Anyone who has visited Albert Hall will know just how wonderful it is as a venue. The old Methodist Church still has remnants of its past life with beautifully preserved stained-glass windows and now makes for one of the most atmospheric concert venues in Manchester. It was documented as a place of religious worship from the late eighteenth century, before evolving into one of Manchester’s first live stages as the Grand Theatre of Varieties. Since then, “Variety” is the perfect way to describe what this unique venue offers.
Formerly the nightclub Brannigans, the space was a key part of Manchester’s iconic 1990s nightlife scene. The Albert Hall of today was revived in 2013 following the closure of Brannigans two years prior, and has since rooted itself as a platform for both established and emerging talent. It made sense that Manchester-based Faster Horses would choose this venue for his homecoming show, joining other local acts such as Blossoms who all performed here early on in their careers. This isn’t the only parallel between the two, as Faster Horses has experienced a similar shift: not from the sacred to rock, but from trance-tinged techno to tech house and garage.
One thing that Albert Hall has shied away from in the past is electronic music. Although the venue has hosted its fair share of club nights, it is far better known as an ornate, scenic space in which to see moving singer-songwriters such as Sharon Van Etten, legacy acts like Belle & Sebastian, and bands on the rise including English Teacher and Westside Cowboy. This had potential to cast some doubts over the capability of the venue’s sound system to successfully transmit the euphoric sets that Faster Horses has become renowned for.
Despite involvement from The Warehouse Project in organising and promoting the show, it goes without saying that Albert Hall doesn’t possess the same quality of sound engineering required for dance music.
All doubts were cast aside, however, the moment doors opened and Kyle Starkey took to the stage. Once attendees had made it through a backed-up queue that seemed to wrap endlessly around the venue, they were treated with an opening set blending hard house and trance. After an hour and a half passed in what felt like seconds, it was time for the headliner. Although Joe Germains hails from Liverpool, the DJ and producer is now permanently based in Manchester, and was accordingly given the welcome of a hometown hero.
Throughout his set, Faster Horses paid tribute to some of his peers: ‘Hypa’, the warbling speed garage track by Silva Bumpa and Specialist Moss, appeared on its release day, alongside the former’s unreleased ‘Bass Down Low’. KETTAMA received a tribute via a spin of 2018’s ‘B o D Y’, as did Clouds through ‘Take a Bow’ and SOSA with ‘Be Without You’. Germains’ own releases provided highlights during the set, most prominently ‘Ocean Park’, a track released the week after the show which can only be described as four minutes of pure ecstasy.
The DJ and producer also included a remix of his friend MC Pat Flynn’s ‘Get On Your Knees’ which is currently only available via Bandcamp. Perhaps surprisingly for a song originally released by a Waterford student, the original track has a layered history and it’s fast approaching 100 million streams on Spotify, and samples ‘My Cherie Amore’ by Stevie Wonder.
Once Faster Horses’ set had come to an end, he let fans know they were appreciated before letting Benwal and Olive Anguz take over with their first official back-to-back performance. The two are quickly becoming electronic music’s power couple, giving Mall Grab and Effy a run for their money. Their set provided the perfect end to the night, ending with the euphoria of Benwal’s own ‘Dive’ and Faster Horses’ remix of Kerri Chandler’s house hit ‘You Are in My System’. As the house lights turned on, Germains and Starkey emerged at the front of the stage, posing with the closers and waving goodbye to a brilliant audience.
Taking to his Instagram Broadcast channel the day after the show, Faster Horses stated “that was the most full circle shit I’ve ever done in my life. Playing a venue like that in this city and seeing it packed out was genuinely beautiful”. A few days later came a full post, in which the DJ and producer confirmed that the “crowd was literally insane, probably the best crowd I’ve ever played to in the UK”.
This was definitely the case, as a strong sense of community from both crowd and staff characterised the night, both working in unison to make the space safe and enjoyable. Strangers could be seen dancing together, bartenders would shimmy as they served, and the venue’s famous mezzanine was packed full and bouncing for the duration of the night.
A comment from Benwal on Faster Horses’ post said “It is indeed the year of the horse”, and that was made more than apparent. The night is sure to be remembered as a quasi-religious experience for all in attendance, and for those who wish to bare witness, Faster Horses is due to perform a back-to-back set with Benwal at this year’s Parklife Festival in June.
