Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
It’s a night of achievement, even though the O2 Forum Kentish Town feels rather too relaxed for a Friday night as the crowd meanders in. It’s Boston Manor’s biggest headline show to date, the last night of their Sundiver tour, and they’re in the mood to party.
The second Trophy Eyes appear onstage as support, there’s a rush to the front, our energy ignited by the electrifying opening to ‘Enmore’. ‘Heaven Sent’s’ rapturous singalong erupts to an impassioned shout as vocalist John Floreani mimes walking with his fingers, the hollows in his voice filled with the guitars embrace. He dances like he’s got an invisible hula hoop around him. ‘Kill’ nods to the feelings we keep locked up before allowing them a release like a fluorescent waterfall, and ‘You Can Count On Us’ turns the spotlight on us in a mutual appreciation that’s welcomed, tucked under the pounding fists. He sings softer on ‘Chlorine’, and we are grateful we are there, in this room, experiencing Trophy Eyes’ resurgence. While their 2024 has been mired in controversy, the crowd is happy to forgive in exchange for such a glorious opening show.
“This is it, London! This is the big one! Fuckin’ move!” Boston Manor’s Henry Cox screams, as if we need to be told. From the moment we roar as the entrance music fades to birdsong, we’re at full power. ‘Datura’ breaks like its namesake into a soft canary sunlight, its intelligence shining through the silhouetted band as we raise our fists. ‘Container’ is serious without resorting to feeling oppressive, building us up with each abrasive slam of the guitar. Jagged and mechanical, ‘Floodlights On The Square’ hits hard, a swagger creeping into their no nonsense style, a little more electronica at the edges adding a bounce. “Show me what you got!” He shouts as the lava-like guitar of ‘England’s Dreaming’ pulses and purges, pouring invigorating sludge into a crowd that’s just poised to jump, a deep power in the bass adding strength to the plaintive tones.
It’s easy to love rock stars with a big presence, but what makes Boston Manor so appealing is how they’ve retained their everyman qualities. They wave awkwardly to the balcony like a schoolboys who spot their mums, explaining that “we’ve got a lot of bullshit planned for tonight”. ‘Sliding Doors’, “the heaviest shit we’ve ever written”, is Smashing Pumpkins at their dirtiest and has already become a massive favourite in the month since it was released. Yes, it is somehow even heavier live, but it’s also very smart, designed to paint a reaction in our minds. Floreani joins them onstage for ‘Liquid’, and it’s an incredibly appropriately named song, its energy flowing and trickling from their fingers to the heart of the crammed pit. The two frontmen hug and we cheer, their self confidence swarming like fireflies, before long post punk chords signal ‘Inertia’.
So many of their singles are poised to become full-on anthems. ‘Formix’ gives rise to a beautiful resonance that they hold tightly in their grinding expressing of our anguish and ‘Halo’ really does shine, invested with the power of a decade of sentiment and recitation come to fruition. “I don’t want this show to end,” says Cox almost sadly, but they’re not quite done yet. ‘Passenger’ has grown into an absolute beast of a danceable, relatable sound, a vibrant and many headed beast that pushes itself into your memory. Even the yellow-shirted security lining the stage clap along to ‘Foxglove’, and we feel satisfaction and renewal in every note, whipping up a human sandstorm that throws up a surfer to that brutal drumbeat.
Boston Manor have come a heck of a long way since their first show down the road at The Black Heart. Not to diminish their prowess at packing out a two thousand strong show on the busiest party night of the week, but in a year or two, we’re bound to look back and see it as one of their smaller sets due to the star quality in the music we’ve heard this evening.
KATE ALLVEY
The second Trophy Eyes appear onstage as support, there’s a rush to the front, our energy ignited by the electrifying opening to ‘Enmore’. ‘Heaven Sent’s’ rapturous singalong erupts to an impassioned shout as vocalist John Floreani mimes walking with his fingers, the hollows in his voice filled with the guitars embrace. He dances like he’s got an invisible hula hoop around him. ‘Kill’ nods to the feelings we keep locked up before allowing them a release like a fluorescent waterfall, and ‘You Can Count On Us’ turns the spotlight on us in a mutual appreciation that’s welcomed, tucked under the pounding fists. He sings softer on ‘Chlorine’, and we are grateful we are there, in this room, experiencing Trophy Eyes’ resurgence. While their 2024 has been mired in controversy, the crowd is happy to forgive in exchange for such a glorious opening show.
“This is it, London! This is the big one! Fuckin’ move!” Boston Manor’s Henry Cox screams, as if we need to be told. From the moment we roar as the entrance music fades to birdsong, we’re at full power. ‘Datura’ breaks like its namesake into a soft canary sunlight, its intelligence shining through the silhouetted band as we raise our fists. ‘Container’ is serious without resorting to feeling oppressive, building us up with each abrasive slam of the guitar. Jagged and mechanical, ‘Floodlights On The Square’ hits hard, a swagger creeping into their no nonsense style, a little more electronica at the edges adding a bounce. “Show me what you got!” He shouts as the lava-like guitar of ‘England’s Dreaming’ pulses and purges, pouring invigorating sludge into a crowd that’s just poised to jump, a deep power in the bass adding strength to the plaintive tones.
It’s easy to love rock stars with a big presence, but what makes Boston Manor so appealing is how they’ve retained their everyman qualities. They wave awkwardly to the balcony like a schoolboys who spot their mums, explaining that “we’ve got a lot of bullshit planned for tonight”. ‘Sliding Doors’, “the heaviest shit we’ve ever written”, is Smashing Pumpkins at their dirtiest and has already become a massive favourite in the month since it was released. Yes, it is somehow even heavier live, but it’s also very smart, designed to paint a reaction in our minds. Floreani joins them onstage for ‘Liquid’, and it’s an incredibly appropriately named song, its energy flowing and trickling from their fingers to the heart of the crammed pit. The two frontmen hug and we cheer, their self confidence swarming like fireflies, before long post punk chords signal ‘Inertia’.
So many of their singles are poised to become full-on anthems. ‘Formix’ gives rise to a beautiful resonance that they hold tightly in their grinding expressing of our anguish and ‘Halo’ really does shine, invested with the power of a decade of sentiment and recitation come to fruition. “I don’t want this show to end,” says Cox almost sadly, but they’re not quite done yet. ‘Passenger’ has grown into an absolute beast of a danceable, relatable sound, a vibrant and many headed beast that pushes itself into your memory. Even the yellow-shirted security lining the stage clap along to ‘Foxglove’, and we feel satisfaction and renewal in every note, whipping up a human sandstorm that throws up a surfer to that brutal drumbeat.
Boston Manor have come a heck of a long way since their first show down the road at The Black Heart. Not to diminish their prowess at packing out a two thousand strong show on the busiest party night of the week, but in a year or two, we’re bound to look back and see it as one of their smaller sets due to the star quality in the music we’ve heard this evening.
KATE ALLVEY