Promoting duo Jon and Welsey have been working under the guise of Now Wave ever since I was old enough to sneak into their often exclusive shows a few years back here in Manchester. Now, you all know by now I study here but even when I was living in Liverpool back home, it was often worth the trips up and countless hellish hangovers the next day I faced at college, in order to see the likes of Wavves, Iceage and Glasser to name but three. The guys have been DJ’ing at Warehouse Project for multiple years now and ran their own free entry club night until recently at the city’s prestigious Deaf Institute venue (RIP :’(). Now, they’re branching out into the world of weekly radio at Beatwolf and are still putting on some of the city’s biggest buzz bands whilst championing international rising stars in some fantastic venues. Here are some of the ones that we are most looking forward too over the upcoming months, keep up the good work!
Now Wave’s ‘Sounds of the North’ event has been bestowing excitement on the city ever since it was announced earlier this year. The gig will be held in a disused office block in Manchester’s esteemed Spinningfield’s district and will see the effusive and nostalgic Alt-J headline along with sets from M O N E Y and No Ceremony /// ‘s worldwide live premier- but it doesn’t just stop there. Also on the bill will be Pins, of whom released their beautiful, glittering tapes (of which the first edition has now sold out and the second of which is set to do the same, with only a limited number available to pick up in-store at Oldham Street’s Piccadilly Records). The bill will also be joined by Liverpool’s mystical Stealing Sheep and Great Waves- at only £8 a ticket for a blinding bill that provides six hours of some of Britain’s best new bands, what’s not to love?
Along with this, America’s freshest experimental hip-hop culprits Death Grips will be collaborating with the Now Wave boys on their second Manchester show together (last year’s gig at the petite Islington Mill, really was something destructively special) as they transport their latest live rounds, in support of their newest release ‘The Money Store’. The show will also be marking the closing of 2012’s Future Everything Festival which will also see the likes of Shabazz Palaces and Forest Swords play numerous alternative venues around the city.
Speaking of Islington Mill, Jon and Wesley are also putting on Grimes in this, well, converted cotton mill on her latest trip to the UK. Grimes? What? Don’t even tell me you don’t know of Claire Boucher- mine and Katie’s total girl crush with fabulous hair and crazy tattoos?! We reviewed visions (SWOON) over here and her visceral performance in support of the record will hit the mill this coming month so expect haunting vocals, creepy visuals and a whole truckload of bizarre props.
Finally but by no means least, one of my favourite duo’s to emerge from Vancouver since, well, forever, Japandroids are indeed coming back to the UK (FINALLY!!!) to play new tracks off their next effort ‘Celebration Rock’ (and no doubt some old favourites) in the intimate setting of the Soup Kitchen basement. Soup Kitchen is one of the achingly cool bars and eateries in Manchester’s trendy Northern Quarter district and their basement gig space is literally, like the size of my kitchen (I.E. TINY) so if you do have one of the now sold-out tickets within your clasp (hold onto it tight cos im hunting you down…no, seriously, help a sister out) expect a complete and utter rawkus to power through Manchester’s underground and a whole host of sing-a-long good old rock n roll.
For more information on any upcoming Now Wave shows, keep up to date on their Facebook and Twitter pages- tickets for their shows are also available here
Words: Leah Connolly
