LIVE REVIEW: Hands Off Gretel @ Deaf Institute, Manchester

HANDS OF GRETEL were the talk of the creative town of Manchester and after waiting for so long to promote recent The Angry EP, the build-up to their sold-out Deaf Institute show for the four-piece was all too real.

Starting off the proceedings to the compact and warm Deaf Institute room was Liverpudlian grunge rock quartet SCARLET who played their favourite sounds throughout their thirty-minute set. Although the troupe was of a small-scale status, SCARLET did not waste time in keeping their territory interested with their artistic flair and for all thoroughly having a good time. Promoting songs from their debut album Effigy, hearing the tracks live after so long was pleasurable for those who there to witness it all happen. With surprisingly decent airs like the smooth rock number Heavy, the grungy tinged Your Control, and their latest gentle yet impactful prose Wrong Way, SCARLET were certainly a band to keep an eye out with their distinctive sounds that were smooth but still consisted an edge to their overall band personality.

Rating: 7/10

The Mancunian trio THE EMPTY PAGE who were next on stage is a name that was well-matched with the heavy strength of their music catalogue and that has been in the local scene for a long time. Despite at times expressing that their presence may be a bit ropey after not performing for so long, all is forgiven as their command was oozing with confidence with their grunge rock power. With that being said, it picked up a lot of praise and their strong musicianship along the way. It was immediately clear to see why – their compelling tracks consisted of the gloriously angry He’s Very Good At Swimming, the stark When The Cloud Explodes and their gritty closing track Deeply Unlovable, THE EMPTY PAGE are well worth seeking that further matches their reputation.

Rating: 7/10

As it was one of the first sold-out affairs on their current UK tour, one cannot disguise their ascending popularity that headliners HANDS OFF GRETEL currently possess. The buzz around them was rising, which shown a testament to their company. Mixing together their collection of hugely addictive, melodic rock collection that is fearless to blend screaming distortion of grunge rock with the catchy hooks of bubblegum pop, they’ve kept true to their original roots in punk rock.

Their jam-packed assortment exploded with opener In The Eyes, which led into animal rights anthem Milk and a cute dedication to Lauren Tate‘s cat with Alien, the crowd can tell that it was going to be a convivial evening that fans desperately needed for such a long time. Admired sining-a-long tracks such as S.A.S.S, It’s My Fault, Freaks Like Us and ROT streamlined through their faultless musicianship and was praised from all present. A sheer shriek from new song War complimented the band’s dynamism and fearless stage presence being on full display by leader Lauren Tate who expressed how it was tough to be known in the punk rock scene but never back down.

Following on from their punk rock party anthems like She Thinks She’s Punk Rock N Roll and Kiss Me Girl that got bodies moving, their successful set came to a cheerful close with their lively cover of NIRVANA‘s Territorial Pissings. This was a great step for those in attendance who saw this online now have got to experience the prose live. Given the ridiculous amount of talent that HANDS OFF GRETEL hold, one would expect them to perform as if they were in front of a crowd of ten, perhaps a hundred times bigger than this. But, by having them sell out the Deaf Institute, it brought an electric vibe and a relentless shockwave of energy before moving ahead onto bigger pastures.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here: