It’s always exhilarating going to see one of your favourite bands; it’s an undisputable feeling, a feeling that people live for. You work day in, day out to earn your spends, often in a lifestyle that you do not wish to partake, but there is no feeling like spending hard-worked for money on witnessing a band that has a place in your heart playing right before your eyes. This isn’t just a ‘gig’, this is a release of everyday life, a refuge of the masses to a safe place of beer-stenched darkness, where the music is so loud it’s bound to leave your ears ringing for days, yet you don’t budge. This is the place where your desires are quenched. This is the place.

That is the scene set, now you’re inside Manchester’s Night And Day Café with myself and the rest of the crowd waiting for Trampolene to appear on stage. Now that you are here, we may begin.

The gig begins with poetry in the form of ‘Artwork Of Youth’ – a lyrical tie of sheer brilliance that even the most notorious lyricists would be envious of. ‘Artwork Of Youth’, as the title would suggest, explores every concept of young life and after the people in the audience show their appreciation, a new song simply referred to as ‘L.E’ follows.

As the performance flows sublimely, more well established Trampolene songs start to enter the mix. The hard-hitting riff to ‘Alcohol Kiss’ bursts out of lead singer and guitarist Jack Jones’ Vox amp (which he previously found in a skip and refurbished) and rebounds off the walls of Night and Day. Mr Williams beats away on the drums, highlighting to the audience that he is unquestionably the most rhythmic person in the room and quite possibly the whole of Manchester this evening whilst bassist Wayne strums relentlessly, maintaining flawless playing whilst he lets loose. It is evident that ‘Alcohol Kiss’ withholds all the elements in which it is in fact an unblemished rock ‘n’ roll song.

As ‘Alcohol Kiss’ comes to a blistering close, the song that threw Trampolene onto the music scene follows. ‘You Do Nothing For Me’ only needs one word to sum it up, and that word is ‘electric’ – and if you were asked to use two words to embody it, it would be ‘fucking electric’. With blistering bridges, unforgivably loud riffs and extremely vigorous solos, YDNFM is unforgettable. The song provides you with a taste of something that is as addictive as the most powerful opium, or even more, a tube of Pringles.

As a blistering performance passes the half-way mark, ‘Under The Strobe Light’ and ‘Bourgeoisie Girl’ allow the audience to be absorbed further into the world of Trampolene. This is a world of fast paced adrenaline, the world of rock ‘n’ roll – but as they say, “there aint no rest for the wicked”. The energy which fuels the room during this section of the show is remarkable, a similar level to the likes of which one would imagine satisfying Joe Strummer unquenching lust. Similarly to Strummer, you see Jones travel to another place when he’s playing his music, a place that clearly holds significance and meaning, which is important in a world of modern music as it shows the music that is being played isn’t just about the commercial aspects – it’s about standing for what you believe in, it’s the reason why you pick up a guitar in the first place, it’s intrinsically linked to those ‘good ol’ days’ of rock ‘n’ roll music.

‘Imagine Something Yesterday’ enters the fray, highlight one of the prominent influences of Trampolene and shame on those there who did not see The Beatles reference. The set draws to a close with ‘It’s Not Rock And Roll’ and during the buzz of the tune, the lyrics propose the statement “It’s not rock and roll that’s causing all this trouble”, pointing the finger to those in higher places who demonise the music we live for, portraying it as a negative. The thing is, the world’s not the cradle of hippies anymore, it’s not all about ‘flower power’ and all that bollocks, we are fully aware of the exploitation within the system we live in, and it’s a song like this one that allow us to express that notion and immerse ourselves in it.

As an electric performance ends it’s clear that Trampolene mean business, Jacks ‘Frusciante meets Morello’ guitar playing provides listeners with an exciting prospect, as well as the message the band provide us with, and when this message is portrayed live, there is no denying of its quality. Trampolene are the representatives of those proletariats without a voice, those with aspirations and dreams who need something to relate to in a world that’s seemingly un-relatable. They remind us that dreams are the fuel for revolution – if this isn’t rock ‘n’ roll, then please tell me what is.

James Cummins.

@CummyBear