The Gaslight Anthem laid down a marker with a conquering performance at the 02 Apollo Manchester in a career-defining set.
An emotionally-bruising hour and a half of pure rock gold dust, the New Jersey quartet played the show of their lives to a packed out sea of adoring fans that sang along to every word.
New York based band Bayside got proceedings going, offering an amped up dish of aggressively fuelled pop punk.
Deer Tick’s stage presence and the band’s eccentric alt-rock definitely won over some new fans in a dizzying half an hour set from the Rhode Island boys.
Front-man Brian Fallon took a no-nonsense approach, declaring into the microphone ‘we’re not gonna toy with you. You want the music and that’s what you’re gonna get’ as the songs kept pouring out.
From the thrilling opening chords of Stay Vicious to a stripped down version of the Dickens-inspired hit, Great Expectations, this was a performance that was as breathtaking as it was rousing.
Even Ozzy Osbourne’s War Pig somehow fitted into the set, which was received with echoing cheers from all the fans.
With Tracks like Wooderson and She Loves You, which served their day one loyalists, to playing Handwritten and 1,000 Years for their newcomers there was simply something for everyone.
Fallon orchestrated his crowd with sauntering ease and still found the time to charm the crowd with an anecdote of putting Hulk Hogan on the waiting list in case the iconic wrestler ever fancied a ticket.
Finale The Backseat, brought the house down in an epic fashion as guitars careered each other, stage divers flung themselves on top of the crowds with the Manchester mass bellowing every single lyric back at Fallon.
It was more than just a gig to remember, it was a gig that could never be forgotten.
Image courtesy of Nicole Kibert / http://www.elawgrrl.com/, with thanks.
