PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER February - March 2010 *FREE*

Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now! - Urbis - Allo, Darlin' - Indie Edinburgh This Many Boyfriends - FUC251 - Meursault

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PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010WELCOME BACK LETTERS FROM INDEPENDENT EDINBURGH

Welcome back everybody, and Happy New Year (how late does it have to be before you can stop saying that?)! We’re back from our rather extended Christmas break and feeling bright, breezy and generally upbeat about the new decade. Much like our home in Common, PYT has had a lick of paint and a breath of fresh air - let us know what you think of the new design!

There’s a lot to look forward to - the return of Pavement, seeing Manchester back on the musical map again (if it ever really went away) with three local bands on the BBC’s Sounds of 2010 list, more favourite new bands... not to mention more PYT now we’re DJing fortnightly at Common! The year kicked off rather well, with January providing ace shows from This Many Boyfriends (at a packed to the rafters Saki), Asleep Beneath Volcanoes and Advances in Mathematics (providing a much needed slice of post-rock/electonica weirdness for a Winter’s eve), and a welcome return from Johnny Foreigner and PYT faves Sir Yes Sir to get February going.

For every excitement, however, there’s bound to be some things to reflect on, from the impending closure of Urbis and what it means to Manchester to the persistent concern of the city’s musical past hampering its future (that’s you, Hooky). Either way there’s no doubt about it: 2010 is going to be pretty action packed, and we’ll be continuing to let you know all about it!

This issue’s artwork comes from the superb God’s Little Eskimo; we love all his wee creatures, especially the dormouse on the cover! You may recognise his work from the ace Mushaboom posters of the past couple of years, and if you’d like to see more just head over to myspace.com/godslittleeskimos.

So what’s in issue 10?

P3 There’s a hop up over the border this time, with the fab fellows from Off The Beaten Tracks telling us what’s going on in Edinburgh to delight your eyes and ears.

P4 New decade, new sounds? The Importance of Being Indie looks at what’s to come this year.

P6 PYT have always been rather fond of Eddie Argos, and were delighted that he took the time to answer some questions about his latest project, Everybody Was In The French Resistance... Now!

P8 With so much new, exciting music in this city it doesn’t really seem to be the time for harping on about past musical successes. Dan explains why it just isn’t the right time for a Madchester revival.

P12 In the future this page will be dedicated to all things new and exciting, but first there are certain things to lament. We look back at the fine work of Urbis prior to its closure at the end of February.

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Well will you look at that, PYT have gone and got ourselves a proper website.

Over the coming weeks we will be uploading a shed load of content, including a full archive of our past interviews with folks like Los Campesinos!, Camera Obscura, Sky Larkin and, of course, Darren Hayman. We’ve also got a brand spanking new interview with the frankly brilliant This Many Boyfriends, and hopefully even more exciting stuff too! If Dan can work out how to set it up properly we’ll also be posting our now legendary (or at least we’ve heard that it is) PYT vs The Week listings up there, erm, weekly. We might even get round to doing that podcast we keep talking about...

pullyourselftogetherzine.co.uk

The Mary Onettes, This Many Boyfriends, LC!’s Romance is Boring, Errors,

Allo, Darlin’, the Love and Disaster EP,

Honour Before Glory, Sir Yes Sir

ON THE PYT STEREODe

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It’s always good to find like-minded souls, and PYT believe we’ve found some in Off The Beaten Tracks, a video blog based in the fair city of Edinburgh. The concept is simple: persuade bands to play a couple of tracks for you in unusual surroundings, film the results and post on the internet. These results are delightful, whether its those cheeky chaps from Moustache of Insanity breaking into a quiet patch of park by the castle, Jeff Lewis singing entirely unaccompanied on a giant chess set or Malcolm Middleton playing in the loft of a fisheries museum. Alex, one half of OTBT, is here to tell us about the many exciting things that Edinburgh has to offer...

Ask anyone who’s lived here for more than five minutes and you’ll hear the same thing - Edinburgh’s not a city, it’s a village, and particularly so in the case of its music scene.

Those new to Edinburgh could do worse than starting with checking out the excellent Song, By Toad, one of the longer-established blogs in the city and instrumental in finding some of the better gems in the musical mine from here and beyond. The deafeningly talented Meursault (see PYT’s tips for 2010 over the page) are the jewel in the Song, By Toad crown, with Matthew Young’s gleefully foul-mouthed and gin-sodden blog also acting as their label. With sessions, gigs in his house, podcasts and the blog, it’s one of the cornerstones of the city’s outlets for new bands. Scotland’s free entertainment magazine The Skinny is also based here, and is now the third-largest entertainment monthly in the UK, having championed new music since it first appeared a few years ago, while Scotland’s venerable daily broadsheet The Scotsman has even got in on the new music action, with its Under The Radar blog delivering

constant coverage to unsigned Scottish acts.Oh, and there’s us too - we do videos of acoustic sessions with bands in Edinburgh’s nooks and crannies.

