Becton Simpson
Hitting the stage just after 8pm, Kayleigh Goldsworthy captivated the already packed crowd of Club Academy in Manchester. The noise and chatter died down to a complete respectful silence as the singer songwriter began to play her guitar. As the set continued, the crowd began to sing along to some of the songs which Kayleigh noted made her feel overwhelmed and surprised every time.
With relaxed, easy conversation in between songs, Kayleigh explained some of the meanings and inspirations behind the tracks and was the perfect easy introduction to the night. Joined on stage by tonight’s headliners (sans Anthony Green) for the final song, it acted as an ideal transition between the two sets, moving from a low-key relaxed vibe to a more heavier one to get the crowd pumped for what was to come.
It’s 9:10pm when emo supergroup LS Dunes take to the stage to their backdrop of orange flowers off the cover of debut album Past Lives. And considering the band have only released one record so far, the response and support is really quite something. The front half of the room all know the words, singing and screaming along to every song. There’s a large amount of orange hair too. Or orange makeup, or people with orange scrunchies or headscarves like its their new standard issue uniform.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this with any other band,” Anthony Green declares halfway through the set. Maybe that’s because he hasn’t experienced the Frank Iero effect before. With the crowd a really interesting mix of younger, new era teen My Chemical Romance ‘stans’ in the pit and an older, more laid back demographic of Circa Survive / Saosin fans stood at the back passively taking in proceedings, it was easy to see where most of the energy and excitement was coming from. With screams of “I love you Frank” in between tracks, Anthony quipped “I love you too” while looking across at Frank, eliciting more screams.
Related: L.S. Dunes – Past Lives | Album Review
“This is my jam,” he tells the crowd before launching into banger anthem ‘Grey Veins’ third in the set. And it seems they all agree, because that’s when the party begins in earnest with the pit opening up and crowd surfers beginning to come over in regular droves. Ultimately, with only 11 tracks to their name, the set is pretty short but tight and slick, and a fantastic sound balance out front with every instrument cutting through clear, Anthony’s vocals soaring beautifully over the top. Single ‘Permanent Rebellion’ and title track ‘Past Lives’ really get the crowd going, with even those at the back knowing some of the words as they nodded along.
To chants of ‘one more song’, the band eventually emerged back out for a two song encore of ‘2022’ and ‘Sleep Cult’ after leaving the stage for a few minutes. Joined by Kayleigh playing violin, it was an uplifting and powerful end to the set, leaving the crowd on a high and eager for more. There’s no doubt that having Frank Iero in your band is going to boost your fanbase but regardless, the music speaks for itself and the tight musicianship from the rest of the band holds everything together. Maybe – hopefully – next time they’re back in the UK they’ll have more songs and we’ll be treated to a longer set.