Review // Eton Messy: All Night Long

Went raving in Ardwick and wrote the lead live review in Mixmag recently! You can also read the full, unedited version below!

The follow-the-trail excitement of secret locations are getting the country’s dancefloors buzzing on the regular and as Manchester plays host to a returning Eton Messy, the boxes seem to all be ticked for the herds of house devotees preparing to sweat it out.
 Trekking to an unfamiliar Ardwick, a stretch from the bustling students of Oxford Road with mouths spilling chit-chat, cider and who knows what else, it’s the youth connection across the online social world that propelled Eton Messy to touring artist status, sharing smoked-out house and future garage for this ‘deep’ cohort of new heads via YouTube. It’s this notion that makes me want to believe that Eton Messy can transport their brand into the live game, as with almost 80 million views and a plethora of original artists blossoming on their roster, the facts surely speak for themselves.
The boys are well into the mix when we take to the dancefloor, bringing the bass from label mainstay Bodhi, Ten Ven edits and Waze & Odyssey screamers in what is an undisputedly stern effort - sometimes even anthems can’t resurrect a mood.
 The swarms of ravers may well be gyrating and bouncing to no end but as we flitter through, many are visibly reeling after disappointments casting a gloomy cloud. From a birthday couple met with rude door staff who jack it all in for another club, to the exasperating inclusion of not-enough portaloos that add little to the “secret warehouse” vibe and rather just feel like an inconvenience - paying a couple of quid for a glass of rolla cola blatantly poured out of a corner shop bottle, also adds insult to injury.
 As lazers bleach out the concrete cavern in swathes of red, green and blue with the pairing’s extended live lazer show, corkers booming off the decibel scale, it finally feels akin to the fully immersive experience that clubbing can be. Yet when the chips are down, it doesn’t feel like the Saturday night, on-a-level spectacle we hoped for, thanks to a setting that seems a whole lot better in theory than in practice.

Words & Images by Yours Truly X

Review // Future Everything Festival

Afternoon! Late last month I was sent down to Manchester's Future Everything Festival for Crack Magazine. Held in various venues of theatres, basments and galleries, Future Everything marries the look at digital innovations across art, music, sport and a whole range of diverse subjects. I caught Evian Christ's curated evening at The RNCM and Darkside at The Ritz, which you can read over here- or below for the full copy, penned in collaboration with Joe Goggins. You can also read it in print by picking up Issue 40 with Pixies on the cover!
Future Everything @ Various Venues

FutureEverything’s premise is one that favours all things forward-thinking. Taking place across Manchester over the course of seven days, their mission to host shows from contemporary music artists at the forefront of innovation as well as art exhibitions, conceptual events and industry conferences is a vision to behold. Crack’s FutureEverything experience kicks off on Thursday night with an appearance from Darkside. Nicholas Jaar and Dave Harrington’s collaborative project brought an eclectic bout of prog-imprinted, tension building electronica to the back end of 2013. With mirror-led visuals that breeze beams of darkness through to a spectrum of colours, the experience feels somewhat transcendental, moody yet sanguine, as melodies and bodies melt into one another, accentuating the deeper levels that cross over live on tracks such as Golden Arrow and Paper Trails.   

 With the city’s Royal Northern College of Music welcoming in an Evian Christ-curated evening, held in its seated theatre, there was uncertainty as to whether or not the formal space would enhance the atmosphere or, alternatively, swallow it whole. TCF, a blackened-out figure before us, projects swirling bass that immerses with his film-score-worthy-weird manipulations. His brave efforts set off abstractly and just a throw too-far leftfield for many in attendance. London’s Visionist immediately follows, marrying his ghostly take on radical, nocturnal grime. A glacial, dubbed-out half hour ensues, forming the most club-worthy set of the night. It’s admirable to watch how this plethora of future-thinking artists adapt with the theatrical environment, especially with the aid of artist Emmanuel Biard, whose lighting spectacular set to the abrasive elements of Evian Christ’s set provides the most amazing part of the evening. 

