Local boys The Rolling People headlined the 02 Ritz for their highly anticipated hometown gig, showing that Rock and Roll is still very much alive and thriving. With Supports from Keyside (Liverpool) and Alex Spencer (Manchester) the night had set expectations high for a Saturday night in Manchester.
As always, I’ve conducted a full video review of the night which can be found by clicking here, and it opens abruptly with the infamous “string snappage” of the first support act Keyside. This turned to be a defining moment in the set, as the band explained after the incident how they “hadn’t brought a spare (guitar)” with them, and they were left to fend for themselves until a backup was provided for them (I think by the 2nd support Alex Spencer (hero)). Whilst this didn’t necessarily have to be the be all and end all, it seemed as though the band struggled to get into the flow of things as much as they could have if said incident had not occurred.
They still managed to push their own sound of what I would say is a “mersey-beat” but none of the songs really seemed to stand out that much. Having heard many good things about Keyside, I can only really say that I felt a bit underwhelmed by their performance without any songs having a lasting resonance with me, but I think the only fair explanation is that it simply wasn’t their night.
Next up was Manchester’s hometown boy Alex Spencer who I was lucky enough to be able to interview beforehand (which can be found by clicking here). He played a set that radiated experience despite being of such a young age, though this is understandable when looking at the catalogue of shows he’s been able to play at only 17 years old. He managed to get the crowd moving by the end as well which I believe is always the sign of a good support act, with the crowd also benefitting from confident stage presence (and a backflip) as well as good audience interaction.
There were also some new songs which he played on the night that I thought sounded really cool and I’m excited to hear more of in the future, though I’ll have to leave it to Alex to tell you more.
On the whole, you can tell Alex knows what he doing as a support act and (as already dubbed by many) with a talented backing band alongside him he certainly has bucketloads of potential.
Then finally the Ritz greeted The Rolling People with a cacophony of cheering as the atmosphere reached its peak. The hometown boys kicked off with a bang that lingered and set the tone for almost the entire night, as a somewhat “old school” style of Rock and Roll was clearly the driving force of the band.
I would say that “Grateful for Nothing” was probably the highlight of the set, with the anthemic riff being blasted from the lungs of all in attendance. It felt like a subtle but much desired changed of pace, whilst still having the clear “Rolling People” sound, something I’ll touch more upon later.
Many of the bands tunes do seem to follow a very similar pattern and style and when this is done well it is quite surreal to be a part of. That being said though, I do believe that what may be holding back “The Rolling People” is some songs falling into a very repetitive nature, with many heavy songs lacking considerable meaning as they cling from what had previously been played and not feeling unique in any particular way.
For a half hour set I have no doubt they would be very impressive as well as feeling quite fresh, though given this being a headliner, the hour felt as though it dragged on at points, which is a shame because I think it took away from the genuine quality that lies with the band.
This is most notable from the bands interesting decision to play their biggest single “Better Man” acoustically, as despite it getting the crowd singing along, missing out the guitar solo (which is quite simply booming) as well as other aspects felt a bit strange. I think that even though there was one more acoustic song also played, neither of them managed to tone things down to the extent which they perhaps could have done and provide the crowd with a much needed break.
Don’t get me wrong, The Rolling People are a very good band, but unless they manage to add a bit more diversity to the sound rather than just an hour consisting of maximum overdrive and the crashes of a drum kit, then I don’t think they’ll be reaching the full potential that is available to them.
Overall, the band are definitely worth seeing as their brilliant energy and stage presence helps to put on a great show for everyone. Along with their support acts, the night was definitely a gooden on the whole and I’m excited to see what The Rolling People have coming next.
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