Air Traffic / Snowfight in the City Centre / Ghosts

In Manchester’s bohemian Northern Quarter stands the unassuming frontage of one of the city’s most thriving smaller independent live music venues, The Night & Day. This wintery Tuesday night brings with it another sold out gig at the venue with three up and coming bands on the bill all playing variations on the guitar and keyboard Indie pop that have made bands like Snow Patrol and Coldplay so universally successful.

First group on the bill was local act Snowfight in the City Centre and those who arrived at the venue in time for this support band’s set were there to witness the best vocal performance of the night.


Frontman Adam Jennings manages to create some impressive and effective harmonies with pianist Rick Boardman that sit nicely atop the band’s symphonic slow build tracks. Despite some sound problems early on, the group still manage to pull off an impressive live performance, rounding out their seven song set with 'Snowfight'; an anthemic song that builds up and finishes on a guitar heavy wall of noise crescendo.

After a long set up period, second band to play was London four piece Ghosts, again performing their own brand of melodic riff driven indie pop with a touch of Supergrass style joviality thrown in. In a short six song set, upcoming single release 'Stay the Night' and closing track 'The World is Outside' were the standout numbers for the group newly signed to Atlantic Records. Lead singer Simon Pettigrew’s soft voice did lack a little in strength at times and became drowned out by the music but his performance was confident and the band cohesive.



Headline band Air Traffic apparently chose their name after picking up control signals from Bournemouth airport while rehearsing in units close by and it almost looks like a plane has landed when the band’s roadies haul lead singer Chris Wall’s monster keyboard out onto the Night & Day stage.

Only rising from behind the keys to play guitar on two tracks, Wall seems happy to sit back on his makeshift instrument case for a stool while guitarist Tom Pritchard throws himself around in his small corner of the stage and bassist Jim Maddock prowls around behind him, capturing the crowds’ attention.



With a combination of upbeat rock songs and other more sweeping emotive pieces, the young quartet quickly power through a list of eleven tracks containing a selection of tunes so new the lead singer announces they are yet to be named as well as radio friendly single 'Never Even Told Me Her Name' and toe tappingly perky crowd favourite 'Just Abuse Me'. One of Air Traffic’s newer piano led pieces begins with drummer David Ryan Jordan also playing a small set of keys while the guys on strings bang away on two stand alone drums.

Other tunes such as 'Get In Line' is a riff heavy pop song with a catchy ‘whoa oh oh’ sing-along chorus, proving that through the music is familiar in style, the band aren’t just a one trick pony.

Wall announces half way through the set that it’s the bands third time playing at the venue, but the first time they have seen it at its capacity. After closing the show with upcoming single 'Charlotte' and Just Abuse Me, he again addresses the audience to thank them for ‘being nice’ to them during their performance. With Air Traffic’s popularity obviously growing, it’s doubtful that the next time the band plays Manchester that they will be at a venue the size of the Night & Day again.

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