Also interesting that out of the 100 bands (so we were told) sifted through from the Manchester area to play, these 3 acts where the cream. No idea who was on the selection panel and what criteria were used though. This is not to say that the 3 bands were awful – quite the contrary – all were very “tight”, polished, had full sets lists, etc. Indeed to the point where they seem to make equivalent Leeds fayre appear relatively amateur and roughly hewn. What surprised me was the homogeneity of the sound of all 3 bands. As mentioned in the main review, it was all the same relentless beat but perhaps dressed up with a bit of ska here, some punk there, a dash of indie, etc. Is this the sound of Manchester at the moment?

As for Pete & The Pirates, well I’d been giving their Little Death album some hammering leading up to the gig and was thrilled with the assortment they played from it – really well realised in the flesh. Interesting stage dynamics have the frequent dual vocals and also that the lead singer (Thomas Sanders) would down guitar at times just to focus on the singing. Liberally interspersed with the older material were new tracks and they were a great listen. Ranges of style, rhythm, influences where exhibited and showed progression from their first album. Although nothing was said about when this new material will be out to buy, I can say that’s it’s already on my “album wishlist”.