Mick Birchall Reviews

Well, it’s been over two months since I’ve been to a gig, so I felt it was about time I got back to my spiritual home of Manchester. I think I’ve been to the Manchester Academy so much in my years, I should be paying for rent. I feel like I’ve spent more time here than in most jobs I’ve had. This evening took me to the downstairs Club Academy . A great small club venue that gives artists space to breathe and the crowd more than enough room to sprawl out. I would usually describe the atmosphere as loose and carefree. Though this night there was an element of anticipation in the air for what was to come. Three great bands were about to take to the stage and you could tell that the crowd were more than ready. Headlining this evening were returning titans of the rock world, coming from the great nation of Sweden, H.E.A.T . It’s been a long time coming and Manchester was ready for their return to the city. That’s not all, you got a real bang for your money this evening, with two great suppo...

2024 has been a fun year for the music I got to experience. Some acts I thought I’d never get to see and I did, old favourites and interesting discoveries. It’s all been wonderful. Last year, I forwent my usual “favourite albums of the year” list. It just feels so impersonal. I’d rather go over some of my favourites and regale you with some of the best shows I have experienced. I don’t want to do a blow-by-blow, month-by-month recap. I just want to tell you about the year. This year has been a bit of a whirlwind for the blog too. 35 posts to the blog with 12 of those being interviews, the most I’ve ever done in a single year. I won’t lie, I’ve been a little starstruck that I, with my relatively small blog, have gotten to talk to some of the icons of the industry, such as Pasi from Sonata Arctica , Lena Scissorhands from Infected Rain and Peavy Wagner from the grandfathers of power-metal, Rage. I’ve also had the chance to chat with lesser-known names like InnerWish and The Commoner...

Photo by Mark Lear It’s autumn when the cold starts rushing in, the rain pours and bands come out in full force. There seem to be bands touring by the masses full and concert-goers come out by the dozen. This one was going to be a special one for me. Last year, I got to see this band in Liverpool and this year they dropped their new EP. Caitlin Krisko and The Broadcast are fast rising to be one of the premier blues rock bands set to take the 2020s by storm. Led by their eponymous vocalist Caitlyn and filled with blues soul to the brim. Their new EP, Blueprints has been a highlight of the year for many blues fans and their singles have been rattling around in my head for some time. After seeing them as a support act last year, I was rather interested to see what they could do as headliners. So I headed out to the Night and Day Cafe in Manchester, a good little venue a short walk away from Piccadilly train station. I was taken in by the ambience of the room and I waited for the music ...

I’ve been following the Greek metallers, Project Renegade , for some time. I have adored their music and feel like their two albums; Order Of The Minus and Ultra Terra are some of the best metalcore we’ve had in the last 10 years. Their music is awesome and speaks to me on an emotional level. I’ve wanted to check them out live since I first heard them, and I thought I would have to head over to Greece to do so. Well in the year of our lord 2024, it turns out that I wouldn’t have to. Earlier this year they announced a full-on UK tour in the run-up to their appearance at Depravation Festival in Swindon. You better believe I bought a ticket quicker than Speedy Gonzalez. The nearest date to me was the Preston show at a little venue called The Ferret. Fast-forwarding to the night of the show. I rocked up to the venue (a little early). I had never been to this venue before and was surprised at how cosy it was. Sat on top of the hill that was Fylde Road, I wouldn’t say there was a tonne of ...

I always get super proud when I see musicians from my hometown become well-known. More so when they’re passionate about repping the flag of the town. Local blues guitar hero Laurence Jones has been one of those shining stars in the music world for the last 10 years. Racking up critical acclaim and audience approval. His stylistic guitar skills and affable attitude have won him the hearts of many blues fans. 2023 saw Laurence drop a new record Bad Luck and The Blues . A record that I feel put him out there. It was a much more rough and raw record that sounds simply amazing. As Jones takes more of a jam-band feel to the album. Big meaty solos and catchy hooks that keep you invested in the record. This tour in support of that record has taken the young blues man far and wide, but on this night, he comes home to a stage that he’s graced in his younger days. The Citadel Theatre has been in the heart of the St Helens town centre longer than I’ve been alive. It’s a venue that I’ve always kno...

Another rainy night in Manchester, another great night of music. I don’t those things exclusively go hand in hand but it does always seem to be the case. Anyway, it’s been so long since I’ve been able to see the blues maestro, Joanne Shaw Taylor . I think the last time I saw her perform a headline set was in this very venue right after her fourth album, The Dirty Truth . I’ve spoken about Joanne at length on other websites but never on my own blog. So this has been overdue. I remember first discovering her with her first record, White Sugar . Between 2010 - 2015, I saw her live in concert five times. This show made for six. She’s been one of my favourite artists since that first album and I have kept up to date with all of her releases up to now. So, with her new album Heavy Soul on the horizon and this show being on a Saturday night in Manchester, it felt like the stars had aligned for me to attend another show!  The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester is such a wonderf...

It’s been a hot minute since I have been to a gig in Wigan. Despite being only a ten-minute train journey away from where I live it’s just never a destination that crosses my mind. Sorry, Wigan. However, since it’s been well over five years since I ventured to the town for a gig night, I got myself over to The Boulevard. A staple of the Wigan live music scene. You know it’s going to be a good rock show when you have to descend a staircase to get to the venue. This is truly underground music. The night saw three bands take to the stage, local hotshots Mundane Act , the enigmatic insanity of Enuma Elish and capping it off with the powerhouses that are Bad Heritage . Now, I had never heard of any of these bands before the night but reliable sources told me that this was going to be a kick-ass night of music. So, I thought, what the hell?!   Opening up the night was the alt-rock four-piece, Mundane Act . I have to admit they were pretty freaking good. Their set was fairly consistent a...