LIVE REVIEW: THUNDER AT HMV MANCHESTER

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.

#347: SHURA - LIVE AT HMV MANCHESTER

Shura has just released her debut album "Nothing's Real" and to celebrate this event, she performed a short stripped down live set as well as signing copies of the album for fans. Shura explained how she grew up in Manchester and that it was her first time ever performing and signing at a record store. Shura performed vocals and keyboards, and was joined by a guitarist. There was a strong crowd of about 75 fans who applauded as she walked onto the makeshift stage.

Shura opened with "What Happened to Us?" She explained to the crowd that these live versions would sound rather different to the album, which has a much broader Synth Pop sound. Shura revealed a very natural sounding voice, slightly huskier pitched than on the album. The acoustic guitarist gave this song almost a bit of a Country twang. The emotive chorus "I was never ready for your love" hinted at a broken relationship.

Shura had a lot of fun banter with the crowd and came across as a very genuine, charming person, and despite the album's title, very real. However perhaps it was because it was a hometown show or playing to such an intimate crowd, but it was easy to tell she was feeling very nervous. During her song "Touch" she did miss a chord change, having to stop the song briefly and then find her way back into it. But this moment was actually warmly received by the crowd, and I think her confidence actually boosted because of this. Her next song "Make It Up" was the highlight, with her voice soaring to louder volumes and the guitarist now on an electric guitar sprinkling textures over her keyboard playing. Shura's performance was a very honest one, and despite making a couple of mistakes, was very much entertaining and something the die hard fans will certainly cherish.
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July 11th 2016 @ HMV Manchester. Photos by Rich Smith of Digital Bath.