When: 7.30pm on Friday 15 November 2024
Where: Gullivers, 109 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LW

We’re delighted to be working with Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra again!

Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra have been gleefully trampling over genre boundaries for over a decade now, chucking Rockabilly, Blues, Country, Swing, Soul and more into their musical gumbo, but always sounding mostly just like themselves.

Based in Newcastle but hailing from across the UK, the Tea Pad have released five albums, and toured widely across the British Isles and Europe, playing everywhere from Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festival to village halls and barns, and all points in between.

Well-known for their energetic live shows, and dry humour, they’ve toured with some of the big-name Americana outfits such as Pokey LaFarge, The Dead South and Sierra Ferrell. They have released music on Sleazy Records (Spain) and Migraine Records (Germany), appeared multiple times on Radio 4’s Loose Ends, and had their music played by everyone from Marc Riley to Huey Morgan.

The band have constantly added new flavours to their sound: Heron in particular is a vinyl obsessive, always fired up about some new passion – calypso or boogaloo or whatever this week brings – but mostly enthusing about obscure blues and country 45s, and that eclecticism and search for new sounds certainly feeds into their songs.

The upcoming album Feet First was recorded in just two days at Lightning Recorders in Berlin, Germany. The studio is well known for producing authentic analogue recordings, live in the room, and straight-to-tape. This ‘capturing of a musical moment’ can really be heard in the new Tea Pad Orchestra record. The addition of Ben Powling on saxophone has also elevated the band’s sound into a new and exciting era! After a decade of honing their craft, they have never sounded so good!

Joining Rob Heron (vocals/guitar) are Tom Cronin (mandolin/harmonica/guitar), Ben Powling (saxophone/clarinet), Ted Harbot (double bass/electric bass) and Paul Archibald (drums).

‘Hank did it like this. So did Sinatra. So did Tom Waits. So did John Lee Hooker. Mix these influences with a healthy dose of youthful enthusiasm, a real passion and an ear for detail, sheer authenticity, and a good slug of both Scotch and Bourbon, and you might find that the results are very much to your taste. They are certainly to mine’ – Mark Whyatt, Folk Radio

‘Newcastle’s finest swing-honkytonk-rockabilly band’ – fRoots

Support comes from The Burner Band. The Burner Band play old school country and rock ”n roll in their own style. After two solo albums (Dog Songs – 2018, Dark Wheels – 2020), front man Lewis Burner collaborated with bass man Ian Blackburn to forge a collection of songs ranging in subject matter from mental health, murder, migraines and Liverpool’s campaign to rid the city of The Sun. This became 2021’s release Signs & Wonders on Shed Load Records, receiving strong reviews in Saving Country Music, Americana UK and Folk Radio.

They are a hard-working unit who have toured the UK, appeared at Deer Shed, Maverick and Buckle & Boots festivals. The band released their second album, Age of the Liar, in 2023 on Shed Load Records.

This show is a co-promotion with Please Please You.

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When: 7pm on Saturday 16 November 2024
Where: Band on the Wall, 26 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JZ

We’re excited to welcome Tropical Fuck Storm back – this time, to Band on the Wall!

It’s been two years since our favourite Australian post-apocalyptic acid punk disco scuzzheads, Tropical Fuck Storm, toured Europe. And while we can’t blame EVERYTHING terrible that’s happened since then on their absence, it does make you think.

Luckily, our heroes are bringing their wild, destructive and unstoppable live show to a stage near you this Summer! Thrill to the interwoven shredding of guitarists Gareth Liddiard and Erica Dunn, feel the bone-rattling basslines of Fiona Kitschin, and marvel at the mind-boggling drumming of Lauren Hammel. Move over Barnum and Bailey, because there’s a new Greatest Show on Earth and it’s coming to YOUR TOWN!

