Live Review: The Goa Express - YES, Manchester 19/07/2021
Garage-rock band The Goa Express headlined a glorious ‘Freedom Day’ show in the intimate basement of YES Manchester. Pounding drums, dancing with strangers and post-gig stickiness - it felt good to be back.
Since forming as a band in their teenage years, The Goa Express have gone from strength to strength. After releasing their newest, harmonica-infused single ‘Overpass’ this past week and landing a support slot for The Magic Gang in the Autumn, their explosive set on Monday night offered a taste of what is to come.
The first support of the night was Yorkshire beat poet Leon the Pig Farmer and he delivered a fast-firing selection of raw and honest poems based on a range of hard-hitting topics including mental health, drug use and gentrification. His performance was simultaneously down to earth, uplifting and thought-provoking. Following in the footsteps of the punk-poets of the late 1970’s, having a spoken-word artist on the roster felt authentically Mancunion.
The second support act was another Manchester based talent, psych band Separator (formerly known as Alex Rave and The Sceptical). Lead vocalist Rave’s brooding yet confident presence dominated the set as he moved to the front of the stage to interact with the crowd. The performance that stood out was ‘Itch’ – a spoken-word piece matched with melancholic chords, building to Rave’s shouting voice and an eclectic crescendo of guitar sounds.
The Goa Express arrived on stage began the set with the electric garage-rock track ‘Be My Friend’. It was the closest to ‘normal’ that I have experienced in the past eighteen months: the almost-too-loud music, deafening screams from the crowd and a fierce, unstoppable sense of community. It must also be noted that The Goa Express aren’t afraid of dealing with current issues in their lyricism and this was demonstrated in the relevant concerns of ‘Be My Friend’ – privacy, relationships and the modern world. The chanting vocal performance, combined with chaotic and fast-paced riffs, demanded the attention of the entire room.
Their penultimate release ‘Second Time’ appeared to be the crowd favourite. An anthemic and blissful taste of summer, the track was driven by frontman James Douglas Clarke’s effortlessly confident and razor-sharp vocal performance. The chorus dominated the small and humid venue as the crowd sang with Clarke: ‘Everything looks better when you’re high’. The band immersed themselves in both the relaxations of ‘Freedom Day’ and the intimate nature of the venue as lead guitarist Joey Stein threw himself into the audience during the brilliantly anarchic ‘Overpass’. This performance featured a cathartic and frantic amalgamation of tambourines and harmonicas – The Goa Express remained infectiously energetic until the final note.
Their ‘Freedom Day’ set at YES Basement confirmed that The Goa Express are introspective, current and a band to watch in Manchester’s vibrant music scene. I, for one, cannot wait to see what is instore for them.
Words by Jess Foster
Photography by Steve Hampson