Black Lips | Mon 20 Nov | Hare & Hounds | £15
Never shy of breaking convention, boundaries or expectations, The Black Lips are back touring their latest album ‘Satan’s Graffiti Or God’s Art?’. Sublime love songs meet unnerving subversion, baggy political slow dances crash into raw mid-tempo rave-ups like a drunk uncle at a wedding, with no end of musical sprawling and unbridled activity in between. See our full preview here.
Leif Vollebekk | Wed 22 Nov | The Sunflower Lounge | £10.35
Elegant, piano-led soul-pop is the backbone of ‘Twin Solitude’, the new album from Canadian singer-songwriter Leif Vollebekk. There’s a delicacy and a glatial patience to these songs that will feel like home for fans of Junius Meyvant or Low Roar. Sometimes quiet is the new loud. seetickets.com
*Cancelled* Belly Squad | Wed 22 Nov | Mama Roux’s | £9.90
London trio Belly Squad have got no end of buzz around them – effortlessly riding the zeitgeist with a mashed-up amalgam of West African R&B, London grime, and more besides – lighting up Europe’s festival stages and barely staying still since the release of their debut EP ‘Banana’. seetickets.com
Opeth | Wed 22 Nov | O2 Institute | £28.50
The Swedish pioneers of operatic metal return: last year’s ‘Sorceress’ was Opeth’s twelfth(!) album to date, one that found them in an effortless groove of weird prog-metal, embracing their roots in Genesis and King Crimson albums. Incomprehensible to some and just plain irresistible to others, there’s no doubting Opeth are masters at their own craft. seetickets.com
The Mouse Outfit | Thu 23 Nov | Hare & Hounds | £13.50
Lose yourself in the languid grooves of hip hop beat masters the The Mouse Outfit. The Manchester-based, nine-piece band are true musical pioneers, constantly evolving in sound, spirit, vibe and even personnel. Best experienced live. See our full preview here.
The Travelling Band | Thu 23 Nov | Hare & Hounds | £11
Straight from Manchester via the Mississippi Delta, The Travelling Band bring their majestic Americana rock in support of new album ‘Sails’. It’s an album full of twisted guitar lines, honky-tonk piano, gravelly harmonies and orchestral flourishes, a distillation of everything these Mancunian ruffians do best. skiddle.com
Amusement Parks on Fire | Fri 24 Nov | The Sunflower Lounge | £11
The return of Nottingham shoegaze-rockers Amusement Parks on Fire from an eight-year hiatus is pretty unexpected, but new EP ‘Our Goal To Realise’ shows the mix of bludgeoning Oceansize riffs and ethereal Loveless-esque vocals is still as potent as ever. Post-rock prodigy Mike Feerick sounds like he’s enjoying himself this time around: it’s good to have him back. seetickets.com
Algiers | Sun 26 Nov | Hare & Hounds | £9.90
The Atlantic-straddling quartet Algiers make a unique, sprawling riot of noise – house, gospel, punk all smashed into one another, with frontman Franklin James Fisher’s fierce anti-colonial narratives tying them in place and forcing them to dance. Algiers are not for the faint-hearted, or innocent stragglers who just wandered in. See our full preview here.
Words: Chris Donald - Gigs Editor
Published on: Wed 1 Nov 2017