‘Tropical Fuck Storm are masters of tension and release’ – The Guardian

‘A Tropical Fuck Storm gig is like putting your brain in a blender for an hour straight’ – Beat Magazine

Tour support comes from Belgian band Maria Iskariot. Maria Iskariot is the patron saint of debatable behaviour. It’s semi-adult female punk rock from Belgium. Hopeful hopelessness in noisy stanza, chorus, stanza. Love for the unloved, too little, too late but primarily a knee-jerk reaction to sinners. Their debut EP EN/EN is about growing up, being unable to distinguish right from wrong, being confused by yourself and the conditions of this time. It’s about wanting different, but not knowing how – and ultimately realising that we too are benevolent assholes.

This is a 10+ show. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

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When: 7.30pm on Saturday 16 November 2024
Where: Hallé at St Michael’s, 36-38 George Leigh Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5DG

We’re excited to be working with Kris Drever for the first time!

Kris Drever originally comes from Hrossey in the Orkney Islands. Over the years, he has taught himself to be a songwriter, guitarist and singer of note (and sometimes many notes).

As well as creating award-winning original songs and instrumental pieces with the trio Lau, he has had a fruitful solo career exploring the cracks between classic and modern songwriting and the traditional music that he comes from.

Drever’s sound is rooted in the earthy and hypnotic rhythms of much older music, but there’s a sophistication to both the lyricism and the instrumentalism which places him skilfully in the present.

He has an extensive collection of BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, plus a fistful of Scottish NaTrads awards for everything from best album, best singer and best live act to best original song.

He has worked with many excellent musicians, including Jack Bruce, Eddi Reader, Mark Knopfler, Jerry Douglas and Roddy Woomble, and is a member of the beautiful multi-media project Spell Songs: The Lost Words.

Currently, Kris is preparing for a series of Lau events around the UK, writing music for a new solo album and learning some old tunes for reasons he can’t quite explain.

Tour support comes from Heather Cartwright. Heather Cartwright’s musical style is an amalgamation of solo-fingerstyle, traditional Scottish rhythm guitar, and song accompaniment. Years of dedication in the lead up to and during her time at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland resulted in graduating with a first-class honours degree in Traditional music. Although originally from Cumbria, Heather now bases herself in Glasgow’s vibrant music scene. As well as presenting herself as a solo artist, Heather is in duos with Scots Singer of the Year (2022), Beth Malcolm, and Sam Mabbett (accordion), one of Scotland’s most highly regarded musicians. She also regularly collaborates with other singers such Hannah Rarity (Young Traditional Musician of the Year, 2018) and Ainsley Hamill, both around Scotland and in Europe.

‘Talent and years of dedication have created a guitarist of the first order, blending fingerpicking and rhythm with ease’ – The Quintessential Review

Opening the show is Alwyn Jones. Raised in Sheffield, Alwyn Jones is an indie-folk singer songwriter making himself heard in Manchester. Primarily starting out solely as a guitarist, Alwyn’s composition draws influence from folk heroes such as John Martyn and Nick Drake. His encapsulating and emotive performances as a solo artist, or now as part of a full band, make for a dynamic and intriguing soundscape that audiences would associate with the likes of Wunderhorse or Jeff Buckley.

This will be one of the first public concerts in St Michael’s since its recent re-opening, having been closed since 2004. The Roman Catholic church was founded in 1859 and became the heart of the Little Italy Community in Ancoats.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

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When: 7.30pm on Thursday 21 November 2024
Where: Hallé St Peter’s, 40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 6BF

PLEASE NOTE: This show has sold out! Watch this space for information about future Erland Cooper shows in Manchester.

We’re delighted to welcome Erland Cooper back to Manchester!

Erland Cooper: Carve the Runes
Then Be Content With Silence

Erland Cooper is a Scottish composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist originally from Stromness, Orkney. As a solo artist, he has released five acclaimed studio albums, including a trilogy of work inspired by his childhood home, as well as themes of nature, people, place and time.

His work combines field recordings with traditional orchestration and contemporary electronic elements. Through music, words and cinematography he explores landscape, memory and identity. He develops these themes further by partnering with other artists, writers and poets. Cooper also works across mixed media projects including installation art, theatre and film.

