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Article from Citylife.co.uk

Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but CityLife is fairly confident that moves to grow the fabulous Sounds From The Other City Festival into a 12-hour occupation of every venue on the Chapel Street corridor is just about the finest thing that could have happened to Salford in a very long time.

The annual event has thoroughly busted out of Islington Mill and is now staging gigs at The Salvation Army’s music hall, St Philip’s Church, the neighbouring Angel Centre and six pubs: two floors each at the Old Pint Pot, Kings Arms and Black Lion, plus The Crescent, the New Oxford and the Rovers Return.

What’s more, CityLife is even reliably informed that the festival is putting on gigs in a phonebox as part of an artist-led project called Box Office, outside Salford Central train station.

Big enough for an intimate audience of one, the phonebox stage will feature 10-minute exclusive sessions from Six Organs Of Admittance, Andrew WK, Tuneyards and others played down the phone especially for the caller.

None of the other venues can offer that kind of exclusivity, but what they lack in intimacy they make up for in physicality. Appearing in person at the remaining venues are absolutely dozens of bright lights from the current Manchester scene plus many international up-and-comers.

Honorary Mancunian, student Tom Waits and folk siren Jesca Hoop will snatch the headlines alongside 2010’s ones-to-watch Egyptian Hip Hop, In The City faves May 68, math poppers Dutch Uncles and heartfelt singer-songwriter Jo Rose, but there are literally dozens of bands looking after Manchester’s reputation.

Among them are the newly reassembled indie jazz masters Go Lebanon, melodic scholars of electronica Borland, riff ‘n’ roll duo Breaking Colts, ambient choral trio A Middle Sex, musical improvisers Levenshulme Bicycle Orchestra, uber-girlie trio Hotpants Romance, sonic experimenter Leveret, and the ultimate mad for it masters of musical mash-up Frazer King. But it isn’t just Manchester’s finest you should be looking out for.

Worth more than a chunk of your evening are classical-hip-hop-dub-metal-prog-rockers (yes, that’s as confusing as it sounds) The Legend Of The 7 Black Tentacles, New Yorkers and cult heroes Damon & Naomi, Aussie sound installation artist Jasmine Maschina, Canada’s powerpop trio The Rural Alberta Advantage, Welsh supergroup (of a sort) Islet, star-gazing pop genius Windmill, Brighton’s out-there indie four piece Fujiya And Miyagi, and Yorkshire troubadour Serious Sam Barrett.

By night, the Old Pint Pot, Kings Arms and Black Lion all host club nights into the wee hours, featuring DJs from Bring On The Dancing Horses, Underachievers Please Try Harder, Stop Making Sense and Contort Yourself.

And the paltry sum for all this entertainment, you ask? Well, that’ll be just 15 quid.

Only a touch more than the average club entry fee, but infinitely more rewarding.

Various venues – April 30, 2010 – £15.

- If you would like more information on Sounds from the Other City click here