‘Manchester tonight’s been the best night of our fucking lives. We should do it again sometime,’ declares Boyle as the crowd applauds in approval. The voluminous venue that is Victoria Warehouse, with a capacity of 3,500, was swiftly stamped as ‘sold out’. Being the biggest venue they have performed to date, the band has been soaring since the release of their debut album I Wonder If The World Knows?
Fans flock to the forefront. Silhouettes of the quartet are projected through an array of golden lights, flashing against the only thing coming between them and the crowd: nothing but a translucent veil hanging overhead. A verse of violins set a slow and steady match. Drums begin to vibrate through your chest, its accelerating beats mirroring a hasty heart. With a strike of his Strat, Breslin commands the curtain to cascade to the ground: revealing the band in all their glory. This was The K’s on fire. The crowd goes off. With hopes high, lads are hoisted upon shoulders, sitting in eyeline of the stage. Their features so close that they reflect upon the glare of the guitar bodies ahead. Pints cannoned into the air before plummeting back to the ground, in true ‘Icarus’ fashion. Cranking up the heat with hits ‘Chancer’ and ‘Heart On My Sleeve’, the four propelled people into pandemonium. Individuals slam back as rings are created for the chorus. Fans leap back into the empty space, crashing together in waves as they’re swallowed back up into the sea of supporters. If The K’s said ‘jump’ they’d say ‘how high?’
The setlist goes on to showcase the timeless tune that is ‘Glass Towns’, a song so good you can feel the music ‘running through your brain’. ‘Black and Blue’ forms hypersonic hums within the amps as they radiate through the space at the speed of light, its sound sending the crowd into chaos. There’s a magnetic field around this moment now, eternally tucked away in time.
Slowing it down with ‘Lights Go Down’ a blue hue washes over us. All arms in the air, hands stretched out to embrace the atmosphere. Before their feet had the chance to leave the stage, encore chants circulated around the warehouse. Bursting back onto the scene they opened their revival with Breslin and Boyle’s duet of ‘Valley One’. Stepping away from his guitar, Breslin captivated the crowd with his keyboard. During the introduction not a word was spoken, everyone stopped to take in its beautiful simplicity. Spotlights shone in a perfect softness as, contrasting with the previous stampede. With a pint of Guinness raised in hand, Boyle belts the ballad which in return is echoed back to him. Their grins were infectious.
‘Fuck the setlist Manchester’, Boyle announces as they kick off the tour debut of ‘Got A Feeling’. Coming back into colour, saturation increases all the way to the climax of ‘Sarajevo’. A classic K’s song. Being their first single ever released, it only seemed appropriate to end their biggest show with the thing that started it all.
Although it was the best night of their lives, it might just have been the best night of ours. No doubt they’ll do it again sometime.
