OPINION - 20 Years of Spotify isn't something to celebrate.
"Spotify pays artists between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream. It's a total piss take.
The art of discovering new music has been taken over by AI, fake bots and people who have no interest in the music industry whatsoever."
Buy a good HIFI system, get CDs or vinyl if you can afford it and use other alternatives.
How good were @pyncher tonight at @deafinstitute for @fifthfloor.uk !!
We put them high up on our list at the end of last year and there's a good buzz about them now and rightly so.
"The band’s clean, warm and jazzy tones meshing provide the platform. This platform is taken by Rachel Maria Francesca.
"She is the band, you’re hardly putting two and two together and getting five when basing this on Marie Franc’s name. Her delivery is eloquent and delicate, of course comparable to Hope Sandoval. Her subject matter is brave, and she’s not afraid to be intimate with the audience."
Read @_sam_jeavons_ account of @mariefrancmusic at @yes_mcr . Link in our bio to read.
"That fire alarm hey?”, frontman Drew Selby says as he walks onto the stage with the rest of the band. Since forming in 2019, they’ve sold out this venue and toured with Starsailor and supported James at the Apollo all off their own backs.
"They’re all local, the singer is from Cheadle, the bass player grew up in Wythenshawe and the Rhythm guitarist is from Wilmslow, all 3 of them went to the same school. Pub gigs led to being taken on by bigger promoters like SJM, a record deal and now a cult following."
Read @jamesunderscoreyoung 's account of @rosellas.band at @bandonthewall on Saturday
Absolutely loads on again this weekend. Weather's nice innit. Have that pint and go to a gig. Let us know what you're going to in the comments.
Thursday (tonight) - @landehekt - @thelloydschorlton
"quietly one of the UK's best underground songwriters."
Tickets - £17
@sunflowerthieves - @lowfourstudio
Sold out shows across the UK with some big support slots and the best part is that it's free.
FRIDAY - @chalkband - @thisisgorilla
New album Crystalpunk is out now. Belfast synth driven post punk. Opened for Fontaines, IDLES, Sprints, some big names.
£18
SATURDAY - @drycleaningband - @newcenturymcr
Touring their new album which their producer describes like distinct images in a gallery.
£32
@yossari_baby album launch - @m3_7lw
Album launch party "formed by request for the Manchester Mafia."
£8.
@rosellas.band - @bandonthewall
Rescheduled from before. New EP out, worked the circuit for a long time.
£15.
@oliviadeano - @thecooplive
On for two days. Still some tickets left for the Sunday. 3 BRIT award nominations and a Mercury. Albert Hall special was very well received.
Cheapest ticket - £55.
NEWS: @frameworksfestival announces second wave of acts with @hollyhead.band@camdaveyy and @capsuleband23 added to the lineup.
"We look forward to presenting more of the cream of the UK's music scene."
The event takes place on the 30th May at Castle Hotel and Gullivers. Tier one tickets are still available for £12 + booking fee.
"It was hard to believe they were stand ins and they sounded far tighter than you'd expected from a group who'd practised just twice."
Read @hsharples03 review of @undertracksmcr at @thisisgorilla , link in bio.
Photo credit: @photosbyeva_06
NEWS: A new investigation by Wired and a Substack post by Eliza Mclamb has exposed PR Firms such as Chaotic Good Projects for using fake social media accounts to push new music and artists such as Geese into recommendation algorithms by posting fake comments and creating hype under the process of "trend simulation."
"The second the SNL performance drops, you should post 100 times saying that it was the best performance of the year."
Chaotic good has worked overtime to try and cover its steps and removed Geese from its website alongside the campaign.
"In the most fantastic way possible, it was an incredibly directionless night. Whilst WSCB have spent the last month touring with the biggest contemporary band in the world, the New York bunch will have no idea they produced a live rendition of Taxes to a living room sized crowd."
Read @_sam_jeavons_ account of @hopalonggretzky1 at @cafeblah last week. Link in bio to read.
Photos: @photosbyeva_06
SOLEAD WEEKEND GUIDE - EASTER SPECIAL
Let us know what you're going to in the comments.
TONIGHT
@magda1999___ W/ @hollyhead.band - @thecastlemanc
Yeah, can't go wrong with this. Both tight as anything and worth going just to see Holly Head.
@tomasmithmusic - @deafinstitute
He's doing alright for himself, a lot of younger fans. Good chance to see him in a smallish venue.
FRIDAY - @treemusic_nestival - @strinesnightingale
Really interesting lineup with Graham Massey from @808stateofficial on the bill alongside @otisfjordan and more. We think this is very good value for £10 and there's also music on the entire weekend there.
@mcrpunkfest - All weekend
140 acts across 7 venues and the headliner has a logo similar to the Antifascist circle, cool.
Monday - @officialbunnymen - @alberthallmcr
Rescheduled gig, couple of spares floating about. Loads of tunes, know how to put on a show.
