One of the hottest bands of 2024 graces Manchester on Friday night as they headlined Night and Day Cafe for the first time (and unlikely to be their last). RGM were invited to the sound check and to meet Villanelle in all their glory as they prepared for one of their biggest headline gigs to date.
The band were in high spirits after performing the night before at a very coveted support slot on Blossom’s latest mini Manchester tour. I was introduced to Ben who was full of enthusiasm for the bands gradual rise in popularity. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on the sound check and I must say that these guys (even without an audience) are tight and sound really fucking good.
Gene Gallagher, front man and rhythm guitarist looks the part, focused and driven with a soulful voice as he swaps from electric to acoustic for the softer numbers. The four piece are currently on tour around the UK and although they have not released a huge amount of music yet, they are waves on the live scene, securing top support slots and gathering fans as they go from all over.
During the photoshoot, Ben said that they love performing live and have worked incredibly hard to maintain momentum, no doubt learning from more experienced bands on the way, I must agree that after seeing them perform live, they are a band that need to be seen on stage as they have a wonderful presence that many bands lack. Not only are they grateful for where they are now, they are also humble off stage too, a tight rapport, cracking jokes and insisting that Gallagher is the expert when it comes to having his photo taken
I sincerely look forward to Villanelle’s debut album. They do have an indie sound but with other elements making them a little heavier than your average indie band, and these lads are far from average. You can catch the boys this weekend in London at London Oslo, and as the major festivals release their line-ups this week I am sure you’ll see Villanelle’s name on those famous posters.
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