Wednesday was a triple threat of musical talent down at Castlefield Bowl. I arrived just in time to catch the end of Alex Spencer’s set. Hailed as a the latest indie wonder kid, Spencer has claimed some top support slots over the last year. You cannot fault the lads enthusiasm but I must give a special shout-out to the talented band who really are exceptional musicians in their own right.
Spencer, when playing with the band (as oppose to his acoustic work) takes the general performance up a few notches. Harrison and Annabelle are quite outstanding on keys and bass. The band deserve just as much credit as their frontman and I do look forward to seeing where this four piece go next on their musical journey.
The crowd seemed to have doubled in size by the time Miles Kane came to the stage. Kane, full of charisma swaggered onto the stage to rapturous cheers, seemingly delighted to be back in Manchester. At this point I was feeling a little weary, but Kane’s infectious energy was the caffeine infused musical treat that we all needed.
Kicking off with ‘Troubled Son’, Kane sounded exceptional and pulled all the right moves as the crowd screamed his name ‘Miles Fuckin Kane’ much to his drummers amusement. The setlist was thrifty but packed with bangers that created a perfect warm up for what was to follow.
The Castlefield Bowl events, even in the rain always seem to attract a fairly chilled audience. Tonight as the sun set over the Bowl it really did feel like summer. The Black Keys were given a massive round of applause as the duo, with Dan Aurerbach sporting one of the official Oasis football shirts (a nod to this weekend’s forthcoming chaos at Heaton Park).
The set list was eight of their best, with a particular highlight being their intro, a mash up of ‘Thickfreakness/The Breaks/I’ll be Your Man’. Patrick Carney is mesmerising on Drums, and together there are few bands with two members who make the stage feel so alive. Their energy and camaraderie is second to none and this IS a band that NEEDS to be seen live. Another belting evening down at Castlefield Bowl, the summer has officially begun!
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