Mick Birchall Reviews

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...

2023 has been a crazy year for me. My life has not been the most exciting but this is a music blog and the music has been amazing this year! I’ve got myself to a bunch of gigs, even getting to do a whopping three gigs in other countries. I know that’s not a lot for some people, but for me it was huge! I’ll get to those later in the blog. It was a year of new discoveries, rediscovered favourites and all new experiences. Whether it be my brain melting when I found out about Villagers of Ioannina City , the maddening catchiness of Kontrust or infectious charisma that Project Renegade exude. It’s been a wild year. Also, it’s been a decent year for the blog. Though I haven’t cranked out as many posts as I would have liked, I think I’ve still put out some good content for you, my fantastic readers. Plenty of reviews and interviews for the year. It’s also been a year where I have made a bunch of new contacts that I hope will allow me to give you more interesting content. It’s been 12 years...

  So, this has been a year where one band has dominated my playlists, my shuffle remixes and my general listening experiences. That would be, Villagers of Ioannina City . Ever since I discovered them via their new live record, Through Space And Time , I have been mesmerised by their sound. I even wrote an entire blog about it back in April about how much their music just blew my mind. It was like a musical awakening and let me tell you, there haven’t been many bands that have gotten me this excited in a long time. For a little while, I thought that unless I packed my bags for a gig abroad, I would never get to see them live. So, imagine my surprise when a little over a month later they announced that they would be doing some UK dates, and Manchester was on the tour schedule. Oh, how my little heart sang in delight. I bought tickets as quickly as my internet would allow. All that there was left to do was wait. November soon came around and it was time to head out to Manchester and...

Photo Credit: Mark Powell It's been a hot minute since I set foot in the hallowed grounds of the Academy in Liverpool. The home of many good nights out. I knew going into this that this was going to be a great night of music from simply standing in the queue waiting to be let in. The patrons were so ready for the gig that excitement filled the atmosphere. I grew up on country music and southern rock. So I was looking forward to this one. I've recently had a crash course in the music of Robert Jon and The Wreck . Their music is something that I would have adored as a kid, which colours them in a positive light. Their most recent album, Ride In To the Light is a brilliant album, filled with passion and emotion. All-encompassed with that hard rock edge that puts it over the top! So, going into this show I had high hopes for sure. As the venue filled the anticipation was apparent. I always love this moment before a gig starts. People are fresh and the excitement is about ready for...