Cazz Blase

Cazz Blase Apr 2·22 min read Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic incidents of sexual harassment and violence at live music events were regularly flagged up by music fans and artists. What happens when venues re-open? ‘The extra price of a gig ticket’ gig…

Nasty Cherry | Noisy MancesterAcademy 29th February 2020 Cazz Blase and Melanie Smith witness Nasty Cherry’s turbocharged Manchester debut. A far cry from the howling wind and rain outside, the Academy 3 is a veritable sweatpit tonight. You can feel…

Manchester Academy 27th February 2020 Cazz Blase and Melanie Smith witness an exceedingly on form Sleater-Kinney on their The Center Won’t Hold Tour, with strong support from Katie Harkin. There aren’t as many people gathered to watch Katie Harkin…

Angel Olsen O2 Ritz, Manchester 13th February 20202 Cazz Blase and Melanie Smith watch a terrifically on form Angel Olsen weave a spell around the 02 Ritz audience at her sold out show as part of the All Mirrors Tour. The gritters are out on the…

The Japanese House | Fake Laugh 02 Ritz, Manchester December 18th 2019 Cazz Blase is a happy bystander at a Big Student Night Out in Manchester. Manchester’s O2 Ritz is full of students. Given that the venue regularly holds club nights that…

Bat For Lashes Albert Hall, Manchester Nov 24th 2019 Cazz Blase (words) and Melanie Smith (photos) take another trip to Albert Hall, to witness the welcome return of Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes, in support of her fifth album Lost Girls, released…

Imogen Heap | Frou Frou The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 12th November 2019 Cazz Blase and Melanie Smith (photos) watch Imogen Heap reunite her synth-pop past with her soundscape-y present using the marvellous acoustics of the Bridgewater Hall. Clad…

Amanda Palmer Albert Hall, Manchester November 3rd 2019 Cazz Blase and Melanie Smith have an experience at the church of Amanda Palmer as she brings her “there will be no intermission” tour to the UK – described as a night of piano, pain and…

Self Esteem |Nimmo Band on the Wall, Manchester October 18th 2019 Cazz Blase and Phil King watch a slightly overwhelmed Rebecca Lucy Taylor perform to an ecstatic crowd at Self Esteem’s sold out Manchester show. Opening act Nimmo provide the crowd…

Skating Polly | She Makes War Gullivers, Manchester October 14th 2019 Cazz Blase and Phil King have an excellently sweaty time watching Skating Polly and She Makes War at their sold out Manchester show. This show sees Skating Polly returning to…

Gossip | Meggie Brown Academy 1, Manchester July 20th 2019 Cazz Blase and Melanie Smith are wowed by a resurgent Gossip at Manchester Academy. Support act Meggie Brown and her band have proved themselves to be playful foils to Gossip’s slick disco…

Starcrawler | Plague Vendor Academy 3, Manchester June 27th 2019 Cazz Blase and Melanie Smith step into the dark and twisted punk world of Starcrawler. A blisteringly hot day in Manchester feels like entirely the wrong kind of setting in which to be…

Hatchie Yes, Manchester June 13 2019 Cazz Blase and Phil King have an agreeable time watching Hatchie sell out Manchester’s Yes. Yes, a comparatively new Manchester venue tucked away on Charles Street, features vintage taps, deafeningly loud hand…

Writer Cazz Blase and photographer Melanie Smith brave the sweat pit at O2 Ritz to bring you coverage of LP’s (real name Laura Pergolizzi ) electrifying Heart To Mouth tour, on this sold out show. Despite the abrupt drop off in temperature these past…

The Coathangers | Mold Soup Kitchen, Manchester 29th April 2019 It’s a Monday night and Mold, who are opening tonight’s gig, have temporarily lost their drummer. Apparently he has sustained a serious head wound and is not available to play tonight.…

Laura Kidd has been performing as She Makes War for eight years now. Cazz Blase meets up with her on her latest tour It’s day three of the She Makes War tour, which means that Laura Kidd and her band are in Manchester this evening. They are due to…

Virginmarys | Hands Off Gretel| Rook and the Ravens Club Academy, Manchester November 24th 2018 Virginmarys play an incendiary set to an ecstatic audience, with strong support from Hands Off Gretel and Rook and the Ravens. Cazz Blase feels the love,…

Tancred Gullivers, Manchester November 11th 2018 US musician Jess Abbott, formerly of the band Now, Now, has been making catchy indie rock under the name Tancred since 2011. Louder Than War’s Cazz Blase saw her play on the current UK tour at…

Gorilla, a modest-sized venue on Whitworth Street in Manchester just off student land (Oxford Road), probably holds somewhere between 250 and 350 people. It feels slightly bigger than the average venue of this size thanks to a (very small) upstairs…

Three punk pioneers reunite for an evening of rage, honesty, playfulness and sound experiments. Cazz Blase attends the show and talks to the acts backstage Because the evening’s soundcheck for Celebrating Sisterhood has overrun, I spend a certain…