He’s widely known for burying the only existing copy of the master tape of his first classical album in Scotland, deleting all digital files and leaving only a treasure hunt of clues for anyone to seek it. The tape was found in 2023 and the album will be released, exactly as it sounds from the earth, this year along with its world premiere of the completed score.

‘Nature’s songwriter’ – The Guardian

‘One of the most unique, consistently engaging composers of his generation’ – CLASH

‘Exploring the place where electronic and classical music can co-habit’ – The Quietus

Click here to join Erland Cooper’s official newsletter.

A screening of Recomposing Earth will precede Erland’s performance. What happens when an artist risks losing the only recording of their album by burying it in the earth in the name of art? Recomposing Earth tells this unique story – of Erland Cooper’s ultimate collaboration with the natural world. This short film is by Christian Cargill – the Tribeca Festival and BAFTA Cymru award-winning filmmaker.

Age restriction: 14+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

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When: 7.30pm on Sunday 24 November 2024
Where: Manchester Academy 2, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PR

PLEASE NOTE: Doors open at 7pm, with The Tailspins on at 7.30pm and Pokey LaFarge at 8.30pm (curfew 10.30pm).

We’re delighted to be working with Pokey LaFarge for the first time!

After crisscrossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for a home, Pokey LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm -a turn of events that catalysed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist. On his new album Rhumba Country, LaFarge reveals his newly heightened devotion to making music that channels pure joy. ‘There was a time when I glorified sadness because I lost sight of who I was, but now I understand that creating and expressing joy is my gift, and gifts are meant to be shared,’ he says. Reclaiming his voice, LaFarge has recorded his boldest album yet.

Rhumba Country was initially shaped from material that emerged while LaFarge was deep in work on the farm. ‘I’d be pushing a plow or scattering seeds, and the songs would just come to me,’ he recalls. ‘It was tremendously inspirational and made me realise that apart from singing, farming is perhaps the oldest human art form.’ But as he moved forward with his songwriting, something felt undeniably amiss. LaFarge then spoke with fellow Midwestern transplant Elliot Bergman (Wild Belle), who suggested he return to city life in Los Angeles for a season so that the two musicians could work together – a collaboration that soon brought the rhumba to LaFarge’s country. As he immersed himself in the album’s creation, LaFarge began dreaming up a kaleidoscopic sound informed by his love of music from far-ranging eras and corners of the globe, including mambo, tropicália, rocksteady, and mid-century American rock-and-roll. Co-produced along with Chris Seefried and Bergman and recorded in L.A., the resulting Rhumba Country is an invitation to come together to celebrate life and love. ‘The songs that naturally come to me are upbeat and make you wanna dance or at least bop your head – they’re all very colourful,’ says LaFarge. ‘I used to think of my music in dark blue, but now I see it in technicolor.’

On the album-opening One You, One Me, LaFarge offers a retreat into the charmed and rhapsodic world of Rhumba Country, sharing a breezy love song rendered with radiant simplicity. ‘The same way Picasso worked his whole life to paint like a child, I’ve been more focused on simplifying my music over the years,’ he says. ‘The fewer the chord movements and simpler the lyrics, the clearer the message. It’s about trying to get to the point where the songs are almost like prayers.’ In the case of One You, One Me, that benediction centres on LaFarge’s belief in ‘evolving and working hard to love and be loved because that’s what we’re here to do’. And like all of Rhumba Country, One You, One Me serves as a prime showcase for LaFarge’s unforgettably distinct voice and ineffable charisma – an element he’s also continually brought to his work as an actor, including recent endeavours like his turn as Hank Snow on CMT’s Sun Records, as well as roles in the Southern Gothic thriller The Devil All the Time and the forthcoming rock opera O’Dessa.

