Pull Yourself Together Zine - Issue 9

PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER DECEMBER 09 - JANUARY 10 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Christmas Dreams Albums of the Decade Cherryade Christmas

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WELCOME Are you feeling festive yet? Things are starting to get a bit festive here at PYT towers; we’ve yet to see the coke advert but Christmas Markets start in Manchester in a few days and we’re looking forward to that one hell of a lot! Autumn, whilst fantastic musically, turned out to be a bit of a bummer weather-wise so it’s been good to dust off the warm coat, dig out the scarf and feel the bright chill of Winter. Aside from the usual seasonal joys we’ve got the extra added pleasure of 10 Years of ATP fest – Butlins in December? It’s certainly going to be an experience! – and more gig possibilities than you can shake a candy cane at. Before we move onto upcoming excitement though, here’s a snapshot of what PYT have been up to recently! We had an awesome time at In The City, managing to see 26 bands across three days, highlights including including Tigers That Talked, Islet, Gallops, Wonderswan and Sophie Madeleine, and also enjoyed DJ slots at 41 King Street in Blackburn (for Meursault’s ace gig), and The Bay Horse for the last ever Mushaboom - we’re looking forward to seeing what Mushaboom morphs into in 2010!

This issue’s pretty yet mildly sinister artwork comes from Harri Davidson of Little My, who we send a big ol’ thank you to! We’ve always enjoyed the Little My artwork Harri creates, and even have a small stuffed My on our bookshelf. Luckily that one hasn’t come to such a sticky end as the fella unfortunate enough to have been munched by a reindeer on the front cover. If you like what you see, then head to littlemy.org for a wee game of Guess Who, or head to one of their shows and purchase some delightfully designed merchandise!

CONTENTS P3 As it’s the end of the decade, PYT are taking a look back and trying to set about the rather tricky task of choosing the best albums of the past 10 years!

P6 We’re incredibly excited to present to you The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: PYT’s band of ‘09 have had a whirlwind of a year and we were thrilled that songsmith Kip took some time to answer our questions.

P8 Cherryade Records are not only one of the best independent labels in the UK, but the biggest fans of Christmas we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Rachael is here to bring you some festive cheer!

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The PYT Radio is Playing...

The Flaming Lips, Islet, Graham Coxon, Belle & Sebastian’s Christmas Peel Session, Summer Camp, Meursault, Leaving Mornington Crescent, The Cavalcade myspace.com/pullyourselftogethermcr pullyourselftogethermcr.blogspot.com pullyourselftogethermanchester@gmail.com

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INDIE

REVIEW OF THE DECADE

Let’s be honest; it’s a touch frightening that we’ve reached the end of the decade. It’s a bit cliched to speak of how time flies and the like, but ‘the noughties’ have been a pretty important decade for PYT, as they will have been for most 20-somethings. The decade where both gig-going and festival-going started proper, where we moved out of home, completed degrees, headed out to work and then retreated back to university, where we got to travel, where - I suppose - we grew up a bit.

For us though the one thread that has tied the whole decade together is music. That’s certainly something we’ve not grown out of. So, as we approach 2010, what have been the albums of the decade? Is it even possible to choose?

Though of course we’ve broken that rule in places too...

THE DECADE IN STATS Since the year 2000 PYT have, between the two of us, been to 37 music festivals across 105 days; visited 119 venues in 7 countries, accumulated 186 days’ worth of MP3s, bought 7.38 metres of CDs and 2 metres of vinyl, acquired 13 musical ‘instruments’, appeared in 2 music videos, released 1 album, put on 47 different bands under 3 different names and produced 17 fanzines. And my, what a time we had!

One of the main issues which we have encountered has been what qualifies an album as one of the stars of the decade? Does the impact it had on other bands bear just as much importance as the percieved musical value of it? What about our own personal experiences, do they hold any relevance when considering the merits of a record? For the purpose of our albums of the decade PYT are doing just that, writing about OUR albums of the decade. A consistent theme which has emerged when discussing these has been the fact that albums from the earlier part of the decade have been deemed more worthy of inclusion, but then again those records have had more time to develop in both our ears and minds.

