This was a an unexpected gig in that I won the tickets through a Twitter competition (Thanks Neighbourhood Weekender) but I'd been eyeing this one up anyway prior to it being sold out, so I well chuffed to attend Academy 2, Manchester. I'd also seen none of these bands play live before and so I was stoked.
After a quick Guinness in the S.U. bar it was up to the venue for the first band Blanketman who had already started. Their Spotify bio simply reads, "Fresh from the haberdashery" Their sound is incredibly sophisticated for such a young band. The lead singer at times was definitely channelling Ian Curtis, you'd swear you were looking right at him during parts of their set. If you're a fan of bands like Talk Show, C33's or Egyptian Blue, you will love these guys. They're also headlining Yes Basement soon - trust me if you like great music in intimate venues then go! You will love them! I've one track recorded below, so have a butchers.
The Goa Express have been on my radar for a long time as people have been talking about them in my circle frequently, I've just never had the opportunity to see them until last night. I was excited to see them given what I'd heard and they didn't disappoint. Influenced by the past obviously, but bringing it right up to date. If you crossed Tame Impala with the Talking Heads you'd come up with something pretty close to what The Goa Express sound like. Their set was well received and I'm definitely up for seeing them again. I managed to record one track in full (below) so have a view and make your own mind up - there's also part of another track on my YouTube.
Finally onto Temples. The place was heaving now and with a wide range in ages, plenty of older gig goers as well as much younger. Temples have a mass appeal and their sound is very much from a bygone era. Looking as if they've picked up from the era of flares, glam rock and T-Rex they came on to a great reception and despite James Bagshaw's comments on this being the quietest Manchester crown they'd played to, the place soon got rowdy. At one point someone threw a Kettering Town F.C. scarf on the stage and James looked genuinely touched by this gesture. The vibe was retro, loads of dancing, smiling people, the love in the room was tangible.
Walking back to the car post gig, Hayley and I were discussing how tight and incredible Temple sounded. They're amazing musicians and by Christ can they play live. I recorded The Howl (below). If you're a fan of good old rock n roll then this is a band you will love.
All pictures within this review are mine. If you'd like to see more videos from this gig then you can on my YouTube channel.
You can subscribe to my YouTube for more videos of gigs, I'm also on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook where I share reviews, playlists, and some amazing interviews.
Spotify: