Featured image and gallery: Kaitlyn Brockley
Canadian indie pop heroes Alvvays return to Manchester hot on their trail to Glastonbury, bringing along emerging alternative outfit Girl Scout for a euphoric Sunday evening in a sun-soaked Manchester.
The night kicks off with Swedish four-piece Girl Scout. With their infectious energy and fun riffs, backed by powerhouse vocals from frontwoman Emma Jansson, it’s not hard to see why they are tipped to explode into the big leagues.
Referencing The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys as their influences, it’s not hard to see why the Manchester crowd laps them up, matching their frenetic energy. The excitement is palpable; it won’t be long before this four-piece headlines the venue themselves.
After the opener’s raucous set to an adoring crowd, Alvvays seemingly float onto the stage. They burst into ‘Easy on Your Own?’, a gem from their latest full-length album Blue Rev. The newest release is played in full, with various hits from their breakout albums sprinkled throughout the set.
Accompanied by whirring guitars, frontwoman Molly Rankin’s vocals soar around the sold-out O2 Ritz, providing a perfect antidote to the ‘Sunday scaries’. The audience watches transfixed, soothed by the shimmering keys and silky vocals.
There are moments of pure nostalgia: during charming twee classic ‘Archie, Marry Me’, the audience turn to each other, reciting the trials and tribulations of modern romance. A personal favourite is ‘Pressed’, the Smiths-esque track played in the latter half that feels almost spurned from the Factory Records scene.
The set is closed by a clamouring encore, where, implored by an enthusiastic fan, they perform the lilting first album cut ‘Atop a Cake’. As the twinkling guitars begin, the crowd roars, and the evening ends with the crowd cheering in rapturous applause.
Listening to Alvvays, you can’t help but feel like the main character – even if you’re just staring out the train window.
Featured image and gallery: Hoang Phan Notebooks were carried from one workshop to another. Writers from different generations sat around tables, sharing manuscripts and listening to each other. Outdoors, small groups strolled along Oxford Road, pausing before buildings steeped in literary history. This was the scene during the Manchester Writing School Summer Festival 2026, held…
Featured image: Katja Ogrin With many sore heads and limbs this morning after the most hardcore day of the festival taking place yesterday, many are recovering from the moshing and pit brutality of the previous day’s antics. As the tradition of a morning movie in the Serpents Lair prevails, the crowd sprawls out onto the plush,…
Featured image: Abbi Draper After an electrifying start to the weekend, with temperatures slowly climbing, many lather themselves in suncream, shed their band shirts and rise from their tents to trek towards the arena. Saturday has big things incoming for the humans of Bloodstock 2026. Some pace themselves for the day and hide from the early…
Featured image: Abbi Draper After a memorable Thursday opener, Bloodstock 2026 opens its gates once again onto the Hallowed Grounds of Catton Park, kicking off day two of its 25th-anniversary celebration of metal. As the sun rises on Catton Park, festivalgoers emerge from their tents to prepare for another day of mayhem. The morning brings…
Leave a reply