Live Review: The Twang - Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester 06/06/2025
Indie legends The Twang stun a Manchester crowd at the beautiful Royal Exchange Theatre, with an acoustic performance of the highest quality.
The Brummie band have been around for many years and have become a hugely respected outfit. Their relentless releases of brilliant records have played a huge role in their rise in popularity over the years.
In December of 2024, The Twang took their debut record, ‘Jewellery Quarter’, on tour around the UK as they celebrated the 15th birthday of the timeless classic that the body of music has become.
It was then announced that the group would be taking to a number of venues around the country to perform acoustic sets of some of the tracks from ‘Jewellery Quarter’ as well as all the classics, and some deep cuts, from the rest of their admirable discography. The designated venue for Manchester, which has been a place that has loved to welcome The Twang for many years now, was the breath-taking Royal Exchange Theatre. The one-of-a-kind setting boasts one of the most perfect spaces to host live music. The circular setup allows audiences to gather around their favourite performers and be treated to a real, intimate show.
The beautiful room filled up nicely on the night, and Manchester was ready to welcome The Twang once again.
Opening the evening’s entertainment was the exciting outfit Pastel. The hot prospects have recently released their own debut album, titled ‘Souls In Motion’. Having supported The Twang on their run of UK shows back in December, the group were welcomed back to perform acoustically on the stripped-back tour.
Their set was truly brilliant. It’s no wonder there’s so much hype around Pastel now, their ability to show off their stellar sound using largely acoustic instruments showed exactly why they’re a serious contender to keep an eye on.
Being north-western natives themselves, the group made use of the unique venue, chatting to members of the crowd between songs and having a laugh with them.
Their enthusiasm and love for what they do was evident in every second of each song that they performed. It’s clear that the band are a tight unit, and they are confident with the music that they possess. One track of theirs which really stood out was ‘Isaiah’. The way that the band shared vocal responsibilities on this one was brilliant. Their sound seemed to be bolstered by the incredible acoustics of the venue.
Pastel’s set was the ultimate way to kick off the evening.
It was then time for the main event. The Twang entered the circular room, greeted by copious amounts of applause. Frontman Phil Etheridge got straight to the point upon arrival, as he addressed the venue for the gig, saying: “It’s alright, isn’t it?”
The band then kicked straight into the classic tune ‘Barney Rubble’. Immediately the crowd were gripped. It felt as though everybody in attendance sang every word of this one, and it was clear that the night would be one to remember. The sound in the room was nothing short of incredible. The Twang gave the Manchester crowd exactly what they’d come to see as they performed some of their most loved music in stunning, stripped-back forms.
One which really impressed when reduced to an acoustic number was ‘Izal’. The band’s frontman engaged with the audience and received a huge deal of laughter as he explained the origins of the song, explaining a story about the toilet paper brand Izal. Nonetheless, the track sounded immense as an acoustic rendition. The band showed off just how tight of a unit they are.
The crowd were treated to an eclectic mix, including classics like ‘Wide Awake’, ‘Either Way’ and ‘We’re A Crowd’. Of course, the audience lapped these up and belted out every word with the band. Deeper cuts like ‘It Feels Like (You’re Wasting My Time)’ went down brilliantly, too. The group captured the pure emotion of the track and translated it perfectly into a stripped-back version.
All in all, the gig was one that won’t be forgotten by anybody who attended. The beautiful venue, paired with the expert performance, made for one of the most enjoyable evenings of entertainment possible.
The Twang worked the crowd perfectly in the tail end of the set. Performances of ‘Two Lovers’ and ‘Took The Fun’ closed out the evening.
The latter of those was something truly special. The Twang initially worked their way through a slower version of the track, before speeding up and getting the crowd right up for it.
Everyone in attendance stood up from their seats in response to this and clapped along with the brilliant track. It was amazing. It was the perfect way to cap off a beautiful evening of music.
The Twang once again reminded Manchester why they’re such an iconic group. Their capability to translate their music to stripped-back settings is incredible and is not something that everybody can do.
Manchester will hope to welcome back their Brummie heroes as soon as possible, whether that be acoustic or full-scale shows!
Words by Matthew Caslin