We struggled with the possibility of anything released more recently being a great of the past ten years as we have no idea whether it will have the staying power.

Beirut - Gulag Orkestar Sufjan Stevens - Illinois Nick Cave and The Badseeds Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus Joanna Newsom - Ys PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea Arcade Fire - Funeral Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People Mogwai - Happy Songs For Happy People Explosions In The Sky The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place The Flamings Lips Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Radiohead - Kid A Hope of the States - The Lost Riots

Unfortunately we couldn’t write about every album on our lists, and to be fair you will probably read lists like this in every music publication this month. These albums are all worthy of massive praise too.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INDIE REVIEW OF THE DECADE: HANNAH

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INDIE REVIEW OF THE DECADE: DAN

THE STROKES - IS THIS IT 27TH AUGUST 2001, ROUGH TRADE

ELBOW - ASLEEP IN THE BACK 7TH MAY 2001 / 11TH FEBRUARY 2002, V2

LOS CAMPESINOS! HOLD ON NOW, YOUNGSTER...

22ND FEBRUARY 2008, WICHITA

THE POSTAL SERVICE - GIVE UP 18TH FEBRUARY 2003, SUB POP

THE NATIONAL - ALLIGATOR 12TH APRIL 2005, BEGGARS BANQUET

BJORK - VESPERTINE 27TH AUGUST 2001, ONE LITTLE INDIAN

Obviously this is one of the most predictable ‘best of the decade’ choices to make, but there’s very good reason for that. Not only did Is This It change music as very few records do, but I was at exactly the right age to embrace that. In August 2001, aged 16, my friends and I embarked on our first festival experience (Reading, of course): it was predictably ‘messy’, probably far too drunken, but also incredibly memorable. The Strokes were partly responsible for that: on the verge of breaking through to an audience indie bands hadn’t found for years, they were shifted at short notice from the Evening Session stage to the Main Stage due to sheer intensity of demand. Although we weren’t very far into our gig-going lives (at a guess I’d been to five or six gigs before Reading ‘01), we knew we’d seen something special; Casablancas and co were so stubbornly different from anything we’d heard before, so full of energy and so bloomin’ brilliant we were absolutely hooked. Is This It was released as the festival came to a close, and I bought it the very next day. Unlike many, if not all, of the albums I bought that year, I still listen to it regularly. I still feel that giddy tingling sensation at the raw power of those songs, the songs that have brought me joy time and time again, and will no doubt continue to do so.

Admittedly I own the 2002 rerelease of this album, but it remains one of the most important records I have ever owned. I was given Asleep in the Back on my 17th birthday, and was instantly hooked. I’d never heard anything so heartfelt, so pained and yet so beautiful. Guy Garvey’s ability to draw you into the music, the melody and the emotion astounded me; I felt this intense connection to the album which I have rarely experienced since. Everything about it drew me in; the mantra of Any Day Now, the stark beauty of Newborn, the enchanting yet haunting reminiscence of Scattered Black and Whites. It’s an album which wears its heart on its sleeve, and it was my first taste of music so powerful it makes you cry.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything the band have released since, but this is the one I return to, and it never fails to reward: in Garvey’s own words, “I come back here from time to time / I shelter here some days”.

And that’s the point, Asleep in the Back is comfort food for the soul. I feel hugely privileged to have now met the band and seen them live on a number of occasions, and this year’s show at the Bridgewater Hall proved just how enduring these songs are.

They’ll always be incredibly important to me.

And now for something completely different. It’s difficult trying to work out whether albums released in the latter part of the decade will stand the test of time, and this one goes in due to the sheer level of personal importance it holds. I won’t bore you with the details, those of you who know me are familiar with the story.