To say that Julianna Barwick’s set at the RNCM Theatre is more than the sum of its parts would be an enormous understatement; she spends the 40-minute slot stood behind a keyboard, but in truth she barely uses it. It’s the mess of samplers and pedals at her disposal that form the crux of the performance, as she creates a veritable cornucopia of lush soundscapes using little more than her own voice, generously looped. Every time the mass of loops threatens to bubble over into cacophony, she dials them back down in impressively soothing fashion. Tim Hecker’s headline performance, meanwhile, couldn’t be further removed. 

 He’s just barely discernible amongst the shadows as he takes the stage in a pitch-dark theatre, and you spend the first few minutes wondering when the visuals are going to kick in – only to realise, eventually, that there aren’t any. Hecker delivers his entire set in almost total darkness, and it’s a complementary environment; his dark, foreboding sound, often beautiful on record, is utterly punishing live. We spotted a fair few heading for the exits early during a brutal, reverb-laden opening ten minutes. What they missed was a tantalising reinvention of what live electronic music should represent. Enjoyable seems like the wrong word, but exhilarating? Absolutely. 

 And as in previous years, a major part of FutureEverything’s remit was to explore how we interact with sound, and to experiment with it; it wasn’t simply a case of putting on live events. In keeping with that, one of the major installations at the vast ‘pop-up urban experiment’ City Fictions project was BUQS, which saw ninety Ubiquitous Electronic Lifeforms scattered across the city. The devices – produced, as demonstrated at New City Square, using 3D printers – were constructed of plastic casing and contained sensors and motors that allowed them to pick up basic information about their environment and relay them sonically, encouraging direct interaction with the BUQS with user-unique results. Their resemblance to giant insects was intended to conjure up imagery of ‘infestation’, with the suggestion that the units were able to ‘hack’ the landscape, leaving spectators with the resonant reminder that in urban environments, often the most omnipresent technology is near-invisible. 

We entered FutureEverything with a desire to broaden our horizons, and left with shattered preconceptions and with fresh ideas buzzing around in our minds. Looking at the forecasts of digital culture, proving that music is continuing to explore exciting, uncharted new territory and even handing out 130,000 copies of a fictional newspaper issue from 2018, FutureEverything is both inspiring and, at times, somewhat overbearing. If there’s one thing we’ve learnt, it’s that the future is coming, so we might as well embrace it.

Words By Yours Truly & Joe Goggins X

 Images by Gary Brown and Matt Eachus

Review // Drake @ Phones 4 U Arena

The absolute angels over at Universal sent me to the opening night of Drake's 'Would You Like A tour?' here in Manchester earlier in the week. I (willingly/ unwillingly? Delete as appropriate) dragged Ceej along for throwing out some moves to my favourite non-guilty pleasure, it was an ostentatiously brilliant way to spend a Tuesday night and you can read all about it below!
Drake @ Phones 4 U Arena
Aubrey Drake Graham; Canadian child television wonder, rap superstar and poster boy for the millennial generation of emotional hip-hop, kicked off his ‘Would You Like A (UK) Tour?’ at Manchester’s Phones 4 U Arena on Tuesday. With a surplus of pyrotechnic explosions and splashing out on a reported two million dollar production budget, an additional invite to fellow Canuck The Weeknd to hop aboard his tour bus for this latest ten date run, extends further great promise and growth for tens of thousands of attendees.
 As soon as darkness dawned upon the stage, it seemed that spectators were more interested in Vine-ing blurry six second clips of the self-proclaimed Champagne Papi, rather than allowing their breath to be taken away by a, literally, sparking Tuscan Leather introduction. Holding down his on-stage territory with great audacity and a modest-sized, in-house band setting off his routine every step of the way, Graham distinguishes himself more self-assured and high-energy than ever. Alongside a mean-sounding rendition of Worst Behaviour, 305 To My City and the serenade-worthy Hold On We’re Going Home, non-album track Trophies and flutters of his guest spots on French Montana’s Pop That and A$AP Rocky’s Fuckin' Problems, make crystal clear that the So Far Gone-era classics don’t always have to be present.
 As mentioned, two million dollars is a ridiculously large amount of money by anyone’s standards to reserve solely for production value, however, surely on this titanic scale such bucks can be justified, presented and executed to an outstanding level, of which engages in nothing less than astonishing, a million times over. Or so you would believe. Realising that throughout his ninety-minute spectacular that the colossal chrome lighting rig suspended on the roof of the building, enlisted for Graham to interact more with his crowd, was utilised once for an unnecessarily lengthy period, suddenly the setting felt like a dilatory, showy attempt at being lavish purely for the sake of being lavish. Then comes the corny fifty-foot high monochrome portraits onscreen, tarnishing somewhat the latter-part of the show as wincingly self-appreciating, compared to the unpretentious aura that was present half an hour previous... and don’t even get me started on the cringe-worthy lyric adaptions of Manchester-based puns that were unavoidable come every other verse.
Nonetheless, it’s near impossible to question the OVO head’s methods of practice and sentimental lyrical ease, when he is the solitary figure on stage operating with impeccable execution. Before we know it, it’s a little after eleven and warnings of the impending climax approach; a hip-bumping portrayal of The Motto here, a smoke-rocket led swagger of HYFR there, ‘Would You Like A Tour?’ achieved the career-spanning setlist desired with formidable brilliance and just the perfect side-order of showmanship. Shouting out mentor-figures in the industry including Jay Z and Lil Wayne before bidding his sophomore arena audience goodbye, he needn’t look up nor fall back in comparison when four full-lengths deep, Aubrey Drake Graham has finally graduated with his soft-side flow crown, polished in place.

