Like most people on a Tuesday night, I’m often found sat in front of the telly watching cockneys berate each other, however the offer to see a band touted by some as the next Manchester greats and a chance appearance by guitar god Nick McCabe, was more than enough to persuade me to give it a miss. So once again I find myself upstairs in a charming east end boozer, this time the Old Blues Last. With it’s blacked out windows and lowly four school chairs the venue certainly has a rustic charm, which is more than complemented by openers The Shutes appearance.
Standing at the front of the tiny stage, front man Michael champion releases an unnerving shriek. A look of confusion suddenly appears on the crowd’s faces as they try to comprehend the bizarre shrill coming out of the singer’s voice. However by the second song ‘Alternative Away’, all fears are gone. The singer’s voice begins to play majestically with the bands retro garage rock, resulting in a multicoloured psychedelic rock sound, reminiscent of the Stooges and The Doors.
‘Park Bench Blues’- yes that really is the chorus, reveals their ability to build a song out of seemingly nothing. Beginning as something you’d expect a couple of stoned students to knock out in an evening, the song eventually builds into a driving anthem. ‘Hits Like The Morning’, is a beautiful sun drenched pop song that could have easily been lifted of Rubber Soul. The only downfall is that their set lacks any thread. The songs go from Beatles-esque pop to full blown psychedelic, then back to garage rock, but without any direction. However given their quality they could well follow in the path of their musical and home town luminaries the Bees.
With the room now packed Lowline cram themselves on to the tiny stage and without any introduction launch straight into opener ‘Last Chance’. Robbie Rush’s vocals are powerful and the guitars ferocious, leading the crowd to draw nearer the stage. ‘Army of youth’ is a straight forward over drive laden rock tune, with distorted guitars and a driving beat. By the time they reach former single ‘Monitors’, a song crafted in the great Manchester tradition, Robbie seems more relaxed and confident as he delivers his brooding lyrics. As the set continues with ‘Outside’, Lowline seem to be invoking the spirit of the great shoegaze bands of the past and blending them to create a devastating sound of their own.
‘Sound of music’ is an awe-inspiring song to finish on, the pounding beat drives on as the bleeding guitars build and build, whilst Robbie voice towers above it all, leaving the crowd thunderstruck. The band walk off to the sound of rapturous applause and screams for more, something I’m sure they will have to get used to. On the evidence of tonight’s show, Lowline do live up to the hype and quite possibly could be the next Manchester greats.
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