Black Country, New Road

-YES, MANCHESTER-

Last night was a first for me; I saw the same band twice in two separate parts of the same venue, Manchester’s imperious Yes. That band, dear readers, are the best new band, scratch that, the best band operating in the world right now, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to consume all the Black Country, New Road I possibly could in what will surely be the smallest venue they play for a long, long time. I last saw them (in the very same venue, fact fans) in October last year, and even since then they have gone on to new heights, despite the setlist remaining relatively untouched. BCNR are a band to believe in. BCNR will make you a better person. BCNR will change your life..

Allow me tell you the ways in which I love them so very, very much:

  • I AM MORE THAN ADEQUATE! LEAVE KANYE OUT OF THIS!
  • The way there are seven of them, and despite the fact that they frequently sound like they are playing seven different songs all at once, it somehow holds perfectly together
  • The way they have a violinist and a saxophonist, and yet they still sound amazing
  • The way singer/guitarist Isaac looks like a young Cillian Murphy and sounds like Withnail & I
  • The line “I could have died like 15 times watching her undress”
  • The way they clearly don’t give a fuck about anything approaching conventional song structure
  • The way they play Styx’ ‘Come Sail Away’ in full as their entrance music
  • The way the sheer height of Lewis the saxophonist dominates the stage and how he stands dead centre, honking away, mainly dressed in football shirts (PSG this time, football shirt fans), being almost impossible to tear your eyes away from
  • The way the klezmer jams make the kids dance and crowd surf
  • EVERYBODY’S COMING UP, GUESS I’M LATE TO THE PARTY
  • The way they weave delicate moments of calm into songs before an inevitable shit storm of amazing noise
  • The way everything is constantly on the brink of chaotic collapse
  • The way Georgia’s violin adds a sheen of class to the whole proceedings
  • The line “make sourdough my daily bread” with maximum arched eyebrow
  • The way they all look incredible when just silhouetted on stage by the lights
  • Lewis’ control of the chaos using what appears to be stern looks and an intricate sign language of hand gestures to the rest of the band telling them where to stop and start different sections
  • The way they never stop playing, segueing songs into each other in a seamless fashion
  • The way the above confuses audiences as to when they should applaud/cheer
  • FUCK ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT THIS TIME ISAAC
  • The way they love pop culture, they have it stuck in their heads, with Ariana Grande, Scott Walker, the Fonz, Richard Hell, Charli XCX, and label mates Black Midi all referenced throughout
  • The line “she hates every playlist she swears she made when she was fifteen”
  • The way the 15 minute closing song’s repeated six note refrain can somehow reduce me to the verge of tears
  • The way the only words uttered by the band are “thank you” as they leave the stage
  • The way when people leaving the gig, smiles plastered across their sweaty faces, acknowledge that what they’ve just seen is something very special indeed
  • The way they have made me fall in love with ‘guitar’ music so very hard again
  • The way they have made me fall in love with music again
  • YOU CANNOT FUCKING TOUCH ME

Join me. Let BCNR into your life. You won’t regret it.

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