Impressive guitar heavy line-up for Emergence Manchester today at the Eagle Inn in Salford. Small, but dedicated crowd. A good opportunity to catch up with a couple of bands that I know and to make some new discoveries.
I arrived in time to see a young band that I particularly rate: The Social Club. These guys have been through a line-up change since I last saw them. Their newish lead guitarist and bass player have brought a fresh dynamic energy to their retro 90s swagger. Think The Charlatans, Primal Scream, Oasis, with even tinge of T.Rex. The set featured a good mix of tracks, including This Town and Rita. Drummer George was impressive as ever. His ferocious drive on the skins was so heavy that he snapped the springs on the kick drum pedal at one stage, which led to an impromptu cover of Laid by James.
Next up were Little Strange who were a brilliant discovery. A four piece with a heavy blues meets psych infused rock sound. Drummer Charlie wore a cool Stones tshirt which signalled the backbone of the influences. There were also similarities to be drawn with fellow Mancunians Dirty Laces. The bass was ferocious and infectious in many of the tracks.
It was an absolute thrill to see the next band again. Oceanless have now morphed into a two piece of Will (lead guitar) and George (drums). This has made their performance more raw, though they also have programmed bass track to beef up the sound. They were the band that really got the crowds dancing. There was some fun banter from a couple of hecklers towards the end. New track Gone Home was a particular standout. The last two numbers – This Feeling and Bad Habits – have been slightly reworked from the No Vacancies days. Both build into real anthemic choruses.
Last up were Montello. For such a young band, this four piece can really work the crowd. Their frontman especially was the master of understatement in his banter between tracks. As an indie guitar driven Wigan band, comparisons could be drawn to The Lathums among others. A track called Stop The Press was among the standouts of the set.
WORDS AND PHOTO CREDIT STEPHEN LOVELL
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