LaFarge pares his songs down to the essential throughout Rhumba Country, ornamenting each track with subtle details that immediately delight the listener. On Run Run Run, for instance, layered percussion and distorted guitar tones converge in what he describes as a ‘tropical-gospel song’. Graced with the heavenly harmonies of his wife, Addie Hamilton (a singer/songwriter in her own right), Run Run Run ultimately delivers an exultant call to overcome the obstacles and distractions that keep us from pursuing our calling. ‘That’s based on the words of Paul the Apostle, who said to run the race set before you,’ LaFarge explains.

Over the course of Rhumba Country’s ten effusive tracks, LaFarge dispenses hard-won wisdom in a way that’s never heavy-handed, often imbuing his songwriting with all the guileless magic of a fable or folktale. A perfect example of that dynamic, the ’60s-R&B-influenced Sister André was inspired by the true story of the French nun who recently passed away at the age of 118. ‘She lived through both world wars, the flu epidemic, all the way down the line through Covid,’ says LaFarge. ‘After I heard her story, I started singing about a character who’s got a lot of sage advice to share, and it turned into a song of encouragement for those who are lonely and hoping for love.’ On So Long Chicago, LaFarge slips into lighthearted storytelling as he muses on the cultural phenomenon of those in colder climates heading south for winter. Co-written with Hamilton, the playfully cheeky snowbird ode mines inspiration from ’70s-era Chuck Berry, unfolding in freewheeling guitar work and fiercely stomping rhythms. A bona fide musical eccentric, LaFarge further flaunts his idiosyncratic sensibilities on the magnificently loopy “Like a Sailor,” a dance-ready and dreamlike number that speaks to the inevitability of struggle on one’s path.

As he documents his tireless journey toward finding his true home, LaFarge also reimagines a tune from reggae legend Ken Boothe. Spotlighting his supreme talents as a song interpreter, his take on Home, Home, Home infuses a heartfelt longing into every moment and, in turn, breathes new life into the late-’60s rocksteady classic. ‘The more you listen to music from around the world, you realise everybody’s got their form of country music,’ says LaFarge. ‘It goes back to why I named the album Rhumba Country in the first place: it’s poking fun at the futility of boxing everything into but a few genres, “What is folk music? What is country or soul?” I’ve always bucked at all those boundaries and found it much more exciting to create my own genre.’

LaFarge’s boundless curiosity for music from other cultures played a vital part in shaping the album’s instantly captivating sound. ‘Listening to a lot of music from around the world helped simplify my approach,’ he notes, naming Brazilian singer/composer Jorge Ben among his key inspirations on Rhumba Country. ‘When you scale back the chord progressions and get a good rhythm going, the musicians have more freedom to play anything or nothing at all. There’s so much space everywhere, and as a singer, it allows me to be that lead instrument and weave in and out however I want.’ At the same time, LaFarge brought a more intense and focused rigour to his songwriting process. ‘I need to trust in what feels good to me, but I also have to ask myself, “Is the message coming through? Am I stimulating thought in a way that might shift someone’s perspective? Am I being honest in telling my story, and am I doing it in love?”,’ he says.

Reflecting on the origins of Rhumba Country, LaFarge points to one of the most crucial revelations he experienced while farming: a newfound understanding of the uniquely human potential to be ‘conduits of continuous creation’. To that end, his effort to provide listeners with ‘medicine for the soul’ has led LaFarge toward a deeper level of dedication when it comes to nurturing his own spirit. ‘You have to live the life you’re singing in your songs – no matter what you’re going through,’ he says. ‘Everything will come out in your music whether you want it to or not. I’ve realised that the more I can pursue goodness and live in peace, the more I can make the music I was put here to make.’ And by living with intention and fully connecting with his truest purpose, LaFarge might finally be ready to lay his head in a place he calls home.

Tour support comes from The Tailspins. The Tailspins hit the ground running as a hand-selected act to support Jack White’s Supply Chain Issues tour in 2022, and the duo dazzled fans coast to coast supporting Pokey LaFarge and Aaron Frazer tours in 2024.