In summary though, everyone goes through those times where what they really need is something to believe in, something to pick them up and dust them down, something to give them a slap round the face, even. Los Campesinos! did that for me. From the first listen of the first four myspace tracks I was hooked in a way I didn’t realise could happen (it was probably borderline obsessive to be honest).

At a similar age to me, Gareth had captured in his lyrics exactly how I felt, and I still don’t know how. There was joy and exuberance but also anger and confusion; it was chaotic yet it made a beautiful whole. Above all it was a reminder that things didn’t need to be perfect to be just right.

It seemed like a long time between the early shows of 2006 and Hold on Now, Youngster...’s release in 2008, but I was delighted when the album arrived and displayed the schizophrenic energy LC! have live, and if I knew how to work this out it’d probably be the most played album on my ipod.

I first heard of The Postal Service thanks to a compilation CD on the cover of Bang Magazine (NB - This was one of the best magazines of the decade, sadly departed like so many other greats). At the time the track, Such Great Heights, didn’t grab me at first. Said track has gone on to become one of my favourite tracks, on what I believe to be the best LP of the last ten years. The Postal Service in many ways broke new ground with Give Up, here was a record that had elements of electronica, garage rock, indiepop and even emo (come on, Ben Gibbard is half of the band). The fact that this record has pretty much eclipsed anything that either Gibbard or Jimmy Tamborello have achieved with their ‘main’ musical projects speaks volumes for just how good this is. The story behind the record is well known - the two musicians met recording Dntel’s (This Is) The Dream Of Evan and Chan, enjoyed the process so much that they took to mailing each other bits of tracks, and thus Give Up was born. The album became Sub Pop’s most successful release since Bleach. Some have suggested that in parts the album treads a fine line between serious and too-sugary, but then again I am an indiepop kid, so don’t see things like that at all. That the band may never record together again possibly heightens the importance of this LP, and maybe even shows that they know that it would be nigh on impossible to better.

The National’s third album was the one which launched them truly into the spotlight which they deserved.

Alligator is packed with such a range of songs, and I think that is why I fell in love with it. There are noisy rock songs which still inspire heated emotion and fist punching, with Lit Up, Mr. November (inspired by the man who could have saved the world four years before Obama, John Kerry) and the frankly brilliant Abel. It isn’t all loud though, with tracks like Looking For Astronauts and the album opener Secret Meeting providing a mellower sound, though not necessarily and emotional rest. That this record still knocks me down every time I listen to it is testament to the quality of the songs which the band crafted, and perhaps the fact that they followed it up with just as strong an album in 2007’s Boxer. The National put together orchestrations of true beauty, which on their own would be great. However, they are topped off with Matt Berninger’s passionate baritone vocals, which are heartwrenchingly incredible. On record his voice conveys such emotion, and builds the story of American loneliness and disenchantment with aplomb.

Seen live, the man is a genius.

Vespertine represents a musical direction which hadn’t been expected by many; Bjork simply didn’t do quiet emotion. From The Sugarcubes through to her first two solo albums (for the purposes of her ‘solo career’ I’m only considering postSugarcubes here, so not including 1977’s Bjork) she has highlighted her vocal strength, bellowing out tracks like More To Life Than This amongst others. With this album came a full collection of songs which highlighted Bjork’s ability to create tender, thoughtful and most of all intimate music. That this album contains some of Bjork’s most personal, and indeed explicit lyrics, which are presented in such a quiet form surprised many at the time, is evidence of an artist who was reaching a confidence and maturity as a songwriter. The singles lifted from the album were stunning, Hidden Place, Cocoon and the utterly beautiful Pagan Poetry. For me though the strength of this album lays in some of the nuances which still seem like a discovery every time I listen to it - the cracking snow under foot on Frosti, the swirling vocals of Aurora and the echoing choir on Unison. This is an album which sounds like winter, and still sends shivers down my spine when I listen to it.