Words by Yours Truly X

Review // The Closing Party @ WHP

Review // The Closing Party @ WHP

I never thought being offered a badge at 9pm could, nor would, make me feel all kinds of emotion… pre-gin consumption, that is. However, a miniature, robust capsule branded with the text ‘Farewell Victoria’, confirmed that the inevitable had arrived. With an aura of melancholic pride oozing from even the water boys doing their bit from behind a pasting table in the forecourt, in addition to the fact that this periodic ‘closing party’ outdoes itself ever the more per-annum, begs allegiance that a significant night awaits thanks to a profusion of back-to-backs plucked from our wildest dreams.
 It has been impossible as of late to attend one of Oliver Jones’s either solo or Skreamizm-headed outings, without being swept into a syrup-smooth world of disco and funk grooves, yet we ought to have more respect than to measure that this dub veteran would follow the grain of our idle presumptions. Robert Hood’s ‘Paradise’ release under his Floorplan alias this Summer, was a minimal tech-house barrage that included the made-for-opening-your-evening-on-a-high-note ‘Baby Baby’, overflowing with curtailing horns and creditable agility within it’s exhilarating bursts. Skream knows that onslaughts of Detroit-influenced vigour is sure to get the ‘eds respectfully engaged, for the long-haul.
 Paul Woolford and Midland have locked horns in friendly b2b battles throughout the previous year, and despite the pair producing arguably 2013’s biggest dancefloor fillers in the mediums of ‘Untitled’ and ‘Trace’, tonight they opted to take a step back a decade and a double, to satisfy the bulging horde. Double 99’s ‘Rip Groove’ is only ever given the attention it deserves in such a praiseworthy environment with the white-knuckle suspense of its build-up and bass drop, followed by a deeply stringy Tina Moore sample that carries a wealth of intensity. Hold on a second, how does a track so brash even segue into the most sturdy release without nose-diving among the watchful? With the piano house classic of Inner City’s ‘Pennies From Heaven’, causing everyone to spit out their lines of ‘Bring me some love’ with all the toe-tapping and harmonising hands you could ask for, that’s how. As we scope past room one and spy a single Martinez Brother fist-pumping his way through the Jamie Jones- surveilling sea (Sorry for trying to hug you, Chris), two of the UK’s non-producing jewels, Jackmaster and Oneman, came together to perplex the brains off us in room three’s minuscule, mirrored slice of a space.

