Haven with support from Crackout 09/05/04

The bold Buckingham based trio Crackout warmed the crowd up nicely with their blend of honest indie and pop punk crossover music from their heavier debut album; ‘This Is Really Neat’ and their latest collection ‘Oh No’. They won the crowd over as early as the second track; ‘This Is What We Do’ their latest single that is an ode to losing out, something that the Manchester public was bound to relate to at this present time. Standout track from debut album ‘I Am The One’ that featured Stephen Eagles’ captivating Chris Conley (Saves The Day) and Tom De Longe vocals, captivated the audience as he told a tale of human frailty that Stephen King would have been proud of;

“I am the one; who comes undone.
Who falls apart when things are gone
Who works for nothing real at all”

Haven’s homecoming saw the gathered crowd swell to a sizeable 750ish, as Gary Briggs looked pleased to be home losing himself in opener ‘Tell Me’. The crowd didn’t take long to spring into action, as the uplifting example of how bubbly flower pop should be ‘Wouldn’t Change A Thing’ reflecting the band’s current positive spirit, was bellowed out by a buoyant Briggs. Newer songs are certainly more upbeat as tracks like ‘Together’s Better’ and ‘What Love is’ brought smiles to the audience faces, as they resembled contestants at a Tony Blair mimicry contest at times. However, the more contemplative and mournful older songs like ‘Say Something’ taken from much lauded debut album ‘Between The Senses’, fitted in nicely and added variety to the tight and largely uplifting one hour and a quarter set. This demonstrates that Manchester is ready to move on from The Smiths, finally.

www.haveninfo.com

www.crackout.com

David Adair