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IN WHICH PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER INTERROGATE THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART Back in January PYT were incredibly excited about The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and having touted them in our Ones to Watch for ‘09 feature in the February/March issue of the zine it’s been absolutely delightful to see them have a successful year. Songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Kip took some time out from a rather busy schedule to talk us through the whirlwind.

Hello Kip! It’s been a busy old year for you, did you imagine this time last year what you were going to achieve in 2009? Did you ever think/hope the LP would become one of the ‘albums of the year’? We could never have imagined anything like this. This time last year, we were all just so excited to be going on tour as support for The Wedding Present in the UK - that seemed like success to us. It was a great experience, but we had no way of knowing that this year would be filled with so much more cool stuff. We were incredibly surprised about the reaction the record got. The bands that we drew inspiration from are mostly appreciated by a small cult of indiepop fetishists. We just assumed that, even in a best case scenario, maybe the 12 people that like this sort of stuff would enjoy it. That would have been fine with us - but to see so many people embrace the record has been kind of surreal.

Having released your first recordings on Cloudberry Records, and more recently your album/EP coming out on Fortuna Pop it is clear that you are fans of independent record labels. Have you always sought to work with like-minded people at small labels rather than the corporate machine? How important do you think little indie labels are in bands breaking through? It’s a false dichotomy to assume that independent labels are these benign sources of virtue in the world and that the ‘corporate machine’ labels are populated by greasy haired, coke snorting sharks. In reality, there are quality people who appreciate good music who work for larger labels and there are dishonest and disreputable people that are with independents. That being said, we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some of the real “good guys” in independent music. Sean at Fortuna Pop, Roque at Cloudberry and Mike and

Slumberland and Nate and Mark at Lost and Lonesome have all been wonderful to us and represent the best of what independent labels/music should be. What sets people like Sean and Mike apart is that they really care about the bands they put out and work tirelessly, despite limited resources, to give their bands the best chance to succeed. We really appreciate their hard work and general awesomeness.

With both the album and the Higher than the Stars EP you’ve somehow managed to capture everything we love about C86 with something fresh, youthful and exciting. What were your influences when you set out? We’ve always wanted to be a pop band. We’re not very pretty or cool, but we love great pop songs and we’d like to write the sort of songs that will remain good songs long after whatever fad or trend we are lumped in with has passed. We appreciate a lot of the DIY pop bands from the past, but don’t really seek to imitate their sound. The idea of trying to recreate anything from the past is sort of sickening - those bands were great in their day, but it’s 2009 and there’s a lot more that’s possible.

Bands can record better sounding records for next to nothing, and to purposely attempt to make a “lofi” record seems almost disrespectful to the great bands that were forced to accept sonic compromises due to the sheer cost of recording at that time. I’m sure a lot of those bands would have been psyched to have pro-tools and computers and cheap home recording setups.

Do you feel like you’ve been part of an indiepop revival? Two years ago ‘twee’ and ‘pop’ were dirty words, yet now certain sections of the media want to suggest that they have always been behind the ‘scene.’ Gross. We are not willingly part of any revival.

We admire indiepop music for its dedication to pop songwriting and its accessibility, communal ethic and anti-elitism (of a sort...) - but we aren’t torchbearers or emblematic of anything - we’re just a pop band.

How did you first get into indiepop? Was there a wave of bands in America? We’ll admit that we only really know about the UK based bands of that period - who were you listening to? I was under 21, so the only shows I could really go to were at houses and stuff. I lived in Portland, Oregon and I used to go to every show that was held at The Magic Marker house (home of Magic Marker Records). I got really into bands like The Aisers Set, Dear Nora, a lot of stuff on K records/Elephant 6/Slumberland - so many bands would play house shows there, I got to see all this amazing music. Everything from The Lucksmiths to The Softies to Mates of State to Urban Legends (pre-Thermals Hutch and Kathy). It was a really eye opening experience, as there was a real sense of community and a place for someone like me, who didn’t really fit in so well other places. I also had a friend in Boston who played me the early 7”s of The Clientele and My Favorite and also turned me on to O.M.D. and Momus, as well as a lot of stuff on Setanta, Siesta and Elefant Records.

