The Underclass, Night and Day, 20/9

I arrive at one of Manchesters best live venues to the sound of quartet “Tigers that Talked”. This is a band who doesn't just bang out tunes in the practice room; they clearly take a lot of time preparing what can only be described as the tightest and best sounding sets I have seen in years. The band have the niche of a violin player and the sound of artists much bigger and more experienced. Sounding like the love child of “Arcade Fire” and “The Editors” the group produce truly unique and intelligent songs that make use of both traditional instruments and some more far fetched ones like shakers, clappers and a deep bongo, all of which aid in making them a true spectacle to watch.

The nights trend in bands not following the norm continued with “A boy called Doris”. A Quirky quintet who use contrasting harsh male vocals and well sung female vocals to produce some lovely music. Although the set didn't seem to flow properly from one song to the next, there is always something going on to keep the listener interested. The final two songs of the set made the entire night worth coming for with hugely addictive vocal hooks and fantastic underlying songs.

Third in the bill “Love minus zero” are a particularly inoffensive band. Sounding and looking like a well rehearsed libertines influenced indie band, and proved to be a good band to watch. This band produced songs that are a lot more involving and twisting than the hundred of other Doherty wannabes out there, and are a pleasure to watch and listen to.

Headliners “The Underclass” are a fantastic band, and are building a large and appreciative fanbase as shown by the strong and enthuisiastic crowd at tonights gig. Looking and sounding like a true Manchester band, there are clear influences from the likes of Oasis and Ian Brown. This band give a good account of themselves, showing experience in their showmenship. With sing-a-long indie tunes that could comfortably fit in the top 40 The Underclass prove themselves as one of Manchesters better bands.

Kill Kenada, Reuben at Academy 3

Bognar Regis boys Kill Keneda are the main support on Reubens' current tour, which sees them sell out the Academy 3 for the first time before doors open. By the time the support come on stage, the venue is already packed and despite a seemingly frosty reception from the crowd the band put on a fantastic performance, which genuinely merits a much more enthusiastic response from the patrons. Although it could be leveled that KK produce quite samey tunes that are hard to differentiate, they nonetheless perform with barrels of energy and keep most the crowd focused for the set. The band produce very riff heavy music with fast driving drums, reminiscent of “Engerica”, or the headline act themselves.

It is not long before the Reuben boys take the stage. The trio are sporting T-Shirts from their latest video for single “Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin”, sporting the letters A, B and C on their respective shirts. This is a band known for a fantastic live show, developed along with their reputation as being one of the hardest working and touring bands around and tonight is no exception. The music is tight and the songs bounce perfectly from one to another. Front man Jamie Lenman entertains the crowd in between songs with jovial banter, ranging from “Never mind Manchester, let's call it Radchester!” to telling drummer Guy Davis that Darfur hates him as he's stockpiled so many water bottles for the gig.

Reuben have released 3 albums now, and the band can pick and choose material from a huge back catalog, and tonight play a mix of about half of the new album “In nothing we trust” with the rest compiled their back catalog. One of the most talented and under appreciated bands in the country, I can safely say that every person left the venue happy tonight, having seen one of the best tours this year.

Flyer, Leon, BTR @ Night and day

Tonights opening band “Flyer” appear charming and enigmatic on stage, with very strong songs which are very radio friend and would sound fantastic on record. Although the tracks themselves are not necessarily ear catching live, the band are a good package with a strong banter and energetic performances, particularly from the keyboardist.

Following shortly after are the disappointing “leon”, who despite having a lot of potential with strong vocals and a line up of very talented musicians fail to produce any songs of quality. The band rifle through a set of limp songs, the highlight of which is an amazingly talented drummer who never fails to be innovative. However, he is let down by his supporting castmembers.

From the start, “Inner Ego” set themselves up for a fall by coming onto pretentious entrance music after a long build up. These things can usually go one of two ways, either leading to a totally class act, or in tonights case leading to a dramatically underwhelming performance. The band have good ideas which should be applauded, however overall they don't amount to anything significant. As a group they could do with hitting the practice room to tighten up a bit too. However, this band do have potential and should be one to watch.

“Beat the Radar” make the long wait for the headline slot completely worth it. This is a band creating innovative and stylish music, and clearly wear their influences on their sleeves with songs reminiscent of early “Placebo” and “The Smashing Pumpkins”. The band reinvent old ideas and bring new ones to their sound to make a genuinely listenable band. They're great to watch on stage too, and as the show goes on it's clear the band loves what they do and you can't help but love it too. Catchy vocal melodies with precise backing vocals on top of angst guitar and clever drums create a package for success.

Dpercussion 10, 4th August 2007, Castlefield

There has been more build up to Dpercussion 10 than there is for your average Wrestlemania. It's the big 10 years since it started, and then the big blow that it's meant to be the last one (although how truthful that is is yet to be seen). With everything built up, could the organizers pull off the final showdown to do it justice?

