Boston Manor are a band I’ve been talking about both on this blog and in general for a really really long time. As far as grass-roots British Alternative/Hardcore bands go, this Blackpool fine piece hold the flag high for a line of musicians that fought their way to the top tooth and nail. From their debut EP’s Saudade and DriftWood to their cult classic albums like 2018’s Welcome to the Neighbourhood and their 2016 debut Be Nothing, this band have had a lot to say in their decade long tenure, culminating in one of my favourite albums ever Datura released in 2022. So you can probably understand my excitement when I saw they were rolling around to Norwich in a small scale UK tour promoting their new singles Container and Sliding Doors, and new record set to release this year. All shows were in relitively small venues, and at low prices for general admission I jumped on the artist presale, and waited expectantly for a night of insane music. Here’s my breakdown and review of Boston Manor live at the Norwich Arts Centre.
(Boston Manor at the Norwich Arts Centre - All images taken by me)
Venue
I’d never actually been to the Norwich Arts Centre before, but I really enjoyed its layout and vibe. Built in what felt like an old church, the setting was a very cool mixture of old walls and windows but new neon signs and modern fittings. After waiting outside quietly (because of course I got there early), you were welcomed in, your hand stamped, and as the main venue wasn’t open yet, funnelled into the bar, where the merchandise stand was as well (more on that in a second). The facilities were clean and smart, and the bar also had some decent stuff on it - even if you could tell their usual patrons wern’t really this kind of crowd. Pints were a decent price, not eye wateringly expensive like you’d find in the city centre, clocking it at around £6/6.50 or so a pop. The actual venue inside was also really cool, with some brilliant gothic arches and stained glass windows, with the stage at the back wall. It created a really good shape, with the barricade at the front, but with space either side for some more casual standing if being up in the crowd wasn’t your cup of tea. All the staff were helpful and polite, and were there to help everyone stay safe and have a good time. Overall, a really nice place to be, and a great atmosphere to start off the show.
Merchandise
Now I didn’t get a snap of the merch table, because the line was getting chunky and I didn’t want to hold people up. It was pretty small, and consisted of a decent range of different things - a hoodie, a couple of t-shirts and a long sleeve, as well as CD’s and the support acts stuff as well on another table. All I’ll say is that it’s a shame that there was no ‘tour specific merch’ - as someone who loves a tour shirt, I'm a sucker for a nice band shirt with a date and place on it, so it was a bit of a dampener that nothing was offered. However, the merch was cool, and I grabbed a Boston Manor ‘Maybe I’m the Problem’ shirt. I’m wearing it right now actually, and it’s comfortable, has a great back print and, from what I can tell, is pretty well made. It cost £30 - which was more than the price of admission, but when it comes to independent venues like this, merchandise prices are usually a lot steeper, but it supports the band and the people who work for them, so a decently priced shirt that’s pretty well made and seems like it’ll last more than a few washes is always a welcome sight, even if the range left me wanting a little more.
Support Act
The support came from a band called Oversize who, before seeing them, I had never previously heard of. With a more shoegaze vibe to them, but nonetheless with some banging instrumentals, they really were a brilliant warmup. From the anthemic closer Daretomove to the infectious grooves of Salt the setlist was really well put together. I was lucky enough to get barrier for this concert, so really got to experience everything going on onstage, and they had a really good stage presence, even if at times they seemed a little nervous - but I'm sure I'd be too. However, at the core of it all, they seemed like really nice guys, who were just happy to be playing their music. I was stood on the left hand side right at the barricade, and got to watch first hand the guys really enjoy their performance - and because I was stood right in front of the guitarist, who's monitor was blasting his riffs and heavy power chords, sometimes that was all I could hear - no complaints, I'm always interested to see the pedals these guys are running. Overall, even if I wished the crowd was a little more into it, it was a great set, made even better by my brief chat with the guitarist as they packed away, who was more than happy to pass me his setlist. I only noticed when I got back home it was printed on a sheet of stickers, which made me laugh.
Boston Manor
Like I said before, I was lucky enough to be at barricade for this concert - for the first time ever, and when I say I finally understand why people camp out for days to be right at the front of their favourite bands shows. As soon as Boston Manor took to the stage, I felt that connection and it was electric. Yes, my ears hurt, yes my neck aches from throwing myself around, but oh my god was it worth it. Their live playing was immense, almost exactly the same as their recorded counterparts, and as they kicked into the set's opener Container, you can tell these guys are not fucking around. Henry Cox's stage presence was palpable, as he threw himself around the stage, jumping to the beat, headbanging wildly, and whipping the audience into a frenzy. The energy was palpable, and the crowd really kicked into gear too. People were jumping, moshing, at times crowd surfing - it was the most involved and lively pit I've ever been in, and I absolutely loved it. During every song from the pretty brilliantly built setlist the crowd, including me, was screaming along. Have a look at the setlist here, courtesy of setlist fm:
Container
Foxglove
England's Dreaming
Desperate Pleasures
Liquid
I Don't Like People (And They Don't Like Me)
Bad Machine
Inertia
Sliding Doors
Floodlights on the Square
Crocus
Algorithm
Passenger
Halo
In terms of covering bases, yeah, nothing off Be Nothing. Nothing off their earlier records. However, in terms of newer tracks that the audience are 99.9% sure to know? This setlist is a damn masterpiece. You could tell people knew these, both new singles were performed, there were five tracks from Datura - the new stuff really had it's time to be enjoyed by the crowd, and it hit hard. Musically, and instrumentally, you can tell this band is hungry. Mike and Ash killed it on guitar - I was right up in front of Ash who was clearly giving it his all, and I heard a lot of his guitar parts, and they absolutely ripped. Dan on bass at the back was also shredding, and his stage presence was brilliant, bounding around the back of the stage and laying down his signature heavy grooves - and tying it all together is Jordan on drums, absolutely smashing out track after track. There were also fan favourites from Welcome to the Neighbourhood and their lockdown EP Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures - and I can confirm, hearing Bad Machine live is an insane, bordering on spiritual experience. Have a look at some pictures I took right at the front, and you'll get an idea of the insane view I had of these guys absolutely tearing it up.
Overall
Man, this gig was one for the history books. Put a band so secure and well oiled in a small venue like this, filled up with a shit tonne of people and blast some of their most insane and popular tracks, what can go wrong? The venue was brilliant, the merch although limited was great, and it made for such a special night that was wall to wall enjoyment. Thank you Boston Manor for making such an intimate concert feel all parts electrifying, unionizing, and off the fucking chain.
Rating: 9/10
Comments