If there are two things in life guaranteed to stir emotion and challenge opinion, it is sport and music. Across the city, tens of thousands descended on Old Trafford to bask in the sun and see Southgate’s England football team enjoy a resound-ing (pun maybe intended) victory.
The more discerning headed just to the north of Manchester centre and the beauty that is New Century Hall. Until recently a hidden forgotten gem, its sprung floor and original 1960s suspended light ceiling are the providence of a venue that hosted the likes of Hendrix and the Stones, whilst the state of the sound system (and air con!) ensure its place in creating legends of the 21st Century.
This timeless crossover of past and present sits well with tonight’s headliner. Kurt Vile and the Violators have carved out a solid groove over the past couple of decades, Â mining the rich seam of folky psychedelic American rock that threads through the heartlands from the likes of Neil Young and Tom Petty to more modern exponents such as The War On Drugs (more on them shortly)
Support for the tour is from King Hannah, who hailing from Liverpool/North Wales are practically on home turf and make for an enticing prospect. With the single EP (2020’s Tell Me Your Mind and I’ll Tell You Mine) and debut album (2022’s I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me) under their belts, the duo of Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle—complimented live by six string bass and drums—are quietly making a name for themselves on various One To Watch Lists whilst juggling support opportunities and their own headlining gigs. Over a foundation of early Portisheadesque shuffling half beat, the combined beauty of Merrick’s eerie, smoky vocals mix with Whittle’s plaintive guitarscape, often building to a soaring solo in the latter part of a song. It is a blueprint that just works so well. It is noticeable that the room steadily fills as their short set progresses and by the time the highlights of “The Moods That I Get In” and “Creme Brulee” get aired, it is to an appreciative response. It’ll be interesting to see how King Hannah progress for that “difficult second album”, but if the recently released cover of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” (with a spine tingling vocal by Merrick but sadly not played tonight) is anything to go by, they have a clear focus and exciting times ahead.
Starting back in the early 2000s as co-founder of The War On Drugs before leaving in 2008 to focus on his own music, Kurt Vile has steadily acquired a loyal following over the course of nine albums (including 2017’s Lotta Sea Lice collaboration with Courtney Barnett). Backed by The Violators (long time collaborators multi-instrumentalist Jesse Trbovich and drummer Kyle Spence, joined by bassist Adam Langellotti taking on the mantle from the late Rob Laakso), the band take to the stage and launch straight into “Palace of OKV in Reverse” from the most recent LP, 2022’s Watch My Moves, followed without pause by “Loading Zones”, a single from 2018’s Bottle It In. These very much set the tone; Vile centre stage, tall with his long hair often covering his face delivering lyrics in his distinctive languid drawl whilst effortlessly unleashing guitar work that quietly and modestly works for the benefit of the song. Sometimes less is more, but don’t be fooled, Vile is very good at what he does.
Having laid down a marker, there’s a switch to acoustic—the first of many guitar changes during the sixteen song set—and the more reflective “Bassackwards” is introduced. If it is the guitar work and music that catch the attention, it’s the lyrics that draw you in, a point most marked when the band leave the stage for a solo rendition of “Runners Up”. Vile’s ability to express the anxieties and reflections we all quietly bottle up comes to the fore.
The band return for 2022’s “Flyin’ (Like A Fast Train)”which along with the slide guitar-driven “Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)” (“A song about where I’m from” introduces Vile) offers the launch pad for the lift off triggered by “Pretty Pimpin”. Theroom is now a fluid mass, albeit a relaxed languid one – how else? – with arms punching the air and lyrics being sung back as the band build to a crescendo. A two song encore sees the sounds of closer “Cool Water” quietly ringing in the ears as the crowd disperse into a now damp Manchester evening. It could be argued that seeing the national team win 7-0 across town is a good night, but those at New Century would’ve had their souls the more enriched and be the night’s true winners.
Words and pictures: Geoff Shaw @gshawisme