Live Review: Cavetown - O2 Apollo, Manchester 18/02/2023
Cavetown delivers a stunning set like a warm hug to a sold out Manchester Apollo.
Stepping off the train at Manchester Piccadilly, it started raining (I don’t think I’ve experienced Manchester in the sun), despite this there was this tangible feeling of warmth emanating from the Apollo. Cavetown prides themself from the wholesome, comforting community created at their shows, so I was looking forward to a calming Saturday night away from the harsh Manchester rain.
Entering the venue, it was clear (aside from parents) I,at my grand old age of 21, was one of the older attendants at the show. It’s no surprise given that Cavetown built their music career on YouTube, amassing over 2 million subscribers and 400 million video views. This young but dedicated audience proved the power of internet music counter-culture, and I would argue Cavetown and the YouTube generation paved the way for the flock of TikTok music stars we’re seeing today.
Lights out, the show begins. Cavetown began the set with the delicate acoustic ballad ‘worm food’, taken from their 2022 album of the same name. What was instantly clear was the incredible vocal talent of Robin, with a soothing, soaring vocal reminiscent of American artists such as Pinegrove. The acoustic track turned on its head with a rush of intense synths and drum fills from Willoughby J. Morse. It took what was initially quite a calm traditional acoustic pop song into an expansive electronic soundscape, with some seriously impressive light and set design too. A very strong start.
Picking up the guitar, they followed up with another 2022 track ‘Fall In Love With A Girl’. With lovely jangly riffs from guitarist Austin Thomasand an instantly catchy chorus, it’s a perfect pop song. They next played the 2018 hit ‘Lemon Boy’, clearly a fan favourite with some seriously impressive audience scream singing. Despite being an obvious hit, I think it’s clear to see the songwriting progression Cavetown has made since then, with the newer tunes having far more lyrical and production depth, but it was a very wholesome moment nonetheless.
The next biggest highlight in the set was ‘Guilty’ taken from their 2021 album ‘Man’s Best Friend’. It’s a song with some serious lyrical prowess. Cavetown’s voice was both intimate yet delivered the lines with force. The hook “An archaeology excavation on my body” is infectious and melodically it soared its way around the Apollo. I think it was my favourite song of the set for sure - an instant classic.
The show took an even more intimate turn with some solo Ukulele songs, including the beautifully wholesome ‘Hug All Ur Friends’. It was rather warming hearing the young audience sing the positive, caring lyrics. Caring is the perfect word to describe the entire show, with Robin frequently ensuring the audience were looking out for each other, passing water around the venue. I would assume this was a lot of people's first gig, so the kind and accepting atmosphere was lovely to see.
Other particular highlights in the set for me were ‘Juliet’ taken again from the 2019 album ‘Animal Kingdom’. The acoustic guitar riff is brilliant, and there’s a clear influence of Americana music, but mixed with the electronic synth and drum elements, it creates an alluring soundscape that feels familiar yet super modern. Shoutout to the sound engineers working on the show with Robin’s vocal mic frequently changing effects from distortion to hard-tuned autotune, which was a brilliant feature and really helped elevate the show. Also shoutout to bassist Nick Johnston who operated the synth bass to perfection, it made the low-end sound enormous.
2022 single ’Frog’ was yet another wholesome moment, with fans lifting plushie frogs into the air. It was warming to see a young audience so engaged in live music. The set ended with the calming ‘Home’. With its sweet violin melody and gentle vocal delivery, it’s the epitome of the Cavetown aesthetic. The song gets more intense in the bridge, with the crowd once more screaming along “Get a load of this monster He doesn't know how to communicate”. The track builds and builds to this euphoric bridge, a prime example of Cavetown’s great songwriting.
Encore, of course. Cavetown performed two classics ‘Boys Will Be Bugs’ and ‘Devil Town’. It was clear how much these songs meant to the crowd, with the most passionate singing of the night. Cavetown conquered Apollo and had the audience hanging on every (wholesome) word.
Cavetown showed the full extent of their vocal, performing and songwriting prowess at the Manchester Apollo. A true musical journey from humble lo-fi beginnings to very deep and serious songwriting, it’s a prime example of how an artist who finds success young should navigate a music career. Cavetown will only get bigger.
Words by Euan Blackman
Photography by Amelia Jones
