#thedirtynorth

[jackpowell1991]

Managed to get my hands on some gear from the upcoming Estate drop. And it is pure 🔥!! Give the page a like and buy all their beautiful clothing!! #estate #thedirtynorth @estatetdn

[hiveradiomanchester]

Wednesday Lunch Time Live, with Bench Self Made Gallery, 12th December - THE DIRTY NORTH - reviewed by Emily Schofield.

Ever find yourself free on a Wednesday afternoon? A day off uni with nothing but a duvet day planned, lazing in PJ’s and catching up on the latest telly whilst guiltily thinking about those assignments you’ll never cluster enough energy to get round to? Ever find yourself with nothing to do during your lunch hour but stare at a bunch of irritating pigeons as they prey on your naff £3 meal deal? Or ever find yourself eating lunch at work with a bunch of co-employees you just can’t stand? Love a spot of live music and fancy a free gig? Fear not, get dressed and drag yourself out of bed, sack the sandwich and the sodding pigeons, ditch the dreary working-lunch, your Wednesday’s are about to take a drastic turn for the better…

Catch the likes of bands such as; The Dirty North at Bench’s Lunch Time Live in The Self Made Gallery, Northern Quarter, 1pm each week. Setting a creative mark on Manchester City, Self Made Gallery have planned a series of live acts on a Wednesday afternoon, commencing in the open, pristine and white innovative gallery, even presenting fresh and stirring works available to peer over. Oh, and has it been mentioned that this lovely afternoon lunch of live music is absolutely free?! Last week Hive Radio Members caught The Dirty North in action and even had a quick chat with them…

Johnny and P in action.

The musical trio see a sound clash of hip-hop, reggae, ska, funk and rap, the ambiguous resonance graced with the name Wythenshawe Dub, (the band themselves being from the area of South Manchester). You may be familiar with the Mancunian boys and their grungy endearing soul as support acts of The Stone Roses recent reunion gig. We catch a quick live set amongst the artwork of Salford University, (featuring some stirring works) with two of The Dirty North members. Hive chat with Johnny and Carl Palmer, (he indicated the spelling of his name by waving his palm,) better known as P. The third member and drummer Dave was unable to make it down today, other members sarcastically dubbing him a ‘party animal,’ possibly still in bed. Still, just two thirds of the band makes for an interesting discussion from topics of their musical influences and intentions, to the matter of the end of the world…

Despite a drummer the show must go on, Jonny and P somewhat shy reserved and bashful without their usual beat, warm us on a wintery December afternoon with an amiable little set. Welcoming us with the likes of an alluring ‘Money makes the world go round...’ Johnny bravely steps up to taking lead vocals due to the missing third member. Johnny chillingly slurs a seductively repetitive ‘money makes the world go round, yeah, yeah, yeah...’ down the mic as he plays guitar along with P’s bluesy baseline. The serene song drops into him rapping lightly over the top of the breezy composition, gently spitting ‘my names Johnny, I’m here to drop the show down, life’s too fast everybody needs slow down!’ He calmly introduces a cycle of ‘mortgage, credit card, overdraft,’ and the luxurious need to ‘get away on holiday can only go so far’ a band it seems eager to coolly comment on the world and the financial climate surrounding them, they definitely melt an audience into thought at Lunch Time Live. Standing On A Lamppost, introduces an amusing, idiosyncratic cheerful and upbeat love song. Quirky Johnny serenades a girl ‘standing on a lamppost but you won’t come down,’ enough to brighten up an otherwise dull lunch hour the funky pair will send workers back to their bland afternoons with jovial catchy tunes in mind. The bands rap sound and social commentary reminds of the likes of Jamie T and The King Blues.

The Dirty North open our chat flattering of friends Frazer King, whom played at last week’s Lunch Time Live (do read Hive’s previous review regarding Frazer King!) Jonny describes them as a favourite of his, P having actually dated the guitarists sister describes them as 'most underrated'.

Johnny and P up closer.

The two tell us of their muddy Mancunian sound, and why they are deliberately titled The Dirty North. P having spent some time growing up in The Beautiful South describes how the bands name is a direct satirical clever contrast, the bassist profoundly claims 'there's beauty in everything, and dirt in everything, it's where you look.' Not wanting to be deliberately political as 'politics effects everyone's life in a very indirect way, 'Johnny tells how his lyrics merely reflect his own views and life, through honest, rough and raw dirty music. He finds lyric writing and music 'the most natural thing I've done in my life'. A band that will tell it like it is, no matter how dirty the truth, The Manchester Evening News have described the boys as ‘exactly what young music fans in Britain need right now’.

‘It’s the end of the world today isn’t it?’ is asked as we wrestle through an interview along with the sounds of a banging hammer in the gallery. If it be the case Hive agrees meeting The Dirty North and hearing their sound is a pretty good way to spend the last day on earth. So where can you listen to The Dirty North before the real apocalypse hits? 'We're not in Tesco yet but we're on Google,' says Jonny. Wack them in a search engine or check the links below, more tracks and an album expected in the new year...

Like The Dirty North on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Dirty-North/189911981037912?group_id=0  , or follow them on Twitter @DirtyNorth .

Find their music on Bandcamp: www.dirtynorthuk.bandcamp.com/music .

Head down to Bench Self Made Gallery, in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on   Wednesday afternoons in the New Year for more! Check out Hive's reviews of Frazer King and The Naughtys whom have also played at Lunch Time Live on this page!

Listen out for The Dirty North track’s on Hive Radio Manchester!

Written by Emily Schofield (If you like these reviews please like me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/EmThinksMusicMatters or follow me on Twitter @EmMusicMatters https://twitter.com/EmMusicMatters)