Live Review: The Pretty Reckless - Academy, Manchester 27/10/2022
Placed between the release of 2021’s Death by Rock and Roll and their upcoming compilation Other Worlds, American post-grunge outfit THE PRETTY RECKLESS took to the Manchester stage once again in a stellar tour in support of the last release. Death, dying and being dead has never sounded so fun.
Not wasting a single minute to rock the venue, the four-piece took the stage introducing themselves with their record-breaking title track ‘Death by Rock and Roll’. This is the track that made The Pretty Reckless the first female-fronted band to get five number-one singles in the US charts, and it’s easy to see how. Being the opener track for the night and allowing vocalist Taylor Momsen to show off her singing skills from the very start, it electrifies the air and brightens up the darkness of their rock-and-roll aesthetic. With the assistance of Momsen’s own black-jacket-silver-dress combination, this was not going to be an ordinary show. This was going to be an experience.
The group highlighted most of their recent record within the first half of the concert; not unheard of but definitely an interesting tour tactic. After performances of fellow Death by Rock and Roll tracks ‘And So It Went’ and ‘Only Love Can Save Me Now’, the band took it back to the song where it began for them. Where it began for many of their fans in the audience before them. Their 2010 debut, ‘Make Me Wanna Die’ is the one performance everyone was eager for. Whether someone in that crowd had seen them at any point in the last twelve years, or have never had the opportunity arise, they all bonded in those fleeting minutes. Voices screaming back, claps and whistles filling the air.
There is no forgetting The Pretty Reckless have a fascinating fan following in the UK, and there is no city better for highlighting this than Manchester.
The band have also taken this live return to the country to bring out the very best in each other. Showing off each of their musical talents, it made for a sweet reminder that even after a horrific global pandemic that led to the music industry’s near downfall, it’s still thriving and growing stronger as time passes. From Momsen herself wielding the axe on certain songs, to Ben Phillips giving his all with a standout solo during big hit ‘Heaven Knows’, to the closing track of the evening. During the band’s one-song encore of ‘Fucked Up World’, the time was mostly used to bring to life an extended drum solo by their very own Jamie Perkins, bringing an ear-ringing bone-shaking skin-warping sound to fill the Academy hall and rock every face in the crowd. Gigs, especially ones that come years from the last, are the best reminders of how worth it investing in music can be and how rewarding that aural payoff can be. Whether it’s worldwide sensations, homebound outfits or anyone placed within that spectrum, the time and the attention is worth it so always put everything into being a crowd participant.
As the show wraps up, Momsen gives a loud and happy, “We’ll see you next time!” to the hundreds of individuals in front of her. Everyone, including the members themselves, is hoping and wishing the same thing: next time better be sooner than later.
The Pretty Reckless swear by the death of rock and roll. This tour is the resurrection. Long live rock and roll.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
Photography by Maryleen Guevara
