Soundblab "Silverclub" review

"You see, Manchester has a very mixed relationship to its own musical history. While it's a city that has produced countless excellent bands over the years, it's also a place where the celebration and incessant revivalism of these 'classic' acts makes it harder for new talent to break through, causing a backlash against the scenes that made the city so popular. While there's a few key promoters and venue owners in the city who are guilty of this, much of the blame also needs to be laid squarely at the feet of the music press, who can't seem to cover a Manc band without having to mention (at least once if not more) desolate industrial landscapes and trench coat existentialism, or alternately Spike Island, 'avin' it and baggy beats. 

I mean, I GET IT. I understand the frustration of trying to throw off the musical shackles of a previous generation only to have them dumped on your shoulders again by an extremely lazy press. But in the rush to forge ahead and leave the past far, far behind, aren't we in danger of also throwing the baby out with the bath water? Cos, at the end of the day, I LOVED Madchester! I loved (and still love) the Happy Mondays, The (early) Stone Roses, New Order, yeah, all that cliched old Manc shit. 

Now, I'm not saying that Silverclub sound like any of these bands, but they do fit in this lineage of smart, funky, sexy 'indie-dance' (or whatever you want to cal lit this month). Take album opener 'Like Cats Eyes', which starts with a circular guitar part and a barely audible, spaced-out vocal which lulls you into a sense of familiarity, before being interrupted by a funky drum break and an electro bassline which pushes the tune into 5am post-club euphoric bliss. THIS is what I love about Manchester and its music - risk, adventure, a desire to push things forward backed with a true appreciation of how opposing genres work best together."

Read the full review here.

'Purple Naked Ladies' review on Soundblab

I was blown away by 'Purple Naked Ladies', the debut album by The Internet (part of the OFWGKTA fam and featuring Syd Tha Kid, the openly gay female dj for Tyler The Creator). So much so that I wrote this review for Soundblab mag, mentioneing Stereolab, Martine Topley-Byrd, Organized Noize, Erykah Badu and more:

Don't you just hate it when your opinions are proved wrong? I mean you thought about them for like, an hour. Or maybe even less, say ten seconds. Even if you just read that shit somewhere else and thought "that'll do", it doesn't matter because those opinions are YOURS and define who YOU ARE and having them contradicted can be painful and confusing.

Well, I'll let you in on a little secret: I love that shit. I love feeling that confusion of "NOW what am I supposed to think?" Because you know what, when things are uncertain, unsure, when you feel like your mind is free-falling at great speed - that's when you feel most alive.

Being brutally honest: I had no great burning desire to hear The Internet, I just went into the Soundblab back room to grab a certain release for review and noticed that this album hadn't been claimed yet. The album I wanted as already gone (seconds after we were told it had come in!) so I grabbed PNL as it was just there and I thought "I can do a quick enough hack job on this, get some anti-OFWGKTA angst off my chest".

Holy shit.

Yep I gave the album a 9/10. I wasn't expecting to like this record, my reasons having a lot to do with my preconceptions of Tyler and OFWGKTA, and the process of mentalyl unpacking those presumptions is a big part of the review. Here's the video for band's "She DGAF":

Niallist @ Tranarchy v Bollox, live review by Soundblab

A live review of my mixtape launch at Tranarchy v Bollox the other week courtesy of Soundblab magazine, featuring a very funny photo of one Louise Woodcock!

Niallist interviewed on Soundblab!

Extra extra! Read all about it!

Manchester-based music maker Niall O'Conghaile, who goes by the tag of The Niallist, has made what may very well be the party album of the year with AKA, a collection of old-school hip hop and acid house work outs featuring the likes of Beth Ditto, Scream Club and Yo Majesty. Fiercely out 'n' proud, Niall's lived the kind of hip life that would make you green with envy if his music wasn't so irresistibly damn good. From hanging out with Franz Ferdinand in Glasgow to supporting MEN in Manchester, Niall's got some stories to tell but what comes across most is his love of music, his encyclopedic knowledge of its history and his unfailing belief in its power to shift hearts, minds and booties. Soundblab collared him for a chinwag about parties, politics and zombie pride.

Read the rest here.

"AKA" reviewed on Soundblab

Wow, the first review of my new album is in, and it's a good one! I'm not one for reading my own reviews to be honest, but thought I would share this here as the reviewer really got it.

It is fantastic to hear gay artists march into 'enemy' territory and produce much better hip hop than many of those who deride them, even though homophobia seems to be ebbing out of at least mainstream hip hop. But has The Niallist made new music? The sound and lyrics are not particularly original, even if the fact that it is delivered by these artists is. That said, they're a talented bunch and have made some great music which all fans of old-school hip hop should download - you will enjoy it and it is a lot better than many past and present mainstream efforts. Niallist has firmly made his point.

Read the whole review here.