HINDS & PUBLIC ACCESS TV @ GORILLA, MANCHESTER (20/2/16)

AS I MENTIONED IN MY UPDATE POST, HINDS ARE A FAIRLY NEW DISCOVERY OF MINE. WHOLEHEARTEDLY EMBRACING MY NEW FOUND LOVE FOR THE SPANISH QUARTET, I DECIDED TO HAVE A LOOK IF THEY WERE PLAYING IN THE UK ANYTIME SOON... ONCE I REALISED THEY WERE, AND THAT THEY'D BE BRINGING PUBLIC ACCESS T.V. ALONG FOR THE RIDE, IT WAS A DONE DEAL. 

PUBLIC ACCESS T.V. HAVE BEEN A FIRM FAVOURITE OF MINE FOR A WHILE. I'VE ONLY MANAGED TO CATCH THEM LIVE ONCE BEFORE IN LIVERPOOL LAST YEAR WHERE I WAS HIGHLY IMPRESSED. THEY ARE WHAT I IMAGINE THE STROKES WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE TO WATCH IN 2000, HAVING THE SAME SORT OF 'NO MESSING' ATTITUDE AS JULIAN CASABLANCAS AND CO; PLAY THE SONGS, SAY THANKS AND LEAVE. THE CROWD IN MANCHESTER DIDN'T SEEM QUITE AS RECEPTIVE TO THE NEW YORK BOYS AS I'D HOPED, BUT IT IS STILL EARLY DAYS FOR THEM. NONETHELESS, THEY PLAYED WHAT FELT LIKE A SHORT (BUT SWEET) SET FILLED WITH MOSTLY NEW MATERIAL - PRESUMABLY TESTING THE WATER WITH THE CONTENT FOR THE UPCOMING ALBUM.

WHAT APPEALED MOST TO ME ABOUT THIS GIG WAS THAT I WAS WATCHING TWO BANDS OF EQUAL CALIBRE PLAYING ALONGSIDE ONE ANOTHER, RATHER THAN THE LESSER-KNOWN SUPPORT BEING COMPLETELY OVERSHADOWED BY THE HEADLINER, AS IS USUALLY THE CASE. PERHAPS THIS WAS INTENTIONAL TO REFLECT THE BANDS' OWN MENTALITY AND MUTUAL RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER? HINDS SUPPORTED P.A.T.V IN AMERICA, AND VICE VERSA IN EUROPE, TO GIVE BOTH A CHANCE TO HEADLINE SHOWS ON THEIR HOME CONTINENT.

HINDS TOOK TO THE STAGE WITH JUST AS MUCH ENERGY AS I HAD EXPECTED, AND MANAGED TO SUSTAIN THE EXCITEMENT IN THE ROOM FOR THE ENTIRE HOUR THAT THEY PLAYED FOR. WITH SOME BANDS IT FEELS LIKE THEY'RE ON AUTO-PILOT WHEN PLAYING LIVE, WHICH ISN'T SURPRISING WHEN YOU'RE DOING THE SAME THING EVERY NIGHT. BUT WITH HINDS YOU COULD REALLY TELL THAT THEY ALWAYS GIVE IT THEIR ALL, AND LOVE DOING WHAT THEY DO. IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE WAY THEY INTERACTED WITH EACH OTHER, TO HOW APPRECIATIVE THEY WERE OF ALL 530 OF US WHO CAME.
THE SETLIST WAS MADE UP ALMOST ENTIRELY OF THEIR DEBUT ALBUM - 'LEAVE ME ALONE' - WHICH WAS ONLY NATURAL, BUT THEY ALSO THREW IN SOME OF THEIR EARLIER EP TRACKS SUCH AS 'BETWEEN CANS' AND OF COURSE 'DAVEY CROCKETT' AT THE CROWD'S REQUEST.

I LEFT DETERMINED TO SEE THEM AGAIN THIS YEAR..PREFERABLY IN SPAIN, AT A FESTIVAL.. WHILST FEELING QUITE SAD THAT I WASN'T PART OF THE HINDS GANG. JUST LOOK AT THAT SISTERLY LOVE RIGHT THERE ^^^^ WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO BE PART OF THAT?

HINDS ARE CURRENTLY ON TOUR IN THE UK & EUROPE.

GO TO hindsband.com FOR MORE INFORMATION.

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY MYSELF.