We love a good double-bill here at One on One HQ.
Bob Dylan and Neil Young announcing a co-headline gig in London’s Hyde Park. Noel Gallagher‘s High Flying Birds supporting U2 on their Joshua Tree stadium tour. Pointless being followed by The Chase on ITV every evening. Yes, dear reader, we really don’t think that there are many things finer in life than seeing two good things in a row, with not even enough time to leg it to the bar and grab a horribly-overpriced pint in between them.
That, dear reader, is why we were pretty flippin’ chuffed when we found out that Mancunian indie kings Courteeners would be teaming up with rising Scottish rabble-rouser Gerry Cinnamon for a larger-than-life UK tour; and, as soon as we found out that the tour would be hitting Bristol’s O2 Academy, we knew that we had to be there – and, of course, that we’d have to take the time to scrawl down a few thoughts about the show to share with you lovely lot. So, read on, dear reader, and find out what we made of one of the most stacked indie-rock shows we’ve witnessed for a long, long time:
Gerry Cinnamon
If you haven’t heard of Gerry Cinnamon, then you’ve either been living under a rock or listening to too many slightly iffy Spotify playlists. After all, he has been everywhere over the last few months: the radio stations have been giving him a whole lot of love, he got bumped up the running order at Scotland’s TRANSMT festival after J Hus pulled out, and he’s heading out on a big ol’ UK headline tour of his own next year. His support slot with the Courteeners might only have been half an hour long, but we think it’s safe to say that he managed to win the crowd over – after all, how many gigs do you go to where a good chunk of the audience are chanting the support act’s name, especially before they even hit the stage?
What’s more, though, is that we can see exactly why they love him so much. His songs are simple, and his live show even more so – yet, the fact that he’s able to start most pits, hands-in-the-air singalongs, and even the occasional group hug with nothing more than his voice, a loop pedal for his acoustic guitar, and a kick drum is enough to prove to us that he’s one of the most exciting indie talents to come out of these shores for a long time. Keep an eye on this lad.
Courteeners
They’re the reigning Lords and Lads of the modern Manchester scene – second only, in our eyes, to Messrs. Liam and Noel Gallagher – and the reason for that is simple: they’re absolutely fucking brilliant. Liam Fray and co. might not have yet managed to top the sheer lad-rock bombast of their debut album – including the all-conquering indie-disco banger that is Not Nineteen Forever – but that doesn’t mean that their new tunes aren’t still pretty flippin’ decent.
The likes of the brand-new Better Man and Hanging Off Your Cloud lead to no dip in enthusiasm from the more-than-up-for-it crowd, who achieve the admirable feat of bellowing back the words to a song that they don’t even know yet; and, by the time the four-piece close the night with a quick-fire one-two of Not Nineteen Forever and What Took You So Long, it’s safe to say that there’s not a single person in attendance who hasn’t been won over by the boys’ sharp wits, sharper shirts, and knack for writing the kind of guitar-based anthems that lead to teenage boys and girls picking up a guitar from their nearest charity shop and giving this old songwriting lark a go for themselves.
God bless the band indeed, eh?
