Oh hello there. All calmed down from the Oasis chaos now, have we? Well good, because we’re back to celebrating newer and largely lesser-known local bands and artists – hopefully to the point that they become far too big to need round-ups like these.
Not that we’ll stop writing them, mind you.
Yes, after last month’s edition (wink wink, nudge nudge), we’ve got five more Manc born and bred or at the very least currently based somewhere in within boroughs bands and artists that Audio North has been enjoying of late.
We welcome all walks of tunage here, by the way; it’s the best way to be and if you don’t manage to find something there’s always next month or all the previous ones, for that matter. Let’s get into it.
Five Manc artists we’ve been listening to recently
1. Nia Archives
Kicking the September rundown in style, we’ve got the wonderful Nia Archives, who despite not hailing from Manchester originally has made a happy home here, playing countless stages around the city since she moved here when she was just 16 and now she’s well and truly shining.
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The 2022 BBC Introducing Artist of the Year is set to deliver her Up Ya Archives club night to The Warehouse Project for just the second time and if you’ve never heard her before, you’re really not ready for the breadth going on. Dance, electronic, D’n’B, jungle, neo-soul – she really does play with it all.
From Bradford, Leeds then to 0161, she’s got to be one of our favourite talents around right now. ‘Baiana’ is certainly one of her biggest tunes and her debut title track ‘Silence Is Loud’ is a certified banger, but we’re gonna shout out her remix of ‘leavemealone’ by Fred again… and Baby Keem.
From varied floor-fillers to another genre-bending outfit that we’re ashamed to confess we arrived far too late but are making up for it with some intense listening over the last 30 days. They started out as a trio nailing alternative synth-pop but things have got even more interesting and complex since then.
With roots in Wilmslow, Cheadle Hulme and various other spots around Greater Manchester, the band has grown in every sense of the word since their highly acclaimed 2019 debut, not only because they’re a five-piece these days but because their sound is oozing with so many sprawling influences.
One of the first tunes we heard from them is ‘High Pressure Days’ (it’s a cover but we don’t care), so that has to go in there as a potential starting point, but we’d also check out ‘Somebody Like’ before trying ‘Bloom and Fade’ off their upcoming third album, out 18 October, to see how much things have changed.
Next up is a much more familiar sound for us as Yasmin Coe has the shimmery, shoegaze-esque guitars that her sound is fitting right in with the 90s revival that’s currently thriving all over the country, not to mention a great display of versatility so early on in her career.
If you ask her, she’s self-proclaimed ‘girl power pop’, but there’s everything from Lana Del Rey, Mazzy Star, Wolf Alice and more going on here; safe to say we’re really excited to see where else she takes her music and we’ll definitely be buying a ticket to see her in person very soon.
Fortunately for you, Yasmin’s still pretty fresh so she only has four songs for you to get stuck into – ‘No Hope’, ‘Doubt’, ‘Promise Not To Care’ and her latest, ‘Linen’ – and you’ll get something different from all of them. We love artists like this, keep it up.
For a slightly heavier, more in-your-face entry at number four, our penultimate band has been enjoying the live setting for years but is slowly working its way onto people’s playlists – ours included.
There’s a lot more no-nonsense American rock to the very Mancunian-named Haciendas than there is Madchester or even Britpop, but that feels somewhat refreshing in amongst the mix of contemporary guitar-driven bands, and they also have the attitude to back it up. Think The Reytons but with more US-inflections and riffs and you’re part way there.
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This is music that doesn’t need over-intellectualising: it’s fast, fun and even if it does subscribe to somewhat formulaic chorus formats, they’re winning combos for a reason. Our top picks are ‘Overdose’, ‘Brighter Days’ and you can’t go wrong with ‘I’m Not In Control’.
5. Denver County Council
Last but not least, we’ve got Denver County Council: one of the best sounding and, in our opinion, best-dressed bands in Manchester – especially if you’re like us and you love early Kings of the Leon era or anything even remotely close to the country aesthetic. There’s a real mix of blues/old-school rock and roll vibe with an indie sensibility, what’s not to like?
These guys came on our radar around the time they landed a spot on AO Arena‘s stripped-back series last year and we’ve been enjoying them on and off ever since, to be honest. However, since we spotted them on the lineup for Neighbourhood 2024, they’ve been firmly back in the rotation.
