LIVE/GALLERY: No Hot Ashes @ Manchester Academy 2, 31.03.18

Pop, funk and jazz have entangled with the classic youthful indie genre, creating a new wave of artists set to change the way we view the angsty, erratic music scene. No Hot Ashes are part of the resistance, the four-piece from Stockport are in-line to put the Greater Manchester town firmly on the music map, with their upbeat, lively indie-funk which saw a sold out Manchester Academy 2 for the March bank holiday weekend.

Having sold out Club Academy back in December, the band have only continued to show their success by selling out the bigger venue in the Academy family. As well as the ‘Skint Kids Disco’ vinyl EP in a mesmerizing acid yellow finish, each record with its own unique black paint splash effect emblazoned across it. Each member wore yellow at their headline gig, an homage to their recently released set of tracks. There was an atmosphere of excitement surrounding the night, which erupted when it sold out weeks ahead of the evening. Fans frantically searched social media for unwanted tickets, pledging their allegiance to the band with any means being met to watch the ‘Cool Cat’s.

Gallery:

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With support from similarly upcoming bands; The Mysterines and Vistas, showcases NHA’s admiration for other acts treading the difficult newcomer path that they have so faithfully toed. Manchester Academy 2 is aptly located in the student district, on Manchester’s busy oxford road, housed on the first floor of The University of Manchester’s Student Union. This lived up to be the perfect location for No Hot Ashes’ audience. Animated and zealous with activity, the warmth from the crowd made for a vibrant atmosphere which only heightened when Isaac, Luigi, Jack and Matt took to stage and belted out their anthemic hits including Easy Peeler, Cool Cat, Goose and the new Skint Kids Disco which consecutively saw the lip-syncing-word-for-word audience rupture into a climatic hysteria. The scene was something you’d imagine the early days of the likes of Oasis and other high-flyers would have seen – ‘girls want to be with them/boys want to be them’ type thing. A curve-ball was thrown in the form of a cover of Blondie’s infamous track ‘Call Me’, now known for their singular covers amongst sets including MGMT’s ‘Electric Feel’, it shows that No Hot Ashes have their sights set high. If Saturday 31st March was anything to go by, those heights are achingly close.

Photography: Nidge Sanders (Trust-A-Fox)