Will Marshall
Opening the show are alt rock outfit Tropic Gold, whose lighter touch and electronic elements immediately invite comparisons to Bad Omens, but there’s also an undercurrent of R&B in the vein of Dayseeker. They’re well-polished, but for all the gleaming melodies and pulsing electronica it feels oddly flat. Perhaps that’s solely down to the mix tonight, as the band themselves perform with plenty of enthusiasm. They feel atmospheric with throbbing synth between songs and a charismatic frontman. It doesn’t hurt they back it up with some solid tunes, either.
Lake Malice bound on to enthusiastic cheers, immediately launching into the anthemic Magic Square with vocalist Alice Guala encouraging the crowd to move with a simple “what the fuck is up, Manchester?” that’s answered loudly. Though they’ve no live bassist it doesn’t hurt their sound, Blake Cornwall’s guitar tone sounding huge as he fires off riff after thunderous riff. Skittering drum beats and an undercurrent of hyperpop run through their angular metal that sees bodies swirling in the pit barely two songs in, and Black Turbine sounds monolithic with its glitching electronics and towering guitars. Even stepping in at the last minute, Lake Malice prove why they’re ones to keep a close eye on.
Early on in As Everything Unfolds’ set, vocalist Charlie Rolfe admits she’s currently got laryngitis, but you absolutely couldn’t tell. From the opening run of Ultraviolet, Slow Down and a rapturously received Saint Or Rogue, the crowd are one constantly roiling, dancing, pitting mass that greets them with a “Jon Cass” chant. The band are as tight as ever, the sound pristine and they tear through a selection of their two albums that go down a storm. Flip Side hits like a freight train with beers and bodies flying, security forced to catch a huge number of crowdsurfers throughout.
They thank the crowd profusely on multiple occasions and from the raucous, constant pits and throats singing in unison constantly it’s easy to see why the band are so happy. Late in the set there’s another surprise from the quintet as Ultraviolet closer All I’ve Ever Known, whose ascendant chorus and final bridge sees the crowd threaten to drown out Charlie. Naturally they close with On the Inside after a rousing Felt Like Home, as the room gives it one final surge of energy, bouncing front to back for their best known song, ensuring this first night of the tour sets one hell of a high bar.