With the start of longer days and festival season making a comeback to Manchester, there's been a summery feel to March in the city.
In some ways, that's no surprise as acts refine their performances ahead of a slew of album releases to come later this season, before doing festival circuit proper. What is a surprise, however, is the breadth of talent packed into Manchester's schedule.
Alongside the multi-venue BBC Radio 6Music Festival, we've had post-punk risers sell out Victorian venues, a new junglist takeover a -historic hall, and a power pop star play to a raucous railway arch. Not bad for a city that's going through the mother-of-all cost-of-living crises.
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And the MEN team have been out there to soak up as much of it as possible. So here are out top picks for the best shows of March 2023.
She Drew The Gun — Deaf Institute — March 3
Louisa Roach’s — aka She Drew The Gun — ‘evening with’ show in the Deaf Institute ‘lodge’ was an intimate and insightful look into the world of the Birkenhead singer. That was to be expected — because Roach told fans that’s exactly what would happen at the start of the gig.
Part acoustic performance of hits like ‘Something For The Pain’, and part sketch-pad for ideas, Roach was at her most open and bravest in the evening. She recounted moments in her childhood — like asking two punks to dress her up as a punk for a Butlins holiday costume competition, only to lose to another girl in a shop-bought princess outfit — and delved into a poem her mum wrote to social housing bosses to apply for a makeover grant.
You would have been hard-pressed not to have learned something new about Roach the woman, and mum, on leaving Deaf Institute. But you’d also have struggled to not gain an insight into the way she approaches her music.
Young Fathers – Albert Hall – March 7
Scottish Trio Young Fathers were not short of energy when they took to the stage at the Albert Hall in March. In fact there were so full of it, that at one point singer Kayus Bankole ventured upstairs to the balcony, immersing himself in the crowd and stretching his microphone cable as far as it would go - it reached to the opposite side of the room, in case you were wondering.
Touring with their fourth album Heavy Heavy, the band gave a fiery performance with the packed venue lapping up every song. During 'Sink or Swim' it felt like the everyone was constantly on the verge of bursting into dance.
The second half felt more cohesive, featuring songs from their latest album. The thing with Young Fathers is you can’t help but move along to their fast-paced tracks, and it’s hard not to dance along to the likes of 'Rice and Drum'.
In the church-like Albert Hall it felt that Young Fathers tapped into something deeper that night, reaching people on a spiritual level. Even those in the crowd who weren’t feeling it at the start certainly were by the end.
No Age — Yes - March 7
A sparse Tuesday night crowd at YES’ Pink Room appeared to confirm that this Los Angeles duo’s days as a buzz band are behind them; after having emerged from the city’s underground scene over 15 years ago to become the toast of US tastemakers with debut record with the furious energy of debut album Nouns, Randy Randall and Dean Spunt chose, in subsequent years, to stick true to their punk ethos, exploring ever weirder corners of noise and experimental rock with every album that’s come since.
Even allowing for the fact that fellow noiseniks Young Fathers were playing a sold-out show at the Albert Hall, it would appear that their staunch adherence to a left-field approach has led to a thinning of the fanbase, and anybody familiar with last year’s sixth LP, People Helping People, might understand why; it’s an eccentric, electronically-driven effort that sounds more like the soundtrack to a gallery installation than a rock record.
The irony is, though, that No age remain their old selves on stage, reshaping both their synthy new material and their riff-driven old so that it all fits the same fizzing punk template. This was a scintillating hark back to their underground club days, a bare-bones affair that hurtled along on the strength of Spunt’s thunderous percussion, Randall’s freewheeling guitar, and not a whole lot else. The reworked cuts from People Helping People and 2018’s similarly avant-garde Snares Like a Haircut were a joy, but the whole show felt as if it was in the image of such early classics as ‘Sleeper Hold’. Don’t be thrown by the ever-stranger direction they’re taking on record - No Age remain an incandescent live band.
