Repetitioner's Johnny Marr guitar lines are still divine. Another fine showing.

I walk over to Yes to make sure I can see Gurriers. I enter midway through Molly Payton's set. The first track I see is Americanca yet her voice is like Polly Harvey, and the overall effect is like PJ Harvey playing a dive bar in a Texas border town. It's a shame so many people see fit to talk through it. Some of the other material is standard indie rock but the superior songs are the slower, sadder tracks which have a real heartbreaking quality to them.

The Pink Room is pretty full as Gurriers take to the stage. This is driving post-punk played with real energy. The guitars sound fantastic, like twin air raid sirens. The vocals could be louder but it hardly matters as this is vibrant and life affirming. At other times, they sound like a subway train, and it's equally compelling. This is music suited to a small, packed, sweaty room. Fellow Dubliners Fontaines D.C. are probably a good comparison. An excellent punk-funk disco track shows they can slow it down too. They are confrontational yet danceable, as exemplified by 'Approachable' which ends up with singer Dan Hoff in the crowd whilst everyone screams the 'I'm approachable' refrain at him. Absolutely superb.

Mdou Moctar open with 'Funeral For Justice', its punchy guitar intro giving way to a jaunty yet hypnotic desert blues groove. They are heavier and rockier than the likes of Tinariwen or Imarhan and they showcase some serious guitar licks. I seem to be repeating my criticisms but, again, the vocals don't seem loud enough. They have an undeniable funky groove. They often have a classic blues vibe similar to Cream. Due to their guitar heroics, which bring guitar legends like Hendrix and Clapton to mind, Mdou Moctar would impress even the most hardened rocker. Even so, I end up leaving halfway through so I can get into the basement at Yes to see Plantoid.

Plantoid open with 'Modulator', jazzy prog rock which sounds like a softer Mars Volta. They accurately replicate what they do on record which is a relief. The tones are warm and welcoming but it's challenging too. The musicianship is excellent but you don't get to play prog rock if you can't play. 'Dog's Life' mixes harder edged guitars with jazzy touches and soulful vocals.There is a bit of a delay for 'Pressure' due to a problem with Chloe's guitar but the wig out is glorious when they do play it. Her voice is particularly strong here. A new track is all taut guitar lines and complex time signatures, and is seriously impressive. 'Wander/Wonder' mixes latin  rhythms with heavier, aggressive parts and it sounds like 60s Brazilian psych pop meets Santana. Even the more standard blues rock of closing number 'Demons' has a freakout in the middle.

I got talking to a guy afterwards who was raving about Plantoid and telling me he rates their debut album as his album of the year. I told him that it was in my top five but the my current album of the year is 'Ilion' by the band I was planning to see next, Slift. I then saw him in the toilets at the Met Student Union, saying that he was following my recommendation. I didn't see him again after this but I hope he enjoyed Slift.

I stand by my recommendation though because Slift's brand of super heavy space rock is fucking spectacular. Mindbending grooves are mixed with guitar acrobatics and stunning psychedelic visuals which make for a real trip which takes you through the cosmos. They get seriously heavy at times and have a build reminiscent of post-metal bands like Bossk or Amenra. The final track is a seriously rocking psych tinged alt rock anthem. Probably the best band I've seen live this year.

I take a walk across town to the Projekt skatepark so I can catch PigsPigsPigsPigsPigsPigsPigs. It's the only outdoor venue and it's quite out of the way. The bar and toilet queues are both pretty lengthy but, on the plus side, they have a Bundobust stall so I can eat some Indian streetfood before the band come on. Pigsx7 play spacey doom that obviously cites vintage Black Sabbath as an influence and has quite an old rock groove to it. They would probably sound heavier in a more intimate setting but the sound and weight still carries...just. There's much more of a Deep Purple influence than I expected. One track sounds like a super heavy 'Black Night', whilst another sounds like an amped up 'Space Truckin' There's an Orange Goblin style biker rock vibe too. It's good but there's also something lacking. I'm not sure what it is, whether it's being outside and the sound quality or the fact that I'm tired and have been standing up for hours or the fact that I'm stuck right at the back but I'm a little disappointed.

I leave before the encore so I can get a seat at Deaf Institute hoping that I can recover enough to last through the next two bands I want to see.

O. open with a steady beat and a repetitive sax riff which becomes heavily distorted as the beat increases. It's a formula they repeat a few times but it doesn't lessen the impact at all. Even though I've seen them a couple of times before, it still seems fresh and exciting. 'Cosmo' has a seriously heavy feel even though it's just saxophone and drums. It's as heavy as anything else I've seen today and is weighty enough to satisfy openminded metalheads. Joseph Henwood, on saxophone, also gets the chance to show his jazz chops too. It's always eminently danceable, as it seems to skip across various dance genres from jazz to acid house to dubstep. One track even has an anarchic punk vibe. The amount of effects Joseph uses means his instrument often sounds like anything but a saxophone. They end with the Josh Wink rave of 'Slice' which is as thrilling as ever. The crowd is pretty crazy too. Wild.

I don't watch O. like I watch most bands because the guy sat next to me is insistent on talking to me throughout. Normally, this would irritate me no end but strangely, it doesn't. He seems quite likeable and I'm actually quite enjoying the conversation although I try and keep it to the bare minimum.

It's then back over to the YES basement for my final act of the day and the least psychedelic of them all, Atlanta hip hop outift Revival Season. 'Look Out Below' starts off a little subdued but when the beat is pitched up, it really heats up. BEZ's cadence also speeds up and it becomes excellent. 'Barry White' keeps up a similar tempo and is equally thrilling. 'The Path' rides a breakbeat which gives it a Spank Rock feel, which is high praise indeed. BEZ's rapid fire delivery is excellent, regardless of whether the beat is fast, or slow like the dubby 'Propaganda'. 'Chop', with its insistent sample, somehow reminds me of 'Nineteen Naughty Nine' era Naughty By Nature. Some of the heavy, industrial beats bring H9RR9R or Death Grips to mind. It is a committed performance and BEZ ends up stripped to his waist, covered in sweat whilst his dreadlocks fly everywhere. 'Iron Warrior' sees various crowd members involved as the mic is thrust in front of them to sing the 'come to fuck your whole town up' refrain. I'm pleased that I managed to last the whole twelve hours as this is great.

Overall, it was a superb day. I didn't watch a single bad band and it is easily the best Psych Fest I've been to. At £35 for an early bird ticket, it is insanely good value too. Roll on next year.

Revival Season ****

O. *****

PigsPigsPigsPigsPigsPigsPigs ****

Slift *****

Plantoid ****

Mdou Moctar ****

Gurriers *****

Molly Payton ****

Thus Love ****

Georgian ****

Juniore ****