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One of the best things about your music is that when you play live you make people feel both youthful and excited - did you expect the kind of manic, sweaty reaction to the live performance you received at Chorlton Irish Club earlier in the year? Hardly. That was insane, and probably the highlight of our year. I don’t think we’ve ever played a show that was that fun, and I’m glad people remember it - I wish there was some footage of it, there were multiple instances of crowd surfing. I felt like we were in Mudhoney.

Sticking with Manchester, do you have any feelings for the city? Were you affected by any of the Manchester bands growing up? I grew up on Manchester Court, so I used to go by Kip Manchester - partly because it sounded cool and partly because of how much I loved Manchester bands. It’s probably second only to Glasgow as far as my favorite musical city. Stone Roses are incredible, and the Factory stuff, The Buzzcocks, that Morrissey guy - plus, I know it’s not cool to admit this, but I really like Oasis, especially the first two records. Kurt is into Magazine and Chameleons a lot too. And Tim from Charlatans has been so cool to us, he’s a super sweet guy and it’s pretty crazy that he would want to hang out with us.

Have you got much new material lined up? It seems like forever ago that we first heard This Love Is Fucking Right, have you been working on new stuff all the way through? Well, we have the new EP so we’ll probably play 3 songs or so from that when we come back. Plus, last night in band practice we learned a new song called “Say No to Love,” so hopefully we’ll play that too.

a bit partial to Depreciation Guild as that is Kurt’s main project when not playing with Pains. They have a new album coming out in February on Kanine Records and I’ve heard the unmastered version and it sounds great.

Also, Alex is really into this band called The Smith Westerns who are about 19 years old and sound like a snottier T.Rex. Pretty awesome stuff, really.

As it’s the end of the decade, we’ve got to ask: what are your albums of the decade? I don’t know. I feel like Comet Gain is perpetually underrated. It’d be nice to see them get some recognition for the consistently great albums they’ve put out - especially Realistes. I know they’re legendarily unpredictable live, but I feel if there’s any band that’s been overlooked, it’s them.

Other stuff that’s been underrated would be Pants Yell, My Favorite and My Teenage Stride. I’m not that into “best of” lists, though so I’m sorry if I’m totally spacing on some records that I love. I’ve been listening to Close Lobsters “Foxheads Stalk This Land.” I think if that album came out in the 2000s it would be on my best of list for sure.

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART PLAY MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2 ON 4TH DECEMBER. THE HIGHER THAN THE STARS EP IS OUT NOW ON FORTUNA POP.

What is the process of putting together a POBPAH song? A lot of people read a lot of playfulness in your lyrics, are they the driving force or is it finding the inner popsong which comes first? I write the lyrics and the basic melody/structure, but everyone contributes their own parts. I’m pretty terrible at most other instruments, so I’m glad my bandmates are creative and thoughtful and try to make the songs as good as they can be.

Have you got any plans for next year in place? Will we be seeing you back in the UK before the festival season? (NB - We think it would be AMAZING if you played at Indietracks next summer.) We’re actually going to Australia and Japan in February, so we’re all pretty excited for that. I want to start working on the next album - I’ve written all these songs that I’m excited to start playing, so I think our main focus will be on learning and recording those. Hopefully we’ll be able to come back to the UK, Indietracks is definitely something I would like to do. I think we tried to do it this year, but it didn’t coincide with our tour schedule.

Have you got any tips for 2010? Who are the best new bands you’ve seen on your travels recently?

