Excellent! I didn't get to meet the two fellas last night, but had a nice chat with both Miki - and also Patrick from Kitchens Of Distinction, who had come along to listen.

#LiveMusic
MIKI BERENYI 3

A couple of shots from earlier this evening at Yes in Manchester. A really enjoyable gig with a good number of Lush songs in the set too. Ireland, you're in for a real treat.

Miki was manning the merch stall when I arrived, so take stuff along for signing.

Several people have asked me if 'Night Call' is being released on vinyl. Well, now it is!

#LiveMusic
WINTERSLEEP

Pictured earlier this evening at my favourite Manchester venue, The Deaf Institute, they were not just on form but absolutely on fire.

On-stage sound gremlins aside, they were stunning this evening, and it was lovely to meet them after too. @wintersleeptheband.bsky.social

I tend to think that 2020-24 might well be more difficult still, particularly with the years of lockdown in there stunting new releases and tours.

There are always nuggets, so here's hoping that they long continue!

Yup, the Viet Cong album is so powerful, it absolutely deserves to be in the list.

I went through what I bought between 2015-19 last night and it turns out that I was also buying a lot of drone/ambient and also older, secondhand stuff - though that album by Phoebe nails my feet to the floor.

#debutalbums1519

Hi Richard, hope you're well. Here are my five:-

1. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger In The Alps
2. Viet Cong - S/T
3. Victories At Sea – Everything Forever
4. The Murder Capital - When I Have Fears
5. WH Lung - Incidental Music

I'm delighted to announce that Sky Patterns is performing at Midsummer Middlewich 2026 around the summer solstice weekend.

#NowPlaying #NewRelease
JUHA MÄKI-PATOLA
Momentary Movements Of Landscapes

This is absolutely lovely. There are elements of dreamy ambient music on here and it will definitely also appeal to fans of Epic45 too, particularly the opening couple of tracks.

juhamakipatola.bandcamp.com/album/moment...

Time to plan another visit, Vincent 😄🍻

Interesting! I've only ever visited Dublin and Cavan and don't recall drinking anything except Guinness, though I usually always try an ale, particularly if there's something on that I've not heard of, there's something really nice about trying a beer for the first time.

Cask is always good. Cask over keg every time!

Coffee porters can be nice, I even had an absolutely delicious peanut porter recently, but if you're ever over in Manchester, I'll happily introduce you to some of the plum porter outlets 🍻

Cheers, Vincent 🍻

Thanks so much. It was an early one - and a really good gig. The venue could have done with turning on some radiators though, it was baltic in there!

#NowPlaying #LiveMusic
HOWLING BELLS

Just arrived on stage at The Sugarmill are the excellent Howling Bells, touring their new album. It's a few years since they last toured, so I'm excited for this.

Big thanks to @jamesontheradio.bsky.social at Black Cat Radio for playing Sky Patterns' latest single 'Fireflies' on his show on Tuesday evening.

To listen, it's on at around the 1hr 35m mark

player.autopod.xyz/1243491

😆😆😆

Their second album 'You can get a cream for that' is superb. Allegedly 😆

Plenty of bands are likely kicking themselves for not choosing this name in favour of something like PIILES or PVRIS. Much more memorable.

Of the crop of bands that appeared seemingly all at the same time, this is the album that I keep returning to. The second album was bizarrely different and I struggle with that one, but this one's dark, angry, and snarling. A wonderful listen.

Record shops, guitar shops, and What's The Story?

What could possibly go wrong? 😁

Excellent. It's one of those albums that takes several plays to really get into, but definitely worth the effort.

Thanks, Steve. I've introduced a few American friends to it when they've visited Manchester. If ever you're visiting yourself, send me a message and I'll point you in the direction of some good places to visit 👍

Squaring The Circle, by Sneaker Pimps 16 track album

I've been playing their fourth album quite a bit too. Took me a while, it's not as instant as the first two, but there are some great tracks on it if you persevere.

sneakerpimps.bandcamp.com/album/squari...

The Titanic Brewery in Stoke-on-Trent produces it, though it's distributed all over the UK. I've drunk it in London, Edinburgh, Manchester, and several other places. Maybe have a word at a decent pub near to you and see if he'll buy a barrel in.

It's an amazing pint, Steve. If you enjoy a darker ale with a fruity edge, then this comes highly recommended 👌

I think it surprised Titanic. I spoke with the owner one time and even he was amazed that it has been so successful, particularly as he admitted that darker beers don't tend to sell as well as lighter beers. It's quite incredible, but it's such a unique beer.

I remember encouraging some local pubs to stock it and for a while they politely nodded and ignored, but eventually when they relented, it very soon became the biggest selling beer that they've had and it's become a regular beer on the bar. Keep chipping away, Ricky.

I remember a local bar saying similar, and my response was "Winter?!?!? I'll drink this beer regardless of the season!".

It's Titanic's best selling beer, which is incredible for both a dark beer and a beer that started out as a specialty ale at a beer festival.

Here's hoping, Vincent, this beer is incredible 😋