Featured image and gallery: Ben Redshaw
Indie rock band Little Man Tate took the spotlight this weekend with their first headline tour in 15 years. Manchester was the second stop in the UK leg of this tour, with other upcoming stops in Southampton, Birmingham, London, and a special homecoming show in Sheffield. Joined by special guests Shambolics and All The Young, it was an unforgettable night for Little Man Tate fans.
Kicking off the evening was the Scottish rock band Shambolics. The energetic group of lads brought their early-00s indie rock sound to the Ritz, which grew on the Mancunian crowd.
Shambolics really knew how to entertain an audience; they started the evening with ‘Never Be Mine’ that brought back the sound of the nostalgic ‘noughties’. As the venue started to fill up, ‘Sharp as a Razor’ began, which seemed to be the most energetic song of the evening, with a huge standing ovation as it concluded. Closing their set with ‘Schemes’, the Scottish group left the stage and greeted fans at the merchandise stand.
As an exclusive treat for the Manchester show, All The Young were invited to join the show as a second support to celebrate the recent release of their new album, Tales of Grandeur. The alt-rockers set a great vibe for the night, as frontman Ryan Dooley gave a special shout-out to their loyal fans who had travelled from Cardiff to see them live.
With a special set from a DJ during the intervals, the assignment was understood as all the 90s classics were played with the accompaniment of the crowd belting out the lyrics to each of the songs. Hits from The Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys and Oasis delivered, and the set was rounded off with Manchester anthem, ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’.
The crowd was electric from the moment Little Man Tate took the stage. Kicking off the performance with ‘Man, I Hate Your Band’ and ‘European Lover’, the audience was taken back fifteen years as the nostalgic tunes took over. In the crowd, there were drinks and fans flying around the O2 Ritz – it was a ball of energy that continued throughout this unforgettable evening.
With classics like ‘Undercover Lovers’ and ‘23’ amping up the energy, frontman Jon Windle brought the tone down slightly with some acoustic songs including ‘This Must Be Love’ and ‘You & Me’. Throughout the night, the connection between the fans and the band was clear as Jon belted out “I love this place! Come on, Manchester!”
Closing this fantastic evening was ‘Money Wheel’, a true tribute to the 2000s. As the band left the stage, “LMT” chants rapidly filled the room, with fans demanding more of this historically remarkable night. Due to unbelievable demand from the crowd, Little Man Tate took the stage one last time to perform ‘Sexy in Latin’ and ‘Boothys’.
Little Man Tate’s new album, Welcome to the Rest of Your Life, is available on all streaming platforms and in physical copies on their website. Get tickets for their London, Leicester, Birmingham, Sheffield, and Hull dates on Ticketmaster.
Shambolics supporting Little Man Tate
All The Young supporting Little Man Tate
Little Man Tate at Manchester O2 Ritz
Featured image: Mexican Pets, Nobody’s Working Title – Blunt Records Pinning down a genre as sprawling as indie-rock is as futile as painting your living room with gravy instead of emulsion. However, we can at least set some boundaries. We can drill down through layers of subgenres and microgenres, but ultimately, a broad definition of…
Punk Rock Factory have gained a growing following over the years for their punky covers of well-known Disney songs. The lovingly named ‘Sausage Army’ turn up en-masse, clad in Motörhead and Ramones merch for a night of silly, classic rock and roll. Bringing the pop back to the punk, Bronnie brings the warm-up stretches in…
Featured image: Jackie Lee Young / Shorefire Media Houston trio, Khruangbin, headed to the Apollo on Monday to play a double set, starting with running through their latest, more stripped-back album A La Sala in full. From the first hum of Mark Speer’s guitar, the swarming audience prepared to be baptised with a night of…
Featured image: Sonic PR Ahead of their three-night residency at the Apollo in December, music journalist Leah Small takes a look at the evolution of IDLES across their five studio albums. With fists raised and a rambunctious energy like no other, self-proclaimed ‘angry’ ensemble IDLES burst forth from Bristol in 2009, possessing a raw and…
Leave a reply