Artists that perform at HMV stores tend to be new and upcoming acts. The likes of Sam Smith, James Bay and Shura have all performed to die hard fans before blowing up. But occasionally a legendary band from back in the day will get a chance to perform in an intimate setting, and today British hard rockers Thunder took up the chance in support of their latest album 'Rip It Up'!
Thunder were sadly one man down, with Luke Morley suffering from the flu (or perhaps an implied hangover as his bandmates joked) but the rest of the band performed a stripped down acoustic set. Opening with new song 'The Enemy Inside', the HMV shopfloor was filled with twanging acoustic guitars, a punchy bass sound and frontman Danny Bowes' soaring bluesy wails, backed up with lovely vocal harmonies. Just two songs in, Thunder surprised the crowd with a rendition of their classic hit single 'Back Street Symphony', which had the fans singing and clapping along. The band added in funny stop/start sections after each chorus, teasing the crowd into roaring laughter. Thunder continued to explore their back catalogue, with acoustic renditions of 'The Rain' (from 'Wonder Days') and another old fan favourite 'River of Pain' which was perhaps the best and most heartfelt offering this evening. They left us with the upbeat title track of their new album, 'Rip It Up'.
Die hard Thunder fans must have been in awe this evening, being able to see an iconic band perform a rare acoustic set in such an intimate setting. Fans were also able to meet the band afterwards and get their albums signed. Thunder belted through a classy set of classics and new songs, strumming away at their acoustic guitars. In particularly Danny Bowes' vocals were in fine form, singing loud and sustaining some incredible notes. But what struck most about Thunder was how funny they were! They had the crowd in stitches with their tongue in cheek humour and really connected with the fans with their silly inbetween song banter. They came across as such genuine and lovely people, delivering one of the most memorable live shows that HMV Manchester has ever witnessed.
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February 16th 2017 @ HMV Manchester.
Photography by Rich Smith of Digital Bath.
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