On Saturday the 28th September, fans from all over the UK attended Crook On The Wall’s headline show at Retro Bar, Manchester, supported by Caesar of Cymatics. The highly anticipated show was sold out a huge two weeks in advance, and it did more than just live up to expectations.
With doors opening at 7:30, Retro Bar was filled to the brim within minutes for the incredible Manchester based artists. Both Caesar of Cymatics and Crook on The Wall were playing for a hometown crowd – the atmosphere was loud, alive and most certainly excitable. There were even people attending from as far as Scotland and Liverpool!
Caesar of Cymatics, fronted by the seventeen year old Tom Clegg (stage name ‘Caesar’) and followed by the band made up of Dylan, Nathan and Sam (the ‘Cymatics’) was a fantastic supporting act. Putting on a show worthy of a headliner that got everyone in the crowd involved, Caesar’s stage presence and crowd interaction was hilarious, engaging and overall a massive hit with Retro. The band was not only a very well chosen precursor to Crook On The Wall, but also put on their own stand-out show that could only, somehow, increase the already intense anticipation for Crook On The Wall’s performance. Playing popular original songs such as ‘Its Plain Knowing’ and ‘Sunday Mourn’, they truly were a pleasure to listen to and to see.
Then, it was only a matter of time before Crook On the Wall began setting up, and the four-piece band composed of Adam on bass, Ethan on drums, Cole on vocals and guitar and Elliot, lyricist and guitarist, were ready to go. As heard on Radio X, Crook On The Wall are a big deal in Manchester’s music scene, and the reason as to why is glaringly apparent – their music is a masterful and compelling combination of sheer creative originality and incredible displays of musical skill. With everyone’s full attention on them, Crook On The Wall began their highly anticipated set.
There is no other way to describe the opening as explosive. Immediately, comments of ‘God, that drummer is amazing’, and a collective enrapturement of the sold-out crowd were seen – they had every single person in the building’s basement eyes and ears. Performing a song that was only a week old amongst a fan favourite of ‘These Cracked Streets’, a single only released in May, the set was nothing short of massive success.
To continue, the band’s humorous and unique crowd interaction was a great segment of their set, with a ‘Roman fact of the day’ filling one of the change overs between songs. Their casual conversation throughout created a personal feeling within Retro Bar’s basement, and for that hour from nine until ten, the crowd was a brilliant blend of grins and cheers. Teases of a new single being recorded the week after the show, met with immense enthusiasm, and song dedications ranging from members of family to the town of Altrincham, the gig thrived in its action-packed environment.
FOLLOW CROOK ON THE WALL ON INSTAGRAM // TIKTOK
FOLLOW CAESAR OF CYMATICS ON INSTAGRAM // TIKTOK
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