As we welcome in a new semester, and begin to look forward to upcoming gigs and shows happening across the city, it seems that there are too many exciting, new projects to include in one article. However, over the course of the summer Manchester born indie rock four piece Dakota Avenue have certainly begun to build quite a positive reputation for their live performances.
Praised for their musicianship across a number of headline slots, including a sold out show at the legendary venue, The Star & Garter, earlier this year, the band appears to be going from strength to strength.
Lead singer Jacob Greenhalgh-Lee has a husky vocal quality, that combines a touch of indie elegance with crisp, clear guitar riffs. This continues to be reflected in the cheeky lyricism that ripples through tracks such as “Dead men don’t grin”. The song takes on a wonderfully warm quality when heard live, as fellow musicians and gig-goers alike pick up the tune and follow the song through to an exciting crescendo of voices.
Another track that stands out amongst their set is their all too familiar ode to a sad-shower literally entitled “Getintheshower”. Written with hints of a bitter sarcasm but smattered with Greenhalgh-lee’s humorous common-tongue lyricism, the song has a lifted indie sound that contrasts the stark vulnerability that is set into the lyrics.
The band has comparable qualities to Sundara Karma’s sunny indie sound and there is a definite nod to the early work of Arctic Monkeys particularly in their performance style. Mancunian musical giants, The 1975, appear to also play a strongly influential role in their song writing style, with the most common forms of language becoming artistically delivered in performance.
In recent weeks, the band have shared their excitement at being able to “find their feet” musically. Jacob explained “for the first time we feel really excited, this is what we sound like and the quality we want is there!” The forthcoming single ‘Temptress’ is set to be an apparent game-changer for the band, but only time will tell.
Dakota Avenue are set to release a number of new singles in the upcoming months but for now you can find a couple of tracks on their Spotify page. Their latest EP release The Island can also be found there which features the morose slow building track titled ‘Doormat’. It is on tracks like this that you gain insight into one of many examples of the powerful musicianship that drives this band forward.
For more information on their latest shows keep an eye out on their instagram, @dakotaavenuex, and facebook page, Dakota Avenue.
