Live Review: Boston Manor brought the noise to SWG3.
To celebrate the release of their fifth studio album, Sundiver, Blackpool rockers Boston Manor have embarked on their biggest headline tour so far.
The tour has seen the five-piece take to the stage across the UK & Europe with a stacked line-up, bringing along the supports, Trophy Eyes and Split Chain.
Since 2013, Boston Manor have climbed their way up through the ranks within the alt scene to be one of the most exciting and well loved bands that they are today. Their tour recently rolled into Glasgow on September 22nd as they set their sights on a packed night in the SWG3, stepping up into bigger venues and showing just how far they’ve come in Glasgow alone.
Shortly after doors, we were greeted with the first of tonight’s incredible acts. Split Chain added a different vibe to the night’s line-up with their refreshing balance of grunge and nu-metal whilst also adding in their own take on modern day hardcore. Having only played a handful of shows since forming, they have gained a large following on socials gaining over 2,000 followers on TikTok, reaching views of over 140,000. This rightful attention has landed them well-earned slots on festival bills such as 2000Trees, Outbreak and opening Misery Loves Company.
They took to the stage set with the task of warming up an already busy room and, despite the slow start from the crowd, they rallied the room into some movement.
A short catalogue of songs didn’t prevent them from producing a jam-packed set filled with bangers to sway the newbies to their sound.
Their set was delivered to perfection with their punching hooks and seamless blends of genres and influences. With their mixture of sounds and elements paired with their already big following, the future is looking bright for a band who are in the early stage of their career.
Next up, there was a more familiar name, and judging by the size of the crowd packed into the venue before they came on, it was clear that many were here for Trophy Eyes.
A lot can be said about their live experience: regardless of the size of crowd or room, the Aussies give everything from the minute they enter the stage and that night was no different. A year ago, the band announced that their fourth record, Suicide and Sunshine would be their last, so to see them still play live shows and release a new single in July really is a blessing.
A shorter than usual set to rattle through four records’ worth of material didn’t give frontman John Floreani much time to chat with the Glasgow crowd, though he still managed to rally them into a frenzy. With a mixed set of old and new came incredible reception from fans who sang their hearts out to every word and crowd surfed their way towards their heroes on stage. To open with new single Enmore may have thrown off many fans, but the song was performed with perfect execution.
The euphoric togetherness of fans belting out Breathe You In and Choke perfectly summed up what Trophy Eyes are all about - and over a decade into their career, these guys are at their very best. The infectious sing-a-long to 2018’s You Can Count On Me rippled around the room in beautiful form before concluding on 2014’s heartbreaking Chlorine, rounding off a triumphant set.
After two incredible bands leading up to the night’s headliners, the crowd were set and ready for Boston Manor.
The Blackpool band are currently on their most exciting tour to date, and are more ready than ever to tackle the biggest rooms the only way they know how. With their new record only a week old, it may have left the band in a tricky position of what to play given that the crowd may not know the tracks word for word, but they gave the new tracks the rightful introduction they deserved, singing with such passion that you’d have thought they were on the setlist for years.
There was such a raw and energetic atmosphere in such a cool venue that the band would describe as an old car park vibe - especially since the pillars at the side of the room made it that little bit more cosy for those in the pit.
Introducing the song as their heaviest song ever, they crashed into Sliding Doors, a track that really elevated the screams of lead singer Henry Cox to another level. The mosh pit matched this onstage energy, sending the place into chaos and later calling the crowd surfers into action. Leading on to the band’s 2020 record, Glue, that was written and released during the challenging times of Covid, Henry discussed what the songs meant to the band and explained how a lot of the songwriting was based around the going’s on during that time. This added a lot more meaning when fans are screamed the lyrics back, and tracks England’s Dreaming and Liquid received the biggest reception from that era.
New songs, Heat Me and Fornix landed an absolute treat and you could tell by the bands reaction that it was a special feeling for them to see such a reaction to new music and a record which the band say is their best work yet. When you hear it live after listening to recordings, it’s hard to disagree: the whole album is put together in such an incredible way and is executed to the highest level when played on stage.
Boston Manor have been together for 11 years now, and have so much incredible music spanning over that time. However, there are two songs that will remain a staple in any set and are adored by fans: Passenger and - probably their most loved and favoured track - Halo.
Bringing out the loudest sing-alongs of the night, adding these towards the end of the set would gave the fans their last blast of energy before rounding off the set with the 2022 single, Foxglove, pushing the crowd for one last bounce.
Shows like this display the level that Boston Manor are at, and the sell-out banners across the tour beg the question: what comes next?
They are quickly propelling in the right direction, and the sky is certainly the limit for this seaside band! In the meantime, you can find the rest of their music on Spotify: