LIVE REVIEW: Jetski @ Castle Hotel, Manchester
Amidst the dim lit streets of Manchester’s Northern Quarter there is a buzz in the condensed bar of the Castle Hotel, with patrons and concert goers alike crammed in, queuing in corridors and in the several tight rooms of the bar. Tonight, it is the return of Sheffield-based alternative outfit JETSKI to take to the historical room and leave a lasting impression. They arrive on the back of releasing their debut EP For The Family, and look to add more members to their growing family of fans tonight.
Warming up the stage after a fair wait is CARTOONHEAD, an indie rock group out of the midlands. They offer a unique blend of catchy uplifting riffs with mellow vocals and often unpredictable rhythms. Forming from the ashes of former band COAST TO COAST, the outfit have a fair degree to live up to but do so with ease, winning over the crowd throughout their time with the assistance of a few lively advocates at the front.
They rattle through tracks off their debut release This House Is Not A Morgue, with little discussion between. How To Bend allows vocalist Kieran John to express himself, gesturing throughout and adding some grit to his voice in the finale. They close the set with Revolver, receiving the biggest reaction thus far particularly during the first chorus, with multiple arms aloft and feet off the floor. This performance shows CARTOONHEAD to be a well-polished outfit who certainly have a lot to show and space to develop, with accessible hooks and a great deal of relatability.
Rating: 7/10
The joy of this being in such a tight, enclosed venue is the buzz it provides in anticipation of tonight’s headliners JETSKI. The boys from Sheffield meander their way through the mob to take their places on stage to a slow crescendo of whoops as more people progressively spot their advance. Drummer Alex Pullen ensures his bandmates are primed before counting into Joey and Zoe, the opening track of their EP For The Family. The feel-good anthem provides bundles of energy and immediately gets the room off its feet, with bouncing rhythms showing off the prowess of Pullen that was promised on the record, seldom playing a part you would expect.
Vocalist Charles Fitzgerald leads the line comfortably from the edge of the compact stage, ushering the crowd closer early on to amplify the energy they desired. “Let’s play the fast one way faster than we normally play it” he announces leading into Lemon Haze, and the statement was undoubtedly not just for show. As the outfit raise the energy, so too do the crowd opening mosh pits and utilising the pliant floor to elevate their jumping. They continue their frantic performance not wanting to waste the zeal in the room heading into Vanbourghini, a track about their van, with Pullen snapping a drumstick in the entrance to a breakdown to the gratification of the rest of the group, donating the splintered carcass to a member of the front row.
The central aspect to their engrossing performance is frankly the tremendous joy they harbour for what they do. Countless looks across to one another, little jokes, and smirks throughout harks us back to the fundamental reason we all love to be here. It is not merely the humour of their collective rapport, but also the elasticity that they have with their songs. References to Electric Avenue and Master Of Puppets in the bridge of Backstep, jokes between Pullen and guitarist Eliot Pullen around who will perform backing vocals, and even pausing during set-ender Curbside to decide which member of the group will sing the trumpet line that leads into the anthemic half time section. On this occasion it was to be bassist Jack Gunn who agreed to duet the part with a particularly energetic crowd member, however Gunn appeared to be less than impressed by his counterparts seemingly vacant participation.
JETSKI appear on all fronts to be the prime example of what we all desire from an independent group. A tour booked entirely by themselves, merch designed by themselves and most importantly an enthusiasm and raw feel that is as engaging as it is infectious. The music they write suits not only these small rooms, but also is indisputably transferrable to larger ones, and we have no doubts that they will soon be heading for the latter.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Jess Robinson here:
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