Music event Direct to Stage is taking place from 7 to 8 October – and on the 8th there is a pop-up show from upcoming indie, indie-rock and post-punk bands Dead Pony, The Royston Club and L’objectif at Exchange Square.
From 11:00 to 19:00, First Direct Bank will be providing a platform for smaller bands with an exciting future.
The digital bank is committed to levelling the playing field within the music industry, with the bands having been invited to the venue last month, where each performed three of their most recent songs with full production on the stage.
There are deckchairs and a huge screen projecting the performances, with each set broken up with interviews from the bands.
The interviews help encourage the audience to understand the bands’ beginnings and what it means to them to play on such a big stage.
Chris Pitt, CEO at First Direct, said: “We’re passionate about helping bands break into the music industry, so we’re really excited to give these artists this very special platform.
We know Manchester, which is famed for its thriving music scene, is the perfect place to showcase their talents and we look forward to celebrating these up and coming artists with the city’s many music lovers.”
All in all, the film comes to around 30 minutes and is definitely worth your attention if you are passing in the area.
It’s a great opportunity to discover new and exciting talent.
Additionally, there’s a chance for the public to win First Direct merchandise, band merchandise or even VIP tickets to an upcoming performance at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.
Mancunian Matters spoke exclusively to Anna Shields, the lead singer of the Glaswegian band Dead Pony, about the event.
Shields said: “It was so nuts. As a band who are earlier in their careers, we’ve not had that opportunity to play anything too large, and I feel like it gives you something to aim for.
“We want to be playing these massive venues in five years’ time, but to all our own fans.
“Every band wants that major debut success, so it was amazing to be able to pack out venues that size.
“It’s really nice to be recognised for your music and have a platform to showcase that on – just to see what it’s like performing with that professionalism and working with a massive crew, a stage crew and even the sound system.
“It’s a lot of experience that we’ll take from it.
“We are quite used to being on stages together where we’re basically rubbing elbows to the stage floor, so it was really great to have the capacity to do this and run around on this massive stage.
“It gave us a level of confidence, to know that we can play on large stages.”
Dead Pony played at the Neighbourhood Festival last week in Manchester.
Shields said: “We’ve not been in Manchester since May, I think, so it was really nice to be back.
“We love Manchester crowds.
“We weren’t expecting the show to be packed out, but we reached capacity and the crowds were amazing.
“We got to play some new songs, which was really exciting and the crowds were just so good.
“It’s just such a good festival to play at.”
However, she remained faithful to her home town.
She said: “Oh, my God, the Glasgow crowds!
“I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a gig in Glasgow – we just go harder than anybody else.”
Dead Pony recently brought out their new EP, War Boys which the band wrote, produced and recorded themselves.
Shields: “It was a really, really great experience, it went well.
“We have that sense of control over their sound and over what we are producing, especially in a time where we don’t really have much control over anything else.”
The band have a big year planned with a UK tour expected at the start of next year with some exciting news in between.
So watch this space and watch this band.
Photographs: Darren Robinson
