This was my first time at the brilliant Rock City without being in a drunken haze (as was the case during Fresher’s week), instead full of excitement to see a band I’ve been wanting to see for a long time.
Arriving at around half past 7, Liverpool 5-piece ‘Outfit’, were in mid-flow, effortlessly warming the crowd for a night of top-notch music. With such an atmospheric sound, tunes such as ‘I want what’s best’ perfectly captured their unique style, highly echoey funk, almost psychedelic. ‘Elephant days’, one of the later tracks was a particular highlight for me, really settling the crowd in for a night of very cool indie/alternative music.
Up next were fellow (to Everything Everything) Manchester-band, Dutch Uncles. Having supported Paramore not so long ago, I’d heard great things about them, a very energetic band with a really sort of new-progressive sound. Lead-singer, Duncan Wallis, really provided added entertainment with some classic dance moves!
After a good wait to build up the anticipation it was time for Everything Everything on the dot at 9! The venue had nicely filled up by this point.
The crowd roared, as the band stepped out, with lead-singer Jonathon Higgs in a waistcoat. First song, ‘Undrowned’, not an obvious choice but one of the more melodic tunes from new album Arc. Then alternating between songs from Arc, and 2010 release Man Alive, the band truly captivated the crowd. ‘Torso of the week’, one of their more creative tunes, was fantastic, with Jonathan hitting every note.
I could really appreciate being at such an intimate venue as Rock City, perfect for Everything Everything’s indie/electronic sound. With their pounding rhythm running through tracks like ‘Duet’, as well as ‘NASA on your Side’, on came ‘Kemosabe’, their second best charting single a synth-heavy anthem! Now the crowd were singing along to every note and wanting more.
It was then time for lead-singer Jonathan to perform a solo-guitar version of ‘Tin (The Manhole)’, absolute quality! Just before the band left the stage, they performed ‘Don’t Try’ to absolute vocal and musical perfection, they just seem so in control of their music as a band when performing live, so great to experience.
But of course there was more! With the crowd chanting, “Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough…” The band returned for a massive encore, ‘Radiant’, with Jonathan pouring his heart into the vocals. And now it was time, with a rather amusing intro of Higgs describing how during their tour the band started to pick up germs and a get a bit of a ‘Cough, cough’. What a show!
The pyrotechnics had been awesome throughout the night, and this was in full display for the final song, ‘Weights’. The setlist had been perfectly crafted, a great show from a great band, who have a lot more to give!
By Michael Smith
The Mic Magazine
