The Underground Stage
“Julian Munyard’s brand of party funk dominates the set (and it is full strength party-ful)but the parts that damn near make you want to cry are the ‘Let’s Dance’-era Bowie bits – ‘Culture Vulture’ in particular is so sharply dressed it could cut you open. The blood pumps through this whole set so strongly it […]
“ioakim’s lyrical mind ranges all over the place, while the precise pop it produces is focussed and sharp, a set to think about while dancing to. Guitars poke through like spiked traps, unusual notions on their poisoned tips, while the drums and bass rumble underfoot. These songs are smart, sure, but never too clever for […]
“Aodhan’s laid back vibe is fully reclined, but the songs surround it all with a fizz and a buzz that keeps it all moving and shifting underneath you. These are lovely and soaring songs and although they’re delivered with one eye barely open there’s more than enough Big Star-ish crackle and jangle to keep you […]
“Velociraptor raid the Devo files for a sideways jump into a dystopian eight-bit universe of technological overlord-ism. As always, there’s enough of a stifled giggle in the mischief to convince you that it’s really you who’s being laughed at – when you’re having this much fun though, you just don’t care 🤖”
“It’s been an indecently long shift between releases, but when a comeback is this confident and strutting, it’s like no time has passed at all. Twitching itself into knots while high art cascades into early-hours psychosis, it’s an attention-grabbing return to the fray, a high-voltage reminder of what they’re capable of ⚡️”
“ISHAN has quietly been building up pressure recently but this most recent release sounds a lot like the sort of sunny blast to crack it all wide open. A lost-boy cute vocal, a soaringly positive message in the lyrics, a group-singalong chorus – it’s almost lab-grown to feed a broken heart, patch up a wounded ego, or just soundtrack one hell of a night out 💣”
“Battlesnake go full concept on Alpha & Omega, veering to within touching distance of the lunacy levels of a Tenacious D or a Spinal Tap. As close to parody as it gets though, it never once lets go of a deep, obvious love of the source material that gives you permission to join right in. Epically mad, madly epic 🤘”
“Salarymen’s usual 60s-authentic psychedelia takes a bump of 70s speed on their latest, ratcheting up the tempo a bit to form up around a deliciously thumping slice of ankle-twitching fun. It’s all as bright and clear as ever but the extra pace adds a note of urgency and it ends a little out of breath, a little red in the cheeks, all dead giveaways that announce the fun its been having 😊”
“RINSE’s generally-90s but specifically-Manchester sound is riddled with an existential-level dread and paranoia that brings it bang up to date without losing a single step of groove. Peter Hook would approve of the bubbling and the thud, but it still belongs nowhere else than right here and right now.” Gallery Learn More Instagram