It was all peace and love at the Manchester Leg of Rise Against’s EU tour, be it the expressions of love between each band or Rise Against's Tim McIlrath discovering the joys of Bovrill.
The filing into Victoria Warehouse in Manchester was quick as the weekend's cold snap bit at Old Trafford. The clock hit half seven and opener Spiritual Cramp exploded onto the stage; if south arcade was a battery pack, lead singer Michael Bingham was a packet of batteries on his own, playing get-the-ball-in-the-cup with his microphone with mixed success. He had lots of love to give to his bandmates, though, as he hyped them up in their intros through the first half of their 30 minute set(?). This extended to giving the love to LS Dunes and Rise Against, saying they were overjoyed to be on tour with their best friends and sold the sincerity of the statement. The crowd work however didn’t quite land, with pseudo-sexual quips asking if we liked that and wanting some hype to take a sip of his water. The highlight of these attempts was possibly his doubling down on Manchester being his favourite city in the UK because it feels sad and so is he, met with silence (from a room of elder emos who you’d think would like that sort of thing). The set closed out with Better Off This Way, and the feeling as they left the stage was that their headline shows would be a tour date to watch out for.
Anthony Green was also on the love train, as 20 minutes or so later LS Dunes would swan upon the stage. Opening with Permanent rebellion leading into Fatal Deluxe while Green two stepped his way around the stage and guitarist Frank Iero hit his poses in a neat circle on the left side. The vibes were immaculate at the front of the room while Green gave the love right back to Spiritual Cramp and reiterated the joys of being on the road with them. He was clearly pleased with his own set list too, exclaiming “god I love this one!” As the instrumental rang out for Paper Tigers; I’m sure you do, that’s why you put it on! Sonically LS Dunes were beautiful, mixing clean vocals with solid screams over hard rock Melodies to create their elevated post-hardcore sound. The set closed out with gut wrenching 2022, with those who came in the know happy and those who didn’t satisfied.
Between LS Dunes and Rise Against the patrons of Victoria Warehouse seemed to swell as the crowd was hugging the pillars at the back of the room; when they emerged onto the stage for their 90 minute set it was a show worth the crowd. Their stage was set with a large red banner and a set of platforms for all of the none-drumming members to play on, with drummer Brandon Barnes set above on his own, and a V formation of lights flashing with shapes and colours throughout the show. Opening with Satellite, the pit began to heat up in the front right, and frontman Tim McIlrath grabbed his megaphone to shout call and response for the double bill opener (nice catch of that megaphone, tech guy, if you ever read this).
McIlrath seemed to strike the balance in this show between the noise and working the crowd, opting for his crowdsurf early and managing to salvage losing track of days while they’ve been on the road. Next up on the setlist was Blood Red White and Blue, for which McIlrath draws some perspective on this post 9/11 track as it applies to America's current leadership, before reminding the crowd ‘saturday night is for dancing’ and turning his hand to open that pit back up. This part of the set seemed to be about the elephant in the room for a lot of US bands touring internationally at present - they have to go back. After This is For You, McIlrath muses about turning to your community in the darkest of time for solace and strength before treating Victoria Warehouse to Long Forgotten Sons then Hero of War; the crowd had joined in for this one, swaying back and forth in a way akin to a festival. This section of the show closed out with a touching dedication to the Manchester music scene, with McIlrath taking the time to appreciate the artists from the city that laid the foundations for his work now, then playing Swing Life Away to get the tears pricking at the eyes.
The closing section of Rise Against’s set contained the most fun, with Prayer of the Refugee working as an electric shock for Victoria Warehouse as the pit raged and McIlrath hit a very satisfying scream. By the end of Audience of One someone’s shoe had made its way on stage while hopping off stage for the encore allowed McIlrath to brew his best bits of the night. He first shouted out the breakdancer that had been in the crowd, then set up a stand-up esque bit about going to the footy for the first time: he wrote down the chants, was captivated by fan segregation and sober seating, and most importantly discovered Bovrill. The words had barely left his lips when the crowd began to chant it at him - a testament to the country’s beloved beef drink. Though it was hard to glean what he felt about Bovrill as a product at the end of the interaction, I think he got the spirit. This was followed by the final tracks of the night Black Masks and Gasoline and Saviour where Victoria Warehouse let off the last of their steam alongside Barnes and lead guitarist Zach Blair having their closing solos; the pit doughnut had turned into a fully charged force by the third and final ‘one more time’ chorus.
Saturday night in the Manchester Warehouse was a celebration of the rock and roll each band loves, and they proclaimed it so. The show was seamless (even if the mics were a little quiet) and it was clear this was a tour of friends doing what they loved together, much like the crowds of people who spent their weekend with them.
Words: Julia Brunton
Photos: Ely King
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