Buffalo Tom / Blind Atlas

After a stressful journey to the show (running out of petrol due to a sat nav diversion to Liverpool!) we finally make it into this newish venue top catch the tail end of Blind Atlas. From the 30 seconds I hear they are atmospheric blues rock, very beautiful, but I can not say any more on them! We have already missed the first support Man Made, so give this up as a bad job.



Buffalo Tom are on at 9.30pm, good job as we would have missed them as well! Only a month ago I was wondering where I could get a t shirt from of these guys, and they don't exist. Then I saw good old ATP had them to play down London, and thankfully they added the Manchester date. I loved these guys in my teens, and to finally catch them live…. Well I feel like a lot of people in this room look, really chuffed.

The crowd themselves are on the older range; I thought it would be a little more varied but then I was 15 when I heard 'Big Red Letter Day', and my age has doubled since then, so I have answered myself there. The band are no spring chickens either, but that doesn't stop them rocking out like someone half their age.

They are in a happy chatty mood, and I believe they are a little disappointed that this place has a barrier separating them and the almost sold out crowd. They say we are all a little quiet and that Manchester is a controlled crowd, but we are just soaking them up! Besides there is plenty of movement when first track (and huge hit) 'Treehouse' is released. I am guessing I am not alone in feeling half my age again…

Not catching up on most of their albums was a mistake too. 'Big Red letter Day' was well represented with 'Sodajerk', 'I'm Allowed' and 'Late At Night', plus I have heard the wonderful 'Tailights Fade' before, but apart from that this was a real mishmash across their eight albums. I thought they only had a couple, damn my lack of research this time! I really hoped they would play 'Torch Singer'… The new album 'Skins' is really growing on me, unfortunately they didn't play 'Here I Come' but did play 'Guilty Girls' and 'She's Not Your Thing', and 'Arise Watch'.



A sound cock up (come on, this place is called Sound Control!) means that singer and guitarist Bill Janovitz can not play the harmonica due to feedback, but it doesn't put them or the crowd off. It's good to see vocal duties switch between his raspy whiskey vocals and bassist Chris Colbourn's higher range. Drummer (Buffalo) Tom Maginnis can be seen grinning occasionally at the back, and the trio make a lot of layered noise for just a trio. Janovitz also changes a lot of the melody and draws lyrics out to give a different feel to the songs live. The band have a set list ready for up to the encore, when they then ask the crowd to chose between the show finisher; 'Staples' or 'Mineral' from 'Let Me Come Over'. Mineral just pips it on the cheer-o-meter. Then the band return to play a couple more (sorry the set list below may be a little jumbled) before admitting the loud dance music coming from downstairs (the same venue) was putting them off too much. It was 11.30pm at this point… and I had the lovely sat nav to deal with again. I really hope this band return again as I am now off to listen to these 7 outstanding albums and be ready for them.

Treehouse
Summer
She's Not Your Thing
Guilty Girls
Tailights Fade
Sunflower Suit
Late At Night
Sodajerk
Arise Watch
Velvet Roof
Larry
I'm Allowed
Your Stripes
Down
You'll Never Catch
Kitchen Door
Tangerine

Don't Forget Me
Sunday Night
CC And Callas
Frozen Lake
Mineral
Age Of Consent
Dark Crutch

FUTURE GIGS