Music
Review: Mallory Knox bring Homecoming tour to Manchester
Mallory Knox have been itching to get back on the road in the UK with their Homecoming tour, having made successful work of Warped Tour this summer. Ticketmaster blogger Daniel Rourke joins them as the tour rolls in to Manchester’s Ritz.
Kicking off tonight’s show is The Xcerts whose set goes off without a hitch, although fails to completely capture the imagination of pockets of the crowd. Whilst there’s nothing particularly wrong with The Xcerts’ set – it was musically and technically sound – it’s clear the early punters are here to grab a good spot for both Set It Off and Mallory Knox.
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Set It Off make their tour debut tonight and so draw the complete opposite reaction from the crowd; literally everyone is on their feet and singing along. The Vancouver quartet deliver a set that’s polar opposite from The Xcerts though, as despite winning over the crowd, the Canadian band have some technical difficulties and struggle with a dodgy backing track.
With the conflicting support acts done, headliners Mallory Knox take to the stage in dramatic fashion. A projected countdown is plastered across the raised curtain in front of the stage, and as the numbers decrease, the opening riff of Shout at the Moon kicks in. The first line of Mikey Chapman’s vocals strikes as the curtain drops and a mass frenzy opens on the Ritz’s rickety old dancefloor.
Following a flurry of big choruses, the band pause for a moment whilst Mikey addresses the crowd, “We haven’t had a chance to play many songs off our second album. Tonight we’re going to play some songs we’ve never played before.” True to their word the band launch into Heart & Desire amongst a selection of songs new to the tour.
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The band are on fine form after Warped and the impressive lighting production binds the show together perfectly. The band play in between two giant “MK” lights – and in front of a Union Jack backdrop, no less – making the whole show feel bigger than tonight’s room.
Familiar songs such as Death Rattle and Beggars make an appearance as the band close out their set. Leaving the stage to huge cheers, they return for energetic renditions of She Took Him to the Lake, Oceans and Lighthouse.
With that, it’s safe to say the evening’s headliners make sure the show is one to remember.
Catch Mallory Knox on tour in the UK, with dates in Wolverhampton, Exeter, Rock City and Norwich, culminating at London’s Roundhouse on 9 October, book now at Ticketmaster.co.uk.
