This Many Boyfriends, Night And Day, Manchester

The gig might later transpire to be another variant on the pay to play format, but the people crowded around the stage of Manchester’s Night and Day don’t seem to mind. These gigs often throw up ridiculously lop-sided affairs with Blink-182 aping teenagers performing alongside Middle of the Road journeymen performers. Luckily, whether through luck or skill, the line-up is actually incredibly balanced with the acoustic work of Olly Neasham, With That Knife’s informed indie and The ABC Club’s quirky shoegaze inspired pop making for a well rounded start to a gig.

Headliners This Many Boyfriends’ MySpace suggests that they’re a quintet making shambolic indie-pop, but that’s an ill-fitting description. With a name stolen from a Beat Happening song, there’s a fair slice of K Records about the band. It’s not only the spectre of twee that the haunts the band’s music, it’s the strong messages throughout the lyrics. At times, it’s as if Eddie Argos decided to have a go at being tuneful and didn’t really succeed. The influence of early Los Campesinos! is probably even more blatant, down to the band all taking on the surname ‘Boyfriend’ just as Gareth and co. did.

The excitement just to be on stage is obvious from the very off, and live performance gives a much better picture of the band’s sound than the few crackly demos being bandied around blogs. After wave upon wave of internet bands wilting upon stage, it’s a delight to watch one so obviously excited to be performing. They tear through their set and all the overt messages that it includes. ‘I Don’t Like You (Cos You Don’t Like The Pastels)’ is the most obvious of the lot, explaining the music snobbery that encompasses everyone from time to time, name checking countless acts in the process.

That it doesn’t come across as contrived owes a lot to the energy that drives that band, not to mention how mismatched they seem to be. Two looming guitarists flank over miniscule frontman Richard, who struts the stage like a beautiful little penguin. Somewhere deep in the background, Lauren stands, drumming and providing backing vocals like she’s the little sister of Slow Club’s Rebecca. If this was a bunch of teenagers with haircuts in skinny jeans, it simply wouldn’t be the same. As the set ends with the stupidly catchy ‘That’s What Diaries Are For’, it’s difficult not to love This Many Boyfriends. There are still a few rough edges, but that’s what makes them so appealing.