These guys haven’t put out tonnes of much just yet either, however, if we had to play favourites amongst the few it would be ‘Grace’, ‘Flawd’ and Mad Love – but the strictly the live version that we can’t wait to hear for ourselves this weekend. Having said that they can also do lovely slower ones like this:
These guys are the real ‘DCC’ and they’re the fifth and final name of our Manc artists of the month.
A legend in leopard print – Magic Miles Kane at Albert Hall, Manchester | Gig Review
Harry Quick
There’s something poetic about seeing Miles Kane perform in a venue like the Albert Hall.
Beneath the stained glass and towering arches, he felt less like a veteran gigger and more like the high priest of British indie showstoppers – sharp-suited and equipped with what appeared to be custom, heeled adidas three stripes with a fully leopard print set to match. Carpeted floor, drum kit and all.
You can tell from the outset that, city rivalries aside, the scouser is adored by his Mancunian fanbase. His opening track, ‘Electric Flower’ – taken from his latest album, Sunlight in the Shadows – made for the perfect start.
Kane emerged to a roar. The track’s shimmering melodic edge got the two-tiered crowd quickly accustomed to Kane’s newest style of sound, and things kicked on easily from there.
It was a confident opener (not a greatest hit in my humble opinion, but a statement) before snapping straight into ‘Rearrange’: more familiar territory for most, which sent the floor bouncing within minutes.
From there, the set unfolded like a guided tour of Kane’s career, past and present blending seamlessly.
‘Troubled Son’ and ‘The Wonder’ leaned into his grittier side, while ‘Without You’ felt inspired by a similar jangly riff of ‘Long Cool Woman’ by The Hollies, famously setting the rhythm to a particular Britpop classic. If you don’t know already, look it up!
By the time ‘Coming Down the Road’ and ‘Love Is Cruel’ rolled around, Albert Hall was fully warmed up — and personally won me over on the new album with the latter.
It carries a softness that you don’t tend to expect with a Miles Kane track, but maybe that comes with a creative maturity approaching your 40s (sorry, mate).
Regardless, Kane stalked the stage with trademark swagger, feeding off the crowd and grinning like a man who knows he’s exactly where he belongs and continues to do so.
Then came one of the night’s first real eruptions…
Ahead of the show,‘Inhaler’ was one of my most anticipated listens. It hits like a shot of adrenaline from the opening chord, and the crowd sing every word back at him as if it were 2011 all over again. If you’re a Miles Kane fan, my money is on ‘Inhaler’ being high up your list.
‘Blue Skies’ followed, which shone a spotlight on not only the vocals but the complete shredding from the rhythm guitarist in the final breakdown. Having stood in the top tier of the Albert Hall, I got a prime view of the audible freedom he had to play with!
Mid-set, Kane doubled down on newer material with ‘One Man Band’ and ‘I Pray’, both sounding huge live – proof that his recent output more than holds its own alongside the classics.
The emotional heart of the night arrived with my favourite, ‘Colour of the Trap’. This track has been etched onto my playlist for longer than I care to mention. You felt it coming. The room softened, phones lit up, and for a few minutes, Albert Hall felt like a shared memory rather than a venue.
It’s almost as if he didn’t want it to end himself, with an echoing chorus of la la la la going on for a good few minutes after the band’s final instrumental chime. ‘My Love’ and ‘Walk on the Ocean’ kept that reflective mood rolling before ‘Better Than That’ nudged the energy back upwards.
From there, it was full throttle. ‘Coup de Grace’ and ‘Never Taking Me Alive’ were delivered with venom and volume. Straight from his 2018 catalogue felt like one for the dads, or at least it resonated with the 50-year-old bloke pointing his fist in the air with one hand and holding a double pint in the other. Legend.
As the main set drew to a close, ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ fittingly carried us into the encore — defiant, anthemic, and shouted back word-for-word by a crowd that had been banging this tune out long before they heard it on FIFA 14 (like me).
It was exactly the type of tune that made me whip my phone out and record it for the boys, saying, ‘remember this one?!’, to a chorus of thumbs up in the group chat. And when I mention the encore, it didn’t mess about.
Kane and the band picked up where they left us with a high intensity ending to ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ before the title track, ‘Sunlight in the Shadows’, gave the tour its emotional centrepiece: rich, expansive, and glimmering amongst camera flashes between bums on shoulders.
And then, the inevitable closer. By far his biggest song, if Spotify streaming numbers are anything to go by, ‘Come Closer’ sent Albert Hall into one final frenzy.
We saw bass guitarist Nathan get his special birthday moment when Miles and the band brought on a chocolate cake to celebrate, blowing out the candles – mid belter. Just ending the night on a euphoric high that left smiles plastered across sweaty faces.
