MUSIC.
Declan McKenna- Manchester Academy.
Declan McKenna received quite the welcome from The Academy on Friday night. Quite a bit of the crowd seemed to be there for him and trailed off after his set, despite being the opening act for the NME’s men of the moment, Blossoms.
The singer recently appeared on Later… with Jools Holland sporting a t-shirt with the slogan “Give 17 Year Olds The Vote” as he delivered a great live rendition of ‘Isombard’. At The Academy McKenna performed with the same enthusiasm, and ripped through a short but sweet set that made it look as if he’d been doing it for years. It’s hard to believe that he’s only 17 and was probably stressing over GCSE maths just before winning Glastonbury’s emerging talent competition in 2015.
How can someone so young tear through crowd favourites like ‘Brazil’ and new single ‘Isombard’ with such persistence and immense energy and seem so comfortable at the same time? He seems so modest and unaware of just how talented he is. Not only is he sharp and intuitive lyrically, but he is a real driving force as a live act. Maybe Blossoms can return the favour and support him in a few years time?
Declan McKenna (Supporting Blossoms) – Manchester Academy, 30.9.16
PJ Harvey - Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, 3.11.16
PJ Harvey - Victoria Warehouse, Manchester.
Only PJ Harvey could arrive on stage 15 minutes late to the sound of a 9-piece marching band and manage to stick the landing. Harvey, has always been a theatrical performer and bewitches the audience from the get go. She flows effortlessly into ‘ministry of defence’ as the looming theme of poverty and politics takes centre stage alongside a magnificent saxophone solo. Polly continues to flaunt her poetic flare right in the face of the audience with a mystic rendition of ‘Let England Shake’ from the Mercury prize winning album of the same name. This infectious show is rounded off with crowd favourite ‘The River’ which shows Polly at her absolute best; and proves why she is an artist that not only has a huge, lasting legacy but is still so incredibly relevant.