Although some may see the three hundred capacity room as an ill-fitting choice for such talent that does, inescapably, bring in an audience much bigger than the area can comfortably withstand, thanks to daring track selection and impeccable mixing, everyone is too busy spiralling into a hysterical state of sing-a-long indulgence to care. As near-millennial bangers a la Gorillaz and Basement Jaxx surprise and delight, modern rap anthems from Kanye and Ace Hood max the attitude up- and this wasn’t just variety selected to please the crowds, this was frankly, a special event for those electing what blows out of the speakers, too. Staples across the UK garage spectrum such as The Streets unforgettably intense ‘Blinded By The Lights’ and Artful Dodger’s ‘Movin’ Too Fast’, provide the much-needed antidote to the somewhat unknown soul-jazz of Gregory Porter’s ‘1960 what?’, as well as the downright weird inclusion of a segment entitled ‘Duelling Banjos’ from the 70s movie ‘Deliverance’. There was Drake, The Police, Boddika and Armand Van Helden- I really could go on, yet let it be known that the best set of the season was undoubtedly had here, as unashamed expressions of personality and intrigue were splashed all over the walls…and a spasming Chunky atop Krystal Klear’s shoulders seemed to agree, too.
 Piling out into the baltic Trafford night with the sound of Green Velvet’s ‘Bigger Than Prince’ echoing behind us and an illuminated signed reminder that this really is goodbye, we may be simultaneously beaming from within yet bowing our heads in woe, yet there really is no reason to even slightly take the gloom-and-doom approach. With talks that Warehouse will be moving to a bigger (and presumably better) space with names such as Mayfield Depot cropping up, in addition to a string of one-off events including Moderat at Albert Hall this approaching February, expansion and diversion will only prevail.

Words by Yours Truly // Images by WHP via here X

Review // Sounds Of The Near Future @ WHP

Review // Sounds Of The Near Future @ WHP

Sounds Of The Near Future has had an enlightening, arousing roll-out as the latest collaboration between promotional messiahs Now Wave and the team behind the Warehouse Project, fetching crisp names in bass and house such as Henry Krinkle and Snakehips, to the city earlier this Summer. For their latest collaboration this season, Brainfeeder chief Flying Lotus made his welcome return to Old Trafford, bringing a significantly exciting chunk of his roster along for the ride with recurrent residents, making clear that the most puzzling dilemma of the night would appear in a puerile attempt to try and cram every desirable artist, into an achievable itinerary. With the double J’s of Jon K and Jonny Dub opening up Rooms one and two respectively, the latter jockey seemed the most logical point of call to cement ground, ahead of a prospective dense six hours. Walking into a consolidation of classic 90s Snoop mixed into Alicia Myers disco favourite ‘I Want To Thankyou’, a praise-worthy cocktail was granted to fortify the foundations ahead of Brainfeeder’s only UK signee, Lapalux, stepping up.
Stuart Howard’s live sets under his Lapa identity are always an experimentation to behold, adapting and evolving from performance to performance by incorporating a spectrum of R&B bootlegs and neoteric strategies, yet it was the technicalities on WHP’s part that were noticeably absent. Planting a strikingly impressive producer into a corner with minimal lighting and zero visual pieces, his performance already lost a spark at no fault of his own just a short while in- and where some of the most memorable parties may be discovered round the darkest corners, we must remember that this is Warehouse, where attendees want presence for their pounds and a full experience, with no corners cut. Despite the breach of optic stimuli present, Howard’s rousing extended introduction and a mind-bogglingly tremendous technique of infiltrating 2012’s ‘When You’re Gone’ with a hectic manipulation of Khia’s ‘My Neck, My Back’, not only raised the bar in an unconventional sense but also had a whole lot of eyebrows heading north, too. Bold, adventurous and downright brilliant, Lapalux managed to execute his spell with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek satire and laudable commendation deserved.

