Blues Pills @ Band On The Wall, Manchester

It’s that time of year when there are more and more gigs to go to. There was so much going on this night alone in the great city of Manchester. However, I found myself on hallowed ground in the city. Band on the Wall is one of those venues that feels like a big deal. Sure it may not be a massive arena, but it’s a venue that always holds an amount of history. I have always loved seeing bands here, regardless of genre. There’s a magic that fills the air when musicians take to the historic stage. It was also another big night, it was the long-awaited return of the Swedish rock band, Blues Pills. It’s been a few years since I’ve had the opportunity to watch them play, so you better believe that I was pumped! Their music has always been entertaining, the mix of 70s-style blues rock and modern alternative rock, elevates them above their peers. It’s paid off for them with an adoring audience and critical acclaim. Looking around there were so many demographics there, you can tell that their music speaks to so many people in the same way it does for me.

Joining them for this show was the Canadian rock band, Daniel Romano’s Outfit. Man, this was something else. They arrived on stage looking like they were fresh off of the set of The Old Grey Whistle Test, and played like they were on that show too! Their music was fast and frenetic and their performance was energetic and their sound filled the venue. The guitars blasted and the bass pumped. This was exactly my style of music. They managed to keep the set to a tight 30 minutes, there was nothing in the way of delays or issues that would interfere with the set. They also didn’t break at any point either; it was just a cascade of rock tones until their time was up. I’m not complaining, their music was entertaining and their stage antics were fun to watch. They jumped, raced and danced all over the stage. I would describe their music as quintessential mod-rock. Loud guitars, wonderful harmonies and the consistent drive to keep pushing each song forward. I was particularly blown away by the drum work. Fast and wild yet precise and gave each song that extra little spice. The fills between the main rhythm of the music were a delight each time. Romano himself was an excellent frontman, he remained professional and kept a good command over the Manchester audience. Their set was over no sooner than it felt like it began. It was one hell of a warm-up for what was to come.

The lights dimmed as the air of anticipation filled the room. Blues Pills arrived and immediately got to work. Fresh off of their latest album Birthday they opened the set with the titular track. The blues-rock tones resonated throughout the venue and frontwoman, Elin Larsson was a complete force of nature on that stage. She didn’t stop even for a minute. She was completely electric as she danced all over the stage, belting out the lyrics to every song. The set was more or less a straightforward rock affair. Loud riffs, groovy basslines, crashing drum work and vocals that soared high above the rest of the live production.

The sound carries so well in Band on the Wall so I do not doubt that the people at the back were feeling the force just as much as the people at the front. When André Kvarnström hit those drums you felt the kick to the gut. Guitar man Zack Anderson was going wild on the rhythm and lead sections. He kept the riffs tight and the solo flowed so effortlessly. Kristoffer Schander kept that bass groove so tight, but he had his moments to shine bright through the set.

The setlist consisted mostly of songs taken from the new album, Birthday. However, there was more than enough taken from previous material to fill in the gaps and keep long-time fans satisfied with the set. It was good hearing the likes of “Black Smoke” and “Ain’t No Change” from the self-titled and unforgettable tracks like “Proud Woman” and “Bye Bye Birdy” from the 2020 album Holy Moly. The latter of which got a huge reaction from the crowd, especially during the call and response of singing the lyrics “Bye, Bye Birdy”. A pleasant surprise for me was the track “Bliss” taken from the 2012 EP of the same name. However, the set was here to celebrate the release of their latest record and it went down a storm. So many of the songs got strong reactions from the Manchester faithful. I would say some of the highlights were “Don’t You Love It”, “Like A Drug” and “Holding Me Back”, they seemed to get the best response from where I was standing.

Closing off the main part of the set was the album closer from the self-titled album, “Little Sun”. A song with great personal meaning for Elin and she dedicated it to all those who had lost someone in their lives.After they left the stage the cry for an encore loudened and the band returned to the stage for three more songs. Closing out the evening is the ever-popular “Devil Man” an old-school blues rock track that sounds so classic I’m always left wondering why no one else had thought of it before them. I felt like that this was a pretty complete set. They managed to keep long-time fans, and returning fans, happy with many older hits while still celebrating the new work and putting on one hell of a show in the process. They are a band that I would urge you to see live, even if it’s just once. Their performance is so energetic and their personalities are so magnetic that I think you can’t help but love them!

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Mick Birchall

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