Featured image and gallery: Georgina Hurdsfield
The crowd plunges into darkness as bdrmm take to the stage of a packed out New Century Hall. Opening with tracks from latest album I Don’t Know, ‘It’s Just A Bit Of Blood’ showcases Ryan Smith’s haunting vocals as their ethereal guitar sounds kicks in. Meanwhile ‘Be Careful’ highlights their jazz and ambient influences.
‘Is That What You Wanted to Hear?’ and ‘Push/Pull’ reach into their back catalogue, before closing with 2021’s ‘Port’ and its haunting outro, as the memorable line, “I don’t know about you, I’m sure you know about me,” rings out into the audience.
A video projects onto the curtain prior to DIIV’s appearance, promising the audience a night of unimagined wonder and a transformative, pivotal journey for those in attendance. Perhaps they’re going to indoctrinate us into a sci-fi cult?
Following this the members of DIIV make a casual entrance. Opening with a pair of tracks from their previous two albums, ‘Like Before You Were Born’ from Deceiver and ‘Under the Sun’ from Is the is Are, before showcasing ‘Brown Paper Bag’ from upcoming LP Frog in Boiling Water, set for release on May 24th.
‘Take Your Time’ transports the crowd back to 2016, the swells of the guitar forcing the fans into a head-bopping trance. It’s evident DIIV are exceptionally well-drilled, delivering each song with military precision. The band entwine songs past and present with ‘Soul-net’, ‘Air Conditioning’ and ‘Incarnate Devil’, captivating the crowd with every strum of the guitar.
The encore features ‘Horsehead’, ‘Doused’, and unreleased track ‘Raining on Your Pillow’, which is just as well received as the older tracks. ‘Doused’ is a magnetic way to end their performance, proving once again why each time they return, Manchester welcomes DIIV with open arms.
Andy Prevezer started his career as an in-house writer for Warner Music’s Public Relations team in 1985, and has now independently established himself within the industry. In 2000, he founded his own PR company, APPR, diligently acquiring artists including Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Soft Cell and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Prevezer also notably acquired…
Featured image: Niall Lea Ahead of Manchester’s Neighbourhood Festival 2024 this weekend, aAh! Magazine’s Gracie Hall catches up with Pale Waves’ drummer and producer, Ciara Doran, to chat about their new album, Smitten, the impending headline set at Neighbourhood, and misogyny in the music industry. You performed Neighbourhood Festival at its first iteration in 2016….
In a month where the leaves have started to turn, we lost national treasure Dame Maggie Smith and the first Friday the 13th of the year came and went, here’s a run-down of the pop culture media and moments you may have missed. FILM The Substance It’s been a hot minute since body horror broke…
The evening begins with Soap, a pop-punk four piece from London. Formerly known as The Tyne, they have found success in supporting the likes of Busted and Noahfinnce. Lead singer Ryan Lofthouse clambers around the stage with his microphone as he riles up the audience.
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