By DJ Astrocreep and Hannah Ross
It’s a busy day in Manchester, with several gigs across the Academy venues, as well as elsewhere. I end up talking music with someone else whilst grabbing a bite to eat before the show, before heading over shortly after doors to grab a seat and position myself for the entertainment to come. A single support means there’s a decent gap between doors and opener so I settle in for the show.
I must admit, Pinkshift were previously a complete unknown to me. A cursory internet glance describes them as pop punk and grunge, which is quite the mix, but live they come across differently. Whilst there are elements of pop punk in there, it feels more like a cross between post hardcore and grunge, with vocalist Kumar’s sound shifting easily between the smooth and rougher vocals and the music similarly switching and merging both sounds in quite an intriguing way.
There’s genuine quality both in the musicianship and in their song writing, with an impressive maturity in the way they are able to blend them. All the energy is there of a post hardcore show, with the politics and beliefs of old school punk rock, yet that edge of something else still shines through.
The band are tight, mixing vocal harmonies with dual guitars and the rhythm section smashing through it all, driving the rest on relentlessly, not that they need much help with that! I’m put very much in mind of Be Your Own Pet and their garage punk ways, with those added elements mentioned before.
The crowd are either already quite aware of them or very quickly won over, though either would be of zero surprise. Whether it’s the speeches on inclusion or love, the crowd just absolutely lap them up and rightfully so. They’re a brilliant opener and surely going to go places in the near future.
Grandson come on stage, a four piece in the live setting, and carry on the energy where Pinkshift left off. The sound is immaculate, amongst the best I’ve ever heard the room sound, which is quite something when I’m comfortably beyond having seen 1000 bands in the same place. The spirit of inclusion and of love continues on, with Benjamin speaking loudly and proudly of his social consciousness, always to loud cheers.
The pits are almost non stop, though rarely better than when the guitarist and bassist dart out into the middle, with a circle pit beckoned and implemented around them as they play. The sheer energy and passion shown throughout the set is reflected back at the band by a two thirds full crowd, with a hefty gig clash accounting for a lower than expected turnout.
It feels much busier than it is in terms of the warmth of the room, the loudness of the crowd and the sheer energy washing over the room, which is a good indication of just how good both acts are in this setting. Between the vocal harmonies, the tight as a nun’s proverbials band and general spitfire vocal delivery, it’s the kind of performance that speaks volumes on where grandson are heading.
We get latest album, ‘Inertia’, in full and a selection of other tracks alongside it. ‘GOD IS AN ANIMAL’, ‘Darkside’, ‘LITTLE WHITE LIES’ and ‘Heather’ all appear at different times in the set, to give just a taste of the 20+ songs we get serenaded with. Everything just knits so tightly together that you just cannot help but be swept along with it all.
A superb performance and general all around top night of music.
- Photos © Hannah Ross/Über Röck.
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