Inbetween all the dancing and debauchery present, there is one obvious exclusion from the line-up that merch-clad hipsters in football jersey tees are close-to-weeping for; Zomby. He may be more well known for his obnoxious Twitter rants involving the lexicon of ‘Givenchy’ and ‘Cult music’, rather than his masterful earlier workings (‘With Love’ was a trap-heavy mess of fade-outs and uncalculated mechanisms), yet the fact that he was removed from the night’s bill without explanation or reason from the organisers, now appears to be another factor that comes part-and-parcel as each year rolls around, disappointingly through struggle.
 With Flying Lotus’s 2012 release ‘Until The Quiet Comes’ branching away from his hip-hop enticed work of the past, the secretive (at first) conception of all-rap alias Captain Murphy, formed within it’s trailing wake of intelligent psychadelia. As an exclusive debut European live show, little is known about the project apart from the occasional Earl Sweatshirt collaboration that fanatics that have been following across the blogsphere from day one, it could be described as a blessing in disguise that this venture has managed to remained enigmatic. Providing a punk-as-fuck aesthetic as one of the most forward-thinking hip-hop assemblages emerging in years, with an addition of bass-master Thundercat on band duties, Steven Ellison spits out dynamic bars with mean flow like we never envisioned, never mind the spoken word sections that collectively, are eagerly ready to hand 2013’s rap game a clear royal flush. Between hosting a terrifying finish of cackling after every turnout, Ellison shows us that he isn’t just an electronic-orientated multitude of excellence, his hip-hop roots stemming further, deeper and more superior than we ever observed before.
Inaugurating his revolutionary 3-D projection screen show on it’s sophomore trip to Manchester, the annexation of sprouting spider webs stretching forty-odd feet and musical manipulations of atmospheric, trippy proportions, further futuristic flair is propelled into his engineering soundscape. Taking a noble step forward to perform sectional vocals up-close-and-personal to his audience, tracks from past releases ‘Los Angeles’ and ‘Cosmogramma’ are mixed into ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, Drake’s ‘Started From The Bottom’ and various TNGHT snippets, moulded with mini-city metropolis illustrations, that add an essence of surprise improvisation. Mobilising a moshpit-inducing climax of his Odd Future acquaintances’ labour, FlyLo’s final run of this particular spectacle is a reflection of how tremendously esteemed for his production, knowledge and ear-to-the-ground philosophies’ he remains, leaving us swaggering out into the wee hours, quite literally, mindblown.

Words by Yours Truly // Images by WHP (via here) X

Review // Curated by Julio Bashmore @ WHP

Last weekend I had a Factory reunion of sorts when Artrocker sent me off to review Julio Bashmore's curated night at Warehouse. Cassius were ludicrously good, Tiraquon bought the 80s vibes and Bashmore, well, read it over here or below to see for yourselves...

Curated by Julio Bashmore @ WHP

As a reoccurring invitation to the individuals and groups that ignite movers and shakers, the coordinators behind Warehouse Project invite a range of music makers to take the reins in curating line-ups themselves, annually. Spanning rockers such as Bloc Party and The Kills, over to new generation blood such as Disclosure or Teed and- on this occasion- Broardwalk boss Julio Bashmore, WHP aren't afraid to shake it up, nor go with the flow when necessary. With a combination of internationally respected and cemented UK producers, along with a gargantuan headline set from Julio himself, these curated nights are undoubtedly where you’ll find the most diverse melting pots. 

One of our favourite galactic-funksters, Space Dimension Controller, was first on the horizon to fill up the dance floor in room two. Despite the fact that we couldn't help but constantly wonder why SDC had been booked to DJ rather than partake in a live set of his own intergalactic workings, he still managed to bring the care-free attitude and evocativeness of past decades to the ever-accumulating, if slightly bedazzled, ravers. Batting out 80s classics including Midnight Star’s ‘Midas Touch’ beside Colonel Abrams offbeat release ‘Trapped’, anthem after anthem whether instantly recognisable or not, ensured that everybody in sight fell victim to the groove… and it hadn't even struck ten o’clock yet. 

 As we weaved through each room eager to catch a deluge of sets, it was indisputable that each person booked behind the decks here tonight was restless in not just playing out what would simply be probable within a conventional club night, as experimentation is welcomed and applauded in a location that branches out from conformity. 

