Manchester has been alive this summer. It's hummed in the heat, basked in the brilliance of the Lionesses, and cut loose in its first post-pandemic freedom.
The city's bars, clubs, and venues have also been alive. They've coarsed with energy from the mega-stars, to the festival DJs, and the bread-and-butter smaller acts who give this city - this city which is a cultural institution within itself - the rhythm which is so intoxicating it makes the decision to stay so easy.
That's why, in a new series, the Manchester Evening News has been out to capture that rhythm. We've been to the small, dingy clubs, the renovated music halls, and the former ballrooms to get the best of the action.
READ MORE: Host of Manchester bands and emerging talent added to Neighbourhood Festival lineup
It's something we are going to stick at, with a regular monthly gig preview list and review spots. For the inaugural reviews, we've picked out our favourite performances from July and August.
Even during festival season, it was hard to slim down our favourites, but we've managed it. So, where to start?
Pixies - Band on the Wall - July 19
Where else would be better than Pixies at Band On The Wall? The surprise show — announced a little over 36 hours before the four-piece took to the stage at 8pm featured sense of effortless craft and sonic beauty that shows, even 34 years in, the band still know how to entertain.
The sprawling two-hour set featured no talking — just number after number after number, played masterfully. There were firm cheers and shrieks of ‘oh my god’ for ‘Nimrod’s Son’, ‘Gigantic’, and ‘Wave of Mutilation’. The deliberate manner in which the four-piece approached the show led to a driven performance - in a way where A leads to B which leads to C. It might not sound exhilarating, but it’s impressive all the same. Paz Lenchantin's bass playing and backing vocals were akin to watching a chess grandmaster calculating their next move.
Everything just worked — and when your back catalogue includes hits like ‘Debaser’, ‘Gouge Away’, and ‘Monkey Gone to Heaven’ — you’re going to get a reaction. Those hits, written in Massachusetts in the mid-to-late-1980s, had their airing in Manchester on the UK’s hottest ever day in 2022. They got what they deserved.
Eevah - Deaf Institute - July 16
This series is primarily focused on the up-and-coming names you've probably not heard of yet, like Eevah, for example. Their first headline show was at Deaf Institute on July 16, and came quickly off the back of their biggest gig yet — supporting Duran Duran in their hometown of Halifax 10 days earlier. It’s an impressive start for the alt-pop duo, but this show demonstrated they still have some work to do.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve not planned a setlist. I thought f*** it, I can’t be arsed,” singer Nicole told fans after the opening numbers. She then invited the audience to suggest songs from their back catalogue, which although charming, could hardly be called slick.
However, when things were running smoothly, the duo really got it right. Newer tracks like ‘Falling Down’ and ‘Out Of Focus’ feel like Supernature-era Goldfrapp — and show Nicole and Rick have a bright future. Eevah could do with more polish, but the nub of the idea is there. The challenge for the pair is how they scrub up without losing their charm.
Club Tropica - Academy 3 - July 29
Sort of like your mates playing the best house party gig of their sixth form careers’, Club Tropica are clearly lads who like to have fun and have formed a band, guest reviewer Helena Vesty writes . Headlining a trio of sets at the Academy 3 on Friday, July 29, the Birmingham-but-based-in-Manchester band are setting out their stall following a string of single releases over the last year.
Club Tropica boasted a strong opener and a real handle on vocals. To boot, the four-piece have the stage presence to move up in the world to a bigger venue.
But with that comes a higher bar. Here is a band, not dissimilar to others at their level, where you can tell which Kooks album its members grew up on, which Chili Peppers song they’re channelling in their original music, and that Jake Bugg’s tone might have been a revelation for them in 2010.
Before I could finish writing ‘like a Brummie Kings of Leon - with all the dangers and highs that entails’ in my notes, they closed their 40-ish minute set with a cover of the Nashville family group. They feel very much a product of an iPod-toting era of teenagedom, peaking in the early 2010s and featuring plenty of indie hits, which have gone on to become stalwarts of Spotify's endless 'Indie Singalong Classics' playlists.
Still, Club Tropica (reminder, not Wham!'s Club Tropicana, where drinks are famously free) demonstrates a nicely promising sound and they should work equally as nicely on a roomier stage, so long as they spend some time hammering out their own voice.
Pastel & Afflecks Palace - Club Academy - July 29
Downstairs in the Students' Union on the same evening were Pastel and Affleck's Palace - both inherently Manc bands. Already with major BBC radio play and an album under their belt, it might look odd at first glance to see Afflecks Palace open for newcomers Pastel, as they did at Club Academy in the Students’ Union.
That was because singer J’s wife went into labour on the night of the performance, so the frontman had to make an exit sooner than planned. J was sporting a Spirit of Spike Island, and it’s clear to see where the four-piece get their influences from.
