Brooding darkness gathers for the shining excellence of Omerta at the Night and Day.

The House of Lords and his two mates bring their spiky songs to entertain the masses at Academy 2.

Snappy guitars and sharp tunes, but there's little to watch as Good Shoes play Academy 3.

With mesmerising lyrics and gently intense songs, Cherry Ghost stuns the Night and Day.

The ex-Arab Strapper battles terrible sound to pull off a great show at the Life Café.

The Chicago rockers top a great bill at Academy 2, with great support from theAUDITION + Young Love.

The Sheffield indie-rockers show their spinning style at the Night and Day.

!!!, The Longcut, The KBC and The Whip entertain a packed Ritz for High Voltage's birthday shindig.

!!!, The Longcut, The KBC and The Whip entertain a packed house at the Ritz for High Voltage's party

With his wizardry white hair and energy, the Kiwi songsmith mixes old and new at the Lowry.

Despite their best efforts, the French duo's restful ambience fails to inspire a chatty Academy.

David Potts brings together his seven years of solo work for a fine debut album.

Enormous metal, truck-size drumming and a mental mosh-pit brings Mastadon to Academy 2.

The Cornish four piece offer only moments of excitement in an ordinary show at Academy 3.

Swapping aikido for amplifiers, the movie action hero brings his fine old blues to the Lowry.

Leeds' soul chanteuse opens her arms and her voice to thrill the Apollo.

New York's grumpiest electro wunderkind brings his hangover and bag of killer tunes to the Academy.

Deftones, Lily Allen, Enter Shikari, YourCodenameIs:Milo and Arcade Fire, as seen by Shirlaine!

The Aussies come out of the shadow of their influences and into the rocking light at the Apollo.

Tom, Tim and Richard show their class with a critic-defying brilliance of a show at the Arena.

There are no birds or screeching guitars, but plenty of fake face fuzz at Eagles of Death Metal.

The intense experimentation in rock that is Deftones rocks the Academy from front to back.

Things get very loud for the arrival of Enter Shikari and YourCodenameIs:Milo at Academy 2.

The Canadian indie rockers bring their dark and brooding power to the Apollo.

The voice of a generation or just another pop star? The Apollo discover the reality of Lily Allen.

The Earlies shine at Blueprint Studios, with help from Half Cousin and Starless & Bible Black.

Mint Royale take a look back across their output and find things are looking very rosy.

A remarkable product of remarkable times, The Earlies produce glories at Blueprint Studios.

Autokat launch themselves with a smash-and-grab raid of intelligent punk-indie.

Paint-stripping screams, lush melodies and short shorts... Alexisonfire have it all at Academy 2.

Crowd-surfing, sing-alongs and general crushed madness are the order of the day at the Roadhouse.

Eamonn Hamilton and his band of indie wonders show their teeth and their top tunes at Academy 3.

The rising falsetto of Mika spreads his wings at the Academy, but falls a little flat.

Gossip, Eddi Reader, Ash, Luke Haines, Polytechnic, The Black Keys... catch up with the latest gigs!

The Radio 2 Folk award winners bring their raucous take on traditional folk music to the Bury Met.

The power indie trio make things very hot and very sweaty for a sell-out visit to the Academy 3.

Clad in coat, scarf and an impressive handle-bar moustache, Luke Haines impresses at the Roadhouse.

Beth Ditto confirms her brilliance as The Gossip make waves of wonderful disco at Academy 2.

A dream comes true for Damon Gough as he produces a triumphant show at Stockport Plaza.

The light-hearted but down-to-earth Scot finds herself upstaged by her backing band at the Lowry.

It's a case of the hare and the tortoise as Polytechnic and Cherry Ghost share headline duties.

Dan and Patrick play it loud and fast for a packed yet slightly disappointing show at the Academy.

Still humble and still passionate, Morrison shows that a Brit Award hasn't changed him at the Apollo

It's all beats and treats from the golden boy of Northwest hip-hop, plus support from Dirty Diggers.

