When: 7.00pm on Wednesday 4 March 2009
Where: Dulcimer, 567 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0AE

Hey! Manchester is pleased to introduce Portland, Oregon’s Horse Feathers to the city. We expect big things from them in 2009 and want you to see them first. Plus, we’ve secured a special talent in Men Diamler, and new Fence Records signing Animal Magic Tricks for this high-quality bill.

Justin Ringle moved to Portland in 2004 and began to play regularly under the moniker Horse Feathers. In 2005 Peter Broderick – himself a solo artist and part-time Efterklang multi-instrumentalist – heard two songs that Justin had recorded in a friend’s basement, and proceeded to track him down via the internet. Shortly after that, the two started playing music together. For the most part, Justin writes the songs and then Peter helps to arrange them.

Men Diamler divides audiences. Sometimes this happens right down the middle, which is good as it makes it easier for him to walk around while singing a hymn. Syd Barrett comparisons are inevitable, while QuJunktions describes him as ‘a young man with a cult reputation in the South West who will not be tamed by the powers that be, reconfiguring English/Welsh soul music through woozy operatics and wild and weird song/stories‘. And here’s what Fact Magazine thinks of him:

‘He looks a little like electric-era Bob Dylan, and it’s just him and his guitar, and sometimes it’s just him, a cappella – not even always in front of a microphone – but his voice is so astonishing that traffic literally stops. Yes, I know what I’ve just said. He makes sure we know we’re watching a performance of spiritual-gospel-blues, but it’s authentic as it gets.’

Animal Magic Tricks, meanwhile, is a Brighton/Bournemouth-based artist Frances Donnelly, who has been described as ‘Scout Niblett if she played the synths’. Beside her guitars and Fisher Price toys, Frances’ voice is key to her music – ‘possessed of a purity of tone and wooziness of timbre to match dream-pop all-time greats like Galaxie 500’s Naomi Yang or Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser‘. No wonder Fence Records just signed her!

This show takes place at Dulcimer, Manchester’s celebrated ‘folk bar’ in central Chorlton. Regular buses (85 and 86) run to Chorlton from the city centre, plus the 23 and 23A from Didsbury and West Didsbury and the 168 from Fallowfield. We recommend using GMPTE’s JourneyPlanner to arrange your trip.

Tickets from WeGotTickets.com, Ticketline.co.uk, SeeTickets.com, Piccadilly Records on Oldham Street, Zavvi in the Arndale Centre, Ticketline Box Office in St John’s Centre, Liverpool, and on 0161 832 1111.