Without the bands though, all this feverish blogging’s a bit pointless, but thankfully there are some absolute corkers on the go at the moment. From The Last Battle’s gentle and whisky-breathing folk to Come On Gang’s spunky pop chutzpah; from X-Lion Tamer’s one man synth-vs-guitar vocoder attack to the (honestly) BAFTA-winning invention of FOUND, there’s a breadth of sound, too, usually somewhere to the left of inventive. Conquering Animal Sound’s (pictured above) tiny beats and big noise are always a treat, Debutant’s cathedral-shaped guitar is terrific, and Jesus H Foxx are endearing, muti-talented and daft. Broken Records probably pip the rest to the top of the ‘fame’ chart, but bands like eagleowl (referred to by everyone, ever, as ‘brooding’), easily compete for most-loved.

If you want to see them in the flesh, Edinburgh’s venues are almost all under arches, or in churches, or used to be cellars, or anything else equally old. Some are pretty stinky inside, but you don’t get many ‘standard’ venues here – Sneaky Pete’s, Cabaret Voltaire and The Roxy are local favourites, and nights like This Is Music, Trampoline and the eye-poppingly confusing Versus (where bands alternate songs with each other then all end up onstage playing each other’s tracks) are always sweaty and usually fairly drunken.

To be honest, it’s a bit confusing to find this much activity in such a small place, like finding Atlantis in the bottom of a garden pond. But thanks to the efforts of a few professionals, and a much-larger army of those just in it for the love, the place is thriving, friendly and hugely good fun. Edinburgh might be tiny, but right now it’s punching well above its weight.

Head over to offthebeatentracks.tv to see Alex and Andy’s fine work, and take our advice: leave plenty of time because you’ll want to watch every single session.

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PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INDIE: HURRAH! ANOTHER YEAR... THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INDIE: HURRAH! ANOTHER YEAR...

Last year PYT were quite content with our choices of what would be floating our boat for the coming year, with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Young British Artists and The Lovely Eggs all doing pretty damn well. Can we do it again? Well, that we don't really know but we'll sure as hell give it a shot, as there are certainly plenty of bands we're excited about hearing from. It's not all about the new though, as there are plenty of old favourites returning to the fold; welcome back to you!

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INDIE:

This Many Boyfriends

Leeds' This Many Boyfriends were the first gig PYT ventured to this decade. It was freezing cold, the snow was still pretty thick on the ground, and yet the crowd in Saki was not only warm as toast, but really rather sizeable. It's no surprise, This Many Boyfriends make raucous, shambolic indiepop that makes you bop around like it's 1986. We were hooked from the first listen of I Don't Like You 'Cause You Don't Like The Pastels (well, why on earth wouldn't we be?), and have high hopes for them. They're embarking on their first tour in February, so make sure to check 'em out if they're heading near you! myspace.com/howmanyboyfriends

The Return of Pavement

As reported in every music mag/blog/whatever the hell people use in 2010, Pavement are back. You know it, we know it, but it doesn't stop the news from being quite ridiculously exciting. Sure, we've seen Malkmus live over the years, but being 14 when the group disbanded in 1999 we never got a chance to see the glory days. Cue many years of jumping around scummy indie discos screaming Stereo at the top of our lungs, and dreaming that one day, maybe, we'd see a return. Steven Malkmus and the Jicks have been entertaining, but it's the Pavement tracks that get us going, and the Pavement albums that we hold dear.As we speak our final installment for ATP curated by Pavement is in the post, and we're trying to resist the temptation to count the days. myspace.com/pavement

Spokes

You know how this time last year we heralded Young British Artists as the new Spokes? Well having spent last year touring and generally making a name for themselves (they were bloody brilliant at End of the Road), 2010 should be the year that we see a follow up to Spokes' fantastic People Like People Like You. They have been holed up writing and recording their debut album, which we are very excited about hearing. Expect something that sounds a bit like slowly building crescendos of post-rock-folk-pop. Beautiful stuff. myspace.com/spokessound

Meursault

As one of the best bands we saw in 2009, we're excited about what Meursault could achieve this year. It would be easy to say that they could follow in the footsteps of fellow scots Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit et al, but that wouldn't really do them justice. Neil Pennycook is an utterly beguiling front man, whose vocals are those of a man whose heart could shatter at any moment, right before your eyes in the most wonderful way. Combine this with their ability to seamlessly meld lilting folk into blasts of electronica and we guarantee you're onto a winner. myspace.com/meursaulta701