We’ve toured with Zaza, Girls, Cymbals Eat Guitars and Depreciation Guild. I think they’re all great, though I’m

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HAVE YOURSELF A VERY

CHRISTMAS

When we started running Cherryade Records, one of my dreams for the label was to release a great Christmas album; I love Christmas and Christmas music and they play such a significant part in my life that it seemed like something we just had to do. So, in December 2005 we released our second ever record, entitled A Very Cherry Christmas featuring 13 tracks from artists including Das Wanderlust and Misty’s Big Adventure. I’d considered it as something of a vanity project, something which I would enjoy but that not many others were likely to care about. However, I was wrong. We sold lots of copies of the Christmas album to Christmas music officianados all over the world and I was contacted by dozens of fellow enthusiasts offering to swap obscure and often forgotten Christmas gems with me. I’ve kept in contact with many of them and we continue to exchange Christmas tunes that we’ve unearthed throughout the year because, Christmas songs aren’t just for Christmas!

So, now we’re up to volume 5 of A Very Cherry Christmas, I can’t quite believe we’ve got this far. I hope that the truly amazing artists who’ve contributed to our compilations since 2005 and the quality and diversity of tracks has gone some way to proving that Christmas records are not necessarily disposable or cynically cashing in. We don’t limit appearances on the compilations to those who feel like I do about the season, I also love songs that deal with the dark side of the season because that is one of the elements which make it such an inspirational time of year, and I hope that A Very Cherry Christmas celebrates the fact that not all Christmas songs have to be bright and joyful.

Another thing that happened after the first Very Cherry Christmas compilation was released was that we were contacted by a number of bands asking if they could be on volume 2. We hadn’t really considered a volume 2, I’d released a Christmas album and that was that, but then how could I resist the offer of more new Christmas songs?

Many bands told us that they’d been recording Christmas songs (or wanted to) for a while but that they just couldn’t figure out what to do with them. I think there’s a view of Christmas songs as having a very short shelf life and that if they’re not listened to by December 25th then they’ve lost all relevance. This seems unique to Christmas songs though, because there are lots of summer and spring inspired songs but people don’t seem to have much compunction about listening to those at other times of year.

Get Thee Behind Me Santa (Zombina and the Skeletones, Jeffrey Lewis, Herman Dune, etc.)

I think there is also the idea that many Christmas records are ‘novelty’ records, which becomes a synonym for silly or effemeral. Of course some Christmas songs are silly, but others can be beautiful, heart-breaking, gloomy, joyful or uplifting, just like other subjects that can inspire amazing records Christmas can inspire a range of emotions and artistic expressions.

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I’ve talked a lot about our own Christmas albums but I’d like to recommend the following Xmas classics to any fellow fans who might not have heard them, these are absolutely essential listening:

A Christmas Gift From Fortuna Pop! Volumes 1 and 2 (Bearsuit, Aislers Set, The Loves, etc.)

Gold, Frankincense and Purr (Motormark, Bucky, Velodrome 2000, Seven Inches, etc.)

There are so many more albums, singles, eps and individual songs which I just don’t have room to list here, but if anybody would like some more recommendations or would like to recommend something to me or offer a song for A Very Cherry Christmas vol. 6 then please do e-mail: Cherryade.records@gmail.com Have a Very Cherry Christmas!

JOIN IN THE FESTIVE FUN WHEN UNDERACHIEVERS PLEASE TRY HARDER PRESENT A VERY CHERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY, FEATURING LIVE MUSIC FROM THE BOBBY MCGEE’S AND THE 10P MIXES: SAKI, 12TH DECEMBER.

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THE LISTINGS MANCHESTER DEAF CENTRE FUNDRAISING CONCERT | DEAF INSTITUTE, 6TH DECEMBER A fundraising gig for the Manchester Deaf Centre, at the Deaf Institute - sounds like a perfect plan to us.

Then again, if you are going to pull together a lineup of some of our favourite acts floating around Manchester at the moment that is always going to help.

