Whyte Horses. Pic by Jon Shard.
With another deliciously mad mix of gigs in Manchester this November, Getintothis’ James Sullivan leads you through where to go, who to see and what to do.
Every month Getintothis sits down and peruses what’s happening in Manchester for the month ahead. Each time pencils are chewed, steps are paced, thoughts are thunk over what to include in the top five gigs to catch.
In a typically varied flood of gigs and events, this November contains pop, vaudeville, anarcho-punk, garage, spoken word and comedy. And that’s just what we cut out of this intro.
But every month the list is narrowed, the pencil is devoured, and a top five emerges. And so without further ado, may we present to you our recommendation of five gigs to catch this month in the fair city of Manchester.
Ultimate Painting
1. Ultimate Painting: Soup Kitchen, November 5
Two albums in, and it’s probably time to stop referring to Ultimate Painting as the side-project of Jack Cooper from Mazes and James Hoare from Veronica Falls. They’ve carved out their own niche of stripped down, lo-fi pop, featuring spidery guitar lines and criss-crossing vocal harmonies.
The new record Green Lanes follows a similar template to their self-titled debut: Velvets-inspired shuffling, with Graham Coxon-covering-Pavement-covering-Syd-Barrett story telling.
Ultimate Painting supported White Fence in Manchester in January
It’s probably an exaggeration to say you should see them before they’re massive – their deliberately low-key vibe would be frankly bizarre on the bigger stage – but these kind of songs played in this kind of venue is a rare treat.
For more information, click here.
Ladyfest Manchester 2015
2. Ladyfest: Islington Mill, November 14
Ladyfests have sprung up all around the world; not-for-profit collectives aimed at promoting feminist music, poetry and spoken word. The last full festival in Manchester was in 2011, and this year it’s happening again at Islington Mill.
Lesley Woods – ex-of The Au Pairs – tops the bill, but there’s a ton of talent from the local area and beyond including music from post-punk racket-makers ILL, sweetly-spiteful piano ballads from Perkie, comedy from Ellen Tomlinson and loads more.
Across 11 hours and two rooms, there’s also art, zines, stalls, films and workshops in subjects like podcast making, photography and music production.
All this for a tenner – which includes a goody bag full of surprises…
For more information, click here.
Mikal Cronin
3. Mikal Cronin: Sound Control, November 19
Although Sound Control is one of the least forgiving venues for live bands in Manchester, Mikal Cronin’s swirly wash of California noise is probably a good match, and his symphonic garage songs should soar around the room.
He’s possibly still best known for collaborating with Ty Segall, but Cronin’s recent record MCIII is – you guessed it – his third solo release. Often lumped in with fellow Cali-psychheads Segall, John Dwyer and White Fence (no bad thing, clearly) but Cronin’s unassuming appearance hides a walloping, surprisingly adventurous spirit.
For more information, click here.
The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing
4. The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing and Ward XVI: Ruby Lounge, November 24
If you’ve ever struggled to explain the concept of steampunk to somebody, then one look at London’s TMTWNBBFN might give you a clue to the visual signs at least; face paint and costumes, all trussed up like Victorian sci-fi steam-engine drivers, or Doc Brown’s family at the end of Back to the Future Part III.
The band’s music is equally hard to pin down. There’s vaudeville theatrics, trashy Cramps riffs, anarcho-punk, and ladles of humour on top (bass player Marc Burrows and guitarist Andrew O’Neill – who opens the show with a comedy set – are both comedians, after all).
They’re on tour in support of their third album Not Your Typical Victorians, released earlier in the year. Their gig at the Ruby Lounge is bound to be a riotous circus-gathering in the grand tradition of every great punk rock show.
Support also comes from Preston’s finest glam horror punk band Ward XVI.
For more information, click here.
Whyte Horses at The Kazimier
5. Whyte Horses: Night and Day Cafe, November 25
Mystery swirled around Whyte Horses before anyone had heard a note of their music. Stories of holing up in an Italian countryside retreat, a background that encompassed Manchester, Liverpool and Bordeaux. Just one homecoming gig, back in February at the Soup Kitchen.
Read our review of Whyte Horses supporting Silver Apples in the Kazimier
Even now we only know a little more. We do know that the man leading the Horses is Dom Thomas, the music archivist at the helm of Finders Keepers, along with Kazimier co-founder Laura Brownhill.
That impeccable taste was confirmed when the album Pop or Not surfaced: a shimmering, smouldering mix of 60s girl group melodies and dreamy fuzzed-out guitars. Half of it plays like the soundtrack to a western, while the other half is pure hazy pop bliss.
The night’s part of CRC Music’s pleasingly animalistic ‘Into the Wild’ tour, playing alongside Mt. Wolf and My Grey Horse.
For more information, click here.
[paypal-donation]