The husband and wife duo go electric for their new 45, Inmate Number 99 / The Flood – recorded live in studio the old-fashioned way, engineered and mixed by Josh Jové from Social Distortion, and backed by an all-star band featuring Nicholas Baker from LA LOM on drums, Lakshmi Ramirez from The Groove Empire Orchestra on bass, and Alex Hernandez on baritone sax.

The Tailspins’ self-titled 10” EP and debut 45 is in stores now from Nu-Tone.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7.30pm on Tuesday 26 November 2024
Where: The Deaf Institute, 135 Grosvenor Street, Manchester M1 7HE

We’re delighted to be welcoming Admiral Fallow back to Manchester!

Admiral Fallow (Louis Abbott, Kevin Brolly, Phil Hague, Sarah Hayes and Joe Rattray) released their much-beloved debut album Boots Met My Face in 2011, its widely acclaimed successor Tree Bursts In Snow the following year, and an extraordinary third record, Tiny Rewards, in 2015.

Their much-anticipated fourth studio album, The Idea of You, was released via legendary Scottish label Chemikal Underground in November 2021. This captivating collection of songs – generously melodic, confidently executed and festooned with intricacies – was warmly praised by Mojo (4*), The Skinny (4*) and Uncut Magazine (‘…beguiling melodic uplift’). Three singles from the record, Sleepwalking, Dragonfly and Tuesday Grey, received airplay on BBC 6 Music and BBC Scotland.

Admiral Fallow’s recent live appearances include a UK tour, numerous festival appearances and four nights supporting The Proclaimers at their Back In The Big Top summer shows. In winter 2023 the band performed two special anniversary gigs at Glasgow’s legendary King Tut’s, to celebrate the vinyl re-issue of their debut album on their own label, First Name Unknown.

Over their 17 years together, Admiral Fallow have taken their music around the world, touring the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. Further career highlights include a commission from Glasgow Film Festival, performing with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and creating an ambitious new chamber opera. Navigate The Blood was co-written with Gareth Williams and Sian Evans, and toured eight Scottish distilleries in November 2018.

A group of versatile musicians all uniquely in demand for their skills, the individual band members also find the time to tour and record with renowned artists such as King Creosote, Emma Pollock, Field Music, Kris Drever, Karine Polwart and many others.

Local support comes from Debris Discs. Nestled up in the hills of the High Peak, Debris Discs crafts cinematic epics tempered with a homespun sensibility. The seeds of debut album Post War Plans were planted back in the era of World War Two, via a series of letters sent home to family members by Debris Discs’ grandfather. The discovery of such an important part of family history had a profound effect, inspiring Debris Discs to reimagine the letters to tell a personal war story. A grand tale of hope, despair and solace distilled through an arsenal of dusty synths, warped guitars and stuttering drum machines.

Electronic Sound Magazine say Post War Plans is full of ‘shimmering, electronic anthems’, Bandcamp’s New and Notable describe it as ‘spaced-out synthpop with a psychedelic edge’ and Moonbuilding call the album ‘excellent… a real winner’.

For this solo show, Debris Discs will be re-interpreting tracks from the album through live-looped guitar & vocals and a smorgasbord of hardware electronics.

Age restriction: 14+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Book tickets now. 

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7.30pm on Thursday 28 November 2024
Where: Academy 3, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PR

We’re excited to welcome Skinny Lister back to Manchester – this time, to Academy 3!

Plotting another end-of-year bonanza, Skinny Lister will be back for a fresh stretch of UK shows in Winter 2024.

Regularly cited as one of the best live bands in the biz, the Skinnies’ annual live pilgrimage around the UK has become the stuff of gig circuit legend in recent years. And already champing at the bit to go again, the band will be hitting the road for a run of unmissable fixtures from Newcastle to Nottingham, Bristol to Birmingham, multiple venues in Scotland, as well as Manchester’s Academy 3.

Following the release of their rave-received Shanty Punk record last year, it seems Dan, Lorna and co. are not resting on their laurels any time soon and are already dropping teasers for some potential new material landing in time for these shows.