Dutch Uncles

Could this be their year? It sure as hell should be. From the release of their debut album last year it was clear that Duncan and co were a cut above: nobody else could come close to their intelligent, eccentric take on art pop. This was proved at In the City in October, with the band playing to packed sweatboxes of venues all festival: Chicago Rock, Deaf Institute and Night + Day were the place to be when the DUncles were on. 2010 has started for the band in a similar vein, with their hugely well attended set at the Friends of Manchester festival, so we advise you to see them now: they ain't going to be playing these kind of venues for long. myspace.com/dutchuncles

Belle & Sebastian

Concerns were mounting last year that our beloved B&S may not release another album. There was a nagging voice in the back of the mind, it kept saying "if they were going to do it, they would have done by now." The voice got louder with the release of God Help The Girl (though obviously the presence of new Murdoch material with added Neil Hannon whetted the appetite somewhat), but then our hopes were given room to breathe again: there, on the front page of the B&S website, was Stuart; notebook in hand, cuppa at his side, Glasgow in the background. Somewhat cheekily the image was captioned with "Here's some evidence of activity to reassure you kids who are fretting on the Q&As. Look behind Stuart...could that be another b&s record on the horizon?" My god, we hope so - it's been four years since The Life Pursuit came out and we're beginning to get impatient. belleandsebastian.com

Joanna Newsom

2006. That was a long time ago. Joanna Newsom’s last record, the sumptuous five track beauty of Ys, was released four years ago. However, the rumours of a new album have finally been confirmed by a comic strip. Have One On Me will be released in late February, which is exciting enough news, but the palpitation level went up a further notch with the announcement that it will be a TRIPLE album. Joanna recently played some new tracks at Sydney Opera House which hint at a similar orchestral feel to Ys, rather than the folk-pop of Milk Eyed Mender. Time to cross everything in the hope of a UK tour and Manchester date later this year. dragcity.com/artists/joanna-newsom

Arcade Fire

Another band who have been away for a while, another new album rumour. Fresh from recording his own album, Owen Pallett said that the new Arcade Fire album is the most exciting record he has ever been involved in – high praise indeed. The band have been recording with Markus Dravs, best regarded in these parts for producing Bjork’s Homeogenic. If reports are to be believed the new album will be out by this summer, and if it matches the quality of Funeral or Neon Bible then it's sure to be a treat for the ears. arcadefire.com

Weird Era

I'll level with you, I don't know all that much about Weird Era - other than that a) they are from Manchester and b) I really like their music. They are obviously influenced by Deerhunter, both in terms of name and sound, with elements of My Bloody Valentine also coming out in their shoegaze yet lo-fi sound. The band slung out a few copies of their Side A/Side A* EP around town in early January, and from there that is about all I can tell you. You know how Hurts got massive with no songs really? Well Weird Era have got the great songs and that air of mystery. These guys could be great, looking forward to hearing more/seeing them live. myspace.com/weirdera

Allo, Darlin'

Sure, we've been going on about Allo, Darlin' for a while (she played PYT's Christmas Party in 2008), but 2010 is the year of a bigger and better Allo, Darlin'. Elizabeth is now joined by a band, and they've been snapped up by the wonderful Fortuna POP! records. Towards the end of 2009 The Polaroid Song started getting some radio play, with Lauren Laverne getting behind it on 6 Music quite a lot, and rightly so. Playing live the band exude FUN, whether it is Elizabeth bouncing from side to side with her Uke or Bill doing his little bass-dance-cum-march. A combination of fantastic pop songs, great live show and being down right lovely make for a band well worth keeping yr peepers on. myspace.com/allodarlin

“This Many Boyfriends make raucous, shambolic indiepop that makes you bop around like it’s 1986.”

HURRAH! ANOTHER YEAR...

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PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010IN WHICH PYT INTERROGATE IN WHICH PYT INTERROGATE

We've all done it. We've all listened to pop hits and thought hang on, I'm not sure I agree with you there. Somebody needs to put you in your place. What most of us don't do, however, is set up a band to respond to all of these wearisome protagonists. Art Brut's Eddie Argos and The Blood Arm's Dyan Valdes aren't most people though, so they set about penning an album in response to a couple of generations' worth of pop hits. Ahead of their first tour, Eddie lets us know more about the band, as well as answering some obligatory questions about comic books and Top of the Pops.

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Hi Eddie, how is 2010 treating you thus far?Good. I've just arrived back in the UK after a long spell in LA so most of this year has been sleepy jetlag for me.

For those who know you as that chap from Art Brut, where did Everybody Was In The French Resistance... Now! come from? Is it kind of like the times when we've been in the pub and thought 'you know what, we should start a zine/blog/label/band'? Yes, a bit like that. It came about because I was telling Dyan (the other member of EBWITFR...N!, and my girlfriend) that somebody needed to reply to that song 'Jimmy Mack' as it seemed, to me at least, to be a bit cruel to taunt a man that unless he comes back soon you're going to cheat on him (the subject of the song). She told me that we should either get on and write it, or that I should stop going on about it. It grew out of that really.