Amida will be providing the indiepop, Manchester’s best songwriter (FACT - or at least so says Dan) Ed Cottam will be playing some of his excellent repetoire and latest bright new hope Beat The Radar will be showcasing tracks for their recent debut LP, To The City From The Sea. DA VINCI - THE GENIUS | MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY - UNTIL 13TH JUNE This looks like it could be one of the most fun exhibitions to hit Manchester in ages. Rather than showing Leonardo Da Vinci’s work in a straight up ‘oh wasn’t he a brilliant scientist/mathematician/thinker’ type way, MOSI are displaying life-size, working models of Da Vinci’s ideas, handcrafted by modern Italian artisans. As well as these reconstructions there is a gallery considering possibly the most famous work of Da Vinci’s career, the Mona Lisa. A fully immersive, 3D representation of the painting offers a completely different view of this iconic painting.

BATTLES | ACADEMY 2, 7TH DECEMBER Happy Fucking Christmas. Warp! are here to mess with your head and leave you feeling more than a little uneasy for the remainder of the year. Battles’ live reputation is well known, the band’s representation of their unique take on math-rock has been confusing and delighting audiences for the past seven years.

Flying Lotus is possibly better known for his work as a hip-hop producer with the likes of Madlib, though he also produces his own glitch-noise to great effect.

Last on this Warp line-up is Portland’s Nice Nice, who shift effortlessly from enjoyable little guitar plucking.

This gig will not be for the faint of heart.

WOTGODFORGOT PRESENT: SLEEPY SUN | RETRO BAR, 8TH DECEMBER + LIGHTNING BOLT | ISLINGTON MILL, 9TH DECEMBER If anybody’s likely to jump at the chances an impending ATP festival can offer, it’s WOTGODFORGOT. As both Sleepy Sun and Lightning Bolt are playing the Minehead festival this week it seems that choosing which one to put on in Manchester would have been

too difficult, resulting in a duo of shows from one of Manchester’s best promoters. The prospects of witnessing Sleepy Sun’s dark and dirty (and, more importantly, LOUD) brand of rock in the enclosed confines of Retro Bar is something quite thrilling. If your eardrums are still in tact the following day then why not head over to Islington Mill? That way you’ll definitely burst yr eardrums and blow yr mind as Lightning Bolt perform what is highly likely to be as chaotic and brain-meltingly noisy a show as you’ll ever witness.

ANDREW BRACEY ANIMALATION | MANCHESTER ART GALLERY, UNTIL 28TH FEBRUARY Manchester based artist Andrew Bracey has described his work as on the edge of painting, as it slips into installation, animation, sculpture and video. This collection of playful and intriguing new and recent work features a selection of quirky animated artworks inspired by animals and influenced by flip-book techniques. Check out his video of a Kingfisher on the Art Gallery’s website to get an idea of his style!

SCHWERVON + THE LOVELY EGGS | SAKI, 8TH DECEMBER Our good friends at Underachievers Please Try Harder have hit the nail on the head good and proper with this one. In the red corner - one of New York’s best lo-fi, DIY, noisy, imperfect double acts. In the blue corner Lancaster’s best lo-fi, DIY, noisy, imperfect double acts.

Some people have said that if The Lovely Eggs were from NYC they would be like the new Moldy Peaches.

We think that they’d be more like the new Schwervon, so this chance to see the two bands together will be a real treat!

STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS | DEAF INSTITUTE, 10TH DECEMBER Now, here’s the thing. Over the course of the last few months Malkmus’ solo stuff has all of a sudden become not quite as important as some band he used to be in.

Which is a shame really, as his post-Pavement output is fantastic, in fact Stephen Malkmus is one of the most played cassettes in the PYT-mobile. Malkmus’ songwriting with The Jicks retains the guitar picking and energy which was there throughout Pavement, but adds in something verging on progressive narrative and structure, rather than the haphazard nature of his previous band. Catch him now, before the reunion tour swings into gear next year.

