IDLES are a band who know how to get a message across, and there was one clear message to O2 Victoria Warehouse in Old Trafford - love each other.
Excitement levels going into the venue from all attending were at a serious high, "I've waited two f***ing years for this!"
The Bristolians have made their name conveying a political message of unity through their first three albums, putting it just about as bluntly as possible as any punk band ever has, while their most recent album, Crawler, digs deep into the personal drug and alcohol afflictions suffered by front man Joe Talbot through his life.
"This one's about drug addiction," he told the crowd before 'When the Lights Come On', and "This one's about alcoholism" before 'The Wheel', both off the new album.
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Talbot, now sober, energetically stomped around the stage for the full 21 songs joined by guitarists Lee Kiernan and Mark Bowen, who was sporting a white, flowery dress.
There was no trademark crowd surfing but the bind the band had with the crowd was as strong as could be.
Everyone was told to look out for each other which everyone did dutifully. Anyone who fell in the moshing crowd was immediately lifted back to their feet by all around them.
The crowd surfers lifted out of the sea of people by security would exchange a smile and a wave with Talbot whose voice did not relent the whole night.
The level of noise created by the band bordered on ridiculous at times.
Each bang of Jon Beavis' drum on the stomping 'Car Crash' or the racing bass of Adam Devonshire on 'The Wheel' was done with some force.
It's hard to describe the sound of the screaming guitars in the crescendo of 'Never Fight a Man with a Perm' and the shouting in 'I'm Scum' but I am struggling to hear anything out of one ear the next day.
The only respite for the crowd came in a highly enjoyable interlude which saw the band sing acapella versions of Oasis' 'Champagne Supernova' and 'Wonderwall', Take That's 'Relight my Fire', and 'All I Want for Christmas is You', to an hooked Manchester crowd.
IDLES unifying message and relationship with the crowd is best displayed by pro-immigration tune 'Danny Nedelko'.
"My blood brother is an immigrant. A beautiful immigrant," the song starts, "He's strong, he's earnest, he's innocent."
"He's made of bones, he's made of blood. He's made of flesh, he's made of love. He's made of you, he's made of me. Unity"
The crowd sing this as one, reaffirming the connection between the band, their message, and us in the crowd.
Everyone in attendance could have easily watched the band play all night, which they probably could have done.
There was no encore, as is usual with the band, but the positive vibes stayed with all as the lights came on and the doors opened, as everyone appreciated the beating the music had just given them.