They’re more The La’s and James than Oasis and The Stone Roses, but the heritage is there. Also there is the musical ability and songwriting talent of the group.
And that’s why there’s an inescapable feeling Afflecks Palace can afford to be braver with their material. They have the skill to write a good tune, and the know how to craft and right and tidy set.
What they need to do now, before album two is released next year, is resist the urge to be something Manchester already likes — and try capture the x-factor to make them something the city will love.
‘Accelerator’ is a good example of this already, with a slower build-up producing a bigger reprise. And the group should keep pushing away from the tried and tested formula — or come up with a mega-hit to bring this genre back in vogue.
Neither is an easy task. And nor is it easy to sell out a 250-cap venue like they did tonight — so whatever Afflecks Palace’s future, they deserve credit for making it here, entirely off their own backs.
“We could get used to this, headlining every night,” was Pastel singer Jack Yates’ reaction to his unlikely top of the bill show at Club Academy.
For their sake, let’s hope they enjoyed it - because if Pastel continue to grow, they will be headlining a lot of shows to come. The five piece seem to have that special something to go the distance.
Call it an x-factor, a zest, a whatever-tired-cliche next. They seem to be able to rock the balance of shag haircut 70s inspired rock with lyrics about youth - and also throw enough of a Manc drawl into vocal delivery that it’s endearing, not irritating.
New song ‘Running On Empty’ also has an element of rawness that groups like Fontaines DC can play with for their own benefit. That being said, much of the fledgling groups repertoire is reminiscent of Oasis.
That’s no criticism, as it merely reflects their influences and favoured status by Liam Gallagher, who tasked the lads with opening his Knebworth mega show earlier this year.
So give Pastel time and they’ll be headlong into headlining - and with songs that truly sound like they’re crafted with their own magic.
Giant Rooks - Academy 2 - July 27
The Giant Rooks show late in July was the fourth date the band had, with others being postponed due to the pandemic.
“Thank you for hanging on to the tickets and coming out”, singer Freddie Rabe told the roughly 800-strong crowd. “Manchester feels like our second home. You guys have been so good to us. We played the Night and Day, Gorilla, and even Ramsbottom Festival. That was the best festival in the world!”
If a mention for Ramsbottom was the last thing you’d expect from a German band riding a wave of TikTok popularity, then energy is the first. Rabe deserves enormous credit for being the shot of adrenaline to the room, with even slower number, like Bright Lies, being met with a rapturous reception. A cynical view would say that can only be explained by the folly and naivety and desperation of youth. That feeling when you think these people are the answers to all your prayers.
But then again, what’s not to like? There are big choruses that hook you very quickly. Lyrically, it’s not Kae Tempest, but it’s far better than most in its class. There are hints of something more complex too, like a marimba.
This would have been a lot of people’s first gig. Mine was many years ago with Two Door Cinema Club, and that got me addicted to the sweat and noise immediately. With this performance, it’s likely the TikTok generation of fans will have also caught that bug.
Baby Dave & Duvet - Yes (The Pink Room) - August 8
Slaves’ Isaac Holman’s solo project Baby Dave has plenty of promise, with obvious traces to the two-piece which propelled him to noisy-darling-dom. Also full of promise are his support on the night, Duvet . The Manc post-punk five piece are a must if you like noise and unabashed energy. Listen to them now, while they have two songs released, so when they are playing bigger shows and feature on BBC 6Music you will be able to tell your mates that you saw them at the start.
The headliner, Baby Dave , is Isaac Holman, one half of Slaves. It was his first tour in the new venture, and although there were some hold-outs from the raucous Slaves days in the performance — like having a crew member dive into a moshpit in an animal costume, where Slaves used to have a stingray, Baby Dave has an ape — there’s a lot of new ideas in this project.
“Don’t ever change,” is the headline lyric from one of the ‘soppier’ tracks, as Holman described it. He said the song, also called ‘Don’t Ever Change’ was for his mates who ‘got him through some stuff’. The idea behind the song is a beautiful one in a romanticised world — we are perfect the way we are — but the reality before Yes’ eyes on August 8 suggested otherwise.
Although this reviewer doesn’t know what Holman has experiences, this new album and the night’s show is the perfect advert that change should not be feared. Homan now feels more at peace with himself, more introspective, and more mature. Yet, he’s also more creative — using a sax as his main weapon, not the drums — similarly weird, and just as fun. Isaac Holman is open now, and Baby Dave is open for business.
Don't miss in September 2022...
At the time of writing, the MEN's what's on music nerds are still compiling their list of the best shows to see in September, but we've already picked out the likes of Porij, Just Mustard, and Superorganism , plus a host more names.
Keep your eyes peeled on the CityLife Manchester Facebook and Twitter pages for all the latest previews.
Get all the latest from CityLife here.
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