LIVE REVIEW: Electric Callboy @ Academy, Manchester
“Let’s just pretend it’s a Saturday night” says ELECTRIC CALLBOY vocalist Kevin Ratajczak, visibly pumped, sincerely fully invested in the moment. “Are you dancing? Are you drinking? Let’s have the absolute best time together!!” Germans aren’t known for mincing their words at the best of times, but given the extra-long wait for this sold out tour to come to life, there isn’t a spare second here going to waste.
ANNISOKAY aren’t shy of their intentions tonight either, naturally. This being their first return to the UK since mid 2018, and a crowd not necessarily geared towards their heavier and more straight-forward approach to well-crafted modern metalcore, they maximise their time with everybody here tonight for certain and provide a positively coercive introduction to a seasoned line-up currently embracing a creative evolution. Choosing to dedicate half of their 10 song set to most recent full-length, Aurora, ANNISOKAY ensured to reserve the remainder of their stage time for a healthy mix of their expansive back catalog, all of which are delivered with equally raw vigour and highlight the delicate nuance between Rudi Schwarzer’s crisp screams and Christoph Wieczorek’s clean melodics.
Add in a majestic cover of SLIPKNOT’s Duality rousing an already rowdy 2500-strong crowd to begin launching over the barrier – inflatable animals, glitter headbands and all – and a fiercely delivered anthem version of the band’s biggest hit to date, STFU, executed with guttural breakdowns aplomb and it’s evident that this night is only serving as a both a gentle reminder for some and a bludgeoning inauguration for others of a band on the very cusp of something extraordinary.
Rating: 8/10
What precisely has attributed to ELECTRIC CALLBOY’s meteoric rise to success is becoming an ever-growing question to answer because they simply keep adding to the list at breakneck speed. The Castrop-Rauxel natives released their sixth studio album to date back in September, the aptly titled TEKKNO, filled with anthem genre-busting singles and tender moments (dare we say, even love songs) alike – a feat which has since afforded them a No.1 in their home country and Top 10 positions across the world, a world away from being viewed by critics as no more than a short-lived joke for the most part pre-pandemic. Crafting and delivering a live performance which lives up to the long list of recent accolades, therefore, is a hugely ambitious undertaking for Kevin, Nico, Pascal, Dan, David and Daniel. It’s absolutely a challenge that the sextet is ready for, though, as the prelude to their worldwide 2023 TEKKNO Tour tonight serves as their most remarkable yet.
Opening track Pump It finds ELECTRIC CALLBOY, donned in the very same 80s neon windbreakers and sweatbands as the crowd chanting back at them, bursting onto the stage lit up with a blend of equally bright tones. It’s a statement, and a powerful one from the offset – they are fully present and prepared to deliver what only they can do best. Continuing the pace during playful singalongs The Scene and 2021’s spontaneously recorded full-German electro-charged hit Castrop X Spandau featuring Kalle Koschinsky, the dancing, screaming and warm embraces don’t stop between the band and throughout this raucous crowd as the evening progresses.
Sweat, blood, and tears as the saying goes and tonight every patron and performer takes this literally – when tipping point superhit Hypa Hypa is finally dropped shortly after the halfway marker of tonight, wall to wall is a spectacle of bodies and fan-brought inflatables hurtling towards the barrier towards their tekknocore heroes who are donning the now infamous music video outfits; sparkling Hawaiian shirts, handlebar taches and all, inspiring chants from an audience of suspiciously all ages.
Similar to ANNISOKAY’s earlier performance, ELECTRIC CALLBOY choose to feature more on their present day work – likely in no small part due to the 2020 addition of newest member and vocalist Nico Sallach bringing a notable shift to their current style and a marked difference whilst performing older work in a live setting. The remainder of the evening is dedicated solely to TEKKNO with the exception of 2017 The Scene’s fan favourite MC Thunder, which is thankfully met with renowned roaring recognition and venue-spanning synchronized dancing, a comforting reminder that a large portion of those in attendance tonight have either waited for a long time to see old favourites again or doubled back and happily done their homework leading up to this show; either way, it reinforces that be it a line-up change or even global pandemic, ELECTRIC CALLBOY have historically and always will possess every key component needed for arena-sized anthems and a unique brand of infectious feel good eccentricity.
It’s fitting then, that 2021’s record-breaking gamechanger We Got The Moves closes out the night’s festivities with just as much power and punch as seen earlier this year in London where the same six men performed to a sold out crowd half the capacity as they are tonight and all over the country this week; one thing remains consistent wherever and though many people stand before them however – in their own words, “it doesn’t matter where we are, we will always show up and put on an ELECTRIC CALLBOY show”. A sentiment fully honoured during tonight’s outing, they only continue to raise the bar set by themselves on what feels like the midst of witnessing something very special indeed.
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Chelsea Cochrane here:
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