Live Review

Airship – The Deaf Institute, Manchester

• 7th Jun 2010

The Deaf Institute is still one of my favourite venues, even when nights are always badly organised and running late, and it was a surprisingly good night this time. A local Mancunian band, bought Joy Division home.

However they were decidedly more cheerful than Ian Curtis and his crew, and since their ‘new band of the day’ article in the Guardian, they seem to have more excitement and appeal to the masses.

A polite and clean array of songs, rock, yet Sigur Ros yet calmness. They have that easy listening feel with the depth of a 4 piece. You can still feel the old school emo boys in them however, even though I’m sure they’d rather forget it.

It was relaxed, that paid off in an almost effortless performance, melodic but not dull or lacklustre in the slightest. EP Algebra, an old favourite was epic, and a singalong did ensue, which carried on throughout the things they played that haven’t been released yet. They have a raw emotion that goes with the songs that is quite rousing, and the little bits like an extra drum used in their last song, and the excitement of This is Hell, from their recently released EP made it a good night.

They do need to polish their act a little, and they wont quite be the next Smiths or even Delphic at this rate, but they have the ambition and drive it seems, and they should get plenty of coverage if they keep supporting the more commercial acts like they have.