Shame — New Century — March 11
Shame took to the New Century stage fresh from the release of their third album, Food for Worms. It follows a bombastic few years around the indie block, drawing comparisons to sibling bands like Squid and Fontaines D.C. making their debuts at the same time - all touched with youthful energy and frustration.
And the attitude of Shame’s shirtless leader, Charlie Steen, was just as grandiose at their Manchester show. His stage presence is undeniable and nothing short of transfixing, there stands a man destined to front a band who can conduct an audience like an orchestra.
But the scene they have chosen is a crowded field, and for all of Shame’s efforts to carve out an original approach, their attempts feel trite. The set felt like an obvious nod to 80s punk, energising but repetitive and overtly masculine - Steen turned into something of a musical John McEnroe, pumping iron with the mic stand and throwing himself into the crowd.
It all unfolded without much substance beyond the loud post-punk box they’ve put themselves in. It feels like being short-changed when peers like Dry Cleaning have distilled the drama of everyday life into quiet, simple but searingly effective albums.
In the end, I’m not sure what they are selling that’s new or interesting, apart from a lot of chest beating.
Olivia Dean - Gorilla - March 12
A lockdown discovery for many, one Twitter user definitely speaks for the masses when attributing Olivia Dean’s hooking narratives to “spending many sad girl hours listening.”
No surprises then Gorilla struggled to contain the sad girl (and guy) demand for the 24-year-old for the Manchester stop of her biggest ever run of headline shows. Packed right up to the entrance, Dean opened with the ethereal UFO, thankfully allowing everyone to breathe and float up into her otherworldly presence.
For someone very much at the start of her career with nothing to hide behind, she certainly knows how to lift a crowd. If it wasn’t for the crop top peeping through and giving nostalgic Tammy Girl vibes, you’d be forgiven for thinking she was at least 10 years older.
With that deep, rich maturity to her voice and ‘a born to do this’ sashay, she worked her way through her modest back catalogue of hits including 'Cross my mind', 'Slowly', 'Ok love you bye', and 'Echo' - the latter of which she playfully remixed into Erykah Badu’s 'On and On'. Another of her idols featured, as she gave us a booming rendition of Kelis’ Millionaire and with it, perhaps a glimpse into her future which, to be quite honest, is hers for the taking
Fuzz - Gorilla - March 16
American outfit Fuzz make a lot of noise for three men. But there's something sophisticated about the way they do it, outshining their somewhat similar sounding support act on this latest tour.
The trio from California are all members of other musical projects, most notably multi-instrumentalist Ty Segall who sings and drums in this heavy metal adjacent act. But something magical happens when they come together in this slightly psychedelic collective.
Maybe it's the Black Sabbath vibes that give their brand of rock music an air of class. Or maybe it's the awestruck audience, many of whom have waited years to see this sort-of supergroup whose appearance in Manchester was delayed several times due to Covid.
Almost a decade after releasing their self-titled debut LP, the band were finally back at Gorilla for the first time since releasing their third studio album III. But if the number of nodding heads and ratio of crowdsurfers to standing audience members are a good enough measure to go by, the songs from their first album - many of which were saved for the end of their set - are still seen as their best.
Nia Archives - New Century - March 18
The lo-fi jungle beats and tuneful vocals of Nia Archives have truly broken through beyond the boundaries of the genre. But the Bradford-born music maker saved her best known tracks for the end of her sold-out show at Manchester's New Century Hall in March.
Returning to the city she once called home, the now London-based one-to-watch released a six-song EP earlier in the month, days before the UP YA ARCHIVES tour kicked off in the capital. Unsurprisingly, tickets for the Saturday night Mancunian leg sold out almost instantly.
Starting the hour-long set with her latest single 'Conveniency', the Jamaican-heritage junglist spent 40 mins behind her decks where her microphone lay mostly untouched. But a sea of phones emerged from people's pockets for the artist's most popular musical masterpieces.
The recently reopened venue's sprung dance floor was put to the test as the performance peaked with a raucous rendition of 'Baianá', a track which beautifully samples a traditional Brazilian choir backed by Nia's distinctive contemporary drum and bass beats. The rising star will return to Manchester for Parklife after taking the UP YA ARCHIVES tour to Europe.
