Live Review: Del Water Gap - Band On The Wall, Manchester 01/02/2024
Del Water Gap delivers an anthemic stadium-sized-set in a small Manchester room.
I arrived in Manchester, immersing myself on the train to “I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet,” the sophomore album released by Samuel Holden Jaffe, also known by his stage name Del Water Gap, late last year. Listening to the 12-track indie-pop album, it boosted my excitement for the folk/rock live show to come. This new record explores themes of addiction and self-acceptance reflective of Samuel’s newfound fame and sobriety - and I was curious how the band would pull off the deeply layered and immaculately produced record live.
Stepping into Band On The Wall, I was greeted by the soothing, ethereal sounds of support act Jean Ryden. Accompanied by an incredible cello player, and tastefully arranged backing tracks, Jean delivered a spell-binding set of atmospheric indie. One particularly poignant moment was when Jean explained the lyrical content of her new record Parallel Universe. Jean’s latest songs are reflective of the sorrow felt by the death of her parents at a young age, and how she dreams of her life before the loss , occupying a now unattainable dimension. Jean’s set entranced the Manchester crowd, with a reverb drenched sound that toe’s the line between folk and modern indie, akin to Suki Waterhouse’s latest work. Not only did the support show sound excellent, but the simple, yet powerful lighting design heightened the sense of atmosphere around the personal songwriting. A perfect start to the night.
After a short break, it was time for the headline performance from Del Water Gap. Samuel and his 3 piece band opened the show with the anthemic ‘NFU’ taken from his latest record. With soaring lead guitar and synths accompanying his euphoric singing voice, the track perfectly encapsulates the energy of his latest record. It’s stadium sized pop rock, with beautiful direct and personal lyricism. “I'm not f*cked up, I just miss the way that you talk” admits Samuel in the surging hook of the chorus. It’s like U2 for the issues of Gen Z.
Another highlight of the set was ‘Better Than I Know Myself’, track one from his debut self-titled record. Another anthemic, energetic number, highlighting Samuel’s huge vocal range and incredible ability to write the perfect pop vocal hook. The overall sound of the band was enormous, building on the intricately produced layers of the album, with thumping live drums, virtuosic live guitar and synth bass. The Manchester crowd were truly loving every second of the show, singing to every engaging lyric.
“It’s my first time headlining in Manchester” says Samuel, reflecting on the last time he played the city supporting Girl In Red in 2022. One of my favourite tracks of the night was the beautifully simple ‘Doll House’ taken from his latest record. Adorning the acoustic guitar for this one, the song is a perfect mid-tempo pop-rock tune, with an infectiously catchy chorus - “As if you needed a reason to call me, a reason to call me at all”. It’s like Tom Petty mixed with the pop sensibilities of Taylor Swift.
Shifting the energy, Del Water Gap performed an early EP track ‘High Tops’. A pretty love song about noticing the little things and opening up your heart for someone. Even this pre-major label track was adored by the crowd, a proper sing-along. On the contrary, the band also performed the brand new single ‘Cigarettes & Wine’, a collaboration with UK star Holly Humberstone. Holly appeared at the London show the night previously to complete the duet, but unfortunately hadn’t made the trip up North. Despite this, the track still worked great with the sole vocal. It’s another infectious yet deeply personal cut, illustrating how Del Water Gap will continue to write bangers you can painfully relate to for his future record. On a completely random note, the chorus seriously reminds me of ‘Touch Of Grey’ by The Grateful Deal. Maybe Samuel and Holly are Deadheads? Who knows.
Following a short intermission, the band returned for the powerful encore, ending the set with the smash hit ‘Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat’. This debut record track truly has it all, an incredible guitar riff, driving drum groove, and enormously relatable and catchy chorus. It’s intimate yet massive, which perfectly sums up Del Water Gap. Lyrically his work is painfully relatable and personal, yet he takes this subject matter and delivers a chorus and production you want to scream out.
It’s painfully obvious that these songs deserve a bigger room, and I won’t be surprised if by the next record Del Water Gap is a major arena sized act. Catch them while you can.
Words by Euan Blackman
