The Music with support from The Dead 60s Manchester Apollo Theatre 22/12/04

The big sounding ska with a tinge of punk and splash of indie rockers; The Dead 60s took their raw electric guitar assault on the adventurous side of music to an enthusiastic audience. Their sound and spirit was epitomized in the robust and captivatingly performed 'Riot Radio'. This scouse quintet was led with humility and vibrancy by Matt McManamon, who ensured that the crowd stayed peeled to the stage throughout their buoyant set.

My stroll to the theatre pondering how many miles Robert Harvey covers during a usual gig of energetic gyration was interrupted by a bold unofficial ticketing vendor, who enquired as to whether I required a standing ticket for a “tenner”. His immediate response to my polite decline was; “I can’t give ‘em away”. This now left me pondering; have The Music reached their level and is confidence waning in the new material?

Pride and belief in the new material was emphatically demonstrated when the sonorous Leeds born quartet enthusiastically tore into title track from their recent second album; 'Welcome To The North'. The Apollo exploded into place of gleeful gyration led by the unassuming lynchpin of The Music; Mr. Robert Harvey. 'The Truth Is No Words' that followed has lost none of its poignancy or vibrancy and melted in well with the aforementioned opener and third song in 'Freedom Fighters', to make a delicious sandwich of old and new tunes.

What struck me about tonight was that the young crowd seemed loyal, as I recognized some faces from my previous forays into The Music's live experience. This implies that the candid quartet have trenchant support and people seem willing to follow them in whatever direction they wish to head, as was borne out in the crowd's enthusiastic reception to the thumping and divergent 'Bleed From Within'. This number saw the band dive into a percussion melee with all but Adam Nutter (guitar) vibrating instruments with cathartic ferocity, by the end of the number. A frenetic and forward looking set was brought to a soaring and crisp end with 'Disco' from their self titled debut album. You get the impression that The Music are building towards something big, especially if you go off the looks on the faces of the fleeting masses, as many had the look of excitement of someone who has seen a preview to something really special.

www.themusic.co.uk

http://www.thedead60s.com

David Adair