Live: The Moons

23^rd September

Night and Day Café

6/10

Striding onto the Night and Day stage, orchestral sounds ringing around the room, nobody would have guessed that just an hour before The Moons’ frontman Andy Crofts was struggling with illness. Having nursed his throat during support acts The Wicked Whispers and the sharp suited Bitter Strings, Crofts seems totally at ease with his crowd.

The capacity crowd make clear that the Mod Revival scene is by no means dead, responding to the power of Ben Gordelier’s drumming as The Moons power through their opening salvo of ‘Forever Comes Today’ and ‘Revolutionary Lovers’. The former of this duo is sung back almost as loudly as Crofts’ voice allows to deliver the goods.

‘Promise Not to Tell’ follows. Complete with Beach Boys style backing vocals, this is a set standout which moulds seamlessly into ‘English Summer’. Crofts’ delivery of “close your eyes and try to wish the weather away,” is fitting for such a damp Manchester evening. ‘Bodysnatchers’, The Moons’ most recent single, and ‘Fever’, also from recent album Mindwaves, follow a glam stomp methodology energising the room.

‘Something Soon’, originally a duet with Paul Weller, evidences The Moons’ aptitude for impressively tight harmonies as Chris Watson fills in for the Modfather. ‘Society’ borrows from Weller’s Jam-era anger, lamenting the state of things. This song would have been more effective with a less pastiche, T. Rex-style musicality.

“You’re a bit quiet tonight,” Crofts says, goading the crowd into a loud roar that makes the opening of the acoustic ‘Jennifer Sits Alone’ impossible to hear. ‘Heart and Soul’ and ‘Don’t Go Changing’ bring the set to an abrasively loud conclusion and Crofts exits the stage, leaving the band to end with a long instrumental.

Perhaps The Moons are somewhat one-dimensional, seemingly evoking the 60s without any attempt to mask the fact. That said, it’s a lazy critique to throw at them after this evening. They provide exactly what their audience look for and, watching the sweaty Mods leaving the venue, they’ve found something in The Moons worth latching onto.