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.

#339: RICK ASTLEY - LIVE AT HMV MANCHESTER

80s Icon Rick Astley has just turned 50 and released a brand new album "50" to celebrate this milestone. "50" is his first album of all new material in 15 years, and in that time Astley has not done many live shows to the public. For fans of his, this intimate live performance at HMV Manchester would be a once in a lifetime experience!

Before Rick Astley even arrived, people around the store were feeling a little apprehensive, not knowing quite what to expect. Many will only know Rick Astley for his #1 mega hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" (which happened to be #1 on the day I was born). Some of the younger generation will also know him for the popular "Rick Rolling" internet meme from a few years ago, where people would be able to prank their mates by sending them an interesting YouTube video, only for it to revert into the music video for Rick Astley's mega hit after a few seconds! Because of the whole "Rick Rolling" phenomenon, I even found it difficult to actually convince people that Rick Astley was really performing at HMV today!

Even with expectations for the show being mixed, it didn't take very long for Rick Astley to convince people that he was for real. He came out with a 5 piece backing band all dressed in smart suits, consisting of a guitarist, bassist, vintage synthesiser player, live drummer and backing vocalist! From the very first song, Astley's deep Soulful vocals soared across HMV, holding notes effortlessly. If anything his voice has improved with age, and the sound he accomplished with his band was much more Soul and Funk driven, as opposed to the Synth Pop/New Romantic sound he was established with.

Rick Astley not only performed songs off his new album, but threw in a few old numbers. The first of these was his hit "When You Needed Somebody", which certainly got the *ahem* older people in the crowd clapping, dancing and singing along. New single "Keep Singing", Rick explained was about how even if life hands him lemons, he finds if he keeps on singing, everything will be okay... A gesture he has certainly proven this evening! Astley gleamed with so much positivity and sheer passion for his craft, which was reflected on the very enthusiastic crowd. Another new song "Pray With Me" was a Funky, uptempo number that had a real groovy bounce to it, showing that his backing band were really solid!

Rick Astley must have taken the whole "Rick Rolling" escapade with good humour, as the man was simply on fire tonight! Between and even during songs, he had the whole crowd in stitches of laughter, calling out his mate as a shoplifter! During his hit ballad "Cry For Help", backing vocalist Dawn sang her solo part so powerfully that it broke the microphone, so he jumped in and started singing soulfully "sorry about the broken microphone!" This song was particularly fantastic, not only showing how talented his band were, but he managed to convincingly capture a Gospel influenced sound. I think it sounded even better than the 1991 original did!

Of course no Rick Astley performance would be complete without a rendition of his mega hit "Never Gonna Give You Up". It's great to know the man doesn't take himself too seriously, introducing the song in a tongue in cheek manor. Some artists end up getting sick of playing their biggest hit song, but even at 50, he gave it welly. In particular the catchy synthesiser melody really shone, and Astley's vocals sounded absolutely flawless. The crowd went pretty crazy for this one, singing every word along and there were huge smiles on everyone's faces!

Most Pop artists who come to visit HMV, don't end up performing live. Perhaps it because it would be too hard to mime in such intimate venues! This evening Rick Astley proved that he was the real deal, with a stunning voice, a great backing band, and a lot of positivity, humour and passion to boot! He managed to turn the 80s cheese into a genuinely Funky Soul sound that worked wonders, with new and old songs sounding great. Even after a long hiatus, the man sounds like a born performer, and I expect his upcoming tour will be a spectacular one! Talking to the HMV staff afterwards, many were blown away by just how amazing he was, with some saying it was the best performance at HMV Manchester yet, and I would have to agree with them. No I am not Rick Rolling you, he really was that good!

June 10th 2016 @ HMV Manchester. Photography by Rich Smith of Digital Bath.

#313: JAMES - LIVE AT HMV MANCHESTER

To celebrate the release of their latest album "Girl At the End of the World", Manchester legends James chose to perform an intimate set at HMV Manchester to a packed out store full of die hard fans. Considering that this is from a band who are set to play the massive Manchester Arena in May, a band that can headline festivals, this was a rare opportunity to see them perform up close in a small space. James also performed here two years ago when their previous album "La Petite Mort" came out, so it is fine to see that they still support their local record store. It felt like there was an even bigger turn out than the last time, and it was great to see such an array of people sporting different James shirts from old to new.

The 6 piece walked out to a huge roar and applause, and climbed onto the makeshift stage assembled earlier in the day by the HMV staff. James opened with the title track of the new album, which saw one of their guitarists using a 12 string guitar, and the other playing slide guitar. Before kicking in, frontman Tim Booth explained that the song was inspired by car crashes, in particular a roundabout near where he lives that sees frequent collisions. This was reflecting in the lyrics of the song, as Tim's vocals soared across the room in fine form. Though James' sound may have changed over the years, one constant is Tim's incredible vocal range. The slide guitar gave this song a Country style twang, and although the verses had a sombre feel, the uptempo chorus made this into a great song. Their second track from the new album, "Feet of Clay" saw one of the guitarists switch to a cello, giving the sound an extra warmth. The song is driven by a cracking bassline, and Tim's voice went above and beyond on this track. The cello sounded absolutely fantastic. Of all the songs on the new album, this is one that has that classic James vibe. Once they finished the song, Tim told an amusing anecdote about when the band were nearly hit by lightning when playing at a festival during a thunder storm. The group really connected with the crowd, sending them into fits of laughter and you can just tell that the band members are very down to earth guys.

James' 3rd song of their performance was "Dear John", which Tim explained was about when soldiers get "dumped" by their girlfriends via letter whilst they are away serving for their country. This song was dominated by the use of the synthesiser, and is the most reminiscent of the Synth Pop direction the new album has taken. The bouncy melody of the song allowed Tim to really get his groove on as he danced on stage like a man possessed! The group finished with the anthemic "Nothing But Love". This time their guitarist switched to playing a mandolin, completing a very diverse set. The mandolin definitely made me think of an REM vibe. The oohs and ahhs of the chorus got the rest of the band singing along, and of course the majority of the crowd too. This capped off a stunning intimate performance, proving that even after 30+ years, James still have a lot to offer and know how to keep a solid connection to their fanbase. After the performance, James then met with fans, signed copies of the album and took photographs, making this event a dream come true for many happy Mancunians!