Cabbage | The Blinders | Strange Bones | O2 Ritz Manchester | 01/07/17
- Jul 5, 2017
- 6 min read
On Saturday night the O2 Ritz in Manchester played host to one of the greatest line ups I've seen in a while. Three of the best acts currently based in Manchester performed at the event and left the sweaty fans in awe by the end of the night.
Strange Bones
First to take to the stage were alternative rock group Strange Bones. Despite being first in front of the crowd, their performance was just as amazing as ever and their raw sound had no problems when getting the whole venue bouncing. In my opinion, Strange Bones are a band who are built for bigger venues. Sometimes I feel that groups lose the intimacy of their performance when they take to larger stages. However, the large venue worked perfectly for the lively band, whose stage was filled with movement and action, they even crowd surfed, which only intensified their performance more.
Opening with the song Snake Pit definitely started an instant buzz through the entire arena, as soon as the group began performing the atmosphere flipped from an eagerly anticipating crowd to pure excitement and thrill. Strange Bones have a very consuming and heavy sound which captured the whole venue as they pursued through their set. The group have no shortage of assertive songs and their bold performance was full of dynamic hits, including Pussy Galore's Flying Circus leading on to Spit fire then Big Sister is Watching and We Are the Rats. I struggle to select an iconic Strange Bones song as they're all unbelievably powerful in their own sense and the vigorous performance was full of hard-hitting tunes. But if I had to choose a song that was to sum up the band I'd choose God Save The Teen, the track has no lack of energy and is the song the band chose to close with, a perfect choice which always has the audience singing along -"Na na na na na na na...."- and after their performance I don't think anyone wanted them to leave the stage - at least I definitely didn't. Check out Strange Bones on Spotify, iTunes and on their Facebook Page.
The Blinders
Up next we're alternative band The Blinders, I would happily say that the band are one of my favourite artists to see live and, although I've seen them a few times now, they have never failed to impress me. Prior to the show I was lucky enough to get an interview with the band which you can find here, in addition to their amazing music they are a wonderful group of lads who were happy to talk about their work and I appreciate them even more for that.
The trio have a heavy sound which has been described as 'punkadelic' in the past, it definitely has a psychedelic rock element to the music and lyrically it is undoubtedly punk, but I would describe it as fierce and intense because I don't really think it can fit into a genre so perfectly. It's quite a mixture of the best aspects across the board and the group brings them together in a modern and unique way. This, in addition to their assertive performance, is enough to create an unforgettably entertaining atmosphere and brilliant night.
The band opened with the engaging song Gotta Get Through, the rhythmic beats are a great opener for their set. Along with this, the bold appearance of the group captured the attention of the crowd, making them intrigued to hear more from the band. The currently unreleased song was followed up by ICB Blues, then their newest release Brave New World, the single came out 3 days after the event and is available on Spotify and iTunes. This track is quite different from their previous releases and is almost more sophisticated yet still as hard-hitting and profound as their other tracks. Ramona Flowers was played after the intense performance of their soon to be hit. The bluesy track is beautiful yet still forceful and is slower than most of their other tunes, it gave a great contrast to the in your face show of the previous song. Their recent single Swine was performed next, the well known track with electrifying sequences and powerful vocals caused an uproar in the venue. Lastly the band treated fans to lesser known Brutus, a song which will hopefully feature on a new EP or single in the future, it was a brilliant way to end the set.
At the moment I can't seem to get enough of The Blinders, their music is wonderful and strong. I hope to see them again over the coming months and am hoping for a new EP to be launched in the future - you can keep up to date with the trio on their Facebook page. The band are one I will always love, their loud music and daring appearance is likely to take them far in the industry and I expect that they will one day be playing venues such as Wembley while still performing a similarly brilliant and captivating show.
Cabbage
Neo-post-punk band Cabbage took to the stage following the intense performances given by both The Blinders and Strange Bones. The Manchester raised quintet have a very strong and harsh sound to their music, this along with the political tones created by the lyrics builds a sharp post punk atmosphere which could fill any venue and will send every crowd wild. From the small stages dotted around northwest to Glastonbury -where they played last week- Cabbage would never fail to radiate ferocity through a venue and the O2 Ritz wasn't an exception, the same powerful and concentrated vibes filled the 1500 capacity arena on Saturday night and was bounced back by fans, only making the show more extreme.
I feel the band have definitely gained popularity and recognition since the release of their debut album Young Dumb And Full Of... earlier this year, but a whole other audience has been exposed to their music since they played support for The Courteeners last month and following their recent appearance at Glastonbury. This lead the venue to be packed out and buzzing with vibrancy. Not failing to impress the already raging crowd, Cabbage opened with the fuelling hit Kevin, from their 2016 EP Le Chou. The bands set included classic song Dinner Lady and another one which always gets the crowd singing along, Fickle as well as local favourite, Tell Me Lies About Manchester. They also treated the fans to some new tunes which will be featured on their new EP Cruelty, due to launch later this month, one of these was the single Celebration of a Disease which was released a few weeks ago and received a great reaction from the enthusiastic crowd. Later in their set Cabbage slowed down the pace with Because You're Worth It, a slower track which is no less passionate than the rest of their catalogue but gave both the audience and band the opportunity to catch their breath. They closed their show with a fan favourite, Uber Capitalist Death Trade an aggressive track which left the whole arena wanting more, they definitely went out with a bang.
I've often compared Cabbage to the likes of the Sex Pistols, but, although I would say they are one of the front runners involved in the current political music scene, as the Sex Pistols once were, I think they have more to them than meets the eye. They combine classic punk undertones with a very modern style which makes them stand out and I honestly think they are incomparable to other bands who are currently big on the scene
Although I've said it before, I will say it again, Cabbage gigs aren't one for the faint hearted, but they are incredibly amazing. Saturday night was one of the greatest performances I've seen from them, and I'm excited to see them again at Kendal Calling later this month as well as in Preston in September. In the meantime you can find Cabbage on Spotify and iTunes or keep updated on their Facebook page. They aren't a band to miss.
In summary, all three of the bands were fantastic and in the lead up to the event I was unbelievably excited to see - in my opinion - the upcoming line up of the year. I wasn't wrong. the gig was the best I've been to in a long time and the line up was phenomenal. I just know that all three of these bands are going to make it big and create something magical, so to see them all coming together in one venue was an amazing experience and it was a night I will never forget.
- Liv X
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