Live Review: Johnny Lloyd – Jimmy’s, Manchester 23/10/2019
Playing extensively across the UK in the support of his debut solo album, Johnny Lloyd stopped off at Jimmy’s, Manchester, for a sold-out show.
Support came from Ruth Owens, a local singer-songwriter. Admitting the opening set was a little last minute, and that she usually performs with a full band, Ruth made every effort to engage with the audience. Talking in between songs and gaining full attention of the crowd, she performed a short, but impactful set. Ruth isn’t just your average singer-songwriter, her folk songs have a slight theatrical side to her vocals, making her one to watch for sure.
As the crowd edged forward in the tiny capacity venue, we didn’t have long to wait before the headline act graced the stage. As one of the most intimate venues in the city, Jimmy’s held the perfect atmosphere for the gig.
A little background knowledge for those unlucky enough to be unfamiliar with the work of Johnny Lloyd. He rose to fame with Camden-based band, Tribes, nearly a decade ago, but after two successful albums they split in 2014. With a loyal fanbase behind them, Tribes were a band I, and so many others, admired greatly. Their songs resonated with me and for that reason I will probably always be sad that they decided to call it a day.
But, fast forward a few years, Johnny Lloyd now comfortably performs as a solo artist. There’s been a few EP’s along the way, but it wasn’t until earlier this year that his first solo album was released. Having seen a couple of Johnny Lloyd’s solo shows over the past few years, I was eager to see the album ‘Next Episode Starts in 15 Seconds’ performed live.
Now that we’ve learnt about Johnny Lloyd, let’s get to the good stuff.
Making his way through the crowd to get to the stage, Johnny Lloyd started with two album tracks. Accompanied on stage by only his guitar and occasionally a harmonica, he let us know that he was going to be playing “a lot off the new record”. Seemingly setting the crowd up for what we were expecting to be a proper solo show, the words “this is a song from 2010” suddenly changed this. Talking us through the story behind the early Tribes song ‘Corner of an English Field’, we gained an insight into life with the band, and in response this song got a huge reception from the crowd.
As one of the humblest guys around, the intimate crowd watched and listened as Johnny Lloyd gave honest and witty anecdotal stories about both old and new songs. He also cleared up the recent Tweet where he revealed he would be “releasing a 40 track album”; we found out Johnny would be releasing not one, but three albums next year! Containing old demos and new songs from 2014-2019.
Jumping between solo tracks and Tribes favourites throughout the show, we were able to sing along to acoustic versions of ‘Corner of an English Field’, ‘Coming of Age’, ‘Halfway Home’, ‘Dancehall’, ‘Nightdriving’, ‘Sappho’ and ‘We Were Children’, what a treat!
However, as amazing as it was to hear these songs after years, I could easily get carried away with memories from my teenage years and Tribes shows, so let’s not forget the reason we were here. Sandwiched in between old favourites was a selection of beautiful solo songs, mainly from the new album ‘Next Episode Starts in 15 Seconds’.
Clearly really proud of the debut record, before playing album closer ‘Forced Therapy’, Johnny said hi to his parents, who were supporting him from the back of the room. The song features lyrics like “there’s my Mum and my Dad over there” and tells a narrative of his life.
With narratives becoming a common theme throughout the show, which felt like a journey in itself, the end was in sight. Before playing his final song, Johnny Lloyd took the time to say “It’s always such a pleasure. So long as you guys keep coming, I’ll keep making music” before going into the album titled track ‘Next Episode Starts in 15 Seconds’.
It was a pretty wholesome evening that everyone in the room was clearly excited to be a part of. I already can’t wait for the next show, and I think it’s a given that Johnny Lloyd will come back to play the new Jimmy’s venue when it moves around the corner, right?
Photography and Words by Abbie Jennings