Night and Day Cafe could be the best place to see a local band in Manchester. The intimate, convivial atmosphere bolsters the performance of any band that steps on the stage, and it was no different for a billing of four local artists on October 17. I arrived a little before the concert was set to begin to soak in the surroundings, drinking my £4.20 pint of Coke and watching the bands’ soundcheck behind the paper ceiling decorations. The room slowly started to fill up and the crowd was pulled nearer the stage, ready to listen to the first act.
Sweet Gene Vincent, named after the ‘Be-Bop-a-Lula’ singer, are an alternative rock band who were first on the bill. They played a high-energy set with strong vocals, and great drumming and guitar work throughout. During their set, they covered The Pogues, which made for an impressive shift in style, and they ended their performance with a stunningly groovy breakdown.
Next up were The Turncoats from Wakefield, who had an amazing set filled with ’60s/’70s-inspired blues rock with some exceptional melodies. Their song ‘Trees Fall Hard’ was a standout to me, a light, breezy fusion of jangle pop and Merseybeat filtered through a prism of sunshine pop that would’ve fit right on a ’60s Searchers album. Their last song took the sound a few decades into the future and offered a raw piece of alternative rock, concluding with a rocking jam session to finish their set. These guys have clearly put a lot of effort into their craft and it has paid off in spades.
Olivia Booth (or more accurately, Olivia Booth and her backing band) were next and also delivered a very solid set. Booth had exceptional stage presence and made the spoken interludes between songs almost as important as the songs themselves. Her mix of indie and R&B was eaten up by the crowd, and the confrontational lyrics in songs like ‘Victim’, which was about a night out gone bad, helped reel them in even more.
The top billing was the popular Manchester band Infrared. The 120-strong crowd were extremely excited, and their excitement was rewarded by a monster of a final set. The band deftly weaved together elements of ’90s alternative rock, dream pop, and shoegaze, similar to bands such as Mazzy Star and Wolf Alice. I was impressed throughout the set but especially with their final song ‘Long Time Living Without You’, which had an exceptional chorus and could square up against some of the best of shoegaze.
The crowd were crazy hot and asked (demanded) that the band play another track. After a hasty discussion with the mixing engineer, the band played ‘Red Light’, another great song that led to crazed chants of “In-fra-red” as they departed the stage. It was a fitting end to a great night of music, and a reminder that sometimes, the most memorable nights of music are in intimate spaces like these, with bands on the cusp of something great.
All four of the bands I saw that night were exceptional, but I have to give major props to Turncoats and Infrared specifically. Turncoats’ style of music took the sounds of the past and gave them new life, and with that style, they may have a long and fruitful career ahead of them. And while Infrared currently lacks a presence on streaming services, they are a band to watch out for on posters around Manchester, as they can absolutely rock a stage and give their audience a night to remember.
