Live Review : Haken + Between The Buried And Me + Cryptodira @ Academy 2, Manchester on March 24th 2023

Well, it's all happening this evening at the student’s union. In the main Academy, the regions punk pensioners are on day release from their respective nursing homes in order to witness the umpteenth miraculous resurrection of Stiff Little Fingers. Upstairs in the pokey Academy Three, Indie upstarts The Rolling People are repackaging Britpop for the next generation and downstairs in the club Academy…. Well to be honest I'm not sure what the fuck is happening downstairs, but it has attracted a gaggle of younglings young enough to be my grandkids, in various states of undress and off their tits on Ketamine. It's a rare beast when the metal crowd is the normal bunch, but those of us winding our way up to the old debating hall for a Haken and Between the Buried and Me double-header seem positively conservative in our attire compared to some of the revellers cavorting around the building.

Live Review : Daniel Tompkins + Novena @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester on January 27th 2022

Modern Metal is full of distinctive voices and this cracker of a tour celebrates two of them. Whilst TesseracT frontman Daniel Tompkins might be the main draw here, he has actually achieved quite a scoop in bringing along Ross Jennings of Haken’s side project Novena along for the ride. Jennings always seems a lot more relaxed with Novena than he ever does with Haken. This feels like his playground, where he can experiment and push his vocal cords in directions that the confides of his day job don’t allow.

Live Review : Haken + Vola + Bent Knee @ Academy 3, Manchester on February 15th 2019

It's modern prog-tastic Friday tonight at the Academy 3 as Haken start a lengthy European tour here in Manchester. Including the excellent supports that they have brought along for the ride, this package is three solid gold examples of why progressive rock is in a healthier form today than it ever was in supposed heyday of the Seventies.