Live Review: The Twang - O2 Ritz, Manchester 02/12/2023
With a number of hugely successful records behind them, and a seriously strong following, The Twang were never going to disappoint. As a live act, they are renowned for being amongst the best at giving audiences an evening to remember. Their UK tour has seen them perform to a number of the nation’s most popular musical destinations.
On their travels the Birmingham outfit have taken with them two excellent support acts. The first of which being The Effenaar, who hail from the same neck of the woods. The Manchester crowd packed the o2 Ritz early on and waited for the opening act.
The Effenaar wowed the audience throughout their set, and their quality was commended by The Twang’s front-man Phil Etheridge, who couldn’t speak highly enough of the two-piece. They brought an incredible energy to the room and showed off some truly brilliant tracks. The lads seem set to continually grow in size, with some real crowd-pleasing songs under their belt like ‘High Horses’ which shows off such a cool, jangly instrumental section. It’s no wonder The Twang are fond of the outfit. The Manchester audience were-too- impressed by what was an incredible opening set.
Second on the bill was Chappaqua Wrestling. In the past few years, they’ve really made a name for themselves, and the inclusion of them on this tour really took things to new heights. Again, Etheridge of The Twang took to the mic to express his happiness that the group had joined them on tour.
Chappaqua Wrestling made the stage their own in the time that they had. With such a variety of sounds and styles in their music, their set was absurdly entertaining. If gig-goers weren’t aware of the group prior to the event, they wouldn’t be forgetting Chappaqua anytime soon.
One that stuck out from the rest was ‘Wide Asleep’. Within that song itself the group showed off their abilities to create such a variety of sounds. Pumped up, inspiring drums met jangly guitars, culminating in a track that completely explodes in its choruses. It was brilliant to see.
They are another group that must be watched with a keen eye going forward, for they are almost certainly set to take the world by storm in the near future.
At the conclusion of their set, the countdown to the main event was on.
9:30 came around. After a few drinks, the Saturday night attendees were properly up for it.
The band entered, and lead guitarist Stu Hartland kicked things off with the instantly recognisable riff of hit tune ‘Wide Awake’. The group wasted no time and gave fans a classic Twang number straight away. It was immediately present just how much the group meant to the audience, with lead singer Phil Etheridge’s voice being almost drowned out by the roaring voice of Manchester.
The set list was- as you may expect- jam packed full of The Twang’s very best material. There was no let up early on, with the band flowing from ‘Wide Awake’ straight into ‘Barney Rubble’. Yet again, those in attendance belted out each and every word of the track. Manchester was in ecstasy and the Brummie band seemed to be relishing the moment.
The beauty of The Twang’s live shows is that everyone who has showed up well and truly connects with the music, with the band and with each other. The gig was a joyous display of great music and high spirits.
Folk were bouncing, and some even made their way onto their mates’ shoulders, especially during those early tracks.
The time came, though, where Etheridge specifically asked to see some of the crowd on shoulders, for the track ‘You On My Shoulders’. It was a beautiful moment.
A plethora of Manchester’s finest Twang followers screamed the words of the song from the shoulders of those that they had come with. It was one of countless moments during the evening where fans and band really came together.
The tail end of the set held even more huge tunes. ‘Either Way’ was one of the many highlights of an incredible set list. Yet again, the audience played their part and raised the roof, singing in unison.
After the set concluded, the band came back for an encore. Within it was the rowdy number ‘Guapa’, which gave the crowd one last chance to bounce and lose themselves in the moment. As the green lights of the set filled the room, chaos ensued as the song let off.
With such a range of musical styles on display, The Twang reminded Manchester just how brilliant they are at live shows.
The Twang put on an unforgettable show, and Manchester absolutely buzzed off it.
Words by Matthew Caslin