Would you say that Fixing The Charts is your manifesto? Again, for the uninitiated, what does 'Fixing The Charts' actually mean? I wouldn't say it was a manifesto. Calling the album Fixing the Charts is a play on fixing the charts as in manipulating them to get to number one. I just wanted to fool around with other songwriters' characters for a bit and I had some grievances to air.

How does working with Dyan differ from Art Brut? Well we're a couple so she can be a lot more direct with me. With Art Brut there are 4 people writing the music with EBWITFR...N! it was just Dyan so it was less people to disagree/debate with and we wrote a lot of it at home on the piano whereas with Art Brut we need a practice space for the loud guitars.

Listening to the songs that have been on your MySpace, it seems that EBWITFR...N is taking musical props from elements of Motown and Phil Spector, any truth in this? Is there anyone else who has been a big influence on how your sound has developed? A little truth. The main influences are the pop songs we're responding to.

How many shows have you played so far? How have they been going? Have you had any problems with people shouting for Blood Arm/Art Brut songs? We've only had one show so far. A small practice show. I hope nobody calls out for our other bands' songs. When we played our first show I got a bit nervous and accidentally referred to us as Art Brut which I still feel terrible about.

How much are you looking forward to touring this record? Loads.

Speaking of the tour, you have got one of our FAVOURITE BANDS IN THE WORLD supporting. How did you hook up with The Lovely Eggs? Those guys are ace, they are easily one of the best bands we've ever put on. I'd been a fan of theirs for a while, then we became friends over Twitter and they sent me a letter. I keep missing them live and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to see them live loads of times in a row for free. I think they are brilliant. I’m also looking forward to Internet Forever, who are playing London and Leeds

Seeing that Fixing The Charts Vol. 1 has the vital caveat of 'Vol. 1', does that mean you've got your sights set on other 'pop hits' for the next record?Yes, loads of them.

Some of the reviews we've seen of the album have been, erm, less than complementary. Is it just that they don't understand it? We saw one that criticised the rhymes as not highbrow enough, seems like an odd thing to shoot at to us. Not being highbrow is a weird thing to get upset about. I think some people were expecting it to be more of a guitar album or a kind of Weird Al/Barron Knights thing and we've not done that really, is that misunderstanding it? I dont know. I don't

really seek out reviews I only read ones that appear in publications or online things that I would read anyway. So the only reviews I've read are Word magazine and an email from my mum. They both liked it.

How did you feel over Christmas when people power supposedly saved the charts? Getting Rage to Number 1 is hardly exciting is it?I wasn't that impressed either. I'd rather people just buy songs they like. Or perhaps if you're going to get people to go out and mass buy a song as a protest against X-Factor it should be a song about how awesome it is to Form A Band. I have a song about that and I could use the cash.

If TOTP was to come back, it needs a good format and presenter. We've discussed just doing it on a Sunday, run down the Top 20, needs live footage of EVERY track, then just before the top 5 preview the new releases for next week. How would you put it together? I'd have it classic style on a Thursday just like it used to be. Maybe Harry Hill could present it.

The video for G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N. (You Know I've Got A...) is really reminiscent of the French New Wave, who are your favourite directors/favourite films of that era? Godard was mad as a box of frogs (no pun intended) at times wasn't he? In a good way mind. Nathaniel from The Blood Arm directed the video. It's him that loves French new wave film. I was just his pawn. The dance at the end is a copy of a real dance from a famous film whose title I have forgotten. I was terrible at copying it so I presume in the video my legs are CGI.

Some comic book questions for you: 1) Were someone to create a Fixing The Charts comic book, who would you want to be in charge? Would you have powers? 2) Astro Boy - that film looks all manner of wrong. Thoughts? 3) Rumour has it they are looking for a new Spiderman, have you put your name forward? 1) Jeffery Lewis. He is very good at telling both autobiographical and historical stories in comic form which I think would work with what we're trying to do. We'd be able to time travel. 2) I don't know much about Astro Boy but I just googled it and you are right it looks terrible. 3) Im too old, over weight and clumsy to be Spiderman. I just hope it's not another origin story.

With a tour coming up, what reading matter have you got for the road? I got given a lot of Just William books for Christmas I'm going to be working my way through them.

Any tips for the year? Who are the new bands you are listening to? Internet Forever and The Lovely Eggs.

One more thing, Art Brut aren't dead right?Of course not. We've already started working on the next album.

Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now! play The Ruby Lounge on Monday 15th February as a part of their UK tour. The album, Fixin' the Charts Vol. 1 out now, as is the single G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N. (You Know I've Got A)

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PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010UNWANTED PLEASURES?