Take Motor City Drum Ensemble on initiating a wave of house for the night, thanks to Norma Jean Bell’s sassy ‘I’m The Baddest Bitch ’, whereas Breach dipped his toe into modern waters, manipulating Midland’s ‘Trace’ into a deep and stabbing vibration to fast forward the momentum. As our expectations were already now ever ascending thanks to a marvelous introduction, the crown and glory for the night unquestionably belonged to French originators Cassius. Blending in a fusion of their unconditional prototypes including the infectious ‘Feeling For You’, together with an amazing input of Green Velvet’s ‘Bigger Than Prince’, it is apparent that a superior act is that for a reason- it’s just a shame that what goes up must come down.

 In light of Bashmore’s earlier Boiler Room session remaining outrageously over-crowded throughout, we opted for the main man under the spotlight’s early morning set, to really see if there was more to the media than just a ‘Summer hit turned football chant’. As far as his personal productions go, the only noticeably enthusiastic reception was evident for- you guessed it- ‘Au Seve’ and it was easily blatant that, despite his observable production talents, as a live artist Julio is dissatisfying on a number of levels. Over-running tracks long after their surges peak and the audience has lost interest, as well as noticeably poor mixing, even Joy O’s ‘BRTHDTT’ panned across the room as if it fell on deaf ears and Lil Louis Chicago classic ‘I’m hot for you’, echoed overhead an array of confused faces. With all the factors for triumph at hand without prosperous execution, tonight Bashmore delivers to be tarred as incapable of executing his work, at a rank of which many of his peers surpass at leaving nothing but a bitter taste in our mouths…

Words by Yours Truly / Images by WHP (via here) X

Feature // Skiddle October Electronic Listings

Hi! I'm now very pleased to say I'll be writing monthly columns for Skiddle on what (I believe) are the best electronic events going on here in the North-West, in the hope of tempting you all to buy tickets and come party. You can read my first installment for the month of October here featuring picks including Murlo, DJ Q, Floating Points and my golden ticket here in Manchester, from Clouds. Enjoy!

Words by Yours Truly X

Review // My Nu Leng @ Mint Lounge

My Nu Leng finally came to Manchester on Thursday and played a blinder of a set in conjunction with Sick Chirpse and Hit & Run- Pros: Dancing to Livin' Joy, Cons: Thinking it was an acceptable move attending in some form of bastardized ghetto headscarf and regretting it instantly in the heat. I attended with mediocre expectations and was completely proven wrong; hello blast-from-the-past track selections, on-point mixing and a whole plethora of shape cutting (Seriously, my neck hasn't been the same since- but that could just be down to also seeing Loefah and Funkineven in the space of twenty-four hours...). Click here to read or for an unedited version just scroll below!
My Nu Leng @ Mint Lounge

If you’re not based up here in the grey city, you’re an inauspicious creature for missing out on the countless nights of mischievism that the hilarious writers behind Sick Chirpse have been bringing to Manchester venues, intended for those with their ears to the ground. Pretty good for two guys who “…got really wasted and decided to start a blog”, isn’t it? For this month’s outing, those crazy cats joined forces with tattlers of bookings fresh, danceable and even legendary in the city, Hit & Run, to cinch a night of screwfacing and (in)appropriate grinding with Bristol begetters, My Nu Leng.
That’s the thing about these Manchunians, they like to keep it in the family, as noted by Jonny Dub gracing the decks from the moment we walk through the maze-like corridors of Mint Lounge. With his laudably skilled set- not only technically speaking- and the addition of an unbeatably eclectic yet engaging track list, reconfirm that this crate-digger isn’t just another opening DJ, with an unparalleled audience rapport. The boisterous arm jerking during Daphni’s ‘Ye Ye’, the eyes closed foot stomping in old school recognition of Wookie’s ‘Battle Garage’ and beefy Danny Brown cuts are hardly obscure choices, yet it is the tangle of bodies writhing down the front fused with the freedom and attitude of a true pro, that really makes this feel more like a party than a ticketed event. Besides, where else would you be able to shimmy to Tag Team’s ‘Whoomp! There it is’, before trying impress the nearest babe that you heard Blue Daisy’s ‘Used To Give A Fuck’ six months ago, as it blasts out overhead so early on a Thursday night?
 After a comedic performance from host Chimpo involving a confectionery necklace and some seriously poor aiming skills, proceedings only get even more peculiar when the monochrome uniformed Duo’s set - Tommy sported a Patta t-shirt, whilst Jammo represented Black Butter- was spun out of consummated mayhem. You can thank Daniel Bedingfield's 'Gotta Get Thru This' for assisting us in retracting our originally naive perceptions that this would be a firm set of chunky booming tech-house, as early noughties guilty pleasures are cited as nothing to be ashamed of. Shimmering edits of Modjo’s ‘Lady’ cause even the most stationary hips to swing in unison and speeding up Crystal Water’s ‘Gypsy Woman’ into a repetitive oblivion is nothing short of brilliance, in educating the night’s student clientele on classics’ that are older than most of the teeth in their head.
No mistake made, there are plenty of hefty 4/4’s thanks to Maya Jane Cole and Mosca releases that the audience go crazy for, as the familiar surfaces and merging some of the UK’s most loved classics from the likes of Dizzee Rascal and The Streets contribute in bringing back the rudeboys’ present to throw up the gun fingers with MC T-Man on stage. Bursting out with their influx of heavy duty bass and striking a chord that as a unit, these producers’ have an undeniable flair for their practice with daring selection, ensures that My Nu Leng were welcomed back with open arms to the city.

