Tonight's venue, Gorilla, accommodates a much larger crowd than the last time The Menzingers were in town, where they played to a smaller but equally fervent fan base. In between these two gigs, the band has risen from mid-table obscurity to league leaders of their genre, partially due to the success of their 2012 masterpiece 'On the Impossible Past', an album widely considered one of the best punk albums in recently history. And quite rightly so, too.
The Menzingers are here tonight, playing at a sold out venue to promote their latest album, 'Rented World', an album which cements the bands place at the top end of the punk rock ladder despite falling somewhat short of the mark set by their previous release.
The first band to hit the stage is Philadelphia three-piece The Holy Mess, who sound like a cross between the Lawrence Arms and RVIVR. They are also here tonight to promote their latest release 'Comfort In The Discord'.
They put on a short but impressive show; their sound is tight and well executed. The gruff, gravelly vocals of their dual vocalists complement their sound. They play a few songs from their latest record but the majority are taken from their debut album 'Cande Ru Las Degas'. Its a tried and tested style of punk that The Holy Mess play, but they have the innate ability to stand out from the crowd. They have an intrinsic quality in their live performance that would make you want to watch them over and over again. As a 3-piece however, they lack a central figure on the stage to really catch your attention. They are given a warm reception by the crowd, despite failing to really get them going.
Melbourne's The Smith Street Band are next to play. Their new album 'Throw Me In The River' is due for release at the end of October so tonight gives the band an opportunity to showcase a few of their new songs. The band played London the night before and tell the crowd that they almost missed tonights show, arriving 15 minutes before they were due on stage.
Singer Wil Wagner is a larger-than-life, charismatic leader, with a voice often compared to that of Frank Turner. He is a passionate story-teller. His raw emotion is heart-warming; the words sincerely spat out and slurred in to the microphone. This off-kilter, unpolished approach works a treat and the buoyancy of the crowd are testament to this as they open up with fan favourite 'Don't Fuck With Our Dreams'; the crowd belting out the chorus at the top of their lungs.It's difficult for the band to cram their glut of crowd pleasers into the short 30 minute slot they've been allocated, but they choose as many sing-alongs as possible including 'Ducks Fly Together' and 'I Can't Feel My Face'. The last song of the set is inevitably their most popular hit 'Young Drunk'. The band does a fantastic job to enthuse, with their sing-along choruses, catchy riffs and witty lyricism. It is a powerful performance from the Ozzies, who announce that they will be back in Manchester shortly. After tonight's show they will have certainly gathered a lot of new admirers.
Pennsylvania's finest, The Menzingers, are on stage shortly afterwards and open up with new song 'I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore'; a song epitomising what this band is all about. The dual vocals of singers Greg Barnett and Tom May work fantastically well, complementing one another perfectly. Barnett has the softer melodic voice, with May singing in a harsher tone.
There is barely a stop between songs to catch breath; each song flowing almost seamlessly into the next. The crowd are in an energetic, enthusiastic mood, and there is plenty of crowd-surfing and stage-diving, including that of May during second song 'Burn After Writing'.
The majority of songs are taken from their pivotal album 'On The Impossible Past' including 'Good Things' and the wonderful 'Gates', which sounds even better live that it does on CD. It feels like every song has a killer hook and an abundance of sing-along moments despite the level of cynicism in their words. This is particularly notable on 'The Obituaries' where the band have got several hundred people singing "but I will fuck this up, I fucking know it " back to them with enormous grins on their faces.
Perhaps the biggest reception of the night comes from one of the 3 encore songs in 'Casey', but in all fairness every song is celebrated with fervour and passion. There is a mutual, tangible exhilaration amongst a crowd that is hugely satisfied with what it has witnessed tonight.
It is a flawlessly executed set from very special punk band, one that will live long in the memory of the most ardent Menzingers fans who will treasure tonight's events until the next time the band are back in Manchester. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if they are playing an even larger venue next time around.
FUTURE GIGS
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