– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER –
As the rain howls down outside of The Deaf Institute, the need for some heartfelt Scottish warmth intensifies. Having seen Admiral Fallow upstage many a band earlier in the year as part of the Dot to Dot festival, my expectations are pretty dam high.
The 6 piece band from Glasgow evoke memories of sleeping under the stars in the Scottish Highlands and getting drunk off a nice single malt. Extremely hard working and with two acclaimed albums under their belt, Admiral Fallow are a band on the rise and a name to keep an eye out for.
My expectations are further raised when it was announced that Olympic Swimmers are to be the nights support band. Constant touring buddies, the fellow Glaswegians are currently drumming up interest after releasing their debut album ‘No Flag’s Will Fly’. The 5 piece are one of those groups that critics go nuts over, with their atmospheric, scene setting tunes and trendy haircuts getting the night off to a dreamy start.
The dark navy and purple lighting within the Deaf Institute adds to the mystique that surrounds the band, with the only down point being the length of their set…it wasn’t bloody long enough!
Admiral Fallow hop up the stairs and on to the stage, getting stuck straight into ‘Tree Bursts’ the opening track on their latest record ‘Tree Bursts in Snow’, released in May this year. Lead singer Louis Abbott and fellow vocalist/multi instrumentalist Sarah Hayes, swap mysterious lines, harmonising and intertwining beautifully. Using a number of different instruments throughout the first few songs, the band must be one of the only groups to able to pull off a combined flute and clarinet solo mid song.
‘Beetle in a Box’ brings loud cheers and raised hands from the audience, however, mid-set highlight is the anthem in waiting, ‘Isn’t this world enough’. This is clearly a tune written to induce mass sing alongs everywhere they go and under the guidance of lead singer Louis, I’d say we do pretty well. ‘Guest of the Government’ and ‘Brother’ follow with different members of the band all taking turns at singing a line or two. Although labelled a kind of ‘nu folk’ band, I’m pleasantly surprised to hear a number of rocking riffs underneath the lush soundtracks they create.
At this stage the band haven’t interacted much with the audience, letting the tales and passion of their songs do the majority of the talking. Before the beginning of ‘Four Bulbs’ each member of the band puts down their instruments and stand side by side at the front of the stage, no mics, and only Louis’s guitar to accompany them. It looks like we are in line for an impromptu acoustic number, which causes a punter to shout out “please not bloody band aid”. After a brief chuckle, the band go on to drop a line or two of the charity single into further songs much to the amusement of the audience.
The one aspect I love about Admiral Fallow is Louis’s rough Scottish voice and deep, deep accent; it is hard not to fall for its enduring charm. This is especially on show during the encore, which consists of slow burners ‘Oh, Oscar’ and ‘Old Balloons’.
I’m so glad this gig is being held at The Deaf Institute. There is always a buzz about the place and people seem generally keen to let the music do the talking, the perfect venue for two bands that command peoples attention. When I look around the venue as the band walk off stage, I struggle to find a face without a huge grin plastered on it.
It is amazing how natural Admiral Fallow sound when the members harmonise and sing along together, they seem an extremely tight bunch with each member bringing their own flavour to their rollicking tunes.
After the hour and a half long set, and the shoe gazing sounds of support band Olympic Swimmers, I seem to find myself off in a daze, far away and happily lost somewhere out in the Scottish Highlands.
G’day folks. I’m an Australian traveller who is still sulking because I have found myself living in enemy territory. I like to discover places with decent music scenes so its no surprise I’ve been in Manchester for two years now. I’m a typical you’ve heard it all before music lover who tries to see the positives in every band.
