Last Thursday, the 25th September, Pierce the Veil took their I Can’t Hear You tour to Manchester. The celebration of their career so far opened its doors at the Co Op Live at half past five in order to make time for Crawlers, Hot Mulligan and Cavetown.
An early one… and due to traffic and queues, I made it just in time for the final Crawlers song. I am genuinely gutted about this. I do like Crawlers and was really excited to see them. They finished with Messiah, and they had such good energy through it. They were interacting with each other and the crowd, they looked like they were having so much fun, and the audience seemed to love it. I hope I get to see them fully soon.
Hot Mulligan followed them on. A band I am somewhat familiar with, and I am over due to review their latest album. As you can imagine, a chunk of the setlist was dedicated to their new songs, like Island in the Sun and It Smells Like a Fudge Axe in Here. Older songs were played, such as Shhhh! Golf is On and *Equip Sunglasses*. Musically, they were good. I was seated quite high, and it still sounded full, it sounded like the recordings. The audience were into it, there was circle pits starting from the second song. To watch, it felt like a school band half-frozen with nerves. Every-so-often, one member did a brave dance move, but there wasn’t a lot to it. Between tracks, there was talks from frontman Tades and guitarist Chris. Tades seemed to take a “loud and random is funny” approach. For me, it didn’t hit. I am aware that humour is subjective.
Cavetown was on after Hot Mulligan. He had the audience captivated from song 1. From what I’d heard, I was unprepared for the energy in that show. I would describe Cavetown’s music as being on the softer side, so I was expecting a soft atmosphere. It was upbeat, it was fun. Everyone was involved, seemingly having the time of their lives. You could’ve told me that he was the headliner, I would’ve believed it. He brought out Vic Fuentes for A Kind Thing to Do and had a big finish with Boys Will Be Bugs and Devil Town. Those two songs felt like an encore! I wasn’t massively familiar with Cavetown before, but I’m a fan now.
Finally, Pierce the Veil took to the stage!
They gave it their all from the moment they stepped onto the stage. The energy was immense. They had the crowd entranced. They started with Death of an Executioner before Bulls in the Bronx. Of course, being a tour that honours it all, there were tracks from each album. Beloved classics like Hold On Till May and I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket, and there were newer tracks like the TikTok-trendy So Far So Fake. The lads on stage never stood still, and they involved the fans every chance they got. It seems like the Pierce the Veil boys genuinely care, especially as they created the chant “If someone falls down, what do we do” “Pick them Up”. Of course, the night ended with King For a Day, and with the whispers that Kellin Quinn would join them, I’m here to say… he didn’t. It wasn’t disappointing though.
All four bands involved in what I’m calling the emo eras tour were good to hear live. Although some sets were more fun to watch than others, there wasn’t a band that I’d turn down the opportunity to hear again. I definitely would love to see Pierce the Veil again.
It was all a great night. The Co-Op Live is an interesting airport-like venue. Very big, very modern, and with lots of tempting food. The run to my seat was almost interrupted by the alluring scent of fresh pizza. I stayed strong, though. I needed to make that final Crawlers song. As well as nice smells, the staff is friendly. They’re happy to help and made it easy to find your way around.
From where I sat, the crowd seemed to be good. They were involved in the music between-sets, excitedly screaming “THIS IS SANDPIT TURTLE” during Bring Me The Horizon’s Sempiternal, and “WHERE ARE YOU, AND I’M SO SORRY” through Blink 182’s I Miss You. Though, I can’t ignore the many comments I’ve seen online about poor etiquette and quite serious injuries. There were a few incidents on the night, which I assume were fans fainting from the heat.
As Cavetown and Pierce the Veil were saying – look after each other! If someone falls, pick them up! As I’ve said in multiple live reviews; you’re all there for the same reason. Be kind! Look after yourself, look after the people around you. This selfish attitude that people have developed is resulting in people gaining serious injuries in what was once a safe space.
