Friday 21st February saw The Mysterines return to Manchester for the first time since they supported Sea Girls at Academy 2 in October 2019 (review). I was absolutely blown away and so much so that I've also tipped them in my 20 acts to watch in 2020 article. When this tour was announced and tickets were released I was going to be there - absolutely no question. I'm glad I bought a ticket when I did as it sold out pretty quickly and quite frankly £8 to see a band of this calibre live is a steal!
It was crappy rainy, windy weather and I was with one of my best mates, the all round decent human being Hayley Faye (front woman from Woman You Stole). I hadn't seen this beautiful soul for a few months so we had a right good chinwag before the gig over a coffee (well I was drinking coffee anyway).
First up was Tom Mouse Smith. A young lad from County Durham (great to hear that north east accent) who despite being only 15 absolutely blew everyone away. He was sporting a Lathums t-shirt (great taste) and it was him and his guitar or keyboard with no backing track or other musicians. Nowhere to hide, but trust me this lad doesn't need to. He was incredible! His playing, voice and overall stage presence was nothing short of incredible. I met Tom and his family after the show and we got chatting about music, the north east and football. He supports Sunderland, but I'm not going to hold that against him. Such a humble young man and trust me this lad will go very, very, very far. Video below so judge for yourself - but this lad his it!
Up next another band I'd not heard before last night Children of the State. These lads had a sound that filled the room, gave you a big hug and left feeling all warm and fuzzy. That's how I described the sound to Hayley and the lovely Webby & Catherine who we met in the crowd. They had a vintage feeling to them and reminded me of the swinging sixties with a little bit of early Bowie, T-Rex thrown in. There's a space for bands like these and honestly the venue seemed to lap it up. Great band, great musicians and great music. Can't ask for more that that! I've added them to my Spotify artists I'm following. I did record one track so have a view and see what you think.
Then the band we'd all been waiting for The Mysterines. Now a four piece and with a new drummer in tow they sounded very different to the last time I saw them. The extra guitar gives them more depth to their sound, making it much more rounded. The sound system in The Deaf Institute is one of the best you will hear and their sound filled that venue.
The started with Who's Your Girl which for me is one of their best songs. Hard, fast, with loads of attitude. Lia Metcalfe The Mysterines front woman has a voice that sits somewhere between Janis Joplin and Ellie Roswell of Wolf Alice. I honestly haven't been this impressed by a band live since first seeing Wolf Alice at Old Fire Station in Bournemouth in 2015! The next time I saw Wolf Alice was in December 2018 with 3,300 other adoring fans. This band has every chance of being as big as them and I don't jest.
They played all of the crowd pleasers in Take Control, Gasoline and Pretty Face. The encore featured Lia with a beautiful acoustic Still Call You Home before they ended on Hormone.
They signed a record deal at the end of last year and I am so pleased. Everything this band produces is golden and I for one hope that they are around for years to come.
All pictures are mine - I've included Who's Your Girl within this review. If you'd like to see more videos from this gig then you can on my YouTube channel.
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