The entire weekend was a logistical success. Upstairs saw two stages set up, one as soon as you walk through the door with the other towards the rear. As soon as a set finished on one stage the music started almost instantly on the other, and with stage 3 running to its own timetable downstairs 'Hide and Seek' had a great set up ensuring there was always something going on. With so much around you, it was simply impossible to see a lot of the bands. However it's safe to say, what I did see restored my waining faith in unsigned music. Bands to check out who didn't make it to the review (but you still really should listen to): festival openers The Good Hurt, loud and skilled emo-metal outfit HomeMade Memory, unique rock trio The Cut, Manchester's finest metal band Fury UK, and indie rockers Foster Kids. Also check out Speechless with Sound's band of the festival, Carjack Mallone. Top of the pile are The Red Wings, who despite being nothing new musically, have the best drummer in Manchester, a quirky looking teenage girl with a ferocious look who threw her sticks around acrobatically whilst playing in a simply mesmerizing way, and has a talent that would make most drummers green with envy.
A great quirk of the festival was the third stage, which was for “things a little bit different”, taking the form of the rock stage, electro stage and acoustic stage on the respective days. Plaudits go in particular to the fantastic Damien Mercer, and Sunday headliner Phil Higgins. An emotionally delivered performance, his tentative and soaring vocals managed to captivate and control the crowd in a way that only the strongest of acoustic acts can.
However, the best artist of the weekend downstairs has to be synth rock four piece Out of Animals. Whilst having a fantastic armory of rock rave songs, and a perfect on stage look (all the members wear different colour T-shirts with the equals signs on them), it is the band's front man who makes them a truly great spectacle to watch. When not on guitar duties, he runs, jumps and moves around the entirety of the stage and crowd, delivering vocals with barrellfulls of enthusiasm and energy. A simply fantastic spectacle to watch.
The 'Best of the Fest' award has to go to southern 5 piece Six Nation State. You can tell you're in for a treat when the bands go round giving the crowd large orange hooters pre-set. On stage, the band are dressed smartly but ragged, and delivered the best live show I have ever personally seen. The 3 guitarists, bassist and drummer were cramped onto the tiny second stage, and literally did not stop moving through the entire set. Sounding and looking like 'The Coral' vs. 'Madness' on speed, the band are visually fantastic: all 4 guitarists singing into two mics, moving and swaying simultaneously, the band keep throwing surprises into the set (including bringing out a mouth keyboard mid set). With a show like this and equally enthralling songs and upcoming support slots with The Holloway's and The Wombats it's only a matter of time before this band become media darlings.
And so after 3 days, much drink and merriment, and a hell of a lot of bands, I have seen from the sublime (the muse-esque Snowblind) to the weird (appalling scouse DJ/rap duo Riuven), but most of all I have seen the best that the unsigned scene has to offer. And it's good, it's very good.
Speechless With Sound, Vman Events and Designer Magazine will be running a fringe festival of In The City called 'Catch - In The City', details of which can be found at www.myspace.com/catchinthecity
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