LIVE: NEIGHBOURHOOD FESTIVAL

A week on from another edition of Manchester's biggest inner city festival, Richard Grogan assesses the day's work.



An inner city festival can thrive on its location, however these one-day events often lean heavily on the pull of the artists and treat location as a bit-part. Now in its third term, Neighbourhood Festival takes full advantage of the array of unique, iconic venues dotted throughout Manchester’s student area. A short walk down Oxford Road takes festival-goers from the 70s inspired, wallpaper-clad lounge of The Deaf Institute to the grand chapel of the Albert Hall. On the map this year is brand new venue YES, a new four-storey nightlife Mecca complete with two dedicated gig spaces. These locations are complemented by an eclectic lineup of indie festival favourites (The Magic Gang, Blaenavon, Everything Everything) and emerging talent (LUCIA, Sports Team, Whenyoung), attracting a diverse audience. While the latest intake of students can be found solidifying their newfound friendships to the indie singalong anthems of The Magic Gang and Irish indie pop outfit The Academic, seasoned moshers head straight for over 18 venue YES, where rock and punk dominate with the distorted brashness and fierce post-punk of headliners Pretty Vicious and Lady Bird.

Making their Neighbourhood debut, there’s considerable media buzz surrounding Lady Bird, the sole band signed to Girl Fight Records, founded by Kentish mainstream punk connoisseurs Slaves. The band’s fast-paced, quick-talking punk coupled with chaotic onstage energy provokes wild scenes from the crowd. However, sound issues result in muffled vocals throughout, which significantly dampens Lady Bird’s playful lyrical prowess, particularly evident in lead single ‘Spoons’, an ode to the country’s favourite Brexit-pushing pub  (‘Your eyes remind me of a pitcher of Woo-Woo… You’ll do’).

Early afternoon headliners Sundara Karma kick-started proceedings for many with a commanding performance, topped with previously unheard track ‘Illusions’ from their upcoming second album, to satisfy the energetic student crowd at Manchester Academy. Elsewhere, teenage songstress Lily Moore mesmerised those lucky enough to find themselves under the shimmering light of the giant disco ball at The Deaf Institute.

One of many bar-slash-venues on the bill, YES provided a welcome pizza-fuelled respite before the festival reached its crescendo on all sides of Oxford Road. Away from the headline slot that they will undoubtedly fill in time, The Blinders, who were unveiled as special guests on the day of the festival, delivered their unique brand of dystopian political punk. Just over a week before they return to Manchester to kick-off their debut album tour, The Blinders put on a performance capable of converting the room to cult fans. Rattling ferociously through the tracks off their first full-length LP, Columbia, vocalist Tom Haywood, eyes piercing, face smeared with the distinctive tar-black paint of on-stage persona Johnny Dream, abrasively spits his considered, politically-charged vocals at the packed crowd. Gritty, distorted guitar riffs and heavy rhythmic drums engulf the room transporting band and crowd to Columbia, the Orwellian dystopia in which The Blinders incite their uprising. Grasping the outstretched hands of convulsing fans and sharing his wine with an exhausted crowd surfer during rousing finale ‘Brutus', it is obvious that Tom Haywood sees his audience as peers in his revolution. In a set further intensified by YES' Stanley Kubrick-esque bubblegum pink underbelly (The Pink Room), the band's rallying call over rose-coloured monitors was answered in frenzied style by Manchester’s finest.

Boasting a packed line-up spread across an impressive 13 locations, Neighbourhood Festival offers a considerable amount of ‘bang’ for its £30 of ‘buck’. As can be expected when attempting to jam over 100 artists into only half a day, you would be hard-pressed to see everything you set out to. Clashes are inevitable, with Sundara Karma and The Magic Gang given identical stage times, overlapping sets are common and queues can stretch from one venue to the next (such is the proximity of venues) for more in-demand acts. However, none of this takes away from the day. The camaraderie between fellow wristband wearers meeting for the first time in the bar queue, the chance to see and meet emerging UK talent in iconic venues and the buzz of Manchester city centre make Neighbourhood Festival a genuinely fun one-day festival experience. 

Words by Richard Grogan

Comments