“It’s a rite of passage for all bands coming through the Manchester scene.” Stepping out of the smoking area and into the heat Gorilla’s sold-out gig room I can see what Dave, a longtime fan of this London-formed six-piece, means. The venue’s one room is packed with an array of fans ranging from teenagers with parents to grandparents with friends, as well as an eclectic mix of ages and demographics in between.
The band are greeted by a huge cheer from the omnigenerational audience as they arrive on stage, the backdrop projected behind them depicts a meticulously curated messy bedroom, the same one from the cover of their new album, Cannonball, just without the cannonballer in tucked motion over the bed.
There are two bars in this place, and despite my hankering for a draft beer I’ll have to settle for a can from the nearer, and unfortunately less well-equipped, of the two serving stations. It’s far too rammed to venture across the venue, and a beer is a beer in all instances. Upon being given my Budweiser, I slink towards the side of the stage and place myself in between the crowd – aware as ever that my taller-than-average frame is the last thing the couple behind me wanted to appear.
The set begins with one of the new album’s singles, ‘Only Girl’. It’s a snappy start and quickly introduces the talents of the band. Before any vocals become prominent, there are the instruments: we feel the rhythmic drumming of Lola Cherry, the wailing synthesiser of Emmie-Mae Avery, the encapsulating electric guitars of both Billys – Ward and Doyle – the confident bass-playing of Vera Leppänen, and the complimentary melody of Clio Starwood’s electric violin. A truly unique arrangement that seemed to entrance the crowd further throughout the evening.
The song is strong enough, with Leppänen taking the lead vocals-wise, with a catchy, pop-y chorus ‘Show me / slowly / I’m your / only / girl’. I can see why they chose this as one of their singles, it’s easily accessible to a wide audience and contains the lighter side of what the group has to offer.
They continued with helpings from the new album for the next two songs. Firstly, was driving, grimy, grungy track ‘The Thing’. Ward takes the lead on vocals for this, and it perfectly showcases the versatile nature of the band for anyone unfamiliar. While being undeniably catchy, it’s a far cry from the pop-y anthem just played, although it did help to shake any lingering post-work or post-school tiredness from this Tuesday-night crowd. The room was aghast with head bopping – albeit not much else.
‘Canyons’ was next. If the stage wasn’t in front of me, I could’ve easily been persuaded that these songs were performed by three separate acts, such is the versatility in their songwriting and performance. A solid track that claws out at the angst of dealing with a
break-up that you tried desperately to prevent, good lyrics and another great ensemble of instruments – I particularly enjoyed Starwood’s energetic violin solo mid-song.
It was sweaty in that room, and for the most part the band showed it, confining energetic outbursts to well-timed peaks in songs and worthwhile solos throughout the night. All that is, except for Starwood, her energy was an infectious presence on stage, and she seemed to dance more than the rest of the band – and indeed, the audience – put together.
The night continued with the artists blazing through songs old and new. One highlight was ‘Adam & Steve’, which showcases their full musical range alongside captivating lyrics that point to the constant march of time and fleeting nature of occasions, all while somehow remaining wholly optimistic.
As well as this, I really enjoyed the raw guitar on ‘Goddamn, Lizard Man!’, the slower, more emotional ‘Lighter’, and the driving drum beat combined with the delicately selected string ensemble on ‘Ode to Clio’ that transforms throughout, ending in a grungy, angry finale to the track – worth a listen for any newcomers to the band.
By this point, the already sauna-like Gorilla was hot enough to fry an egg in. With this, and the fact it was also a Tuesday, I can forgive the crowd not being the most energetic and enthused cast I’ve ever seen. However, this lack of energy was clearly noticed by the hard-working band, and picked up on by Leppänen at one point, who I am sure shouted something to the effect of “Someone fucking dance” midway through affairs.
There were two times the crowd did seem in full effect though. Once was when the band performed an incredibly unique and faster-tempo-d cover of lesser-known Queen song ‘Flick Of The Wrist’, and the other was when they ended the night in true best-till- last style, with the most popular offering from their discography so far, ‘Nosedive’.
Beginning with a pulsating drumbeat, tight riffs of both bass and electric guitar, and spatterings of violin, this track deploys the vocal skills of Ward, Leppänen, and Avery to full effect. The otherwise fairly stagnant sea of bodies occupying the middle of the dance floor was now awash with movement, serving as a triumphant end to a successful night.
Unfortunately, as quickly as it had all begun, it was over too. The bright white house lights collectively snapped us out of our ninety-minute trance and harshly introduced us back to the reality of the working week, forcing the mass of bodies out into the cold September night.
This was a gig that I thoroughly enjoyed, and Man/Woman/Chainsaw are a band whose career I will be following keenly over the next few years. Keep an eye out, big things are sure to come for them.
