After a glorious day of warm weather (a rare occasion for the “rainy city” of Manchester), many retreat inside as the evening draws closer. For most, it’s either home or clubbing, for the few it could be ‘nerdy’ retreats like comics and underground live music. That would certainly be the case at the Travelling Man, one of a few comic book stores in the northern quarter. A free live show is being put on here (unusual I know), and it all kicks off with indie punks Patty Hearst. Featuring former members of Well Wisher, New Hips and With That Knife, this quartet play intricately brash indie rock. Despite having no recorded material yet, this new band shows plenty of promise in their delivery. Their current setlist contains songs named after famous Michaels and they all tick the right boxes of interest. The last song is the strongest highlight here however. Notes are gently plucked, combining with a warm bass and steady drum beat. Along with the vocals, they all delve into an angular loud to quiet fashion. Pretty promising stuff to sink your teeth into, Patty Hearst is a band to keep an eye on. (3.5/5)
Up next are dynamic post punks Doctrines, a locally based bunch who have truly cemented their worth in the Manchester scene. Songs like ‘Perpetual Motion Machine’ and ‘Teeth’ have a gritty anthemic quality to them, pumping a fresh aspect that many bands lack nowadays. They’ve come a long way from their scrappy beginnings, this set proves why. A tight confident group who dabble in uniquely structured alt rock tunes. A new song (from their upcoming soon to be announced 7”) seems to have a quicker tempo than their old work and it pays off. Once their set finishes, a satisfied approval of expectations in the room is achieved. (4/5)
Closing the evening spectacularly well is Liverpool blackened screamo troupe We Came Out Like Tigers. Their latest EP, ‘Ever-Crushed at Pecket’s Well’, definitely saw their black metal influences reaching full capacity, engulfing the screamo and folk touches in shadow. It can be felt at tonight’s show, all the depravity radiating from words lost in anguish and noise. The violin occasionally cropping up at the most serene moments is spine tingling. Such tense calm can also be applied to when both screamed and soft spoken vocals ring out in the dank sanctuary. To sum it up, We Came Out Like Tigers are frighteningly heavy and delicately sorrowful tonight. They are a really good outfit who deserve all the success in the world, particularly since their lyrics hold poetically sublime meaning, a lacking trait in this genre. (4/5)
4/5
Words by Aaron Lohan (@ooran_loohan)
