aaamusic | On 26, May 2015

Tuesday 19th May, Manchester

May is that time of year when a whole slew of bands pass through our shores, and tonight is no exception with This Wild Life and As It Is performing this very same night, there was a choice, but a choice which this fan chose to make ended up him questioning it.

On the way to the gig, like any fan associated with the ‘alternative scene’, you become accustomed to noticed the nuances in the types of people who attend shows much like the ones that I attend. You notice the fans clad in the obvious merchandise, vans shoes, etc… it all becomes familiar, but it is a fact that has become so known with ‘alternative music’, that fashion and they are so intertwined, that for the most part what when once a person’s own identity was embodied so to speak in their taste of music, is now totally indistinguishable with fashion no longing bearing the mark of someone’s taste, now what wearing tattered old vans, or skinny jeans, doesn’t necessarily mean that person is into music of the heavy persuasion, or punk, or emo, etc…

I digress, the first band on tonight was quite an unexpected one, for with the headliner’s blend of shoegaze, and post-rock sound I was expecting something similar, but with all support bands you mostly can never predict who you might end up seeing, and on this occasion this attendee felt let down. The band featured Nai Harvest’s singer Ben, and this time instead of opting for a similar sound, Fruit Bomb were a raucous of sounds, all badly mixed to create something that felt much like the sound of your tv without any signal, just white noise. Though the band to other spectators felt indifferent, and danced like there was no tomorrow, savour only for a couple of those who actually were dancing, the rest of the crowd looked on, with some nods, some smiles, and for the most part what else can you expect from a crowd who for the most part have no knowledge of the band?

Finally, we have Pity Sex, who have become a mainstay with the eclectic mix of the roster of bands that has been amassed over at Run For Cover Records, who have successfully created a mix of bands who represent the un tamed, and voice of a generation of music lovers who are have created a form of unadulterated music that gets you thinking, that makes act intuitively, to be creative in a domain of free thinking people, that’s why I myself am a fan of this music, and a part of this scene.

But, on with the show and the band that could be forgiven for just being members of the audience walk on stage very humbly, and get on with the show, without making a big fuss about things. Starting with ‘Wind-Up’ the infectious track from their debut album Feast Of Love, although unfortunately their sound throughout their set was plagued by a low vocal mix, with bass, drums and some guitar being too overbearing throughout their set to be able to differentiate one instrument from another, or hear the vocals at all. For this the show for me was a let down, and although it was a pleasure to have the band come tour over here, it was not quite the show I was hoping for.

Joe Sheridan