Beach Baby
– THE DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER –
The Deaf Institute is bustling with a fresher-flavoured friskiness tonight, albeit only at about two thirds capacity. London-based quartet Beach Baby are coming towards the end of the UK leg of their tour supporting their debut album, No Mind No Money, which came out in September.
There is nothing quite like catching a band in the immediate aftermath of the release of their first album. They are still genuinely excited about the songs, the fans are in their first wave of love with the band, and the sets are not overblown. Beach Baby’s 50 minute set is tight, highly energetic and very crowd-pleasing.
Kicking off with one of the album’s centrepieces, ‘Sleeperhead’, arms immediately flail into the air, as do some fairly questionable singalong voices. The only people present who aren’t happy with the sound are the band themselves, who start an impromptu song at the end to get the sound guy to turn on the monitors. Weirder is the spectacle that followed: a sort of nightly Beach Baby ritual where they open a pack of choccy biscuits, and offer them to their disciples like a sacrificial Eucharist. They go down a treat.
Tracks like ‘Ladybird’ and ‘U R’ are particularly popular, owing perhaps to them going back to the band’s earliest releases from last year. The crowd forms a series of the friendliest fight circles that I have ever seen, and they quickly dissolve into giddy, joyful celebrations.
The night’s highest spot is ushered in with the chiming opening chords of their brilliant 2015 single ‘No Mind No Money’. The song combines three killer choruses into one, and the Deaf Institute reaches fever pitch. The momentum is maintained throughout album closer ‘How Lucky You Are’, and particularly for the set closer ‘Limousine’, which ensures that the night end on its best form.
It’s somewhat surprising that a lively, likeable band like Beach Baby, backed by a solid album of tunes, is unable to fill the Deaf Institute at this stage, but they can rest assured that the fans that they have are devoted, and the band delivered them an immensely enjoyable and satisfying set.
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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.
