Humanity Hallows Issue 5 Out Now
Pick up your copy on campus or read online
By Rachel Cook
Images by Georgia Osborn
CRITICS, a unique up and coming band hailing from London performed at Manchester’s Sound Control last week. The three-piece band consisting of Lynn Paighton (vocals) Jack Lawson (guitar) and Jamie Lowes (keys/synth) offer an exciting blend of rock, indie and pop, giving their music a fresh mix of explosive attitude and catchy up beat hooks. They’ve built up quite a reputation for themselves already, and they were out in force, even on a Monday night, filling the venue with a contagious energy and enthusiasm.
The gig was opened in high spirits by Jekyll, an alternative rock band from Blackpool with an almighty power to their music. Lead singer Joel Foster addressed the crowd with a cheeky attitude, bringing some humour to the nights events and creating a friendly fun atmosphere amongst fans and newcomers alike.
CRITICS were up next starting with a dramatic build up to I Have a Gun. The suspense concluded when the band ran on stage with an heir of confidence that triggered huge applause as the song kicked in. It was an exciting entrance followed by an equally amazing set. The band had so much energy it’s difficult to stand still, along with so much passion its virtually impossible for an audience not to keep their eyes pinned to their performance. They addressed the audience with a friendly vibe throughout their set, at one point even going as far to describe us them as “beautiful.”
They were also full of surprises too, ranging from rebellious rock ballads to an unsuspecting rap verse, somehow pulling off a range of genres together – they have it all! CRITICS ended the set on their catchy new single All I Wanna Know, released on March 3rd prior to their upcoming European tour, kick-starting later this year. You can listen to the track below.
I definitely recommend giving both CRITICS and JEKYLL a listen, they’re a musical force to be reckoned with and I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more from them in the near future!
You can view all images from the night courtesy of Georgia Osborn below.
In each print issue, aAh! Magazine interrogates one word which runs as a theme throughout our published submissions. This time, we’re changing things up as we introduce aAh! The FRESHERS Issue and launch our Featured Artist brief ‘NEON CITY’. This special mini issue of aAh! will feature a guide to all Manchester has to offer….
Photography: Georgina Hurdsfield Sam Fender headlines Castlefield Bowl for Manchester’s Sounds of the City, straight off the back of performing a peak-time slot on Glastonbury Festival’s famous Pyramid Stage, Fender brings his electrifying set back for Manchester fans.
Autumn isn’t here just yet! You’ve still got time before the hustle and bustle of real life comes at you as August gives us one more month of summertime fun with a sports championship, one of the world’s oldest music festivals and ending with the main event, Manchester Pride. Be sure to make the most of these last days of summer and get out there.
It’s not long now until the hordes of people will be descending on the Lake District’s much-loved festival ground, Lowther Deer Park. After two years of consecutively being cancelled its set to take place from Thursday 28 July to Monday 1 August.
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