Well done, everyone. We're through the hardest month of the year.
By the time you're reading this, Manchester will see nine hours of sunlight every day. On New Year's Day, it was just over seven-and-a-half-hours.
Having gone through a dark period, the city's also gone through a twilight in gigs. That's all about to change though, with Independent Venue Week marking the start of touring season proper.
READ MORE: Why this week is 'incredibly important' for the future of Manchester's music scene
Despite the lack of choice, we've still managed to get a pretty wide range. There's been a return for some second-summer-of-love stars, the first appearance of a beautiful songstress, and the emergence of one of the most exciting acts in the North.
Here's what we made of January's acts.
EMF — Gorilla — January 13
If your first gig of January sets the tone for your year, then we’re in for a bouncing 2023. That’s because the EMF show in the Gorilla railway arch was full of energy and lightness.
It’s been a quarter of a century since the group released new music, but they have done so now with the Go Go Sapiens album. However, whatever comes next will be no tired re-hashing of 1991 hit Schubert Dip.
Their Gorilla set was joyful. James Atkin’s vocals have stood the test of time. Ian Dench’s guitars are as jangly as ever. Aid Todd’s drumming is as punchy as possible.
The Gorilla show also featured a special cover of ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ by The Buzzcocks, and was followed up by mega-hit ‘Unbelievable’. That duo showed off EMF at their best: brilliant vocals, a force-majeure of a beat, powerful drums, and oh-so-satisfying.
EMF probably won’t headline Glastonbury with their next album. But wherever they play, they will give fans a good time.
Kate Bollinger — Gullivers — January 19
After walking the length and breadth of London to see all the sights - and managing to sprain her ankle in the process - Kate Bollinger made it to Manchester for the next date of her first UK tour. “I had a Creme Egg… and a Greggs… I got a sausage roll”, it’s pretty impossible not to be endeared by someone nervously, yet wholeheartedly throwing themselves into British culture.
But the Virginian singer-songwriter’s set at Gullivers was transfixing for so many other reasons. Toting 70s-infused indie pop on her well-received 2022 EP Look at it in the Light, Kate came in soft and sweet with an acoustic set for a snowy January evening, opening with 'Lady in the Darkest Hour'.
Kate appeared completely in her own world: Closing her eyes to strum her guitar and quietly introducing each of her songs, which feel like they’ve strolled straight off a page from the journal of your much more expressive best friend. It’s almost like a woodland fairy tiptoed from being perched on a leaf watching the moon to being perched on a chair (the fallout of the ankle sprain) in the glow of a stage light.
Having said that, Kate’s vocals are far from airy, the intimate venue proving a beautiful forum for her huskier refrains. And while her writing can touch on the whimsical parts of life in your mid-20s - the favourite lines from new track ‘Boys in My Head’ being “spend my life/the boys in my head are at it again/may not be right, all this suffering because of them… it’s my life/but the boys are up there day and night” - she’s floating into the UK with an unflinchingly honest outlook.
The Redroom — Night and Day — January 27
Do you know what is most impressive about The Redroom? It’s not the layered guitars or pervasive bass. And it isn’t the thumping drums, or Jessica Lewis-Ward’s beautiful, almost Winehouse-esque voice.
Nor is it the fact that they sold out Night and Day, which was their first headline gig — and their first ever show in Manchester. It’s not even whispers that major radio scouts were there, too.
No, it’s none of those things. It’s how easy it came to the band of teenagers, who hail from Newcastle.
Go and listen to The Redroom now — please — and enjoy them. They’re going places.
King Orange — Big Hands — January 27
The darkened corner or a small pub surrounded by settees might not sound like the ideal venue for most acts, but it suited King Orange just fine.
The post-punk three-piece have been plodding along for a few years now, but their debut EP Another Collapse in the Park came out in October last year — representing a major shift forwards. Combining heavy guitars, droney basslines, and heart-on-sleeve lyrics, it’s a capable body of work.
This performance showed off the human side of the group very well, with plenty of emotion going into each number of the eight-song set. The challenge for King Orange is to sew together a cohesive narrative within their own universe of sound in a longer form.
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