NO AGE
Deaf Institute, Manchester | October 10th
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; we adore the Deaf Institute. As a venue where you can be lucky enough to catch international chart-toppers as well as party with the punks at a Fucked Up gig, it’s no surprise that the LA pairing of No Age can now join the international alumni who’ve slayed this historical setting. And boy, did they slay.
Opening up the night’s double bill was Yorkshire obliterators Wet Nuns. And as their final ever Manchester show amidst their farewell tour, the tattooed terrors took a no-holds-barred approach in bringing the carnage to an early crowd. Thrashing their way through ear-splitting 12” releases and family-friendly named tracks (Hanging, Broken Teeth, Throttle) from their self-titled debut, these slippery congregation members may still be championing the “We hate each other” lines, yet manage to set the stage alight with a cocktail of chemistry, aggression and grit. And with their fail-safe combination of thoroughly unpleasant riffs and boisterous booms, they make the biggest racket of any home-grown duo we know, and the numerous attendees with vinyls tucked under their arms snapping pictures alongside drummer Alex Gotts seem to agree.
With a commendable act to follow, Sub Pop’s scuzzy sweethearts No Age rattle through their extensive recordings, leaving barely a moment between tracks to catch their breath. Among a blistering performance of Eraser over to the paradoxical Teen Creeps, with its tip-toeing twangs, droning vocals and wall-to-wall reverb, the undersold audience in attendance slam and mosh themselves into oblivion, completely under the command of every unruly chord and rhythm. The observing collection may be littered with bleached-out student hipsters rather than seasoned rock’n’roll oldies, yet it’s not as if anyone is complaining when these youngsters are hurling limbs like viscous gloops rather than robust mass. Summoning a celebratory commotion far more substantial than the sum of its parts, not a single soul remains stationary come their rapturous peak.
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No Age and Wet Nuns both play Simple Things, Bristol on October 12th. Head here for tickets.
Words: Leah Connolly
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