Academy 2 is bursting with the acne and Jim Reid haircuts I now expect to see at every Spring King gig. This is the fifth time I’ve seen the Manchester-based quartet and once again, they leave everyone dehydrated and covered in teen residue.

Before they took to the stage however, we were treated to some solid performances from Get Inuit and The Magic Gang. The latter in particular, hailing from Brighton, receive the biggest ovation of the two. For me it’s nothing new, it lacks a certain kick and spice. They remind me of early Weezer mixed with The Grays, however, I still couldn’t hear past the formula which all their songs seem to follow. Written for the young, alt-indie kids, every tune is an uplifting summer anthem; something easy to replicate and nothing enthralling for a miserable twat like me.

Spring King on the other hand can blow away the toughest of cobwebs, and as soon as they hit the stage the room nearly explodes into a million pieces. Opening with ‘Better Man’ a mass of jumping bodies rock, flop and oscillate wildly. They’ve never failed to get a crowd going every time I’ve seen them, they bring an immense energy, embodied perfectly by the subtle yet fantastic antics of bass player James Green. Donning a Burnley home shirt, he bobs violently up and down on the spot, mirroring Spring King’s young contingent and ultimately getting them going even more.

Speeding through their stacked songlist, renditions of ‘Demons’, ‘Can I?’ and ‘Who Are You?’ further prove how good this band really are. There’s non-stop moshing, jumping and general frolicking from more than half the room. They possess bucket loads of enthusiasm, only fucking up one song at the very beginning when Tarek Musa (drums/vocals) exclaims, “James has smashed the shit out of his bass already!” Songs like ‘Detroit’, ‘Tell Me If You Like To’ and ‘The Summer’ in particular really hit the musical spot, numbing the ears with a pleasure Spring King always manage to deliver.

All in all, it was another successful night for Musa and the boys. They continue to raise the standard with every performance and in my opinion, are one of the best live bands to see in the UK right now. Kings of every season in the past few years, let’s hope they continue to stun audiences and take their sound to greater heights.

Connor Ryan