December was cold. Properly cold. The canals froze over, you felt like your fingers would fall off, and English hearts were broken by the French.
In many ways, aside from Christmas, it was a rubbish month. But there was light.
Light came in the form of Nation of Language's brilliant cover of 'Everywhere'. It came in the form of fans chanting Shygirl's lyrics back to her. It came with the squeals of delight when Crywank began their set.
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So, despite a largely dark existence, the city still delivered. These were the best gigs the MEN team got to see.
Nation of Language - Gorilla - December 1
There were queues outside Gorilla before the doors opened for their first gig in December. Days after Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie died, American new wave indie pop band Nation of Language appeared on stage to one of her best known tunes - Everywhere .
But it felt like the Brooklyn babes paid tribute to other British bands too. The super-synthy style of the trio is no doubt influenced by Manchester groups like New Order.
The curly-haired frontman is bouncy on stage, but later says he feels 'exposed', before his bandmate tells the adoring audience, "Ian usually hides behind the synth." It's true that the slightly timid singer seems to spend most of his time at the back of the stage, but his energy is an essential ingredient in the band which consists of his vocals, a synthesiser and bass guitar.
Coming towards the end of a five week tour, Ian tells the audience it's a shame it's ending. "But we're going home to work on something that will bring us back fairly soon," he adds. "For that I'm excited."
Shygirl - Albert Hall - December 2
What was first apparent with Shygirl’s Albert Hall set was her vocal range. It’s angelic voice when it needs to be, and filthy when she wants to be.
That’s what added an extra layer of dynamism to this live performance compared to the studio version of debut album Nymph - it had a presence which carried more oomph. That also meant it was far more danceable, which is what the studio recoding lacked.
It’s important to recognise too, that this is an artist who has the freedom of being early in her career - but the confirmation of her talent through the release of an album - to not take her work too seriously. There was some excellent staging with a large mirror, projection effects, and lighting to add to the sense of fun abundant in her craft.
Keep an eye on Shygirl. She’s far from the finished product, but has so much promise there’s every chance we’ll be talking about the Mercury Prize and her name soon.
Idle Hours - December 3 - Yes Basement
Idle Hours met while studying in Manchester so it’s safe to say this city is their musical home, and the quartet used Yes as the final stop for a stomp on their first-ever tour. They rolled out tracks from their short-but-sweet EP, The Fourth Wall, released earlier this year complete with some dancey, crowd-pleasing refrains, and a healthy sprinkling of cute riffs that go round your head.
Therein lies the problem. It’s early days but this band are riding on the coattails of post-Brexit new wave heroes. They’re attempting to have emotional impact with wordy songs, so where do they fit alongside acts like Dry Cleaning, which have successfully refined heart-aching drama with searing simplicity?
It's impressive they’ve made it onto the Spotify indie up-and-comers playlists. But Idle Hours are going to need to distinguish themselves at some point and slap us in the face with something a little different. It's a crowded field but we’ll be keeping an eye out for them.
Skinny Lister - December 8 - Gorilla
Skinny Lister rolled into town to play Gorilla with the knowledge their fifth album had solidified a loving cult following. How did the know that? The size of the crowd who came out during -1C weather was legitimately impressive - and they got a just reward.
That came in the form of uncomplicated, upbeat, and understandable melodies - with a lyrical quality that has what so many search for: danceability. But Lorna Thomas' and Dan Heptinstall's singing doesn’t inspire obscure moves from a rave - it's more akin to a good-old-fashioned knees up.
The folk outfit will not be for everyone, but those who they do appeal to they will really be appealed. Skinny Lister, then, are a reminder that music doesn’t have to be a deep introspection into one’s self — it can just be about having a dance.
BADBADNOTGOOD - Albert Hall - December 10
It was a miserable night. Damp and dreary outside, the Albert Hall audience hoped to be uplifted by BADBADNOTGOOD on the night England were knocked out of the World Cup.
The Canadian instrumental ensemble exhibited their exceptional talent as you'd expect. Alone at first, bassist Chester Hansen started off the set with a super fuzzy solo before the rest of the four-piece appeared on stage to complete their hip-hop influenced jazz sound.
Touring their latest album, drummer Alexander Sowinski described it as the Talk Memory audio-visual experience - which perhaps explains the live 16mm film projections filled the white backdrop throughout. But despite adding to the artistic value of the performance, it subdued the atmosphere.
Alex, who does all the talking, managed to get the crowd jumping, but struggled to keep it going. Strangely, because of where his microphone was positioned, he had to turn away from the audience where he spoke, making him a faceless announcer. Perhaps the football was responsible, but the band - whose talent remains undeniable - were not as fun as expected.
Crywank - Band On The Wall - December 15
Queues formed all the way around the corner of Band On The Wall before the doors opened for Crywank 's homecoming show in their postponed post-pandemic farewell tour. But for a band that formed in 2009 before rising to internet fame, the crowd was surprisingly young.
Jay Clayton shared memories of the underground flat in Rusholme - opposite the Venus supermarket - where one night, a friend taught him two chords on guitar and the band was born. Around 100 million streams and 13 years later, here he was back in Manchester with drummer Dan Watson after a two-year hiatus.
The 'sad-but-fun' sound created by the duo was complemented by support act Commuted who played bass for some of the songs before returning to the crowd and getting stuck in. Succumbing to song requests, the set seemed somewhat unrehearsed and off-the-cuff.
The long-haired singer and acoustic guitarist led the audience on a trip down memory lane with his 'teenage lyricism'. Singing along to every word and bouncing to every beat, some were even crowd surfing before the gig came to an abrupt end due to a medical emergency.
Read more of today's top stories here
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