Braving the weather and the inevitable rail issues, I head over to Manchester early, catching newcomers Naked Six for a chat, when bassist Callum mentions his mate’s band Children Of The State are playing this evening just up the road, funnily enough, supporting Elephant Stone, a gig I’m already headed to. A couple of soft drinks and the chat later, it’s time to get over to The Castle Hotel for the evening’s psychedelic goodness.
There are a few in when Children Of The State take to the stage and those that have joined me are treated to an absolute spectacle of psych that verges on dream pop on more than a couple of occasions. Soaring guitars melodise well with soft vocals, whilst the rhythm section and keys also show how adept they are with their instruments in a very tight performance. By the end of the set, the room is rammed – not quite full, but damn close to it – and there’s barely room to breathe, yet everyone is clearly very into the sounds enveloping us all from the stage. Callum from Naked Six may have tipped me off about them earlier, but he didn’t warn me quite how good their live shows are. There isn’t much room for them on stage to move but they clearly have plenty of passion and belief in their music and rightfully so, as even Rishi and the other members of our headliners clearly take note of their skills. A great introduction to the band for me and the rest.
- Children Of The State support The Mysterines at sold out shows at The Deaf Institute in Manchester on Friday (21 February) and The Arts Club in Liverpool on Saturday (22 February). They also support Temples at The Leadmill in Sheffield next Thursday (27 February).
Whilst the room isn’t the biggest capacity in Manchester, it is crammed full of expectant faces and we are in no way disappointed by what is laid down tonight. The sweatbox of a room barely has breathing room, but people are loving it nonetheless as Rishi and his more than able musical backing craft something truly remarkable. The word experience, when describing a gig, is often over-used but there is no more honest way of explaining quite how being in attendance at this gig actually feels. There’s no singing along – it’s not that type of show – but it does have people of different ages and from different backgrounds come together to enjoy what is nothing short of a marvellous musical soundscape as we are absolutely treated to a hell of a set from Elephant Stone. The cramped space on stage is a slight hindrance to the band, but this does not reflect in any way in the performance, as the set is tighter than a Yorkshireman buying a round (or so I’m told by a Yorkshire born mate!), with a breath-taking end result.
Having heard the new Elephant Stone release, ‘Hollow‘, it was a highly pleasant surprise that tonight, the night before release, we would be hearing the A side live, which is a good introduction for those around me who obviously will not have heard anything beyond the singles from it yet. ‘Hollow World’ sounds as incredible live as it does digitally – and that is really saying something – while other early album tracks work so well in this live setting, small as it is, while the other new tracks are clearly growers for the audience around me, as they become more familiar with new material.
The old stuff is clearly well liked also, as the entire crowd could not be more entranced and caught up in the moment, myself more than included, as bodies writhe to the music, despite the sheer lack of space, almost like a Mexican wave in itself due to this, as the mesmerising bass lines and music overall grips us all by the ears. There are hints of Hawkwind, hints of The Beatles but most importantly lots of good musicianship and a great atmosphere amongst the crowd, as the good people on stage have attracted a friendly and appreciative crowd around them. May the good times long continue!
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