Well, no. Debates have raged on this topic, but my personal belief is that negligent of whether you liked the line up or not, the whole event was ruined by overcrowding and poor preparation. There was no apparent record of how many people had entered the festival, which proved an issue as it quickly became a victim of it's own success; By 7PM the Roman Garden stage and adjacent bar (which had already run out of beer) had to be temporarily closed as the 1000s who queued outside threatened to rush the gates, as entry had been stopped. This was a measure that had nonetheless been taken too late as highlighted by the 30 minute queues for the understocked bars and overcrowded pathways, making it impossible to get from stage to stage which simply ruined much of the magic of the Manchester festival.

However, I'm not one to dwell on the negativities. Any festival that gets the townsfolk out to see unsigned talent is good by me. You have to wonder why the Manchester unsigned scene is dying on it's arse when so many people came out on such a day. The Castlefield bowl saw a total of 11 stages and over 180 artists showcasing the best talent in every genre imaginable for the meager "donation" of £3, which is ridiculously cheap compared to ‘real’ festivals which would charge upwards of £60 for such a site. There were stages in bars, under bridges, and on the canal, completely transforming the area in a spectacular feat of organization. On top of the 11 stages, there were countless food vans, bars (which were all drunk dry come 10pm), fair ground rides, and attractive women offering to wash men in Lynx. Really.

Much was said about the line up this year, the majority of it not favourable to the festival. This is inevitable when there are so few major names playing (Cherry Ghost, Sunshine Underground), however those willing to listen to something new were treated to a fantastic line up, particularly for those daring enough to venture from the main stage. On the Kenworthy stage which was ran by High Voltage, some of the best new bands were showcased: This Et Al, despite being on early, proved to be one of the hottest acts at the festival, and my personal favourite; sounding like Forward Russia without the ponce, the band produced songs of musical brilliance that fly all over the musical spectrum with powerful vocals and staccato guitars. Later in the day the stage played host to the fabulous Mekkits and much talked about Maps, and was only let down by the cancellation of Radio 1 starlets The Tings Tings.

The Roman Gardens stage, previous to being shut down to prevent rioting, played host to some impressive live acts deserving of a bigger stage. Trio Twisted Wheel dominated the stage with riffy indie stylings and intelligent lyrics, prevailing over a dedicated fan base that shouted the lyrics line for line back at the band with all their hearts. This was later followed by Band(ism), a band with fantastic songs and an even better look; Masked and dressed in white, the band provided a fantastic performance with showmanship not seen enough in modern bands.

The New Music stage, as can be expected, played host to some of the cities most promising names, including Manchester International Festival finalists Carlis Star, The KBC, who have been touted as "Manchester’s next big thing" for the last 5 years (and who play a simply storming set) and Xfm favorites The Courteneers, who pack out the area underneath the bridge with dedicated fans. The set and the songs prove to be nothing spectacular, but with 100s of fans going crazy you can't help but appreciate how well the band are doing for themselves.

A short walk past the Unity stage, which showcased the R n B and rap segments of the festival (as well as the majority of the cannabis sneaked past festival security as anyone who entered the area smelt quickly) led to the impressive main stage. Playing host to a diverse range of bands, from neon electro rock rap (is that even a genre?) stars Real Dolls, to Badly Drawn Boys new project This is Seb Clarke, and resulting in the main bands of the night, Cherry Ghost and Sunshine Underground. Cherry Ghost play a tight set to a well attended crowd, and do everything to re-affirm themselves as Manchester’s greatest export of 2007. The Sunshine Underground play to the biggest crowd of the night, leaving no spot spare from the stage to the top of the hill. The band play a tight set and despite a brief interlude where a fan got on stage, the set went without a hitch to a crowd that lapped up every minute.

Overall, you can't complain about the quality of Dpercussion based on its price. The only reason why any complaints are justified is on the grounds of what it could have been; It could have been the greatest festival to ever grace the North West, however it failed to be even close to this. All is not lost however; Mark my words, it will be back, and it will be better. Until then, there are festivals like "Catch in the City" to keep us going.

Sam Atkinson

Designer Magazine is a whole 8 years old. Did good unsigned nights exist 8 years ago? Who cares, tonight shows that they do now.

To celebrate, the night opened up with a special set from That Bloke Who's In Corrie, Rupert Hill, but far from being just another soapstar turned singer Hill is a revelation. Performing a rare acoustic set he is a hidden talent, fingers crossed it won’t be long until he makes a permanent move over to music.

The acoustic niceties were quickly over and replaced with gig virgins The Drake Equation. If bands who are gigging regularly were as good as these debutants then the unsigned scene would be a much better place. Despite being static onstage, no doubt through nerves, this is a band which has songs that speak volumes. Many a catchy chorus, verses packed with riffs, and enough twists and turns in their songs to keep even the most passive listener interested. The Drake Equation are very clever without being obvious, with interesting drum beats and bass lines that take a prominent place at the front of the songs, topped with high FX guitar akin to Bloc Party, this band shows how good music should be done.

