Well, it’s been over two months since I’ve been to a gig, so I felt it was about time I got back to my spiritual home of Manchester. I think I’ve been to the Manchester Academy so much in my years, I should be paying for rent. I feel like I’ve spent more time here than in most jobs I’ve had. This evening took me to the downstairs Club Academy. A great small club venue that gives artists space to breathe and the crowd more than enough room to sprawl out. I would usually describe the atmosphere as loose and carefree. Though this night there was an element of anticipation in the air for what was to come. Three great bands were about to take to the stage and you could tell that the crowd were more than ready. Headlining this evening were returning titans of the rock world, coming from the great nation of Sweden, H.E.A.T. It’s been a long time coming and Manchester was ready for their return to the city. That’s not all, you got a real bang for your money this evening, with two great support acts, Chez Kane and Art Nation.
Opening things up for the night was the British rocker Chez Kane. Talk about putting the glam back into glam rock. The vocalist sparkled in the strobe lighting of the venue and her voice soared over the loud rock-n-roll. This was such a fun set to watch play out. Manchester rolled out the red carpet for the rock outfit and the crowd were ravenous for this set. You can tell there was a vocal and passionate fanbase for her and she was more than happy to give the crowd what they wanted. The set started with a bang with songs “Too Late For Love” and “All Of It”. It was an explosive way to begin and Chez was a delight to watch as her excitement and passion shone through. You can tell that the band were having so much fun. This was my formal introduction to Chez. I had always heard of her band, but I had yet to experience a performance. This was an excellent performance, it captured all of the essence of the classic rock bands with the bright colours and engrossing hooks. If you couple that with their charm and spirit, you get a set that just makes you smile, or at least I did. I think the song that grabbed my attention was “Rock On The Radio”, a full-on glam-rock pastiche with an infectious hook that sticks in your brain. This was one hell of an opener and an artist that I need to see again.
After a wild and fun first set, it was time for Art Nation from Sweden. I’ll be honest I’ve not been aware of this band before now. So, this was a completely new experience. I think they crushed their short, but sweet set. It’s not every day that the main support has a shorter set than the opener. This changed the pacing for the entire evening. I have to say they were an entertaining band with a bold sound and they put everything into their enthusiastic performance. Their sound was well-balanced with heavy chugging guitars, a balanced rhythm section and beautiful vocals. You can tell that they were having so much fun with the set, I think they’re just happy to be here and sharing their music with a new audience. It is such a special feeling to be in the crowd for moments like this. Songs like the infectious single “Set Me Free” and the captivating tune of “Halo” were stand-out moments of this set for me. They made full use of the stage, however small it was, of the Club Academy. Delivering a dynamic and energetic performance that kept the Manchester faithful hooked to the very end. Their sound was well-balanced with each member getting their little moments to shine. Be it the boom and snap of the drums, the groove in the bass tone, the fierce roar of the guitar or those wonderfully committed notes of the vocals. It was such a wonderful experience.
The lights dimmed after a lengthy intermission. The Glenn Frey hit “The Heat Is On” blasted over the speakers. H.E.A.T made their way to the stage and the opening notes of their new single “Disaster” echoed through the packed crowd. The song explodes to life and vocalist, Kenny Leckremo darts onto the stage. His voice overpowered the rest of the instrumentation. It was one of the most over-the-top ways to start a small venue show that I’ve ever seen, and I loved it! H.E.A.T is one of those bands that can just put a smile on your face in an instant and their immense arena rock sound feels good to listen to as it enters your ears. You can just tell that the band were so damn happy to be on stage as a unit. It’s been a long time coming it’s been more than a decade since they graced a stage in the northern city, and you can tell that the crowd were so excited for them to be back. This led to a little running joke as to when they last played. H.E.A.T played Manchester in 2014 but not with Kenny as the vocalist. The last time he had been there was in 2009. It was a funny moment that got a laugh out of the crowd. Kenny was so much fun to watch, he ran around the stage like an excited kid in a toy store. The crowd were more than happy to indulge him with lavaged praise, cheers and singing along to every song.
The setlist moved at a brisk pace. One song just melted into the next with brief interjections from the band acting as connective tissue between the tunes. Songs like “Hollywood” and “Rise” got huge reactions and the crowd reactions were only drowned out by the huge guitar solos from Dave Dalone. Man, when those solos came they were captivating, watching his fingers walk up and down the fretboard was a sight to behold. The sheer talent and skill on display grabbed my attention. I think all of the band members were amazing to watch. The keyboardist Jona Tee added the atmosphere and matched Kenny in vocals nearly note for note. Then you have the rhythm section bassist Jimmy Jay and drummer Don Crash locked in and laid that foundation that the rest of the members can build on. Crash got his moment to shine with a drum solo that connected “Beg Beg Beg” and the anthemic “Back To The Rhythm”. Each member played their parts to perfection meaning H.E.A.T can be classified as greater than the sum of their parts. When the band all come in together, it’s a cacophony of hard rock bliss.
The latter half of the set was filled with some of the good stuff. As if the first half wasn’t stacked. However, as the band continued they became more comfortable with the Manchester audience. Songs like “Living On The Run” and “1000 Miles” were almost overwhelmingly good and they committed to the raw emotion of those songs. Especially the latter which took the band back to their debut 2008 record. Seeing that there were fans in the crowd who had been there from the beginning must have meant a lot to the band. You can tell that they appreciated the audience as they gave 110% of themselves to them. The set ended with “Tearing Down The Walls” a passionate and wonderful ballad that felt like a wonderful send-off. Just like that, the set was over and it was time to go home. Wow, what a wonderful set from a fantastic band. This was one hell of a way to kick off my gig life in 2025.
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