Whisperin & Hollerin
'£*!KING BRILLIANT!!
The songs were well crafted with a good balance of clever lyrics, good musicianship and down to earth pop sensibilities. Every member of the band brings something to the songs - an excellent drummer, a bass player who seems to play exactly the right note at the right time, a great guitarist with some tasty licks and very good backing vocals and a fantastic frontman with huge stage presence and a good voice to boot. Their brand of guitar pop is irresistible and in Stephen Evans they have a killer frontman who will find it difficult to avoid favorable comparisons to the legend that is Jarvis Cocker. A classic British band of eccentrics, they're tight, amusing yet serious and it won't be long before we're all buying their Mercury prize-winning album.'
Senior Pancho Ballard
'Think fish and chips, footy, roast beef, real ale and seaside holidays. Throw in some razor sharp tunes, some painfully accurate and often witty lyrics, and you've just about got it. In short, The Planets make you proud to be English. Bloody marvellous!'
Music Central
'Topping the bill on DAY 1 are the gloriously English guitar-pop driven quirky collective, THE PLANETS who have generated a significant amount of interest of late – and for good reason!'
Green Bohemial
"Every time you think you've got a handle on The Planets sound, it darts off in another direction, citing a completely different set of influences. It’s the Beatles battling T-Rex, The Kinks and Queen sharing a stall in a souk, the Police covering the Arctic Monkeys and everything in-between. Somehow, it all works. Yes, it’s a slippery fish, but it’s one that’s worth catching."
Chris Long, BBC Manchester
"...this was a performance not short on confidence or charisma, and although I am careful with my use of the word “punkâ€, most of the Planets’ songs would stand their ground in a cage-fight with ‘London Calling’. All these riffs and short-sharp-shock vocals were a bit like a stun gun to the backside, there was no denying that this headline act, who have a song all about the Evil Dead trilogy of zombie horror films, were deserving of their pole position. And I’d put money on Evans having something to do with that smashed up guitar."
Megan Vaughan, Green Bohemia
Literally seeping talent from their pores this bunch of lads from the rough side of Manchester avoid digging the, surely nearly empty, well of Oasis comparisons preferring Bowie, Pulp and The Kinks and The Smiths… oh ok maybe they are just a little bit like Oasis in that they actually write fookin' great tunes!
Northern Monkey
Leaving my toilet habits to one side for now, the third and final offering from The Planets is Plastic Robots. If there’s a film reference in here I’m afraid it’s lost on me but once again the song surprises and delights. It feels initially like a manic, frenetic monologue of something hugely important the lead singer needs to get out as quickly as possible, but soon develops into a well thought out song displaying all that is good about this band – talented musicianship and an instant likeability that makes me look forward to catching them live.
Percy Herbert, Guestlist music
Next up, the Planets. Wow.... I've spent far too long listening to their recordings prior to the gig and I was wondering if they could live up to the quality of their production live, I wasn't disappointed, a great set of great material, they've got a really diverse set of influences which they weave into something distinctly Planetsy and they're pretty entertaining to watch too. Keep an eye on this lot. Millgate Arts Centre