Leeds Town Hall – Support: Last Gang  (Support: Last Gang) 27-05-07
 

After plugging away on the local scene for the last few years, Leeds quintet the Pigeon Detectives are finally set to hit the big time. On the eve of the release of their debut album, Wait For Me, I saw them play the second of two nights at Leeds Town Hall.

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BIFFY CLYRO – Cambridge Junction – 24th May 2007

(Supported by Your Codename is:Milo and Frank Turner)
 

BIFFY CLYRO 

 First off an apology in that due to a delayed flight and the basic inability of my orange be-suited friends from a certain airline to decide where bags should arrive to be rejoined with their owners, I missed Frank Turner. By all accounts he was very good and I will try and catch up with him in another life.

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Duke Special – Leeds Irish Centre, Leeds  (Support: Beth Rowley, Fran Rodgers) -17-05-07
 
   Duke Special, real name Peter Wilson, is the Belfast singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim with his album Songs From the Deep Forest. I saw him at the Leeds Irish Centre near the end of his latest series of British dates.

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Jesse Malin @ Fibbers, York (Support: Headway) -11th May 2007
 
There can surely only be one thing that can rescue a wet May night in York (and boy was it P*****g down) and that is a damn good Rock ‘n’ Roll show ! Ironically this was going to be the night the man from New York City gave the City of Old York a wake up call that I bet will not be easily forgotten by all that had the good fortune to be there.

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Klaxons - Northumbria University (Support: Shy Child)  -11th May 2007
 

Friday night and the north east’s indie ravesters are making their way to Northumbria University’s Student Union for a party with the Klaxons. Gold lamé leggings, 80’s dresses, hoodies, glo-sticks and neon face paint are all par for the course for these crazy kids...

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The Maccabees-Manchester Academy 2 - May 06th 2007

After the disappointing news that dancing ska wonder kid Jack Penate has pulled out of the show due to illness, all hopes are pinned on South London’s popular export…

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The View – Shepherds Bush Empire – April 23rd 2007

Arrived a little late and missed the first two support acts – and frankly wished I had waited a little longer and missed the third! Having only seen Donny Tourette on Big Brother and subsequently flouncing around on Buzzcocks I thought, “Well how bad can they be?” ...

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Arctic Monkeys, Carling Academy, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 16/04/07

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been fifteen months since Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not propelled Sheffield’s Arctic Monkeys into a world of awards ceremony non attendance, Wizard of Oz outfits and, in one case, page three girl girlfriends. With follow up Favourite Worst Nightmare due out in a weeks time there’s a tangible sense of anticipation in the air before tonight’s gig. Will the new material be any good? Will it live up to Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not? Could it, whisper, better it?

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Razorlight, Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 02/04/07

Just the very thought of going to a gig at the Metro Radio Arena fills me with dread. It’s the kind of vast, hollow, soulless venue that many a great band (and just as many not so great) has tried to conquer but failed miserably to inject some much needed life into. Pulp managed it many moons ago, but that was just a couple of days after the whole Michael Jackson incident and they were on an incredible high. Blur on the other hand, hadn’t fared so well a few months before that when they’d visited. As I head down there I’m wondering if Razorlight will be able to pull off the step up to arena capacity.


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The Horrors, Rescue Rooms, Nottingham  29/03/07                                   From the moment The Horrors walked on stage, the crowd started buzzing.

Faris Rotter, the band’s lead singer, with hair almost as large as he is, is an official card-carrying screaming wild man of rock. The rest of the band - Joshua von Grimm (guitar), Tomethy Furse (bass), Coffin Joe (drums), and Spider Webb (organ), seemed intense and focused on their playing

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Jethro Tull Acoustic Tull Tour @ Leicester, De Montfort Hall, 27/03/07                                                     If you love folk, rock, blues, prog rock, or anything in-between, get yourself a ticket to one of the shows in Jethro Tull’s current “Accoustic Tull” tour - you won’t be disappointed.
I was fortunate to attend their show at Leicester's De Montfort Hall. Everything about the show was polished and professional: the sound was crystal clear; lighting was spectacular and memorable; performances were passionate and powerful.
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Gossip Live @ Leeds Metropolitan University 26/02/07

The Gossip’s current renaissance (and Soulwax’s remix of ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ on E4’s adverts for TV drama Skins) seems to have sparked rather a lot of, well, gossip surrounding the Arkansas-born threesome. One thing that makes their feminist brand of disco-punk stand out from the crowd is what appears to be a Riot Grrrl revival. But instead of campaigning against the male patriarchal order and the sexist nature of the music industry à la Bikini Kill, Beth Ditto and co. are here to spread the word about lesbianism, the freedom to write same-sex love songs, and to sing them. Loud.

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A Ghost In The Machine – Trillians, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 30/03/07

Close your eyes. Open your mind. Imagine, if you will, what the bastard grandchild of Black Sabbath, Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, The Wildhearts and Therapy might sound like? Are you there yet? What you have there, my friend, is A Ghost in the Machine. Dirty boys serving up a host of filthy, sleaze-tastic, pop-rock riffage - just perfect for a Friday night at Trillians.

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