By Ruby Henry-Dicks
Featured image: Rohan Walsh
On a rainy December evening, headliners Malcom play their second sell-out headline show this year; supported by bands Daisychain and Little Strange at the Deaf Institute.
First up is Daisychain, the Mancunian four-piece tackling teenage angst and love one song at a time with their tracks ‘Stay’ and ‘222’. The band executes a mashup of Chappell Roan’s ‘Hot To Go’ and the Sugababes’ ‘Push The Button’ with ease.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Lissy Nicholson echoes Blondie with her deep, bold vocals and 70s rock persona.
The song ‘Stay’ hits home with its catchy but carefree indie-pop style, and the clever and loving lyrics of ‘222’ have the crowd feeling nostalgic.
After Daisychain’s softness subsides, Little Strange the Mancunian alt-rock ensemble ups the tempo as they play their final show of 2024 after a busy year being named ‘ones to watch in 2024’ by Our Sound Music.
They kick off their set with ‘Alright Now’, a gritty rock anthem that ignites excitement among the throngs of enthusiastic gig-lovers. The single explodes with thunderous energy, featuring Jack Clyne’s bass and Charlie Harris’s drums creating a robust rhythm, while Olly Davis delivers powerful guitar riffs.
Frontman Jamie Thompson’s vocals soar with intense yearning, capturing listeners with a commanding performance that hints at the band’s alt-rock ethos.
‘Ain’t Got Nothin”, ‘You Said’, ‘Hard Days Hard Times’, ‘Livin’ In Sin’, ‘Comin’ Home’, and finally ‘Ride’ play in sequence.
A set highlight is ‘You Said’, their newest single released in November that echoes sounds of a murkier, rawer version of You Me At Six circa 2018. The track revels in rumination and an inability to let go of past experiences: “The thing you said, it goes round in my head.”
Finally, Malcom takes the stage with energy, roaring their newest July release ‘All the Time’; an infectious, rambunctious song with an unforgettable gritty chorus that showcases the bands intensity and sophistication.
The crowd is swept up into a new era of Malcom as they debut new tracks such as ‘Airplane’, ‘Alien’, ‘Fool Me’, ‘Coincide’, ‘Not Saying’, ‘Daytona’, ‘Hard Working Blues’, ‘Alright’, ‘Running’, and ‘Lead Balloon’. Some new and some played previously, but not released.
‘Daytona’ has the crowd in awe of Caz’s crisp and yearning voice that shines through in this stripped-back song that forgoes their vibrant drums and favours guitars over bass.
The harmonica enriches another fiery track with its organic sound, contrasting the electric base to convey complex emotions and sounds.
Malcom’s vocalist, Caz, tugs on the audience’s heartstrings as he stops to tell a story of playing ‘Subconscious’ to his parents who dismissed him and told him to turn his music off as they didn’t recognise him having not heard his music for three years.
‘C’est La Vie’ plays halfway through, an infectious indie anthem with a captivating deep bass and striking guitar. The gig rounds up cleanly with their first hit ‘Subconscious’, which opened a mosh pit of fans stirred on by Caz Donaghy’s passionate vocals as he explores love’s highs and lows.
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