A new / old venue will be open in Manchester by the time that you read this. Peter Hook is spearheading the re-opening of the former Factory Records offices (yes, the ones with that table etc etc) as a night club and live music venue. The ingenious name – FAC251. Of course. It’s all about the legacy isn’t it.

Why is it though? Why at a time when the Manchester music scene is making a name for itself are we being reminded of a wave of music which the city has finally moved on from. For so many years ‘Madchester’ (I hate that word, with a passion, by the way) has been a monkey on the back of every band who has ever taken to a stage in this city, even more so once they leave town. By picking up a guitar / keyboard / whatever, kids have supposedly been carrying on the spirit of this fantastic chapter in Manchester’s musical heritage when bands played in front of massive crowds of people drugged to the eye balls clutching their shooter. Inspiring stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, Manchester’s music history is one of the main reasons I gravitated into the city from an outlying satellite town. Joy Divison are one of the most important bands of all time, always will be. I’ve never been that into New Order, but I respect what they did. Here is the crux of it. I respect what they did. I don’t need to be reminded by a pantheon to Madchester. If I want to listen to a Guy Called The Inspiral Happy Stones then I can do that at any number of bars and venues around town. I don’t want to though, because there is so much more to Manchester.

Lets start with the venues. Why evoke memories of the Hacienda when you can go to what is generally regarded as one of the best new venues in the country? The Deaf Institute is loved by bands, both local and touring, and is a great place to watch music. Alongside a rich mixture of ornate (Apollo), just big (Academy) down to dirty and DIY (Saki) this city has great venues.

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However, the big thing is the musical heritage of Manchester. Who deemed it the right time to reflect on the past, AGAIN? Opening night at FAC251 - Peter Hook, Mani, Andy Rourke, Rowetta and Howard Marks playing a live retrospective of Hooky’s band -career featuring Monaco, Revenge, New Order & Joy Division. This isn’t new and exciting. This isn’t encouraging creativity. This isn’t a call to arms for Manchester to make itself heard.No, and it isn’t needed anyway.

Manchester is being heard.Delphic have just released a Top Ten album. Hurts and Everything Everything made the BBC Sound of 2010 longlist (making that 20% of the list being based in Manchester). Dutch Uncles, Egyptian Hip Hop, The Answering Machine, MAY68, Liam Frost, Young British Artists, Jo Rose, Airship and Sophies Pigeons are all well known nationally, if not internationally. Weird Era, WU LYF, Chris Eatough, Mazes, Amida, The Heartbreaks and more are making fantastic music around Manchester.

I’ve got no problem with the legacy. I have got a problem with it being rammed down people’s throats just when this city is achieving musical success again. Madchester is fucking dead – long live Manchester.

“20 years since the birth of Madchester, the building that started it all and ultimately destroyed it all...”

MADCHESTER IS FUCKING DEAD LONG LIVE MANCHESTER.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN PYT PLEASE GET IN TOUCH - HELLO@PULLYOURSELFTOGETHERZINE.CO.UK

A small label with big ideasManchester’s premier imprint

Forthcoming releases :

George �omas And �e Owls - ‘Laughing At �e Raging Sea’�ird album - Out Now - 5 CD box set ‘Hiss, Crackle & Pop’ out 22nd February

Sophie’s Pigeons -‘It’s Gonna Bite / Only Us’Debut single out 1st March - limited pink 7” & download

Young British Artists - ‘Lived In Skin / Million Miles’

Double A Side out 12th April - limited 7” & download

All releases are distributed by ForteAvailable via iTunes & reddeerclub.bigcartel.com

‘Showcased some of Manchester's �nest new talents’ - Chris Long / BBC IntroducingShortlisted in the ‘Best In Manchester Awards 2008’

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PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010THE LISTINGS THE LISTINGS

Walls Are Talking: Wallpaper, Art and Culture. Until 3rd May, Whitworth Art Gallery Following on from their previous exhibitions on arty wallpaper styles, the Whitworth goes one further this time by bringing together artwork by the likes of David Shrigley, Andy Warhol, Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst which subvert all ideas of what wallpaper is. Rather than acting as a piece of home-dressing, this exhibition hits themes such as warfare, racism, gender and cultural conflicts, all presented through the medium of wallpaper. We were lucky enough to get a sneak preview, and it looks great!

Beach House 11th Feb Islington Mill Over the course of their three albums to date, Beach House have slowly crept up on us, each record providing more evidence that they really are superb, edging into our consciousness bit by bit. Current single Norway is one of the best tracks of the year thus far, with its swirling, dreamy melodies. Support comes in the shape of Lawrence Arabia, bringing a more upbeat on psychedelic folk to start proceedings. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that this is the same night as Sian Alice Group, but never fear! Beach House are popping over the Pennines to play Leeds Brudenell on Friday 12th February, so there’s no excuse to miss ‘em.

