Dead Confederate + The Whigs, Night & Day, Manchester

With James Blake playing at the other end of the city, a pair of bands as different as Night and Day, Georgia’s Dead Confederate and The Whigs, join forces for a Southern assault on Northern England.

Following opening band Black Light Pioneers from Kettering, first up at the Manchester Night and Day are co-headliners Dead Confederate, a band whose My Bloody Valentine meets Billy Corgan sound is best described as cinematic grunge: a drone that’s dramatic enough to pen a James Bond theme (what? Chris Cornell did it.) They are ear-ringingly loud and look like a Motley Crue consisting of everyone from Nick Oliveri to Shaggy from Scooby Doo. Hardy Morris, the motionless singer, has his hair constantly covering his face, to the point that the noisy boys at the back are heckling and shouting ‘Show us yer face, lad!’

The set is a stream of sonic grittiness and serial riffage, with the only words said during the set being ‘The Whigs are coming up next’. After repeating this in between songs at least three times before you actually see The Whigs, you start wondering whether this guy is getting commission from the record label!

Overall, gimmicks are out, but intensity and broodiness are in big beer barrels, as the band manage to balance hammering guitars and feedback with cracks of shrill melodic chill. At points they could have been MGMT (on the whispering ‘Wrecking Ball’), Interpol with a ‘Bang bang’ (‘The Rat’) or The Las (standout slowie - ‘Run From A Gun’) but for the most part, they could provide a decent substitute for Nirvana in an identity parade. They play the kind of music they make exactly how it should be played. So far, no regrets about being here rather than at James Blake (though perhaps our hearing won’t be as grateful in the morning).

Whilst the crowd seems thinner for The Whigs in numbers, the fandom in the crowd is in full force and some folk have clearly been buying the CDs since seeing the Kings Of Leon tour. Julian Dorio’s one-legged scissor kicking and bouncing works just as well up close and personal as it did in arenas (see December review) and once again, the band deliver an energetic, interactive and danceable combination of guitar rock and singable pop lyrics. Easily one of the best live bands around at the moment, even if you’re not a fan of them on record, with tickets priced at £8, you’d be mad not to go after a bit of Athens, Georgia on your mind.