As Dan Heptinstall says of the 2024 Winter tour: ‘Our end of year wouldn’t be the same without hitting the road for our annual Skinny UK Tour… can’t wait to get back out there for some serious partying! We might even find space in the set to test drive a few new tracks. See you at the barrier!’

Main support comes from Rusty Shackle. Welsh indie-roots six piece Rusty Shackle have been tearing up stages around the globe since 2010. Brandishing their distinct folk-roots sound armed with an electrifying mix of rampant fiddle, slick guitars, hooky mandolins and banjos melodies underpinned by tight pulsating drums and bass, they really are a force to be reckoned with.

The band have built up a devoted fanbase with their captivating feel good live shows. Their latest album “Under a Bloodshot Moon” stormed the Official UK Folk Albums Chart straight in at Number 2 with no label backing, highlighting the support of their dedicated fanbase.

Opening the show is Ben Brown. Armed with ready wit, raucous vibes and a shed load of grin-inducing great songs, Ben Brown is the newest signing to Xtra Mile Recordings. Hailing from Manningtree, on the Suffolk/Essex border, Ben has honed his songwriting craft over a number of years and in a number of different guises. Previously in bands Dingus Khan and SuperGlu, gaining support from Steve Lamacq, Huw Stephens, Rob Da Bank and Mary Ann Hobbs, Ben is now branching out on his own with new music and live shows in the pipeline.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7.30pm on Friday 29 November 2024
Where: The Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LE

We’re delighted to be working with Darren Hayman’s new band, New Starts, for the first time – plus their new label mates Fightmilk!

New Starts are a spikey, fresh-sounding band recalling the poppier ends of new wave and angular guitar rock. Their influences include The Cars, Breeders, Bay City Rollers, The Velvet Underground and ZZ Top.

Lead singer Darren Hayman has his own long career running from the late 90s with John Peel faves Hefner to his more recent thematic and historical albums dealing with the English Civil War, William Morris and forgotten rural idylls.

‘I wanted a band again,’ says Hayman, ‘and not a band that just backed me up and played my old songs. When we form our first bands in our teens we just find some friends and work through the musical differences. I usually look for players who play in a way I’m used to. This time I looked for variance and was led by people’s personality.’

Guitarist Joely Smith (of South London’s noise-pop adults and recently DIY-punks Fresh) was recommended by a mutual friend who said: ‘She makes everything better’. Hayman and Smith shared a coffee and agreed on the correct number of guitar pedals and decided to proceed without an audition.

‘There is a tendency for me to make my chords too pretty. Joely cuts against that and plays in the opposite direction.’ Hayman is a fan of rules and constraints and employed a new, oblique strategy on this record. ‘Even though I wrote all the songs, I wanted the songs to belong to everyone during arrangement. I decided that I would say “yes” to every suggestion from the band, regardless of my instinct.’

This made the songs warp and bend into new shapes and ensured that the record was the product of four individuals. Bassist Giles Barrett and drummer Will Connor come from funky afro beat-influenced band Tigercats. ‘Pretty much the only rhythm I use, left to my own devices, is the “road runner” rhythm. Will takes care to find where the drum beat can be and we always end up somewhere I didn’t expect.’

More Break Up Songs is a collection of 12 break up songs because Darren broke up with someone. Again. ‘I suck,’ he says, ‘But it’s never anyone’s fault. It makes me very sad but I do have to work through these things in song and there’s always something to learn. I try to make songs about breakups that could be understood by both parties. I’m not interested in nasty songs.’

Opening song Little Stone in my Heart blisters along with Joely’s wildest guitars. The protagonist will do anything to make things right, but nothing ever is.

Under the Striplights has driving, choppy, incessant riffs, and is about the need to be anywhere but somewhere other than here. We could be under the moon or under the strip lights as long as we have each other.

Another barely kept rule that Darren instigated on this album was that each song would be a tonal equivalent to one from The Velvet Underground’s third album. To that end Don’t Need Persuading is this record’s Pale Blue Eyes with the narrator being unable to break free of a vortex, knowing they will stay the night against all better judgment.

