The Lawrence Arms / Sam Russo / Bangers

Its been almost ten years since Chicago punk trio The Lawrence Arms played Manchester, so tonight's expectant crowd at Ruby Lounge are keen to enjoy themselves. The band have recently released their 7th studio album 'Metropole' and tonight gives them an opportunity to showcase some of their newer songs. However, after a decade away from the area and given the average age of the crowd, it would seem more appropriate for the trio to lean heavily on their earlier material.

First up tonight are Cornwall's Bangers; a band which have gone under the radar for a few years despite their obvious talents. Their catchy, melodic punk sound, accompanied by gruff vocals of singer Roo Pescod is hardly groundbreaking, but it serves its purpose in rousing the onlookers and generating a buzz. They're like an English equivalent of Hot Water Music and I can't help but think that they'd be much bigger if they were from across the pond. They plough through their 30 minute set, ultimately ending with arguably their best and most popular song 'Church Street In Ruins'. Bangers have undoubtedly gathered a few more admirers tonight.

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Next up is singer/songwriter Sam Russo, who recently played Manchester during his tour with Masked Intruder. It seems a bit odd to have Russo performing after the liveliness of Bangers as he proves to be a much more subdued act, dampening the enthusiasm created beforehand. Nevertheless, Russo is an accomplished, talented performer. This is evident in songs such as 'Small Town Shoes' and fan favourite Sometimes. He is a great story teller and provides a few anecdotes in-between songs. He's clearly on the path to bigger and better things, but perhaps he's not best suited to sharing the stage with punk bands.



Strangely, The Lawrence Arms walked on stage to the sound of Cher's 'Believe' but make up for it by bursting into 'Great Lakes / Great Escapes', instantaneously getting the audience going. With a large back-catalog of songs to choose from, pleasing everyone was always going to be tough. Luckily the band get their song selections spot on, predominantly playing hits from 2006's 'Oh! Calcutta!' and newest release 'Metropole'.

The band have the ability to mix-up their style, mainly because of the contrasting styles of singers Brendan Kelly and Chris McCoughan, so tonight they go straight from the heavier, snottier songs (sang by Kelly) such as 'Drunk Tweets', to the softer melodic vocals of McCoughan on 'Brick Wall Views'. The contrast between the faster songs and the more considered ones works well, with the new tracks fitting seamlessly in to the set. The crowd are in good voice tonight, singing along to the catchy choruses of songs including 'The Slowest Drink At The Saddest Bar On The Snowiest Day In The Greatest City' and 'Beyond The Embarrassing Style'. There's plenty of sing-along moments and the occasional crowd surf and stage dive.

While Kelly does most (if not all) of the talking with the crowd, there isn't that much interaction apart from the band saying that it was good to be back in Manchester after such a long time.



Their set flies by in no time at all, and after a short break the band returns to the stage for an encore, finishing the night with 'The Devil's Taking Names'.

They might not tour outside of America as much as other bands, but its safe to say that The Lawrence Arms certainly make up for it when they do. It has been a night full of punk rock nostalgia for tonight's crowd. Lets just hope they don't leave it so long to come back to Manchester next time around.

FUTURE GIGS

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