After hearing a preview of The Empty Page’s latest single, Big Nasty Palpitations, during their support slot for BERRIES at Gullivers in March and witnessing the visceral fire that has been lit under the Manchester-based emissaries of anxious angst, all it took was the impetus of the angular guitars and subversive anthemics to convince me that it would be the quintessential indie pop hit of the summer. It may not be your archetypal boy meets girl before releasing a ‘better off without you’ single in the Autumn. The 80s industrial augmented hit is a testament to where society will stand this su ..read more

UK singer-songwriter, Champagne on the Rocks, tantalised timeless Americana tones and tinged them with British acoustic indie in his latest cinematically rendered single, Golden Hour. With choruses that made me nostalgic for Semisonic, Deep Blue Something and The Calling while simultaneously affirming that Champagne on the Rocks has what it takes to become a sonic legacy in his own right, you’re damn right we were arrested by the elevated weight of Golden Hour. When the winding Americana guitar solo hits, the stripped-back sentimental hit which will allow all of your most-cherished sun-soaked ..read more

Seducing our inner party mode with punchy electronic drum lines to start the weekend with, Chxmist does his hometown of Dublin rather proud with a rather excellent soundtrack for summer on Rather Be. Chxmist (pronounced chemist) is a Manchester-based project formed by the exceptional electronic producer and DJ Conor Barry. ”Pitched vocals and garage grooves complete the sound forged from an ambient project birthed during the national lockdown of 2020.” ~ Chxmist Scintillating with an assortment of delightfully crisp and saucy music to get enthusiastic about, Chxmist demonstrates so much qualit ..read more

Sung with a calm intensity and reminding us of that soulful blues to sip on all night long, Jon Kenzie looks for the all-important truth inside a lie-filled world on the catchy new track to meditate with, Two Plus Two Is Five. Jon Kenzie is an experienced Manchester, UK-based indie blues solo singer-songwriter and music producer who loves to fuse folk and soul into his wholehearted compositions. ”He has truly worked his way up from the grassroots, first playing on the streets and in the clubs of Manchester and then travelling Europe and the States, performing in every town that he comes to ..read more

It takes some talent and ingenuity to bring poetry out of the insular arena and translate it into psychedelic theatre; that was exactly what the Dirt achieved during the live launch of their debut LP, Agitator. If the pen is mightier than the sword, the duo dropped an atom bomb onto the crowd who made the Dirt t-shirts in-vogue. Following the moody post-punk sets from Bloodworm and Dim Imagery, Pray for Mojo devilled the capacity crowd with their ear-blistering staunchly 70s rock rancour; their White Walker cold guitar tones cut through the atmosphere of their massive sound that I didn’t think ..read more

Few Manchester music fans are strangers to the disquiet deliverances of The Dirt’s wordsmith, Jack Horner, who has been storming stages with his abrasively arresting recitations of the tolls of PTSD and orations of the graffiti on the toilet walls of iconic Manchester venues. Standing alone, Horner’s words in his solo spoken word project, Leon the Pig Farmer, carry enough metaphoric weight to leave a bruising mark on the psyche. The curveballs in his conceits open a collective of wormholes for the mind to venture down before perceptions shift around his vindicating socialist manifestic narrati ..read more

After posting her first songs in the summer of 2013, Angael returns to the solo waters with a superbly devised single to play on full volume and this one is called, You Found Me. Angael aka Rachael Ward is a Manchester, UK-based indie alternative pop solo artist who was recently in the English-Portuguese band Rilke. ”Not to be confused with being “found” romantically, YFM is about feeling watched over and controlled. Taking inspiration from Eminem and Dido’s ‘Stan’, as well as other trip hop/pop style beats from the early 00’s(cc: SugababesStronger), You Found Me will trigger an immediate sens ..read more

It’s time to let the dust settle on the archaic records from New Order and The Stone Roses and lock into the viscerally fresh talent from Manchester-based artist and poet B!TEZ, who has been taking the rainy city by storm. For her latest single, Be Like You, B!TEZ (Princess Arinola Adegbite) reinvented the 80s pop wheel with her afro-futuristic edge that is sharper than any papercut. The infectiously melodic earworm is a stellar hit based on the instrumentals alone. When the socially conscious lyrics are thrown onto the stabbing synth lines, it is impossible not to get wrapped up in the vindic ..read more

Making his return to the music world after a much-needed hiatus to complete his studies and explore the perimeters of his sound, Lewis Ross-Robson is in extraordinary form on the rather memorable new single Black Again. Lewis Ross-Robson is a York-born Manchester-based indie-folk singer-songwriter who has overcome those easy-to-pickup-bad habits to make music with a real message and pure purpose. ”Lewis’ take on introspective folk is a reminder of the importance of simplicity in music, seeking to retain a delicate and distinctive essence through his sound.” ~ Lewis Ross-Robson (taken from his ..read more

Mike Patton walked so the ethereally scintillating alt-folk artist Joshua. could ‘WALK BY LOVE’ in his latest music video. Only an artist as iconic as he could get away with a mononym *and* allowing haunting tones to creep out of a ukulele in the production that wouldn’t be out of place in the Eraserhead soundtrack. He could never be accused of writing ‘just another love song’. The disconcertingly cinematic single allows his sonically ephemeral vocals to drift atop the minimalist instrumentals that envelop you in their wistfully nostalgic sepia tones. In the space of just two minutes, the orig ..read more