SINCE the last instalment of Manchester unsigned, Bureau have finally made their live debut in the city, playing an excellent set at Music Box, thanks to the guys of High Voltage for giving them their break.

Their performance was nothing short of brilliant, front man Theo worked the crowd like a seasoned pro, and the rest of band played in unison like theyéd been doing it for years, where in truth, it was the first time some of the band had even been on stage.

Aristocrash have gone back into the studio, working on what they hope to be their first single, with a helping hand from the man who signed the Sex Pistols and Duran Duran to name but two, Dave Ambrose.

And the haunting sounds of Belief System will hopefully be more prominent in the near future as they are set to be taking part in the upcoming éIn The Cityé in a bid to achieve that elusive record contract.

One band who are currently trawling the streets of Manchester with intentions of one day playing the bigger venues are The People Involved .

Late Room

I came across them one Friday night in the Late Room, when on a night out, I thought the bands would have long since finished, but I found The People Involved still strutting their way through there apocalyptic rock. They posses all the attributes youéd possibly want from an up and coming rock band, along the lines of a heavier version of early Coldplay.

When I saw them I thought the é1.50 a bottle was going to my head, thinking everything was great, but listening to their demo EP the day after, I was pleased to find that the beverages werenét quite taking over as quick as Iéd thought. I strongly recommend that if you hear about this band playing live anywhere, then give them a go, you wonét be disappointed.

Hannah are a slightly less enigmatic set-up and thereés a fantastic mellow rock/pop twist to their tunes.

These are certainly a band to look out for, producing rock/acoustic music to dance to. I have the notion that Iéve heard these songs before, but knowing damn well that I havenét, perhaps ités because at such an early stage they sound radio ready.

Moving slightly out of the rock fold, and into the singer-songwriter mould, where weéll find John McKay .

Sometimes you just want to stick a CD on that wonét excite you physically, wanting to play air guitar too, or pretending to be the lead singer in a band, ités just nice to hear something that comes across as so simplistic, one man and his guitar. Everything about John McKay is inoffensive.

Not meaning to put huge pressure on John, but his John Lennon like dulcet tone works wonderfully with the easy listening guitar backdrop and occasional harmonica.

Ités a wonderful demo; I can imagine Mr McKay being right at home playing in the Night and Day.

Whilst weére moving out of the rock bracket slightly, lets move on to some North West funk, yes you heard me right, FUNK. A lot of you may have already heard of Mamma Freedom , they certainly put themselves about.

Led Zep

Somehow managing to combine influences such as Sly and the family Stone, and Led Zep, this Manchester eight piece are certainly a band who will captivate your imagination. Not just plying their trade in Manchester, Mamma Freedom will soon be entertaining the nation.

Now Iéll end this piece with the mention of a band by the name of Modernaire , now you will need a wild imagination to get where Iém coming from when describing this two-piece. Infact it might just be easier for me to leave it there and let you make your own assumptions.

But instead Iéll perceiver and set my adjective mind into overload. When I say two pieces, donét be thinking The White Stripes, couldnét be any further away from the truth.

This electric, eclectic, bonding of minds has produced possibly the most endearing music Iéve heard this year. Mixing samples upon samples, blended in with wispy, enchanting vocals, combining to form music for robots. Modernaire certainly are Manchester's naughty little secret.

I hope Iéve shone some light on some more of the aspiring acts in our city, giving them the press they deserve, and hopefully a bit more of a following.

The standards of bands around at the moment are top billing. And with the number of venues available theyére not short of playgrounds, and boy do they like to play.

Are you an in an unsigned band? Got a date coming up? Then why not e-mail us the details.

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