Jeffrey Lewis

I was introduced to Jeffrey Lewis by my other half a couple of years ago, I was unsure of the "anti-folk" scene being more into deeper, over the top compositions that deal with rawer emotions and usually 500 synths. I listened to a couple of Jeffrey's more popular songs before taking the plunge and investing in his first, fantastic album. I listened to it back to front and loved everything about it, a couple albums and shows later and here I am writing a review as to why you should see him... Anyways, Every Jeffrey gig is full of likeminded down to earth fans (with the occasional over the top, crazy fan) who are all there because they know that Jeffrey (whom I shall now refer to as Jeff, as well, why not) really is the king of Anti-Folk, heck, I don't even like Anti-folk and I'd rank Jeff as one of the most influential artists on the gigging scene. His shows are lively, often packed with personal stories and dialogs you might even be treated to one of his famous and always amazing "Story of" (a feature of hand drawn story boards accompanied by a song) these are fantastic and a real joy to see, they are almost a celebration of raw creativity. Honestly the ticket price was worth it for that alone. What about Jeff & Bandmates, do they sulk away backstage? Hell no. Jeff even described his tour as "ulta Cheap" (often the band will loan equipment off of the support act to cut costs) and becuase of this he often mans the merch stall. The other band members (if you are seeing the Jeff & the JRams) are very down to earth musicians who share the spotlight with Jeff on and off the stage. Jeff is a very down to earth guy, never seen him have a diva moment and he will go out of his way to answer questions and talk to you. In closing, I would say buy a ticket to Jeff shows. You won't regret it, he has something to please everyone (from comedy to heartbreak) and you will find yourself headbanging aswell as tearing up.
Manchester hopes you'll be back soon Jeff! (p.s - you handle weirdo fans very well ahah!)

Lou Barlow is one of the most under rated performers I have ever had the pleasure to see in concert. He has always put on a heart stopping performance that will bring a tear to your eye. Not that there is anything sad about his performance, but the power of his voice is just mesmerizing. He really becomes one with his audience by allowing fans to belt out their requests.

Lou Barlow sounds just as good live as he does in the studio. In fact, I dare say the live performances of his music is far better than his studio versions.If you are a big fan of Indie Rock and enjoy music from Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh, then you will surely love Lou Barlow. He is one of their founding members.

He really shines through playing solo performances. His genius is amplified through every performance. The early years with Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh were great and as a group put on a smashing live concert, but in my opinion, Lou Barlow has always been the true heart and soul of these groups. This is the only guy I know that could show up without the band and put on an even better show playing solo.