MANCHESTER music is currently being thrown at us from all angles. You only need to walk down Oxford Road to be bombarded by people handing out flyers, advertising wannabe rock stars.

Manchester is well kitted out with music venues of all sizes, as small as Joshua Brooks, and moving up in size to the Academy hot spots, then to the bigger venues such as the Apollo and the M.E.N. Arena.

So for and up and coming bands, Manchester is the perfect work place for them to perform and get their name about town.

Using websites such as myspace, a wealth of unsigned talent is at our fingertips. This type of medium has worked wonders for bands such as the Arctic Monkeys and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

So in checking out these sites, ités easy to see what is available in Manchester. On my search I came across a number of bands, from all backgrounds, all genres, and all different influences, but with all the same aim, to sell CDs, and to get into the limelight.

Efforts

I was shocked to hear the musical prowess of some of the bands, there were some poor efforts, but the good certainly out weighed the bad. The first demo I received was from a band called Aristocrash, and what a great start. The music they produced is packed with a rock/pop twist, trying to thump its way out of my speakers.

The influence of Led Zeppelin is evident, and how they mix it up with the amazing vocals of sassy lead singer Pauline, is a fantastic feat. They sound almost like a mellowed version of garbage, with a hint of glam, and a serving of spice.

I was glad to see a band fronted by a woman, they seem to be a dying force, but the trend didnét end there. Other bands such as Angel Falls, fronted with the angelic tones of Natalie Lane, are relative newcomers, but not at all lacking in talent.

As times change, so do the influences. As a result some of the new bands have a slightly American sound to them. 30 Days No Excuses and Azure Glow to name just two have already gained quite a sizeable audience.

Their music is evident that they are credible musicians already, and with Azure Glow, they possess a singer with the best vocals Iéve come across on my search for new Manchester talent, their incubus-styled production is enough to send shivers down your spine. And with 30 Days No Excuses a slightly more teen approach reminiscent of Blink 182 and early Green Day.

But if ités home grown sounding music that floats your boat, then look no further than Belief System, Money For the Masses and Bureau.

All three have their own sound, and their own approach to how they present their music. With Belief System, they are becoming a genuine contender amongst the Manchester hopefuls; ités evident searching through local web sites that their twisting style of alternative indie is turning heads.

Money For The Masses have been fortunate enough to share the stage with artists such as Pete Doherty and the Arctic Monkeys, which can do the band no harm, as they continue to push out there direct style of well written songs.

Then finally, Bureau are relative newcomers, who are gearing themselves up for the Manchester public. They are finally set to bring their music to the stage, after a great response on myspace knocking up a huge amount of plays in such a short time, with Magazine being a strong favourite, there electro style of indie pop possibly being the sound of the future.

Here Iéve only commented on a few acts, but thereés plenty more to come out, I know Iéve only scratched the surface with unsigned talent in Manchester, and I also know that I can quench my thirst for new and exciting music in our rainy city.

I was getting to a point where I thought Iéd never hear a piece of music that was completely new, untouched, and uninstructed from record company bosses. They are simply doing what they do best; produce music that will get peoples attention, and manipulate their imagination.

To find out more about the bands mentioned above go to myspace.com.