We are pleased to return to our spiritual home The Peer Hat on Saturday 11th April with another edition of Manchester Meltdown.

Commencing at 4:30pm and with advance tickets at only £8.50 we offer a stunning line up of great music. We expect this one to sell out so get your advance tickets now from HERE.

Headlining are The Cravats.

Anyone who has had even a vague love of punk music over the last 35 years will know The Cravats or, at least, be aware of their existence. Championed by John Peel with four sessions, releases on Small Wonder and Crass; the sax-riddled, bass-laden weirdness, the humour, the love of Dada and the infamous Redditch ‘Dustbin of Sound’.

Never mainstream, never hugely popular but always utterly unique they ploughed their own musical furrow in the peripheral vision of the music biz since forming in 1977. They stopped in the mid-eighties for a cup of tea and it wasn’t until the 2006 release of ‘The Land of The Giants’ double CD compilation on Overground Records that many folk realised what they’d missed.

Co-founder The Shend and original sax-riddler Svor Naan, along with fellow Redditcharian Rampton Garstang on drums, resurrected a live version of the band in 2009 at the bequest of admirers old and new. Steve Albini’s curated ATP, the final Feeding of The 5000 Crass show, a host of European festivals including 4 years at Rebellion Festival, a Marc Riley BBC6 session and a bunch of selective UK gigs followed to much critical acclaim.

Only with the addition, of Viscount Biscuits on guitar and Joe 91 on bass they finally decided the ingredients were right for new material  and a couple of singles in 2016 and a stunning album “Dustbin of Sound”  in 2017 saw the band reaching new heights including a debut Manchester gig at The Star and Garter.

We thought it was time they came back!

Still drenched in sax, obliquely angry, raucous and sounding like no other band in existence they have remained faithful to the sound that made them unique. Eccentrically frantic on stage, odd but on the ball on record and definitely not normal, the world needs bands like The Cravats.

With a new album due and a new single out there it’s a good time to come and see this excellent band.

In support we have:

Unseasonal Beasts – the electronic dance punk of Simon “Ding” Archer and Ian “Moet” Moss has already been seen in full flow via a couple of EPs and a handful of gigs. With two more EPs in the pipeline the duo present an intense barrage of sounds and rhythm capped off with Moss’s trade-mark polemic and vision.

Andy T Band – Andy Thorley’s relentless gigging and impressive output is legendary. With precise and evocative spoken word he recounts tales of injustice and political chicanery with an eye to the truth and the pricking of bombastic bubbles. He combines exciting music with a unique and compelling vocal style.

Factory Acts – A Salford-based post-punk dark-electro duo, Factory Acts exist at the edge of the analogue-digital divide, sometimes dreaming, always dancing. Matt the bass delivers the grinding pulsating backbone, SOS’s impressive array of keyboards and stunning vocals create a sound that makes you dance,  but also makes you think.

Matthew Hopkins – the punk via folk trio of Anne, Julia and Max delivers memorable harmonies, great rhythms and catchy tunes concerning politics, the environment and injustice. Pain and joy are covered in equal measure.

Horsemeat – Horsemeat is a band. Horsemeat can be simple. Horsemeat can be tough. Horsemeat can be tender. Horsemeat can be complex and rich. Horsemeat just is. A trio featuring ex Bobbie Peru, and current member of The E-Fits, Bert Genovese. This will be their debut gig.