Shaun Ryder — leader of Factory Records troublemakers Happy Mondays — celebrates his 48th birthday today, and to mark the occasion, here’s a vintage live performance of the band’s biggest hit: ‘Step On,’ their cover of John Kongos’ 1971 single ‘He’s Gonna Step On You Again.’

This week’s new CD releases include the new solo album from Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr, ‘Lostboy! AKA’; an eight-disc box set from The Church’s Steve Kilbey; and reissues from The Charlatans (’Some Friendly’) and Modern English (’Stop Start’).

Beggars Archive will release an expanded 2CD reissue of The Charlatans’ 1990 debut “Some Friendly” — although not the larger “Omnibus” set originally planned — to coincide with the band’s 20th anniversary performance of the full album in London and Barcelona this May.

Details are scarce, but it appears ’80s stalwarts — and John Hughes soundtrack stars — The Psychedelic Furs are plotting a fall club tour of the U.S. with recently reactivated Madchester survivors Happy Mondays.
So far, just five dates have surfaced in September and October, spanning the East and West Coasts, with stops in Texas and [...]

Perhaps best known for his bio “The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop,” Brit rock scribe/musician John Robb has set his sights on the slightly broader picture for his next work: Manchester’s place in the world of U.K. music.
This week sees the release (in Europe, at least) of Robb’s “The North Will Rise [...]