Live Review: Lynks, Academy 2, Manchester 19/04/2024
Being one of the most exciting and hilarious acts in music right now, London artist Lynks took over an Academy stage for the very first time in the northwest capital. After a positively received debut record and a venue upgrade out of popularity, this is a night like no other. Give a warm welcome to the biggest and best abomination of them all.
Opening the night is the latest electronic duo on the scene: the eternally energetic Shelf Lives. Consisting of Canadian vocalist Sabrina Di Giulio and British guitarist Jonny Hillyard, they are bringing their brand new mix of electronic pop and post-punk to what is possibly their biggest audience yet and making the best introduction they could. Playing in support of their recent EP You Okay? and their first single of the year ‘Uncle Fred’, they showed the confidence and professionalism of seasoned artists that came before them. Confidence and professionalism can go a long way, and with the impression they gave the crowd and the crowd gave back, it looks like they ran a marathon and won the gold medal.
With the early attendees getting warmed up and ready, just on time comes the second support act of the night. A woman takes the stage by the name of Tatyana, introducing herself with a beautiful flutter of the harp - but don’t be fooled, this isn’t going to be a calm and elegant set.
Taking the time to set in, this talented harpist shows her true electro-pop leanings as the set kicks in and she settles in her place on the stage. Making music that is both heaven-sent and hell-bound with the mix of classical and electronic elements, the crowd took this experimental combination on and the reaction was all praise. All joy and exhilaration. Causing that kind of reaction is what makes a musician memorable among a crowd of one’s main act; there’s no doubt that Tatyana left that stage with a venue full of new and dedicated fans.
As the main event kicks off, opening to will.i.am and Britney Spears’ ‘Scream & Shout’, it’s time to be taken to church as cloaked individuals take to the stage to the chanting of a Bible verse. The drama is spiking, and thrill is high, and once the covers are shedded to reveal Lynks and his accompanying dance troupe, the show has begun.
Kicking off with the appropriately themed track ‘Abomination’, it was evident this was not going to be any other gig. Kicking, fanning, voguing the house down, Lynks and his dancer friends in the punnily titled gang Lynks’ Shower Gel were bringing everything and then some to the forefront. Being someone who only got more and more popular due to his over-the-top all-out personality on the tracks and on the stage, it was only right to kick off the night with this aesthetically astounding scene.
As the night runs on, tune after tune after leg-kicking tune, the best way to describe the happenings would be ‘unhinged’. In the right ways, in the most gimmicky and giggly ways. From the masked music star unleashing his embarrassment of performing songs about hook-up culture in front of young family members, to his sighs and exclaims of both happiness and exhaustion, to throwing the contents of a box of Cadbury’s Roses into the audience during his self-appointed interval. There will never be a show like a Lynks show, and that is the best thing. It’s fully unique, fully authentic, and full-on musical madness.
Comforting the long-term fans with older hits such as ‘Str8 Acting’ and ‘Everyone’s Hot (And I’m Not)’, while throwing in the newer tracks from his recent debut album including ‘USE IT OR LOSE IT’, ‘CPR’ and ‘FLASH IN THE PAN’, there was something for everyone in the setlist and everyone had at least one dance and one singalong. Quiet and calm did not exist until the show ended and the house lights turned back on, and little else can be expected when it’s the case of Lynks.
If this is what watching an abomination feels like, then give everyone a front-row ticket to the underworld. The beats, the lights, the dancing and the singing, it was a devilish delight and one that everyone should be subjected to at least once in their lives.
This is the very beginning for Lynks. The only way is up, while he just falls lower and lower. Let the abomination reign.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
Photography by Maryleen Guevara