Following on from The Drake Equation, indie punk pop trio Harrington struggle to make impact with the crowd. The band’s set is Arctic Monkey's by numbers; up-tempo and catchy pop songs in the same vein, however unlike their peers, it comes across as if they are trying just that little bit too hard. It is clear though that there is potential, with some fantastic intros, fascinating rhyming couplets and ‘dance til you drop’ guitar riffs. The set has a repetitive formula and there is nothing new here, but that's not to say Harrington can't still be a good, and one day, even a great band.

Mr. Fang have no drummer, and between the three of them use bass, guitar, synth, vox, and an FX box to make a lot of noise. Listen, and listen carefully: GO AND SEE THIS BAND. Despite being plagued with horrendous sound problems, seeing their backing tracks go from silent to ear drum blowing, the band manage to give a simply incredible performance, at every single point looking like they are having the time of their lives. They never stop moving, jumping all over the place, and at one point wrestling with each other until they end up on the floor screaming into the microphone. On top of this, the music is simply epic, and sounds like nothing on the market, coming in somewhere between grindie “Hadouken!” and rockers “Reuben”. Every person at the gig during this set watches intensely and can’t take their eyes off the stage. It is a question of when, not if, this band get signed.

Headlining tonight are King Henry, another 3 piece, but on a completely different vein. Up-tempo songs which stick in your head, this band make a lot of noise for 3 people. Soundwise, they are a top-notch modern rock act, with drums and bass reminiscent of Muse topped with guitar hooks a plenty. The band show signs of quality and have a decent stage presence topping off a great all round night.

Vman Events, 17 June 2007, Retro Bar

The Retro Bar is a great little venue tucked away on UMIST campus and is often overlooked, with something on in the basement club almost every night, varying from good old indie to the heaviest in metal.

Tonight starts off well, with Blackpool's excellent The Neon Trees playing to a disappointingly sparse venue. A classic rock band reminiscent of Catatonia (albeit without the raw edge), with brilliant vocal harmonies that make the songs great to listen to. Although a little uncomfortable with the small crowd (who wouldn't be?) the band enjoy playing, and with some real hints of quality they are a pleasure to listen to as well.
A dramatic change in style follows with trio Not Another Emo Title, who produce pop punk at it's finest, clearly taking many a cue from the likes of New Found Glory. The band have a twist in that the drummer takes lead vocals, and although they look slightly disjointed on stage this is more than made up for with strong material that is better than the majority of unsigned emo bands on the scene at the moment.

For the third act we see another shift in the music stylings, it’s hard to believe anyone listened to the bands before putting this bill together. Industrial goth metal quintet Resist bring a lot of fans with them, making their set a lot less uncomfortable than the two preceding. The band have a female front and rely on heavy guitars and synth keyboards, leading to instant comparisons with Evanescence. These are by no means unjustified as the music certainly sounds in the same vein. An all round tight set although not one that showcases anything innovative.

Day Release are making their debut gig tonight, and in true form bring a few fans along to see what they're like. It quickly becomes clear that they are in fact a covers band, and despite being good at what they do, it sits oddly in a night of original material. Considering how young the band are it will be interesting to see how they progress in the future.

Overall, a particularly strange and diverse night, making me wonder if the bands involved had gained any cross-over fans from the others on the bill.

Scouting for Girls, 14th June 2007, Night and Day

Scouting for Girls have, in recent weeks, become Radio 1’s darlings, quickly moving from relative obscurity to the nation’s attention, explaining why they aren't actually headlining what turns out to be a very strong line up tonight.

Following on from a great set by Manchester's finest “StarFighter Pilot”, are Chester band “Circlesound”. The tight four piece look at ease on the stage and, despite the packed out crowd gasping for air in the hot,sweaty atmosphere, the lead guitarist remains unmoved, persisting in a leather jacket. This is clearly an experienced band, with a few well chosen words in-between a set of intense songs reminiscent of a stripped down “The Coper Temple Clause” or “QOTSA”. Each song lasts the distance, well planned and structured with fast guitars and great use of dual vocals, all powered by hard and pushing drum beats.

Following them are "Scouting for Girls", a pop trio instrumentally consisting of drums, bass and keys. However, this is no Keane and are all the better for it, having a sound that lands somewhere between one-hit wonders “Nizlopi” and the Orange County punk of “Something Corporate”. Despite being talented and having a charismatic front man the band lack some impact when live, but they do have extreme catchiness on their side; as the crowd sings along to upbeat witty songs about James Bond and He-Man you cannot help but smile and join in. In a chart that is currently dominated by negative songs, SFG provide an uplifting release that is desperately needed.

Headlining quartet Bashphelt play to a hardcore following, although the venue has all but emptied by this point. With bass lines reminiscent of Flea from “RHCP” and lending captivating vocal harmonies from “Lostprophets” the songs tend to sound rather American but very strong. The music is like nothing in the charts at the moment, leaving these as a band with potential.