DiS presents Sian Alice Group, Esben and the Witch 11th Feb Deaf Institute The last time Esben and the Witch played here they were beset by technical difficulties (namely a stubborn drum machine not playing ball), and yet still sounded wonderful, so there’s no doubt about it that this one’s unmissable, especially with Sian Alice Group headlining. Both bands make beautifully atmospheric post-rock, the kind that draws you into some kind of Grimm narrative rather than just being four overweight/skinny blokes in black hitting things. By mixing post-rock with elements of electronics and bits of free jazz both Sian Alice and Esben put together great songs, and a wonderful live show. Oh, and they will probably have some pretty things on stage with them too, like globes and skulls and things.

Red Deer Club presents Sophie’s Pigeons and Panda Su 12th Feb Retro Bar Grimy little Retro Bar may not seem the most obvious venue for the Red Deer to be found on the opening night of this UK tour, but this line-up’s bound to brighten up the surroundings no end. Sophie’s Pigeons may have a heart of folk, but there’s layers of exuberant wonky pop atop this and they sure make for one hell of a party. Though PYT haven’t caught Panda Su yet, by all accounts she and her band are a delight, with another unique take on folk. Gaining the production skills of The Beta Band’s Steve Mason at work on their debut EP is enough to convince us!

High Voltage presents Hot Club de Paris, Spokes, Trojan Horse 15th Feb Deaf Institute It’s great to see High Voltage back on its feet and putting on gigs again, especially if the line-ups are going to be of this calibre. Perky, harmonising popsters Hot Club de Paris are back to launch new EP With Days Like This As Cheap As Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want To Work? (prizes there for longest title of the decade thus far), and it should make for one fun ride. Spokes may not necessarily be the band you’d expect to support Hot Club, but they are one of the best bands in Manchester right now and from the shows they played in the Deaf Institute in 2009 it’s the perfect venue for them.

Internet Forever, Of Mice and Mental Arithmetic, Matt Riviere 19th February Kro Bar This line up is bloody brilliant. Internet Forever are one of the bestest new lo-fi indiepop bands around, and have been getting a load of well deserved blog-press-hype-type-stuff recently. They make pretty simple popsongs, with almost child like vocals over the top. Think Los Campesinos! fronted by a 6 year old. Support comes from the terrific Matt Riviere, and one of the bands closest to the top of PYT’s ‘To See’ list - Of Mice and Mental Arithmetic, who include former members of the sadly departed The Deirdres.

Shaped By War: Photographs by Don McCullin Until 13th June Imperial War Museum North This is by far and away the least ‘fun’ listing we’ve got this time, but we feel that this show is so important to see. Don McCullin has been documenting conflict situations and aftermath for over 50 years, and this exhibition brings together some of his most evocative work. McCullin has the ability to capture so much energy and emotion of a scene in his photos, and this alongside stark black and white prints makes for thought provoking, and at times hugely emotional images.

Modern Life Is Rubbish 20th February Little O’Neill’s, Cardiff Yes, we’re aware that we mostly focus on Manchester listings, but we’re going to go to this night in Cardiff so why shouldn’t you? If you’re anything like us you will have been wondering when a proper 90s night was going to crop up, and the lovely folk behind Modern Life Is Rubbish have gone ahead and made it happen. Not for them the posing and posturing of many club nights to have crept out of the woodwork in recent years, these ladies care about the music, and that music is britpop in all its glorious, messy and sometimes ridiculous forms. Expect to hear (amongst others) Elastica, Pulp, Lush, Dinosaur Jnr, Suede, Grandaddy, Hole, At the Drive In, Kenickie, Bis and Tindersticks. Come on, let’s all party like it’s 1996!

WOTGODFORGOT presents Xiu Xiu 23rd Feb Islington Mill Oh man am I excited about this. I’ve wanted to see Xiu ‘Motherfucking’ Xiu for years, and having missed them last time they were in Manchester, I am definitely going to this. Xiu Xiu make a cacophonous racket that is somewhere between post-punk, ambient techno and white noise. This tour is in support of Jamie Stewart and company’s seventh studio album, Dear God, I Hate Myself - special editions of which came with a handmade piece of chocolate and a t-shirt with Xiu Xiu written on it in human blood. I think that is probably the best way to paint a picture for what this show will be like.

Urbis has left the building Until 27th Feb Urbis As most of you will be aware, Urbis will be closing its doors in its current form at the end of February. This final exhibition brings together the best bits of the various exhibitions the museum has held since opening in 2004, and is an absolute must-see, both for catching elements of those exhibitions you never made it to and for reminding yourself of the ones you did. Strangely this is possibly the best laid out and best conceived exhibition Urbis has hosted, featuring (amongst others) Reality Hack, After the Cloud, Videogame Nation and SuperCity. PYT are still working out what to write on the comments wall asa fitting goodbye.