Daubed in gold headbands and glitter, Natasha Khan and her girls fill the RNCM with wonder.

Leeds' manic indie rockers throw out an energetic set at the Apollo, with support from Long Blondes.

Miserable Americana never sounded so good as Richmond Fontaine hit Academy 3.

The former Pulp front man battles bad sound to deliver a suitably witty performance at the Academy.

The ramshackle Pete Doherty show comes to the Apollo with appropriate support from I Am Kloot.

The former Pulp front man battles bad sound to deliver a suitably witty performance at the Academy.

Great behemoths of sound with musical twists and turns are the order of the day for Early Years.

Manchester becomes Sam's Town appears for one night only as the Killers thrill the Arena.

The king of the jungle brings his rocking solo show to a hot and sweaty Academy.

Everyone's favourite Canadian maneater gets all sexy and sparkly at the Arena.

Kele and the boys spread the love for a suitably spiky and full-on performance at the Academy.

The indie-pop trio impress with their tunes and their dress sense at Academy 3.

Australia's rock sensations pull out all the stops at the Apollo, with help from Wolf & Cub.

The unlikeliest of rock heroes brings the rising stars, The Hold Steady, to Club Academy.

The New York songstress entertains at Night and Day with able support from Bone-Box.

Despite the Roadhouse's construction works, Little Barrie produce something thrilling and vibrant.

The Sonic Cathedral sees Longview on top form with support from Maps and The Second Floor.

The raging rock-rap of Plan B takes a step up and a step out at the Academy 2.

The headliners fall behind as Ghosts + Snowfight In The City Centre steal the show at Night and Day.

Air Traffic, Ghosts and Snowfight In The City Centre vie for attention at Night and Day.

Bruce and Danny crack a full-on set of indie-dance to break free of their Nylon Pylon at the Zoo.

Away from rock guitars and attitude, the other side of Mancunian music is showcased on Malastrugança

Despite occasional bumps in the road, The Decemberists still please the assembled at Academy 2.

Mick Hucknall showcases his new album with an intimate show at the Life Café.

With nods to Floyd and Doves, The Window Right pushed along a vocal-less journey at the Roadhouse.

The supporting Foals make waves while headliners Noisettes fail to impress at the Late Room.

It's full-on fiddles and furious rock soundscapes for the arrival of Air Cav at the Rampant Lion.

The country and western superstar brings his brilliance to an eager audience at the Arena.

The four piece supply something divinely satisfying and a warm comfort on a cold, wet night.

Seattle's Blood Brothers let rip with a dazzlingly ferocious onslaught at Academy 3.

Emanuel Lundgren and his band of merry friends bring madness, fun and great tunes to Academy 3.

Will Oldham proves he's only human with a sporadic and eclectic performance at the Bridgewater Hall.

There's no half measures as Biffy Clyro head up the Kerrang tour with ferocity at the Academy.

The musical maverick and master composer brings a straightforward set to a low-key Academy 3.

Vashti Bunyan, Adem, Juana Molina and Vetiver join forces for something magical at the Bridgewater.

Vashti Bunyan, Adem, Juana Molina and Vetiver join forces to create something special.

The Showgirl makes a kind of homecoming for a belated bonanza of brilliance at the Arena.

The effects pedals and power drills come out for the multi-layered Guillemots at Night and Day.

The other-worldly harpist creates spellbinding sounds with the Northern Sinfonia at the Bridgewater.

Despite sound problems, RYNA show why they're building up a following at the Roadhouse.

Liam Fray's band bare their rocking teeth, with help from Nick Ainsworth and It's A Buffalo.

The ridiculously long-named Tim and Sam’s Tim and The Sam Band and Tim and Sam hit Night and Day.

It's rock poses and big guitars for the metalcore madness of Bullet For My Valentine at the Apollo.

Half of the Doors show they're much more than just a glorified tribute band at the Apollo.