Cosmosis Festival @ Victoria Warehouse, 12 Mar
Manchester's annual Cosmosis Festival returns beefed up and slicked up. Last year's sell-out event took over Rusholme's Antwerp Mansions with a savvy sourcing of emerging and classic psych-rock prime movers. Responding to demand, the organisers ship their wares across the city to Trafford and the Victoria Warehouse: a vast industrial behemoth, reconditioned as an in-demand event space. And whereas previous events have catered primarily to the clued-up, this year's bill is inclusive while still retaining its underground ethos (The last minute addition of Sleaford Mods to the bill is a pointed challenge to expectations).
This year, big names appear alongside new and leftfield acts. So whereas The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Raveonettes are serious stalwarts of the scene, new voices get their shot, too. Alongside a smartly curated programme of music across five stages, the first floor gives way to a series of art installations, hands-on workshops and independent traders.
Running from 2pm until 3am, Cosmosis is not for the faint-hearted, and while the £67.50 ticket price might initially be off-putting, it's only fair to note that you'd pay half that just to see The Mary Chain these days. Manchester clearly knows a good thing when it sees it and turns out in good number. The Warehouse is perfect, of course: a dark legacy of industry long since gone, grimy brickwork and steel as far as the eye can see. Exploring its rabbit warren construction becomes part of the fun.
Any downsides? A few, primarily the cashless bar system, guaranteed to sink the heart of any festival punter. Queueing to buy tokens is one thing, paying £4 for a can of Fosters is enough to turn anyone teetotal. And getting inside is a task in itself, with mandatory pocket-emptying and every punter frisked. That's overkill by any standards. That aside, Cosmosis is clearly a labour of love and in an era of multiple, middling festivals, one that gets the music so right deserves our continuing patronage. Here's to next year.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre, image: Sam Huddleston
Lola Colt
London six piece Lola Colt open proceedings on the main Air stage: a vast and chilly hangar. They set it casually on fire as the crowd swells and connects. Trailing their forthcoming second album with choice cuts that signal a darkening and deepening of their breathless, desert snarl, they play like demons. Gun Overbye is an unblinking, fireball presence: a Grace Slick for the here and now. During an epic and brutal dissection of Away From the Water, Lola Colt journey fearlessly out and back. Credit to a sympathetic sound engineer, who mixes them loud and pinpoint clear: three guitars, keys and muscular rhythm section in beautiful, scuzzy harmony. More of this black magic in 2016 is a joyous prospect. (GK)
Wire
Post-punk vets Wire pull an expectant crowd at the Earth stage and they dazzle. Older heads are, of course, the mainstay of their loyal fanbase but a substantial next generation turn-out confirms their ongoing relevance. Crucially, the four piece build their set around 2015's solid eponymous release and Colin Newman leads with no less energy than he did in the 70s. Long may they rail. (GK)
Deafheaven
The crowd on the Earth stage is committed but smaller than the positive critical response to Deafheaven's latest album, New Bermuda, might have generated. Singer George Clarke works the hardcore but the curious gradually drift away. A wide-eyed youth in – heaven help us – a Bathory t-shirt clocks the notebook and the frown, suspects a hatchet job. You tell him Marillon-meets-Megadeth was never going to be a good idea. He thinks you’re having a laugh. You assure him that's the last thing you’re having. (GK)
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats
They still trade under the most off-putting monicker in rock 'n' roll history but Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats reinvent with craft and with soul, so they’re forgiven. A genuine throwback, their vintage stylings make for a dose of early evening refreshment before heavier fare further up the bill. Warm Blood defines their dark, snaking groove but the likes of Over and Over Again are a reminder that they rarely leave the tunes behind. Frontman Kevin Starrs feeds off a responsive Air crowd and they exit to a warm ovation.Top notch, all told. (GK)
The Raveonettes
The Raveonettes are the first act to properly fill the main hall and the duo's appearance generates genuine anticipation. Supported by just a drummer and a battery of electro backing, Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner perform the first half of their set against a shadowy, strobing backdrop: twitchy stick figures, subsumed by the brittle crackle of Sisters and Endless Sleeper. Gradually, as the set delivers older treasure (Dead Sound; a full-tilt Attack of the Ghost Riders), the white light gives way to the warmer end of the spectrum and they burn through a closing Aly Walk With Me. Ever the epitome of timeless, wasted cool, The Raveonettes remain a dark wonder. But Sune, seriously, lose the hat, man. (GK)
Sleaford Mods, image: Sam Huddleston
of Montreal
Over on the Earth Stage, of Montreal are busy kicking into various gears. Lead singer Kevin Barnes is on good form in his best red lace shirt/neckerchief combo. The rest of the band are really tight tonight, too, which is made even more impressive when you consider how all over the place their sound is. Barnes whinnies his way through a ream of choice tracks from various albums over the past ten years or so, particularly Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?. Triumph of Disintegration and Gronlandic Edit also stand out, in addition to the rhythm guitarist’s white cowboy hat. (RA)
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
One of the bigger draws on offer, Brian Jonestown Massacre are up next on the Air stage. A few technical hiccups early on, but once the treble has been lowered and slight feedback allayed, it’s all gravy from there on out. Recent record Mini Album Thingy Wingy forms the basis of the opening, including the wonderful chiming tones of Pish. At some point, a female member of the posse is invited up to take the lead on singing Anemone, in honour of her birthday. The tambourine takes a well-timed battering over the course of their set and Anton Newcombe’s sideburns look in good health. (RA)
Sleaford Mods
Back to the Earth Stage: Sleaford Mods offer a stark contrast to much of the bill. That said, the aggressive slant of rabble-rousing frontman Jason Williamson whips up a frenzy that no other act on the bill could match. Half-spat social commentary is backed by sparse, hard-hitting drums, and injects a nice bit of urgency into the room as midnight slips by. (RA)
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Another hugely anticipated act follows: East Kilbride’s own The Jesus and Mary Chain. Darklands is a good place to start, and the relative uptempo nod of April Skies sets a brash tone immediately. The Reid bros lead the crowd across a handful of later albums, before reverting back to Psychocandy for the anthemic punch of Just Like Honey. Thirty years on and it still rattles your mind. (RA)