Rock En Seine - Paris - August 24th 2014

Not getting fat. Drinking in moderation. Behaving in a civilised manner in public. All things we're reliably told the French are very good at. So, not being a fan of plates piled high with greasy noodles, cartoon character onesies or waking up in a field surrounded by remnants of the copious warm lagers consumed the night before, we got out of Leeds for the festival weekend and headed to the last day of Paris's Rock en Seine. 

Jane's Addiction - Manchester Apollo - August 21st 2014

In 1988, a flamboyant energy force from Los Angeles named Jane's Addiction released their first studio album that would go on in some part to shape alternative rock music into the 90's. It may not have had the selling power that Nirvana's game-changing Nevermind did some years later, but it helped the band leap towards the mainstream and remains an iconic, cult favourite some twenty odd years on. Three quarters of that line up have made it through break ups, world tours, addictions and follow up albums to bring it to the UK for just two dates this August. The fourth (Bassist Eric Avery) was briefly reunited in the full line up last time they came to these shores but has since departed leaving the spot open once again for replacement Chris Chaney. 

Beacons Festival - Skipton, North Yorkshire

Despite hurricane Bertha's wildest thrashings and attempts to spoil the party, Beacons third consecutive festival overcame all that was thrown at it to provide over 7000 music seekers with its very best event to date... 

Photo - Giles Smith

Three days of music, arts, cherry-picked cream of local food vendors and glorious real ales taking place at the foot of the beautiful backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales. No day was identical thanks to the good old British elements, yet Beacons triumphed in our 'this is how to do a festival' award nomination. We dodged biblical downpours on Friday, basked in the beautiful sunny atmosphere Saturday, and just about came through on points battling the tail end of a hurricane on Sunday...

DZ DEATHRAYS 'Black Rat'

Antipodean thrash-pop outfit DZ Deathrays may only comprise of two members – Shane Parsons on guitar and vocals with Simon Ridley thumping tubs – but they make enough racket for 20. Debut album ‘Bloodstreams’ followed a trio of EPs and was met with rave reviews, if slightly indulgent ones, and two years on they’re back with sophomore release ‘Black Rat’. By all accounts they seem to have grown up, at least as much as any self-labelled thrash-pop duo called DZ Deathrays could – not all that much, then. But thankfully where before they were supping warm tinnies at the park and dodging coppers, now they’ve got their ID and can get tanked at the bar, and ‘Black Rat’ is certainly sporting a deep voice and a hairy chest…

Client 'Authority'

In 2002, unto the world was born Client; a wonderfully dark electroclash duo that gave us coolly delivered, emotionally sparse synth pop loaded with millenial ennui. Known only as Client A and Client B, their names and faces obscured by clever PR, they were a blank canvas on to which we could project a thousand thoughts, a cutting contrast to the excess and overwrought outpourings of those times.

A pint of Blood please!

What do you get when you cross a hard working rock band, imminently releasing album number three, with an established local brewery who's ethos is 'Love Beer:Love Music' ? The answer in the case of Leeds' very own Pulled Apart By Horses and Castleford beer producers Revolutions Brewery Company - is... 'BLOOD'. Yes, very soon you will be able to order a pint of 'Blood' and the one liners we could give you are a) endless, and b) probably not very funny. So we won't. 

The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger ' Midnight Sun'

As the son of Dr Winston O’Boogie himself, Sean Lennon has been destined for a lifelong immersion in music pretty much since his 1975 birth in New York to Yoko Ono and a Liverpudlian called John. But just as Nigel Clough’s Sheffield United will never rival Brian’s Nottingham Forest, in the 16 years since Sean’s debut ‘Into The Sun’ hit the shelves, you might have noticed that there has been not a whisper of a second coming of the Beatles, or any real mainstream recognition that the talent which coursed through every fibre of John’s being had found its way to his offspring. While ‘Midnight Sun’ is in no danger of eclipsing ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, it is a glowing example of just how wrong we’ve been to overlook Lennon Jr.…