Words by Yours Truly X

Review // Jon Hopkins @ Gorilla

I went and caught Jon Hopkins's 'Immunity' audiovisual show with Lone on a quiet and extremely sweaty Tuesday evening over at Gorilla, whilst avoiding all the Oxford Road influx of freshers'! My review is now live which you can read here or below!
Jon Hopkins @ Gorilla

After one of the most deserving Mercury Music Prize nominations in years – and his second in three after 2011’s Diamond Mine King Creosote collaboration – Jon Hopkins revved back into his forerunning role with Immunity, a true masterpiece and an impressive, cinematic statement of potency. The record manages to retain the essence of being reassuringly wonky, while Hopkins’s key training and lush production see him reiterate his skills as an electronic artist, like no other.
For tonight’s show, Manchester promoter marvels Now Wave are celebrating their fifth birthday, roping in Lone to play a punchy set of deep and exuberant techno – housed in a floating booth within the stage rigging, may we add – to open up the night’s proceedings. After an hour of hands-in-the-air grooving from front to back, Gorilla’s roof becomes a saturated sweat den as punters shuffle expectantly for tonight’s headliner, cramming into any discernible inch of floor space they can. From the instant Hopkins sets his Kaoss pad hubs alight, constructing his signature fuzz and loops of analogue hardware circulations, you can sense a warmth, a glowing energy being transitioned to a thrilled and valued audience.
As Open Eye Signal radiates forth over the throbbing system, Hopkins comes across as a tremendously modest and bashful individual, open and exposed to his audience rather than being shrouded away. When technical difficulties come into play and his system cuts out for a short amount of time, every hand in the room takes the opportunity to finally show their gratitude as rapturously as they can, Hopkins responding with a timid grin. He needn't be embarrassed: this crowd aren’t here off the back of a Coldplay affiliation or a Brian Eno collaboration. Make no mistake, they’re the vinyl purchasers and the connoisseurs who are aiding Hopkins in receiving the recognition and appreciation he deserves.
 Visuals are a prominent focal point, with enlisted artist Dan Tombs projecting viscous, lava-like, saffron liquids and rapidly multiplying bubble pools to inspire the mindset and conduction of Immunity; tones are harpooned by kaleidoscopic, vivid needles of colour, bleeding through the likes of Collider. While this attempt at cross-platform art isn’t fully integrated into the overall set-up, it provides an appropriate accompaniment, and when everyone is reading from the same askew page, it really doesn't matter. Here’s to Immunity and beyond.

Words by Yours Truly X

Review // FaltyDL and Lone @ Sankeys

Afternoon! Last week I went and finally saw the marvelous FaltyDL (I'm so obsessed with Hardcourage and he was literally, such a gent after his set.) and Manchester's very own Lone smash the shit out of Sankeys effervescent basement, it was enthralling, engaging and magical- you can read about it over here on Crack Magazine. I've also been crazy busy covering Future Everything Festival this week, you'll read all about that soon enough! I hope you're all enjoying the sunshine now the snow has cleared! I'm going to spend my Tuesday evening at a screening for all twenty-two chapters of R Kelly's 'Trapped In The Closet'; this is not a drill...

Words by Yours Truly X

Review // Theme Park @ Ruby Lounge

Aloha! Last weekend I went and caught Theme Park on their debut UK headline tour over at Ruby Lounge. It's a critical one you can read over here at Crack Magazine. Also, I have no Artrocker Column this week- It's been pushed back in order to accommodate for upcoming festival antics- keep your eyes peeled!

Words by Yours Truly X

Review // Jacques Greene @ Mint Lounge

Good Afternoon! On Wednesday evening I ventured off into Northern Quarter to catch Jacques Greene's highly anticipated set in aid of promoter extraordinaires Chow Down's Second Birthday. There was familiar faces, gin, enthusiastic shape-pulling to this and a whole encyclopedia of tunes dropped- I reviewed it as my first piece for the fantastic Crack Magazine over here, it's good to be on board, guys!
 
Words by Yours Truly X

Review // PEACE @Soup Kitchen

Peace have had a flourishing 2012, the facts say it clearly; what with signing to Columbia Records, forcing said label to purchase them a billboard in their home city and the release of their luxurious 'Delicous' EP, it was superb to finally catch them live and reunite with old colleagues at their sold-out Soup Kitchen gig. We ventured to Chinatown with the boys and their chums afterwards for awkward Karaoke resulting in Bonnie and I asking if we could sing Mario (the owners said no :( ) and gins all round. My review is live here - and remember guys #freeterry...

Words by Yours Truly X

In Photos // Dan Deacon @ Islington Mill

Don't worry guys, I'm alive- freshers week didn't quite kill me off (although I did gain my second facial injury of the year, UGH)! I've been reuniting with everyone via corndog catch-ups, visits to friends' wonderful new apartments and working even harder, so much so that I swear I'll be glad to finally get back to uni! Also, Wednesday's #VICElaunch for The Weird Science Issue was super fun thanks to Girls on Film playing non-stop Madonna and Prince along with Lil Silva dropping Zomby to a load of confused first-years- oh and shoutout to Bench for the free drinks and giveaways! Last night, I also finally caught Dan Deacon live (Dent May supported too and he even did the infamous tunnel into the streets of Salford ♡) at one of my favourite venues ever involving Budvar and dance-offs; it was beautiful, no-one rocks a show like this man- some snaps are below! It's bloody good to be back, interviews coming soon!

Words and Images by Yours Truly X

In photos // A$AP Rocky @ The Ritz

Last week, I went and caught A$AP Rocky's show at The Ritz along with some rowdy underagers who shouted "IGGY AZALEA!" at me (Pfft, I wish!) and some lads stage invaded whilst the A$AP Mob tried to grab people who were crowd surfing up to join in the fun. I also took some pictures for your viewing pleasure, so enjoy!

Words and images by yours truly X

Review // Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs @ Deaf Institute

This week, I went to watch Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs at Deaf Institute, one of my favourite venues in my (not so new) adopted city. Read my review of the gig here on Hive and stream his new single 'Tapes & Money' here (It's a good'un.). I'm also off to watch Justice tonight (yay!)! x

Words by yours truly

Better late than never // 2011

Finally getting organised, two months late albeit, and archiving all my articles, interviews, photography and the like. Expect ramblings, inappropriate jokes and FUN TIMES. I thought it would be apt to post my favourite pieces and aforementioned photographs from the past year. HELLO 2012 X

2011 'best of' playlist for Freedom Spark / Gordon Armstrong 'Disposable Diaries' interview / Badlands777 interview / Samantha Valentine interview / Millie Brown interview / Pooneh Ghana interview / Salem interview 

All photos by yours truly...