Jennifer Allan

My name is Jennifer Allan, I'm in my first year studying philosophy at Sheffield University but originally hail from beautiful Stockport, on the south east side of Manchester. The council painted the most recent factory chimney grey so as not to interfere with the landscape.

I love both Sheffield and Manchester just as much, Manchester for the sheer volume of music and Sheffield for its diversity. Live acts I have adored recently have been Alice Russell, Four Tet, Mr Scruff and Jamie Lidell at Sheffield's Plug, which is always full of a wonderfully hotch-potch crowd, but a crowd that just wants to dance. In Manchester I love the Academy 3, where Imogen Heap took my breath away, and the RNCM has put on some awesome shows, the best of which have been Matthew Herbert's Big Band and Kings of Convenience.

All Tomorrow's Parties has graced me with some of the best performances and bands in my musical career, showcasing a massively diverse range of artists I could not have seen otherwise, my favourites have been LCD Soundsystem, Wolf Eyes, Matmos, Mum, Love, OOIOO, Cat Power, Stephen Malkmus, Jackie-O-Motherfucker, The Fall, Deerhoof, Little Wings and the oh so spectacular Lightning Bolt performance that took place in the corner of a room, with no barriers, a couple of speakers and a gimp mask, getting crushed in a 2,000 person ball of excitement and the most amazing crowd I've ever been a part of.

For AngryApe I tend to review electronica and drones with bits and pieces of noise here and there. I love electronica, but it's really hard to see live, thankfully Sheffield has an electronica society which has bestowed upon me a couple of wonderful nights where Audiobulb Records have shone. I also love things from Carpark Records, Kranky, Morr Music, Skam, Fonal, Trunk Records, Finders Keepers, FatCat, Resonant and City Centre Offices.