Manchester is one of our favourite places to go to punk rock gigs. It’s a wonderful city with such a great scene. Unfortunately, due to reasons that we all know about and are bored of talking about now, we hadn’t been since April 2019. When Anarchistic Undertones announced a show at The Bread Shed featuring Popes Of Chillitown, Call Me Malcolm, Just Say Nay, Plot 32 and Wadeye, Emma and I jumped at the chance to return to Manchester.
Sadly in between the time of the gig being announced and the day of the show, Just Say Nay announced that they were splitting up and wouldn’t be playing any more shows. This meant that
Broken 3 Ways were a late addition to the line-up. We had spent a couple of hours hanging out across the road in the lovely Sandbar before the gig started and entered The Bread Shed just after Broken 3 Ways had started their set. The six piece immediately captured my attention with their two frontmen each wielding trumpets. I mentioned to a friend that I didn’t think I’d ever seen a ska band whose entire brass section was made up of trumpets. It made a great sound! The dual vocalists also added a huge amount of energy to the band’s stage show, which I really enjoyed. I wasn’t super familiar with Broken 3 Ways before the gig but after their set they can consider me a new fan.
Leeds ska punks
Plot 32 are a band I’ve been keen to see for a few years now. I thought I was going to finally get the chance at MPF 2020 but we all know what happened there. The six piece (usually seven, but one member is currently on maternity leave) took to the stage in their finest Christmas wears and proceeded to have a party. Kicking off the set with the awesome Favourite Things and then going into See You Next Tuesday (the song that put Plot 32 on my radar) was a great way to start things off. I felt like it really showcased what Plot 32 are all about. It’s fun ska punk music that doesn’t take itself too seriously, whilst also managing to speak about some important social problems. The best way to learn is by having fun and fun is something Plot 32 are experts at. I always love seeing a band who look like they are having the best time on stage as it often spills into the crowd. The band’s drummer Liz in particular looked like they were having the time of their lives, smiling with joy throughout the entire set. Midway through the set, the band played a fun cover of Shaking Stevens classic Merry Christmas Everyone which went down a treat. Plot 32 may be one of my new favourite live bands and I can’t wait to see them again at MPF 2022 next year.
Next were Manchester favourites
Wadeye. This was the band’s first show back since all that stuff happened and it seemed as if they were very keen to dust off the cobwebs. The five piece were the only band on the line-up without a horn section. This helped add to the varied styles of ska that were showcased throughout the night. Wadeye’s own political brand of ska felt all the more apt given everything that’s been happening in the UK in recent years and I’m always super keen to hear bands speak out for what they believe in. The more we talk about the issues that are happening, not just in the UK but throughout the world, the more we can educate each other and try and make positive changes. In the absence of brass, Wadeye use bass guitar to add the bounce to their songs alongside some ska upstrokes. The band’s lead vocalist basically raps a lot of the lyrics which adds to the energy and urgency of the set. I was amused by the claims that they were exhausted after a couple of songs, something I’m pretty sure that every band has said during their first set back.
The final two acts were ones I also had the pleasure of seeing (along with Faintest Idea) at the Underworld in Camden the night before. As always they were both on top form and I was looking forward to seeing them again. The penultimate act was the politest band in punk rock,
Call Me Malcolm. These guys have been earning themselves a dedicated Northern following since playing Manchester Punk Festival in 2019 and it was clear that a lot of people were excited to see them. One such person excited to see them was Warrington Ska Punk’s Chris who insisted Emma and I join him right down the front for the set. To be honest, I’m a bit stuck for new things to write about Call Me Malcolm. Once again they blew me away with their set. They are always very, very good and prove why they seem to gain more and more fans wherever they play. I’ve gotten so used to seeing the band play at the New Cross Inn, it was nice to see them play at a couple of different venues and to a different crowd – who of course still got super excited to sing and dance along with the band. The half hour set was mostly comprised of tracks from the latest album, Me, Myself And Something Else, but they did also play Restore Factory Settings and All My Nameless Friends. There was also an extra special Christmas treat in the form of the song All I Want For Christmas Is A Pony With A Jetpack. I need to update my super cool spreadsheet but I’m pretty sure Call Me Malcolm should be up there with the bands I’ve now seen the most times. This was my fourth time in 2021 alone.
The headline act for the evening were the irrepressible
Popes Of Chillitown. This would be my first time seeing them live (apart from the night before) since Slam Dunk Festival in September where they opened one of the stages. The Popes are another band I’ve seen a lot of times over the years and this set at The Bread Shed may well have been the best I’ve seen them. Anyone who has seen the six piece before will know about the amount of energy that the band bring to the stage each and every time they perform. This makes them one of the top live acts in the UK – and I don’t just mean in the punk and ska scene. The band are so in sync with each other. I do wonder how much work goes into their stage show or if it’s just a thing that has developed as they have played together more and more. The Popes have had a few line-up changes over the years and I have to say that I think this current form of the band is the strongest yet. All are clearly incredible musicians but each member is also incredibly watchable. You can’t spend too much time watching one member as you’ll miss something someone else has done on stage. The set was comprised with a mix of songs from To The Moon and Work Hard, Play Hard, See You In The Graveyard but they did also treat The Bread Shed to a new song that I assume is from something they hope to release in 2022. The Popes are excellent at working a crowd into a wild frenzy and this happened once again. The hour long set absolutely flew by and even when they reached the climax everyone in the Bread Shed seemed desperate for more, so after a little convincing the band returned to the stage for a well deserved encore. A incredible set from Popes Of Chillitown once again.
This gig has turned out to be my final one of 2021. Big thanks to Tree and the rest of the AU crew for putting on such a big line-up and making us feel so welcome. If you’re based in Manchester or the North West of England make sure you get following Anarchistic Undertones as I’m sure they have plenty more exciting gigs happening in the area in 2022. What a great night was had by all.
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