Tonight though is different, as it’s another chance to see the band tipped by many to be the next great Manchester group, The Longcut. Having seen the band three times prior to this show, I’d always enjoyed their performances and sound, but was never blown away. Things seem to have changed since the signing of their record deal. The Longcut appear like a well oiled machine, blasting the increasingly interested crowd with their huge walls of dance-inducing sonics. At the front of the crowd, there’s a few familiar faces from the Akoustik Anarkhy team cheering on the band whose notorious guerrilla gigs helped catapult into the limelight.
 | | The Longcut |
The Longcut’s set is unrelenting and for once with a band, it’s more about the music than anything else. Their stage presence is not enthralling with singer/drummer Stuart looking a little nervous at first, this lot don't need gimmicks. There’s no forced enigma to elevate them above the crowd. The group look like they’re enjoying it and so are we, and that’s all there needs to be. Highlights included Late Night Bus, the single Transition and set closer A Quiet Life, which ensured the band received a rapturous applause as well as successfully drilling themselves into the thoughts of many who will surely lookout for them again in the coming months. A brilliant warm up. The Kills are currently touring to promote their new record, No Wow, and arrive onstage to an expectant reception by the sell out crowd. With just two members, it’s clear to see why a lot of the attention is forced upon singer Alison and this means that she has a lot of responsibility to uphold the entertainment value of the band. A couple of lo-fi, drum machine based numbers into the set and already it’s feeling a little tiring. The Kills are really good at what they do, which is deliver moody, stoner, Velvet Underground-esque punk, but it's just too samey. As a singer, Alison ticks all the right boxes; she looks good, moves well and has a voice that compliments the music perfectly, but once you’ve seen it, there isn’t much else to focus on and unfortunately for The Kills, that’s a real hindrance. | 