Biig Piig — Gorilla — March 20
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been doing headline shows,” Jessica Smyth, better known as Biig Piig, told the feverishly excited Gorilla audience. That was evident in the performance that was full of creativity, movement, and joy — but lacked something.
Bounding on to the stage, Smyth’s excitement at being back in the spotlight was evident for all to see — but the set list didn’t allow her to express. Track after track was too slow, and not capable of releasing her world-class vocal and charisma — a persona which can give the gravitas you can only dream of as a band.
But things did improve. The big hits played at the end, ‘Switch’ and hit ‘Feels Right’, show the blueprint for Biig Piig.
Smyth needs some energy to demonstrate how good that vocal is - how powerful it is, how beautiful it can be, and how sonically pure it feels - because energy adds the urgency she requires to show she can do it with high drama. There’s plenty of beauty in her songwriting, as evidenced by the slower numbers, but Biig Piig is still finding her feet. She has serious talent, but needs to hone her pacing.
Brand New Legs - Night & Day - March 21
It was a big day for the venue. The owners of Night & Day Café had been in court fighting the council over a noise complaint that morning, but the high-profile hearing was adjourned - again - to allow for further acoustic testing to take place.
Nevertheless, it was a normal night for Northern Quarter venue which was showcasing local talent in the form of Brand New Legs. It was a big day for the 'little four piece band from Manchester' who had just released their first EP titled 'Basement View'.
Frontwoman Jenny Perry - who addressed the controversy in court, with the band throwing their support behind the venue in its fight with the council - has an incredible voice, exemplified best by a cover of Etta James's 'I'd Rather Go Blind'. But the band's own music is quite eclectic, jumping around different genres, making it all quite disorientating, as talented as the band may be.
The ever-excited and grateful group were preceded by The Redroom, who seemed to draw a bigger crowd than the headliners. The baby-faced crowd seemed to thin out as the night went on, but the eager fans among the audience certainly enjoyed it.
Iceage - Yes (Pink Room) - March 29
There was some serious punk energy in Yes' Pink Room, particularly on the face of Iceage frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt. The chief songwriter and lead vocalist didn't crack a smile through the set - although his confusion when someone in the crowd comically screamed 'Carlsberg' at the group from Copenhagen was the closest he came to altering his expression.
The Danish post-punk five-piece first formed in 2008. Their five studio albums released since then track the band's evolution.
This performance featured several new songs - but the audience seemed to enjoy everything that they were offered. In fact, there was even some crowdsurfing going on in the low-ceilinged room as the over-an-hour-long show drew to a close.
The pedal-heavy songs were full of sound effects and often started with samples. But perhaps the most surprising sound was So Long, Farewell from the Sound of Music playing at the end, a contrast from the seriousness of the band bidding goodbye.
Wunderhorse - Deaf Institute - March 31
Wunderhorse took to the stage to the unexpected sounds of Judy Garland's heavenly rendition of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. Later in the show, frontman Jacob Slater would take his own turn at the cinematic classic - but his was far darker, melancholic and drenched in depth.
And that's what sets this band apart from the saturated primordial soup of emerging post punk bands, often characterised by frustrated newbies having their first go. Instead, what we have here is a charismatic leader toting a past that he's unafraid to plumb, evident on tracks like 'Morphine' and 'Teal', coming complete with a smooth voice that can cut through loud, clear and satisfyingly raging. (Slater chimed in mid-show to say he was doing his best while losing his voice in the midst of not being very well, he could have fooled me.)
It helps that Slater has also been around the block with the hedonistic punk outfit Dead Pretties - which burned out as quickly as they were set alight. Not many get a second chance and Slater knows what he wants to say about it all, getting his story out with a mature, fully realised sound on the Americana-laced debut album by the new group, named Cub.
Wunderhorse is breathing news life into a maxed out genre and making it unabashedly their own. Their Deaf Institute gig was too packed to move, it will undoubtedly be even busier at their Ritz show later this year - we'll definitely be back.
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