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As one of the biggest players in Manchester’s thriving music scene, the Night & Day Café continues to hold its leading position and its reputation for hosting excellent live music experiences and showcasing some of the best bands and artists. At a time when numerous small venues face closure, witnessing a venue displaying the reverse trend is uplifting.
Tonight (23rd March) represents no divergence from what has gone before. One of Manchester’s most promising new guitar bands, Dirty Laces, have been testing the waters and growing their fanbase and general support with pace and confidence. This evening’s gig is sold out, it’s their biggest headline show yet and they tackle it with aptitude, energy and enthusiasm.
But first up is Bassick. The artist has collaborated with none other than Ian Brown; spotting the correlation between the two artists isn’t hard, and the bass player leaves a strong impression with his original, richly textured dub-laden tracks. Different vibes and sounds are generated by Sugarspun and, whilst their traditional guitar-led songs do not necessarily offer any surprising or untested territory, what’s on offer here is solidly held together by melodies.
Receiving good vibes from an eagerly supportive and passionate crowd, who have been chanting along to Cigarettes & Alcohol by Oasis, Dirty Laces could not be better placed for walking on stage at this point in time, and they do not dash any level of hope or expectation. Vigorously and energetically kicking off their impressive ten-track set with an instrumental opener, they launch straight into In Time and the infectiously catchy chorus-led tracks Get Out and Contagious.
Intelligently compiling their set so it’s designed to deliver a gradual build up in tempo, pace and energy, the effects influence their crowd in big, compelling ways. As the heat, sweat and volume continue to increase, the crowd shout out the lyrics while they dance and jump to the tight rhythms. The song Lose Control is followed by Other Side, Back Of The Line and Between The Lines before it is time to conclude events.
The band’s choice to finish with their recent single release Moving Pictures and Set In Stone works well. Their frontman Charlie Jordan’s sharp vocals and confidence work with suitable, measured force during his performance on stage, and Dirty Laces’ drum and guitar solos are well selected; they blend in naturally and never seem forced or self-indulgent.
One thing that remains fascinating about Dirty Laces is the hint of Oasis’ music in their songs, it really does work as an appetizer and sets off a thirst for more, but as any attentive listener will quickly discover, there is so much more to their songs and what they are about as a band.
With influences ranging as wide as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Stooges, the band’s foundations reach a lot further than the north of England and, maybe, it is just a matter of time before a lot more people will be able to experience the band’s immersive live sets.