The Fratellis at Manchester Academy
Reporter: Amelia Shaw
Following the release of their new album In Your Own Sweet Time, The Fratellis performed at Manchester Academy on Friday 23 March. The indie-rock group last played in Manchester in 2015 and they were welcomed back by an incredibly varied crowd. As just the second night of the group’s tour, the band seemed eager to showcase as much of their music as possible with an incredibly long set list.
To support The Fratellis, rock duo ‘Black Pistol Fire’ opened the show with a 45 minute set. The musicians completely owned the stage, and lead singer and guitarist Kevin McKeown proved a real crowd pleaser when he ventured into the audience and continued to play even when lifted onto a man’s shoulders. Oozing with infectious energy and excitement, a completely untamed performance entertained an almost full venue. This should have set the tone for the night, yet it made The Fratellis attempts at stage presence and vigour appear a little pale in comparison.
The main men took to the stage at 9pm and opened with the hit ‘Baby Don’t You Lie to Me!’ before playing ‘Starcrossed Losers’, one of the best singles the group have released since album Costello Music. Having had the news the same day that In Your Own Sweet Time has entered the UK charts at number 5, it was received just as well as other, more well-known, hits such as ‘Henrietta’ which is a credit to the new album. Yet, the night continued in an increasingly monotonous way as track after track was performed with only occasional mumblings to the crowd and very few adaptations to songs making it feel almost like a discography run through.
Although many Fratellis songs speak for themselves and sounded great live as expected, a little crowd interaction and appreciation wouldn’t have gone amiss. The seemingly scripted, short words along the lines of ‘thanks for your support’ during the encore were almost insulting.
As would be expected, however, hits ‘Chelsea Dagger’, ‘Whistle for the Choir’ and ‘Henrietta’ created a festival-like atmosphere that many of the crowd seemed to embrace and thrive in. While a few shirtless teenage males took this a little too seriously, the gig as a whole proved a great start to a Friday night in Manchester.
To find out more about The Fratellis, see: thefratellis.com/site/. Find details and information about Manchester Academy and upcoming gigs at www.manchesteracademy.net/.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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