Frightened Rabbit 5th March Club Academy Having spent time holed up in a sleepy Scottish fishing village writing their new record, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, Frightened Rabbit are back. Last time they played Manchester they swooned everyone in the room, with Scott Hutchinson’s gruff yet heartwarming / heartbreaking (delete as applicable) vocals calling out over ever more anthemic songs. I’ll go out on a limb and say that 2010 will be the year that Frightened Rabbit become as popular in the UK as they already are in the USA, so make sure to catch them now before they are filling much bigger venues.

Errors, worriedaboutsatan, May 68 10th March Deaf Institute Now Wave have really hit the nail on the head with this one, with three of the most compelling live bands around. Each time we’ve seen Errors they’ve effortlessly drawn us into some kind of deranged trance, bridging the gap between post-rock and electro in quite a remarkable fashion. The worriedaboutsatan boys are the perfect counterfoil for this; more brooding and sinister and yet still with the same relentless driving energy pushing them ever forwards. Add in a bit of sparkle and glamour from Manchester’s MAY68 and you’re in for one hell of an evening.

For Folk’s Sake presents Anna Kashfi, Mab Jones, Honeyfeet 18th March Zion Arts Centre FFS is fast gaining itself a reputation as the place to go to see all that is new an exciting in the folky world, and rightly so. Hot off the back of their nomination for ‘Best Folk Club of the Year’ at the Spiral Awards, this is one of their biggest and most exciting shows yet. Anna Kashfi have a dreamy yet melancholic sound, and have just released their debut album on Little Red Rabbit. Also appearing is Cardiff poetry slam champion Mab Jones, and the ‘big hearted’ Honeyfeet.

The Magnetic Fields 19th March Manchester Cathedral Hot off the back of latest long-player Realism, Stephin Merritt brings his folk-synth-indie-noise-pop outfit to the beautiful confines of the Cathedral for what will be a stunning gig. As the Grizzly Bear gig proved, the acoustics of Manchester Cathedral are bloody brilliant, and the prospect of The Magnetic Fields swirling melodies echoing around the building underneath Merritt’s characteristic baritone drawl/boom is more than a little exciting. Would it be lazy writing to do a luckiest guy joke...

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra 21st March Academy 3 You know how I said I was excited about seeing Xiu Xiu. Double that for this band. Following up the frankly brilliant 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons will not be an easy task, as Silver Mt. Zion’s fifth studio album was a piece of post-rock-drone-prog excellence. The band are over here promoting their new LP Kollaps Tradixionales, and whilst Academy 3 doesn’t seem like the perfect venue for their minimal-cum-expansive sound this gig will still be amazing.

The Album Leaf 22nd March Deaf Institute Continuing in the bands that rarely play here and you MUST see whilst they are in town, The Album Leaf take in The Deaf Institute as part of their European tour in support of A Chorus of Storytellers, their latest album on Sub Pop. The band is centered round Jimmy LaValle’s glitchy electronic beats, and on this album layers of instrumentation and soaring vocals give an almost choral feel to the band’s folktronica take on post-rock. Think Death Cab For Cutie playing songs by Explosions in the Sky, beautiful stuff.

Alan Fletcher: 50 Years of graphic work (and play) Until 3rd April CUBE Alan Fletcher is generally regarded as one of the most influential British designers of the 20th Century, and this retrospective of his work, from sketch books through to instantly recognisable posters, represents a fantastic opportunity to see the development of a true great. The inspiration for trends which exist in design to this day can be seen here, all from the work of one man. Hailed by Peter Saville as a designer with the ability to draw the good out of any view, Fletcher’s bright and often playful style is a joy to view.

Underachievers feat. Cats in Paris, Deaf to Van Gogh’s Ear 27th March Saki PYT, amongst others I’m sure, were starting to wonder where Cats in Paris had got to. Well, the team at Underachievers went one better and booked ‘em. We’ve yet to learn what Sara’s leaving the band will mean for their sound, but with the strength of debut album Courtcase 2000 and the hope of new songs it should be a superb shout-along. If you’re still not sure, then let Deaf To Van Gogh’s Ear persuade you with their tuneful, sideways take on post-rock.

The Besnard Lakes 29th March Dulcimer Oh, Montreal. You spoil us. Just when it seems like there may have been a lull in the city’s superb musical output, The Besnard Lakes return with their third album, The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night. Although the band have been around for a while, it’s this record which seems to be finally gaining them more attention in the UK, and it’s a damn good thing too. Transpose the laid back melodies of Beach House to chillier, more northerly climes and you’re getting close, but make sure to add a bit of psych-folk to the mix. This is the stuff dreams are made of, and it’s going to sound awesome in such an intimate venue.