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DEC 09 / JAN 10 RED DEER CLUB ANIMAL MASKED CHRISTMAS BALL | ISLINGTON MILL, 11TH DECEMBER Celebrating the festive season, Red Deer style. The line-up here just goes to show the label’s fantastic roster; with piano-pop from Sophie’s Pigeons, glorious noise from Young British Artists and delightful folk from George Thomas and Awesome Wells there’s sure to be something to your taste! Make sure you remember your animal mask though, it’s apparently essential. There are even rumours of Dunk Le Chunk wearing a full-size deer head (not real, we’d hope, but you never know!). Naive Melody DJs will be taking the party into the wee hours, so be sure to wear those dancing shoes.

TIGERS THAT TALKED + EGYPTIAN HIP HOP | RUBY LOUNGE, 17TH DECEMBER New band/club night Cavort With Your Heart out start their Ruby Lounge residency in style with two of the best new bands of ‘09 - both Tigers That Talked and Egyptian Hip Hop were PYT highlights at this year’s In The City. Egyptian Hip Hop have been causing quite a stir around Manchester and beyond in recent months.

Leeds-based Tigers That Talked are a different yet equally compelling prospect; with post-rock rhythms and driving, multi-layered guitars they effortlessly suck audiences into the sonic world they spin. Lovely stuff.

AN AIR CAV CHRISTMAS CONGREGATION | CROSS STREET UNITARIAN CHAPEL, 19TH DECEMBER Manchester’s very own Air Cav bring you a wealth of festive musical treats, all in the intimate surrounds of Cross Street Chapel. As singer/guitarist Chris has remarked, it’s not often you get a chance to see noisy bands in usually quiet venues so it’s bound to be a good’un. With support from Driver Drive Faster (previously Polytechnic) and festive refreshment from Didsbury’s Silver Apples bar this one looks set to be a perfect Christmas warmup, and possibly your last chance to see Air Cav before they hide themselves away to record their debut LP. CHRISTMAS MARKETS | ACROSS MANCHESTER, UNTIL 21ST DECEMBER The chances are by the time you read this you will already have partaken in a gluwein or five at the Christmas Markets. If not, why not? Not only are the markets the perfect place for gift-buying, the food and drink on offer is exactly what’s needed on a chilly winter’s eve. Our pick of the main market would have

to be Swiss cheesy potatoes, whilst down on Lincoln Square there’s usually a particularly tasty veggie curry. Wash it all down with a hot spiced wine or cider and you’ve got the recipe for a lovely little evening.

VIVIAN GIRLS | DEAF INSTITUTE, 17TH JANUARY Last time they played in Manchester Vivian Girls blew the ears of the audience at The Ruby Lounge. The band smashed their way through the majority of their self-titled debut album, and hopefully they will do the same for Everything Goes Wrong, their most recent long player and favourite of indierock royalty Everett True. The all female trio of New Yorkers take the C86 and shoegaze sensibilities of fellow PYT favourites POBPAH, but instead of going pop they make something that is far more evocative of the great wave of US college rock bands of the mid-90s. Their songs are intelligent and wonderfully written, if you haven’t seen them yet then this is a must.

FYFE DANGERFIELD | DEAF INSTITUTE, 19TH JANUARY Good news for fans of Guillemots’ Through The Windowpane: Fyfe Dangerfield is releasing a solo album, and from the sounds of free download ‘When You Walk In The Room’ it’s something of a return to form following the slightly disappointing Red. One of only four shows, this Deaf Institute performance is sure to be a busy one so try and get your mits on a ticket! Dangerfield is one of the most beguiling live performers of recent years, throwing all of his energy into beautifully crafted, soaring pop songs, so this should prove a promising start to the new decade!

THE KESTREL SUITE | COMMON, FROM 28TH JANUARY Common extends next door - in a function room working men’s club fashion, increasing the capacity with lovely furnished booths, a bigger kitchen, a separate bar... the Kestrel Suite is born! New events and new photography exhibitions coming in the new year! So there’ll be no more need to loiter waiting for a chair on those busy winter evenings. Oh, and a fantastic new Rob Bailey exhibition to launch it too really Common, you’re spoiling us!

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WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR