“We’ve got 20 years of songs to fit in” declared Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl as he asked the audience whether they wanted to stay all night, skipping work the day after. The response was an overwhelming yes, as 50,000 prepared to send their excuses in to the workplace. It’s easy to forget just how big,…
Striking Matches are set to return to the UK to perform in Manchester again in November and judging by this performance at a sold-out Deaf Institute – a Striking Matches show is definitely one to catch. Performing an acoustic set, with no backing band, Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann put on what can only be…
Packed with rock ‘n’ roll hits and loosely based on The Tempest and the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet, the 25th anniversary tour of the Olivier Award winning musical Return To The Forbidden Planet is coming to the end of the run, and simply put, if you haven’t seen it already, get down to…
The sequins were out in full force at The Ruby Lounge as Manchester’s own Girl Friend took to the stage. With lead singer Amory and drummer Sam sporting shiny jackets and new recruit Eleanor looking glamourous in a golden sequin dress (guitarist and keyboard player Jake, however, appears to abstain from the shiny outfits), there…
The Moscow City Ballet has built itself a sterling reputation through strong performances of some of the world’s most popular ballets and is currently in the UK presenting four of the most popular – Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. On the second of a three night residence at Manchester’s Opera House…
Taking on a production such as Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago is a brave decision. It’s a work which can easily go wrong –the chemistry between the characters is essential, there’s a danger that it could come across as crass and will the audience take away from it the humour which it contains? Having already…
Having performed two excellent gigs in Manchester over the last twelve months, UK Country Album of the Year award winners Ward Thomas had already set high standards. Their performance at The Castle in July was an intimate affair featuring just the twin sisters and their guitarist Dan in a largely acoustic set, whereas their more…
The Quays Theatre at the Lowry is sold out and walking into the venue, it’s a noticeably mixed crowd – from glammed up teenagers through to some who could pass for Nathan Carter’s grandparents – well in actual fact it turns out his grandparents are at the venue, along with his parents, as well as some…
Speaking in EofE’s tour bus before the show, they promise energy. It’s almost the staple of any gig and should, really, be a given. But what should be an absolute must, is, sadly so often absent from bands’ performances. EofE, however, are set to deliver on that promise as they put on a show which does,…
Somewhere a committee at Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music must be wondering how they let Olafur Arnalds slip through their fingers. Returning to the RNCM for his first performance in the Concert Hall, he revealed how he had dreamed of studying composition at the RNCM, but that his application was unsuccessful – although it…
