Live Review

The Bishops – Dry Bar, Manchester

• 6th Mar 2009

Manchester’s Dry Bar lends itself well to the more intimate gig and the bands on stage tonight are fortunate with a really good clear sound considering their surroundings. My evening starts listening to Little Volcanoes who convince me and the other curious punters to return to the upstairs bar – which is good for bar profits but bad for their egos. Refreshed, we all reconvene and the room begins to fill out for Rob McCulloch.

Rob is, in his own words, a singer-songwriter who wears his influences on his sleeve. He immediately had me guessing and asking where I had heard this song before, but with the full sound of the band to support his songs they stand out on their own merit. He plays some really promising songs like “Together Forever” which has a good Arctic Monkeys storytelling vibe, nice and jaunty – a real instant hit. His snarls communicate the emotions of the song and throughout the set his voice is at his best during the more aggressive parts of his music. His debut single, “Wandering” is reminiscent of 90’s indie pop, reminding me of some classic sing along James or Wonderstuff song. It is infectious and is confirmed by the room nodding and tapping their feet along in approval.

Aside from the Noel Edmondesque shirt, Rob is comfortable on stage and has a good presence. He also has the potential to make it big as he touches on the parts of popular bands that people love but still manages to be himself.

The Bishops are an all together different entity. Looking like two mini Beatles they are instantly fun, brimming with a lively upbeat personality and character. They put on an excellent live show with lots of classic rock ‘n’ roll moves (think The Hives, but without the awful tunes). This is supported by lots of catchy, fast tunes that lend themselves well to being played live.

As twins they are synced perfectly and mimic each others gestures, kind of reminiscent of a Proclaimers video – but in a good way. Their music has a Scouse sound despite them being London based. ‘City Lights’ is a great tune and definitely worth a listen, the same can be said for ‘If You Leave Today’ and ‘Can’t Stand It Anymore’.

An instant convert, I queued to buy their CD after the gig and will certainly being going to see them when they next come to town.