THE LISTINGS FEB-MAR 2010

PYT at Common - Wed 10th Feb; Wed 24th Feb; Wed 10th March; Wed 24th March Pull Yourself Together will be playing some of the best pop music around from Northern Soul, through C86 right up to the best new indiepop in town. The perfect place to catch up with your friends. We’ll play the songs, you bring the friends! There is only one place to be on a Wednesday night!

PYT at Underachievers Please Try Harder 13th March Saki The ever wonderful Underachievers are off on their hols, so have asked us to babysit for them! Don’t panic, we won’t be changing a thing though. Amazing live music downstairs, all out disco party upstairs. Keep yr eyes peeled on Faceache and other places for news of the bands as soon as we’ve confirmed them!

FRAMING CULTURE: GOODBYE TO URBISThe announcement at the tail end of 2009 that Urbis would be closing its doors in its current form during the early months of 2010 wasn’t met with much enthusiasm. Not only were people sad to lose an interesting and absorbing element of the city, but many of them were angry at what the building would become: upon its reopening in 2011 the great glass structure will be reborn as the National Football Museum. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the bile directed towards this decision was the sheer number of people stating “football isn’t culture”, with one critic even claiming they had never met somebody who was interested in both football and museums. Well, one half of PYT is an Art Gallery and Museum Studies student and a Blackburn Rovers season ticket holder, so it’s evidently possible to have an interest in both. It seems that in a way, football is an easy target here: it’s not so much that people don’t believe in the validity of a football museum, more that in a city so dominated by the sport its detractors don’t wish to see it being given even more prominence. Yet this is exactly the reason it makes sense for the museum to head down from Preston to Manchester.

Urbis certainly had its problems over the years: the concept of a Pop Culture Exhibition Centre was difficult to convey - especially as one of the defining elements of Pop Culture itself is its spontaneity, how difficult it is to define or encapsulate. The use of the space was an issue for many, it often seemed surprisingly empty, almost wasted in a way. And yet, in its final exhibition Urbis reminds us all that, difficulties set aside, the centre could be innovative, groundbreaking and a lot of fun.

Yet will Urbis be missed long term? What will the legacy be? In the first few years of operation Urbis tried to stick to a remit of representing ‘the city’ as an idea, which seemed like a very far reaching goal for any institution; in time the permanent exhibition space disappeared, to be replaced by a steady rotation of original Pop Culture exhibitions alongside what appeared to be collections of advertising-as-art. (NB – I personally thought that the D&AD was very well put together, and had some interesting insights into the creative process). However, once the creative team re-focused on elements of contemporary culture which had been neglected by museums up to this point, Urbis came to life.

Urbis led the way for bringing street-art into the gallery; they took on social and political issues from sustainability to The Black Panther movement; contemporary artists from Hong Kong to New York gained exposure, but possibly more importantly so did up and coming local artists; children were spoken to as equals, not as a nuisance; Manga, punk rock and video games were placed on an artistic pedastal (in fact, Videogame Nation was probably my favourite show at Urbis); but most of all, Manchester was celebrated. The Best of Manchester Awards were, and hopefully will continue to be a great way to recognise the creativity of this city. 0161 Manchester and Manchester 24 held a mirror up to the lives of all walks of life. After The Cloud was an exhibition which made me proud to be an honourary-Manc, and was also the only exhibition which made me cry (I think). Reality Hack’s alternate views of the city included some of my favourite photographs of Manchester, if not of anywhere. Though for all these triumphs, one of my abiding memories of Urbis will be the seemingly one-dimensional spin of the Hacienda 25 exhibition. Everything was seen as a festival of merriment, which the Factory Records and Hacienda story certainly was not. Tony Wilson is one of the most important people to have lived and worked in the city, and at times I wish his ‘legacy’ was more than a striped bollard and the Blue Monday record sleeve.

So, in answer to the question. “Will Urbis be missed” – yes.

Urbis placed Popular Culture in the museum space, and provided something which people hadn’t seen before. Television, rap, video games and urban gardening are all subjects which you wouldn’t have seen in a museum or gallery space BEFORE Urbis. Though that in itself sparks another debate – the Whitworth, Holden Gallery and CUBE are home to many exhibitions which could equally have been displayed at Urbis, so it is not that Manchester is going to be bereft of challenging exhibitionary practice. Urbis is leaving the building, though hopefully not our cultural conscious.

Urbis Has Left The Building runs until Saturday 27th February. For more views on the best exhibitions Urbis has offered over the years, including PYT’s favourites, keep an eye on ribbonsampersandleaves.blogspot.com

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PULL YOURSELF TOGETHERFRAMING CULTURE: GOODBYE TO URBIS