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MUSIC IN MANCHESTER
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Athlete
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Hop & Grape, 19/3/3
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More Athlete Click Here
There a two bands on in the same building tonight. One is dispensing eardrum busting speed death type
noise whilst a barrage of aircraft tracker lights pierce the blanket of dry ice. This is not Athlete. Athlete
are in the Hop & Grape upstairs, playing to an equally full venue.
The mums and dads look on from the "safety" of the back, whilst their offspring take
their place at the front
Since they played here last May, Athlete have visibly grown more assured, partly as a
result of having that hit single last year, and partly through the number of gigs. Then,
they acknowledged as much ("You're only hear to see Mansun"), but now they even
have their own t-shirts stall.
And when they take to stage 10- minutes late,
the introduction to their new single "El
Salvador has already commenced, but they're
confident in the knowledge that they will have
strapped up and got into the their stride with
perfect timing. And they do.
Their brand of gentle uplifting rock has
seemingly found a niche somewhere between
Coldplay and the fare that's on display
downstairs. The audience do not have to be
won over, as by the time tune number 3 is
unveiled, there crowd are already reciting the
words back, even the blokes.
So for tonight, it's an exercise in the consolidation of their fan base,
reassuring them that they will not desert their chosen path for some radical techno
reggae experiment. It's just good tunemansmith, performed in a professional
manner, by people who clearly enjoy what they are doing, to be experienced by
people who know what they like, by the album full if possible
Manchester
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All bands |
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