Mums
– DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER –
For a lot of people, the new year takes a few weeks to get properly started. But with the cobwebs cleared and the post-Christmas diets given up on, Trof and The Skinny have joined heads to get the 2017 live music year up and running for good. Following on from the success of the first Stay Fresh Fest back in September, this second event boasts several of the country’s most exciting young bands playing across two rooms at the Deaf Institute – the main music hall upstairs, and, excitingly, the main bar downstairs too.
First, though, it’s upstairs for Patty Hearst, a Manchester five-piece presumably named after the Stockholm Syndrome-suffering billionaire heiress of the same name. Their earnest on-stage energy is immediately endearing, with singer Michael Cahill pogoing around his limited space almost without pause. They cheerfully admit to messing one number up, but even that they own with a winning charm. Their wrestling banter only resonates with one crowd member, however – maybe the room just wasn’t quite full enough yet. It is a spirited jump-start to the evening.
The mood all changes downstairs, however. Widnes trio Mums strike their first chord and the ceiling nearly falls in. The nature of the bar room means that twice I have to duck to avoid getting decked by Jack Evans’ guitar, which only adds to the intensity. Their songs are thunderous, drone-heavy monsters, propelled by the extraordinary drumming of Lewis O’Neill, who we are told is playing his last Manchester show with the band. If so, I’m glad I didn’t miss it. Evans’ guitar, alongside his partner Roanne Wood’s bass, carve into your ears and through the walls – it seems that the sound could drill into the ground and hit oil.
Upstairs, a different energy altogether is being conjured by London’s Strobes. The trio play a prog rock update – some will call it math rock, but that must number amongst the most irritating genre tags out there. Dan Nicholls, a previous collaborator of Matthew Herbert and Squarepusher, has spider fingers that scramble across two keyboards at a faster pace than your ears can take in – the juxtaposition after Mums couldn’t be stronger. It is a dazzling spectacle – at first, perhaps a little intimidating, but once you lock into the chess game that Strobes are playing, it is hypnotic. The main stage crowd love it.
The Orielles are sisters Esme and Sid Hand-Halford from Halifax and Henry Wade from Liverpool. Their youthful spark is perfect for an event like this. Every band on the bill was given a 30 minute slot, but few were able to pack as much action into it as this band. Wade’s rubber-necked headbanging is extreme when he lets go, and it amps up the already considerable energy in the room. They alternate seamlessly between melodic songwriting – given an extra sweetness by Esme’s vocals – and a looser, more expansive guitar-indulgent direction, both of which they pull off very convincingly.
Heavy on the Magic
The headline act, and only band with an extended time slot, are Manchester’s own Heavy on the Magic. The five-piece bring the fun in spades, their sense of humour running through all of their songs, whether the playful ‘Hoo Ha I Love You’ or the cowbell-assisted stomp of ‘Do the Pewsey’. Their double guitar and triple vocal attack gets the main stage crowd bouncing, with frontman Chris Haddon charmingly thanking them for sticking around long enough to see them. Their character shines through strongly, as did all of the bands at Stay Fresh Fest 2. The ability to see such a smorgasbord of talent, including so much from the local area, is always to be supported. Here’s to Stay Fresh Fest 3 sooner rather than later.
I'm a refugee in Manchester, having successfully escaped Birmingham in 2007. I'm a soon-to-be journalism student, used to edit the music section of the Manchester Uni paper, and have done a little radio production to boot. I've been adding bits and pieces to Silent Radio since 2012, mostly gig reviews, but a few albums too. Also hoping now to get involved with the brilliant radio show. When doing none of that, you can usually find me at some gig venue somewhere around town.