‘I’ve had a long-standing distrust of the guitar,’ says Darren, ‘despite it being my primary instrument for twenty years. I thought it was time I made a record with two guitars and drums and bass. I wanted it to be bright, immediate and young sounding, despite the fact I’m old. We recorded it in four days and I think this might be the record a lot of my audience has wanted me to make for a long time.’

Special guests are Fightmilk. Fightmilk is Lily, Alex, Healey and Nick – a London-based four-piece who write sweaty, loud, shouty pop songs about such universal concerns as yearning, death, being bitten on the butt by dogs, and bridezillas. With two critically acclaimed albums released on Reckless Yes, and tours across the UK, Germany and Norway under their belts, the last couple of years has seen them writing and recording their rougher, rawer third album, ready for release in 2024 on Fika Recordings and INH Records. For fans of spiky lyrics, hefty riffs, and full-throated yelling. Candid lyrics about death, doomed love, and dog bites, framed by endless punk energy and the kind of full-throated riff-rock that sounds just at home in a giant stadium as it does in a sticky-floored toilet bar.

Buy tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7pm on Sunday 1 December 2024
Where: Band on the Wall, 26 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JZ

We’re excited to be welcoming The Sheepdogs back – this time, to Band on the Wall!

Built on the solid classic rock foundation of three-part harmonies and dual guitar leads, Canada’s Juno Award-winning The Sheepdogs blend Southern rock, groove-based psychedelia, and bluesy barroom swagger into a modern rock & roll revival. Emerging in 2004, the band found mainstream success in 2010 with the release of their platinum-selling third LP, Learn & Burn, and continued to top the Canadian charts with efforts like The Sheepdogs (2012), Future Nostalgia (2015), Changing Colours (2018) and Outta Sight (2022).

Hailing from the Saskatchewan city of Saskatoon, the band features the talents of Ewan Currie (vocals, guitar), Ryan Gullen (bass), Sam Corbett (drums), Shamus Currie (keyboard/trombone) and Rick Paquette (guitar). From Canadian roadhouses to global music festivals, their on-stage and on-road hours are countless, underscoring their endurance in the music scene. The release of Future Nostalgia and Changing Colours further enriched their discography, leading up to the 2022 release of the jubilant hook-filled Outta Sight, solidifying their impact in the rock domain.

Most recently, their singles from Outta Sight spent a cumulative 90 weeks with at least 1 song in the top 20 at Canadian Rock radio. Prior, their hit singles I Don’t Know and Feeling Good both reached Platinum certification, with The Way It Is achieving Gold sales. Additionally, the albums Learn & Burn and The Sheepdogs both achieved Platinum status, and to date the band has been nominated for 11 Juno Awards, winning four.

Tour support comes from Creeping Jean. Brighton-based indie rock band Creeping Jean have returned with a brand new album, Business Is Dead, released August 2024 on their own Mature Charlton imprint via Townsend Records to rave reviews. Classic Rock Magazine declared it a ‘scorching second album… Brooding but brilliant,’ awarding it 9/10.

Oliver Tooze is Creeping Jean’s charismatic frontman – and the driving force behind the band-run Brighton vintage clothing shop Mammoth. Working away over a hot vintage garment rail, Creeping Jean know all about the vintage business. The band’s retro aesthetic is as much a part of their music as it is their look, infusing their tracks with a timeless rock ‘n’ roll edge while staying distinctly modern. Their knowledge and hustle, which funded both their debut album and this new record, speaks to their commitment and dedication, both to the 60’s and 70’s and to making Creeping Jean work.

This is a 10+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Book tickets now. 

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7.30pm on Wednesday 4 December 2024
Where: Gullivers, 109 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LW

We’re delighted to be working with The Dead Tongues for the first time!