Miles Kane at Albert Hall wasn’t just another date on the tour calendar. It was a reminder of just how deep his catalogue runs, how legendary in the indie rock game he is, and how effortlessly he can still command a Manchester crowd despite hailing from Merseyside. We don’t mind them, really!
Interview | Chatting with Tim Burgess before he chats to Mancunians on their doorstep
Danny Jones
In case you hadn’t heard, local music legend Tim Burgess is coming back to the AO Arena right here in Manchester this February for another intimate evening following the success of his last visit.
Set to include not only an interview but live stripped-back performances as well as Q&A, it’s your chance to see one of our region’s most famous musical sons up close and personal.
Returning for a candid and eye-opening sitdown with local DJ and radio host and Northern music champion, Chris Hawkins, it’s sure to be a special night.
Before posting up in The Mezz (which you can still grab tickets for), we had the honour of interviewing Salford’s very own Tim Burgess ourselves. Here’s what he had to say ahead of the event…
So you’ve returned to the AO again for another intimate gig. What do you love most about these smaller, conversational evenings compared to traditional gigs?
“Live events just have a connection with an audience that no remote link, AI or recording could ever match. From arriving and running through a soundcheck, meeting the arena team and catching up with Chris Hawkins, it all builds up to when the audience comes in.
“Chris and I don’t plan what he’s going to ask, so it’s all on the spot – nothing’s recorded, so you never know what might get said.
“Chris is a fantastic interviewer, and I get to meet everyone over the merch table at the end; I don’t get that at a Charlatans show – they are brilliant, and the tour we did in December was a brilliant experience for all of us.
“Maybe I prefer my bandmates being there when it comes to playing the songs, but it’s a chance for an audience to hear them in a way that they probably haven’t heard them before.
For anyone who hasn’t been to a Q&A-Sides show before, how would you describe the experience?
It’s a brilliantly informal night out – the chance to hear some of the stories behind the songs and 35 years’ worth of recording and touring adventures – plus a few songs with me and a guitar, and maybe a harmonica involved too.
“I’ve chatted to lots of people after the shows, and they always say it was a fantastic insight and that they loved the songs – then I realise they’re talking to me and they’d probably just say that anyway.”
Are there any particular songs that really shine in this stripped-back setting?
“You get to hear them as many of them were written. Particularly, the songs that Mark [Collins] and I came up with – it would usually just be me singing and him with an acoustic guitar, so it’s back to how they originally sounded.
“I’ve got quite a back catalogue of songs I’ve learned, so I’ll maybe keep them a bit secret. Suffice to say, there will be a few Charlatans’ classics, absolutely.”
When you look back on your career so far, are there any moments that feel especially meaningful to share in a setting like this?
“Our audience has grown up with us – lots were teenagers when we started, and I was in my early twenties. We’ve shared moments of grief, triumph, elation and tragedy – it’s just that ours were done in the cauldron of touring and recording with sometimes the eyes of the world on us.
“At times, it’s not been easy, but life will have been tough for our fans too. Chris is brilliant at making it seem like it’s just the two of us, and nothing is off limits – then you might say something funny and two hundred people laugh, and you snap back to realising it’s not the two of us talking in a pub.”
You’ve met and worked with so many iconic artists – are there any stories that always get a great reaction when you tell them live?
“I suppose there are some fairly iconic times – lots of people in the audience would have been at Knebworth when we played there with Oasis. Our situation was made all the more poignant as Rob Collins had died shortly before the show, and we weren’t even sure if we would play.
“It was a real existential moment for us – then there are funny stories of doing Top Of The Pops with a dressing room opposite The Smurfs. A lot has happened in those three and a half decades…
Being a Salford lad yourself, what do you think it is that makes a Manchester crowd so special?
I’m biased, but up until the band started, all my greatest moments happened in and around Manchester, and I was part of that crowd, whether watching [Man] United, seeing a band or losing yourself on the dancefloor of a club.
There’s a sense of feeling at home – there’s a BIG, beautiful world out there, and maybe we won’t tell the Midlands contingent in The Charlatans, but Manchester is always a homecoming for us.
Once again, if you fancy grabbing a last-minute ticket for ‘Tim Burgess – Live and In Conversation’ on Sunday, 8 February, there are still a few available.
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The show starts from 7pm, and you can secure your seat right HERE.
Danny Jones -
30th September 2024 
