Due to the bane of modern life that is public transport, I unfortunately missed the majority of the slot of the opening act of the evening that took the form of The Wytches, who were recently added to the bill after the unfortunate split of The Amazing Snakeheads. However, having witnessed The Wytches closing number, I must say it was easily enough to intrigue me into seeing them live again, an immense positive in itself.

My night truly began alongside the growing anticipation for recent, high-demand duo Slaves, however. The lights dimmed and the two members – Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent – took to the stage, and blistered into the opening notes of ‘White Knuckle Ride’, which saw the world-renown floorboards of The Ritz be put to use. With every member of the audience moving and letting loose, the slot looked to be promising to say the least. The duo then went on to perform tracks in their already strong arsenal (despite not having a full album out yet, though one is scheduled for 1^st June), such as latest single ‘Feed The Mantaray’. The track holds an upbeat, feel-good vibe amongst the heavy strumming of the guitar and the immense pounding of the drums, as well as much loved tracks ‘Where’s Your Car, Debbie?’, ‘The Hunter’ and closing number, ‘Hey’. It’s safe to say Slaves went off to a blistering applause and much satisfied atmosphere in the room, arguably gaining even more fans in the process.

After a quick “beverage break”, the lights go down once again, and the warm applause of the Manchester crowd welcomes the presence of The Fat White Family to the stage; the image of the bare torso of frontman Lias Saoudi, with beer can in hand is a somewhat pleasant sight, and then the pleasant sounds of tracks such as opener ‘Auto Neutron’, while ‘Is It Raining In Your Mouth?’ and ‘Wild American Prairie’ follow. As the Fat White Family slot begins to take full swing, during tracks such as ‘Cream Of The Young’ and ‘Touch The Leather’, I find myself rather surprisingly envisioning some strange reincarnation of The Doors’ Jim Morrison. Although it is of course an opinion, I find myself making deductions of a modern development of the legendary psychedelic band, undoubtedly a positive comparison, right? Once again, another new discovery which intrigues me and leaves me wanting more.

The time soon arrives for the headliners of the night, Palma Violets, to grace the stage, and grace it they did. The crowd becomes instantly vibrant at just the sight of the group, and become even more alive when opening track ‘Rattlesnake Highway’ hits the walls of The Ritz. Shortly after comes the brilliantly poised ‘Best Of Friends’, which left me graciously witnessing the power of live music, with every member of the crowd becoming one in unison bouncing up and down, and not slowing down for a single second. As the slot reaches its halfway/two-thirds milestone – which entails tracks such as ‘Tom The Drum’, ‘Last Of The Summer Wine’ and ‘Johnny Bagga Donuts’ – I once again find myself making comparisons, but this time straying towards bands such as The Libertines, partially due to the evident chemistry on the band whilst they take the stage – another great sight. Violets then leave the stage for a very short amount of time and return to play an encore in the form of ‘We Found Love’, and the magnificently named ‘Chicken Dippers’, which ends the night in rapturous applause and all-round appreciation. Everybody heads outside into the cold Manchester night once again.

James Cummins

@CummyBear