
Boston Manor + Can’t Swim + Wallflower @ Rainbow Cellar, 22nd November, 2016
Opening up this evening for are South London’s Wallflower, who do an excellent job of starting the evening in front of an absolutely packed Rainbow Cellar. Currently touring in support of brand new single ‘Mas Eu Quero Mais’ following tours with Yearbook and Weatherstate earlier in the year, the band do well to showcase their brand of emotional rock to an already seemingly familiar crowd however it’s clear they will be leaving with many more once the evening is over.
Next up are New Jersey’s Can’t Swim, currently signed to Pure Noise Records and touring in support of their EP ‘Death Deserves A Name’. From the second they take to the stage, it’s obvious that a lot of people have been waiting for their first visit to Birmingham to hear their pop laden emo tracks such as ‘Come Home’ which will ring in your head for days and days. It’s clear that their return to these shores won’t be too long into the future.
Boston Manor are an emo rock band from Blackpool, as emphasised by the sticks of rock available at the merch table this evening. They are currently undertaking their first UK headline tour in support of their debut record ‘Be Nothing’ released on Pure Noise Records. With multiple dates on this tour already sold out, this evening being no exception, the room is packed by the time to band take to the stage and blast into ‘Burn You Up’. With the stage adorned with hanging light bulbs, the band play ‘Lead Feet’ before taking us back with a couple of tracks from the Saudae EP ‘Shade’ and ‘Gone’. The majority of the set is then made up of tracks from their latest album, bar for the title track from the band’s debut EP ‘Driftwood’. The crowd remain consistently energetic throughout the evening, making the most of the lack of security staff however this does prove a lot of work for Boston Manor’s TM who spends most of the evening deflecting and catching people from the stage.
As a venue the Cellar works best with these types of bands and gigs, with Boston Manor perhaps able to play a bigger room than this but perhaps this would not have the same effect. There’s also a comedic moment where a member has lost a bet, so has to play harmonica for one song. It’s great to see that Boston Manor have broken out from their pop punk roots, and moved towards a more serious and perhaps credible artistic route.
Setlist:
Burn You Up
Lead Feet
Shade
Gone
CU
Broken Glass
Kill Your Conscience
Stop Trying, Be Nothing
Fossa
Driftwood
Laika
Trapped Nerve
Reviewer – Dan Earl