Across the last 15 years, Ryan Gustafson of The Dead Tongues has emerged as one of modern folk’s most distinct voices. As idiosyncratic and spectral as the songs have sometimes been, Gustafson has always tied his visions and verses to the kinds of hooks you tuck away like talismans, pulled out in case of emergency. Dust, Unsung Passage, Desert: The Dead Tongues’ albums remain some of the more compelling and curious works in their field on this side of a century. The latest edition to The Dead Tongues’ catalogue, the song-centric and magnetic Body of Light and the discursive and wonderfully elliptical I Am a Cloud, is 16 complete tunes split across interweaving and disparate albums.

Before heading to Betty’s, Gustafson spent a month at ‘the Shack,’ a primitive and private structure in rural western North Carolina, working on new material and sorting through piles of poems, sticky notes scattered across the windows, and stacks of free writing streams of thought. Most of the songs were written during this time – the exquisite Daylily, a warm little gift for his partner, or I’m a Cloud Now, a fever dream of song and spoken-word about the toggle between identity and ephemerality.

The creative energy was free flowing, deep and explorative, songs somehow coming together in a manner both freakishly fast and patient. In this energy and specific space the groundwork for the album was rooted, springing forth from the thick of the elemental and natural beauty these songs reference. The daylily on the cover of the album was picked from the land the shack is built upon – there’s a connection between the physical natural setting and the creative work itself, intertwined and natural bloom.

Gustafson wanted to continue with that explorative energy once he got into the formal studio, allowing it to lead the group of players assembled – the albums feature performances by Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, Bon Iver), Mat Davidson (Twain), Matt Douglas (The Mountain Goats), Joe Westerlund (Califone, Megafaun), Jeff Ratner (Bing and Ruth), and more. Gustafson wanted to dedicate the studio time to not just recording songs but also making something new, with new improvisations.

The results feel at once casual and tremendous, the camaraderie and conversation between the players resulting in pieces that are lived-in but new. ‘Baby there ain’t no rules here/We can just slide,’ Gustafson sings at the start of Body of Light’s opening title track, establishing a collective credo inside this gorgeous anthem about finding sanctuary with someone else. Notice how it seems to nod to flamenco before lifting into electronic abstraction, or how Wasner’s harmonies summon the deepest Southern soul over electric phosphorescence.

And then there’s Dirt for a Dying Sun, where freight-train harmonica and spectral guitar frame a romantic dust-to-dust realism, where the best we can do is live wildly before we die. The characters on Body of Light are restless, damaged, and beautiful, whether clinging to an underground amid gentrification’s high rises during Wolves or holding on to the most intoxicating wisps of love during Moon Shadow. The band plays as if they’re just meeting these people for the first time, responding with an admixture of recognition and astonishment.

The collected crew takes that approach to the next plane on I Am a Cloud, an intersection of Gustafson’s tone poems and top-tier improvisation. Formations is an exquisite instrumental, a soul-jazz dream of horns and bells, bejeweled drones and broken rhythms. Remembering the birthday night he spent alone on an Irish cliff as the Summer solstice neared several years ago, Gustafson narrates A Bridge as if he’s peering into his own mind with wonder and surprise. The finale, Even Here, Even Now, is a spiral galaxy, with the songs of crickets, the hums of a Shruti box, and the touch of percussion lifting Gustafson’s mantric statement of purpose – to keep moving, to keep singing, no matter what may come. It is a wondrous piece of devotional music that seems to praise sound itself – the gift that can open us up, when we’re no longer sure that can even happen anymore.

‘Sometimes it’s hard to be anyone anywhere it seems,’ Gustafson, his voice as understanding as empathy, sings to start the second verse of Hard Times, Sore Eyes, the farewell for Body of Light. That may read like a bummer, a concise and crippling encapsulation of our struggles to make meaning that’s as right as rain. But, really, it’s a permission slip to elide expectation, to try something different. Maybe in the past, Gustafson was seen as the singer-songwriter in a folk-rock band called The Dead Tongues. But when he started to let that go, he found something fascinating, new, and absorbing. Body of Light and I Am A Cloud are brilliant chapters written after Gustafson wondered if he’d closed the book, and they are, in turn, hard to put down.

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