LIVE REVIEW: VOLA @ Club Academy, Machester

As VOLA draw their European tour to a close, the UK have eagerly been awaiting their turn to experience what the four piece have in store for them.

There’s a hefty queue and the room quickly packs up, even given that it’s the start of the week and there’s been no sunshine all day. For certain, a cold Monday night in the tiny Club Academy in Manchester isn’t the easiest room to warm, but THE INTERSPHERE put on a show of resoundingly solid tunes. Flawlessly played, the band obviously aren’t big talkers, and the crowd aren’t at their most responsive, so it’s rather quiet between songs. However, the quality of tracks is genuinely really solid, from the groove of Who Likes To Deal With Death? to Down and elevating The Grand Delusion, THE INTERSPHERE played superbly. By Prodigy Composers, the crowd is dong a decent amount of nodding along, which seems to be a signifier they’ve finally warmed up and leaves THE INTERSPHERE with a much deserved round of applause.

Rating: 7/10

CHARLOTTE WESSELS immediately intrigues with her sublime vocals and warm personality, readily inviting the stoic Manchester into her world. It’s a truly impressive set that feels almost too big for the room. Timo Summers rips through extravagant solos on a myriad of guitars, and you can tell the comradery between the band is second nature as they blend between symphonic and operatic to heavy moments.

Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije, whose bass playing is as impressive as his name, easily holds the complex rhythms between himself and Joey Martin De Boer on drums. Contrasting the beautifully played keys from Sophia Vernikov, the totality of their set is a masterful and engaging experience. The set went from strength to strength, from the very heartfelt The Crying Room and Soft Revolution to the absolutely astounding The Exorcism, which left many astonished by Charlotte’s insane lung capacity and vocal range; a truly world class performance.

Rating: 8/10

VOLA are evidently the main course of the evening, and the crowd devour everything they offer. It’s always an event when VOLA play, and the new tracks are a great addition to their pre-existing, stacked back catalogue. The crowd already sing fluently along with We Will Not Disband and Cannibal. As Asger Mygind’s superb vocals and riffs take centre stage, Nicolai Mogensen adds beautiful harmonies, super impressive as he delivers stonking bass grooves. Gutter Moon and Starburn flex some of Martin Werner’s athematic keys and go down an absolute storm for longtime listeners.

It’s clearly appreciated that these debut songs are still played, arguably better than ever, and show the sheer variety of colours the band have painted with over the years. Equally fan favourite 24 Light-Years continues to highlight the mastery of Adam Janzi’s musically distinct drumming.

The stage presence overall has improved as the years have gone by and it’s evident that VOLA are finally at a point of really embracing and enjoying how much people engage with their music. Weaving between the frantic energy of Break My Lying Tongue and Paper Wolf, into the dirges of Head Mounted Sideways and Bleed Out, the crowd have been truly treated to a band who only seem to go from strength to strength with each new tour.

Rating: 9/10

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

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