Star date: 18th February 2017

HMLT, AMBER ARCADES, THE LOVELY EGGS, GOAT GIRL AND MORE...

Sounds from the Other City 2017
Sunday April 30th 3pm-4am
Various venues Chapel Street £25.55 (inc booking fee)

Sounds From The Other City returns to a zillion venues around Chapel Street at the end of April, complete with a zillion well interesting bands. With first part of the line-up announced, and the early bird tickets already sold out, here we give a random taste of what to expect...

Full details here...

Chapel Street will come alive again on 30th April with Sounds From The Other City, Salford's festival of all that's unique, infectious and new, in venues ranging from the Deli Lama on Bexley Square to Unit 5 on Regent Trading Estate, to St Philip's Church, The Old Pint Pot, The Crescent and The Salford Arms.

The first part of the line-up has now been announced with more to come in March but already the 'early bird' tickets have sold out, with around two thousand people expected to attend.

For anyone who hasn't been to SFTOC before, we've randomly plucked a few bands that are playing to give a flavour of the fest. And what better place to start than The Lovely Eggs, playing the Hey! Manchester gig at St Philip's Church, alongside Fazerdaze and The Proper Ornaments.

The Lovely Eggs are absolutely fab, a kind of two piece Jilted John for the hot minute generation. With delicate songs like Fuck It and People Are Twats, there's loads of wry northern comments on society, some catchy rhythms and some top, top videos to match. Check out Don't Look At Me (I Don't Like It) (see here), with a guest spot by John Shuttleworth, and take it from there.

Elsewhere, the ethereal Amber Arcades are playing the Heavenly Records event at The Old Pint Pot, along with The Orielles. Fronted by Dutch singer, Annelotte de Graaf, who, when she's not performing, works as a legal aid for refugees, this music is well suited to the title of the label. Shimmering layers of instrumentals complemented by a voice that's ascending somewhere. Check out the ace Fading Lines on YouTube (see here) and let the algorithms float you into the Arcade's unworldly world.

We also checked out Vanishing Twin, who play the Grey Lantern event at Unit 2, Regent Trading Estate alongside Flamingods, and their pop-gone-strange sounds and avant videos (see here); plus HMLTD and Goat Girl, who play the Now Wave gig at Unit 5, Regent Trading Estate, alongside Shame and Plastic Mermaids.

HMLTD, or Happy Meal Ltd, have a rather nasty line in mashed up video images that match their experimental electro/pop poundings. YouTube reviews for their track, Stained, are mixed – "sooooo dope...I hope they keep forcing my ears" states one, while another yawns "Shouty shouty stop. Uh, shouty shouty stop. Uh, shouty shouty stop. Dance music for car salesmen..." (see here)

Meanwhile, Goat Girl does a line in strobophobic unfriendly films, with the video for Country Sleaze guaranteed to unwire your brain (see here). If you can get past that, the guitar-led tune, which is a bit like Amber Arcades only with sharp elbows, a heavier sound and a shorter track. The Goat Girl is being touted as the next big indie thang but aren't they all?

Whatever, Sounds From The Other City is guaranteed to have something for every taste, as long that taste isn't boring and mainstream. There's even a showcase by the BBC Philharmonic performing with Liverpool based trio Ex Easter Island Head happening at Salford Cathedral, hosted by Islington Mill's Samarbeta DJs.

For further details of tickets and line-up click here

Sounds From The Other City Line-Up To Date...

NOW WAVE @ UNIT 5 REGENT TRADING ESTATE - Happy Meal LTD, Goat Girl, Shame, Plastic Mermaids

 
GREY LANTERN @ UNIT 2, REGENT TRADING ESTATE - Flamingods, Vanishing Twin

 
BAD UNCLE @ THE EGERTON ARMS - Drahla, Patty Hearst

HEY! MANCHESTER @ ST PHILIPS CHURCH - The Lovely Eggs, Fazerdaze, The Proper Ornaments

 
HEAVENLY RECORDS @ THE OLD PINT POT (upstairs) - Amber Arcades, The Orielles

 
THE WONDERFUL SOUND OF AFICIONADO @ ISLINGTON MILL  - July Skies, Nev Cottee Band

FAMILY TREE @ THE ANGEL CENTRE

Katie Pham and the Moonbathers, Sammartino

 
BEAUTY WITCH @ THE CRESCENT - Bruxa, Casual Nun, Stupid Cosmonaut

 
TRU LUV @ BEXLEY SQ TENT - IAMDDB, Sleazy F Baby

 
GOOD AFTERNOON present THE LOVE CAVE @ THE NEW OXFORD

Kiss Me Again, Slag Heap Disco, Good Afternoon

 
SHAMBODIE and PING PONG CLUB @ THE SALFORD ARMS - Birthday Bread Man, Sam and Tom, The Delightful Sausage

THE WHITE HOTEL PRESENTS: 2000AD by Austin Collings: Sci-fi musical theatre with live performances by Jupiter-C, Space Afrika, The Rebel

ST PHILIP'S CHURCH: SAMARBETA PRESENTS BBC PHILHARMONIC ENSEMBLE X EX EASTER ISLAND HEAD X LAURA CANNELL - Laura Cannell, Ex Easter Island Head