LIVE REVIEW: Against The Current @ Manchester Academy, Manchester
Manchester was ready to welcome AGAINST THE CURRENT back with open arms as the band brought their Till Death & Back Tour to the city. With a room full of anticipation and a catalogue built for big choruses and emotional singalongs, the evening promised plenty.
Before the headliners took to the stage, it was up to DAYDREAMERS to get things moving, whose sound was undeniably polished, even if their indie-leaning approach felt somewhat at odds with the energy of the room. There was plenty to appreciate, with a handful of tracks from their debut album, Have You Tried Screaming?, released in July, offering a pleasant introduction to their sound. However, pleasant doesn’t always translate into captivating, and compared to some of the more commanding support acts AGAINST THE CURRENT have brought along on previous tours, DAYDREAMERS struggled to make quite the same impression. There was a sense that the room was waiting for something to grab hold of, and while the musicianship was certainly there, the overall performance left a little to be desired.
That isn’t to say there weren’t moments of genuine connection. Frontman Riley took opportunities to engage with the crowd, touching on the ongoing accessibility issues surrounding live music and the barriers that continue to prevent people from experiencing shows like this. It was a welcome moment of sincerity, particularly in an industry where accessibility still deserves far more attention than it receives. Elsewhere, a slightly more light-hearted exchange saw Riley share the story of his cat, once named Jacob Black after Twilight, earning a few laughs from the audience. These little glimpses of personality helped bring some warmth to an otherwise understated set.
DAYDREAMERS sounded good, and there is undoubtedly potential there, but the performance lacked the commanding presence needed to fully win over a room primed for the explosive alternative-rock energy of the night’s headliners. A perfectly enjoyable introduction, perhaps, but one that struggled to leave a lasting impression.
Rating: 7/10
When AGAINST THE CURRENT finally took to the stage, the first thing to catch the eye was the set itself. A beautiful woodland scene, complete with towering trees and a full moon hanging overhead, created an almost otherworldly atmosphere that perfectly complemented the band’s aesthetic. It was an impressive visual introduction, but the band wasted little time letting the music do the talking, launching straight into their set with the confidence of a group who know exactly how to command a room.
There was a noticeable emphasis on the band’s latest album, Till Death & Back, which, understandably, formed a significant part of the evening’s setlist. However, with the record having only been released three days prior, it was certainly a bold decision to lean so heavily into new material. That isn’t to say the crowd weren’t enthusiastic; some of the more dedicated fans were already singing along word for word, proving just how quickly the album had found its audience. For others, though, the unfamiliarity of so much new material made it slightly harder to become fully immersed in the set. Thankfully, AGAINST THE CURRENT knew exactly when to reach back into their catalogue, bringing out favourites such as Talk and Blood Like Gasoline. For those of us who have followed the band since their early days uploading covers to YouTube, these moments carried a particular weight. There is something wonderfully nostalgic about hearing songs that have soundtracked so many years of your life brought to life in a room full of equally passionate fans. Quite honestly, these were some of the night’s most memorable moments.
Across the board, each member delivered an impressive performance, but frontwoman Chrissy Costanza remains an undeniable force of nature. Her vocals are every bit as commanding live as they are on record, matched by an infectious energy and theatrical stage presence that give AGAINST THE CURRENT much of their identity. Fifteen years into their career, the band’s experience is evident, not only in their musicianship but in the effortless way they navigate a live performance. Costanza knows how to work a room, moving between powerful vocal moments and playful audience interactions without ever losing momentum. At one point, she took time to ask fans what they thought of the new album, even stopping to joke with an audience member and put their knowledge to the test. These exchanges added a welcome sense of personality to the evening, making the performance feel less like a rehearsed run-through and more like a shared experience between band and audience.
An encore brought the evening to a close, featuring the unmistakable League of Legends anthem Legends Never Die. Unsurprisingly, this was met with one of the loudest responses of the night, with the crowd practically drowning out the band as they sang along. Personally, I was holding out for Running With The Wild Things, but that’s perhaps the consequence of being someone whose heart still belongs to the band’s older material. Nevertheless, it was a fitting finale and a reminder of just how far AGAINST THE CURRENT‘s music has travelled beyond the alternative-rock scene.
Ultimately, while the heavy focus on a record barely out of the wrapping may have left some of the audience longing for a few more familiar favourites, AGAINST THE CURRENT delivered a confident, polished and thoroughly entertaining performance. Fifteen years on, they remain a band with plenty of fire left in them, and Chrissy Costanza continues to prove exactly why they are worth watching live.
Rating: 7/10
Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from Libby Percival here:
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