Manchester Academy 3 - 20-Sep-2011

[incoasterble]

The fourth gig on this tour which I turned out to...
So having driven to Manchester straight after work at Skipton, I arrive at the venue about 15 mins after doors and lo - there's this one space at the front. In the very middle!
Gladly (since I also had to get home, sleep, then get to work the following morning) the show only had Cold Specks supporting then Howling Bells on at 9.15. I think Cold Specks actually broke through to me this time - they're a far way from what I'm used to listening to, but I'll definately be buying their album when it comes out.
Anyways - I really enjoyed Howling Bells' set, I think the sound quality was particularly good at this venue. Sadly thought the crowd were a bit of a let-down compared to Leeds where it was great to hear some chanting along to their songs... Manchester's audience seemed a bit apathetic, in fact I got a bit grumpy at one point about this papparazi style consortium taking a tonne of photos over my shoulder early on and this one guy who kept holding his camera out in front of me over Juanitas monitors filming them which really I thought was impolite... Did'nt blame Juanita for being a bit less outgoing than at some of the other gigs. They sounded superb throughout though, and at the end had a decent sized queue for photos & etc; I got this great pic with the fourof'em:

[strawdogrob]

Fantastic picture! Well done mate!

[blade]

Nice pic Andy, but who's that ugly guy in the middle??!!

[incoasterble]

;D probably the same thing Juanita & co were thinking whilst they played three of their sets this tour....
shame about the red eyes - especially my left one - does the fact that Juanita's the only one unaffected count as proof that she actually is an angel / not of this earth?

[strawdogrob]

Hi Andy

I've managed to get rid of the redeye on your photo.

Cheers

Rob

Attachments:

[incoasterble]

Thanku!
God that's an improvement...

[mattchew]

27 September 2011

The Music Fix

Howling Bells - Manchester Academy 3 - 21st September 2011

Much better. Oh, the joy of having back those who arrive gleaming with infinite promise - before, that is, they divert and indulge themselves for that oh-so difficult second album. When Australia’s Howling Bells emerged in 1996 with a sharp, self-titled debut that leavened its semi-gothisms with an acute pop sensibility, those of us who like to tap our foot as much as we like to brood were left rolling on the floor in deep, dark joy. It was some debut and the UK fell for them; the band de-camped to London and played wherever and whenever. We loved ‘em, we did. Until album number two...

They returned with Radio Wars and the faithful’s collective brow furrowed. Success and more studio cash had led Howling Bells to leap straight from their ‘Mucho Promise’ phase into phase 2, that rites of passage for so many young bands, commonly referred to as the ‘So What Does This Button Do?’ phase. A couple of gems aside, its electro experimentation seemed uncomfortably at odds with the swamp-blues burr of that glorious debut. They toured with The Joy Formidable and played an awkward, nervy gig in this very building, not helped by the spoils being artfully purloined by their emerging support band. Posters around the building confirm the Welsh trio’s assault on the Bells’ fan base paid dividends: next month they play the considerably larger Academy 2. Tonight’s headliners are upstairs in the ‘cosy’ confines of Academy 3 but, more tellingly, they play just one song from Radio Wars.

So here we are again, but this time it’s personal and then some. Howling Bells enter phase three, commonly known as ‘Hey! Weren’t We Supposed To Be F***ing Good?’ They do so propelled by an album (The Loudest Engine) whose raw simplicity aids a return to the beefy tunefulness of their debut. Tonight, rather than awkwardly shuffle onstage, they stride on, smiling and waving and slink into new album opener ‘Charlatan’. As it fades away, they take a set-list gamble and career through ‘Blessed Night’, the beloved juggernaut of their back catalogue and Manchester goes “Whoa!” If I didn’t know better, I’d sense Something Happening Here.

And I’d be right. Howling Bells are a sensation tonight, possessed not so much with wild fury – they’re still too spaced out to really bite down hard - but with a steely focus and a conviction that compels. Half a dozen diamonds from their debut and most of the new album makes for a deep and engaging mix. ‘Setting Sun’ and ‘A Ballad for the Broken Hearted’ sing to the stars. ‘Low Happening’, a welcome pearl of an encore, bludgeons. Stage right, Joel is explosive and dextrous: these are the riffs you dreamt up as you drifted off to sleep as a teenager. I’ll remember that one in the morning, you thought. Yeah, right. You chose sleep. Joel got up and plugged in. That’s why he’s up there playing in a rock ‘n’ roll band and you’re not.

Default attention, of course, goes to Juanita. All eyes gravitate stage centre where, black-clad and pint-sized, she sets about melting the windows. She manages volume and vibrato with rare skill. You'd struggle to name a current indie pop vamp who could match her. All of a sudden she’s a devastating live proposition. Between songs, she’s all quiet charm: "Good evening, Manchest-oh!" In performance, she loses herself to the moment like never before. During ‘A Ballad for the Broken Hearted’, she takes flight with that line from the shadows, David Lynch in a minor chord: “And I will scream, just to get you to hold me down…” Ooh-ee.

The new stuff makes a play for our hearts. Only time will tell if it has teeth but its high spots mesmerise. ‘Secrets’ is more bittersweet evidence of their pop chops and ‘Into the Sky’ is a soaring climax. As their aesthetic starts to take root – deep, pulsing beats; skittering psychedelia; dreamscapes of heartbreak – their identity solidifies and Howling Bells gradually edge into sharper focus, morphing into what they’d once threatened to dare to become. Magical, still. Grab a hold and dream along.

Gary K

---

Images courtesy of: Von Pip

[incoasterble]

Ragged Words

In Photos: Howling Bells + Cold Specks @ Academy 3, Manchester (20.09.11)

Photogenic Aussie quartet Howling Bells delivered their third LP, The Loudest Engine, a fortnight ago, and promptly set off on a six-date UK tour to promote it. Last week's Manchester gig was the last night of that trek, and our photographer Duncan Elliott was there to capture the occasion. The album's lead single 'Into The Sky' provided one of several highlights of what was a highly polished set, the band's moody guitar crunch perfectly pitched against Juanita Stein's crystalline vocals.
Those who made it through the Academy 3 doors a little early were treated to a promising opening set from enigmatic 'doom soul' outfit Cold Specks. Based around the visceral singing voice of Canadian-born Londoner Al Spx, the band have recently been working on a debut album alongside PJ Harvey and Anna Calvi producer Rob Ellis, and are about to release their debut single 'Holland' (b/w 'Old Stepstone') via brand new Transgressive offshoot paradYse Records. You can catch Cold Specks live again on October 17 when they launch said single with a gig at London's St. Pancras Old Church.