A band’s third album can often be a make-or-break situation. When Boston Manor released GLUE in May 2020, they most certainly didn’t expect its accompanying tour to take place 21 months later - the most rescheduled rock tour in the whole of the UK. Yet, as they finally took to the stage at Leeds University Stylus, the Blackpool five-piece showcased their masterful, mature new live show, to reaffirm the upward spiral that GLUE and new EP Desperate Pleasures has set them on.
A long-standing friendship and touring history with Californian outfit Movements left them as the perfect support band for this tour. With a loyal, packed out crowd to match, frontman Patrick Miranda brought an effortless energy in newer tracks like ‘Moonlight Lines’ and ‘Seneca’. Miranda expressed a sincere gratitude for the response to releasing their latest record No Good Left To Give during the pandemic, and spoke highly of their fraternity with Boston Manor which saw them head out on a US tour together in 2019. Ending on the high note of ‘Daylily’, Movements left a resounding mark on a Leeds crowd that will only grow larger and larger when they next return.
With their iconic balaclava as the backdrop, Henry Cox and co. bombarded onto the stage with the frantic ‘Everything Is Ordinary’ straight into the pounding bassline of ‘Flowers In Your Dustbin’, which appears to have taken up a staple slot near the front end of any Boston Manor setlist. Instantly, Cox’s refined, flawless vocals came into the spotlight, a notable level up from the gritty undertones of their earlier material.
Title track ‘Desperate Pleasures’ and ‘Carbon Mono’ had their first outings from the band’s most recent EP, met with a raucous reception as their unique guitar lines shone through the wall of sound. Finishing with the timeless ‘Laika’ and ‘Halo’ evoked a nostalgia of what made Boston Manor so exciting in their earlier years, as the crowd surfers seized their final opportunity to lose themselves in the moment.
Having played Leeds Festival and Slam Dunk North last summer, to see Boston Manor at their own headline show is entirely necessary to truly appreciate how bold they have become. Fearless, and willing to push the boundaries of their sound, their fourth instalment will no doubt lift them further up the ranks of the UK live music scene.
Desperate Pleasures is out now via SharpTone Records.
Credit: Major Press