This incredible intimate gig took place on the 20th of September. Myself and a supervisor from Band On The Wall (music venue in Manchester) arrived at the picturesque mysterious setting for the secret gig.
I didn’t really know what was about to happen, I was just going with it. When I got off the coach I could see a large projection on the side of this beautiful large brown church looking building. The projecting image said Jack Daniels. The whole secret gig was sponsored by J.D. we each got given a tote bag and a lanyard with drink and food tokens in it.
I walked in to the main building and each room around the downstairs area. It was left exactly as they would have been when they were working swimming baths. Some of the rooms has low ceilings, other interesting rooms and corridors had haunting light up flooring. Each of the side rooms had big pop up stalls in them selling Jack Daniels and also food.
It was incredible, almost heavenly, even the chandeliers were made of individual bottles of Jack.
In the main hall the entire floor area in front of the stage was a revamp of an old swimming pool, the flooring was angular and carpeted, you could see the old ladder on the side.
A huge picture of a bottle of J.D. made entirely of lights loomed over the stage as part of the set, it was very Americanised, theatrical and in your face.
It was hypnotic. Our anticipation was interrupted by LUCIA, a quirky band. The lead singer had such a powerful voice, it seemed to penetrate through your ears much like a pneumatic drill. This is purely to give you an idea of the power she had in her lungs, not meant in a negative. Her voice was captivating. The rest of the band looked very young but were not lacking confidence. Aesthetically LUCIA were all wearing vintage-esque, quirky outfits, what stood out most was the lead singers purple roots and blonde ends, she was also supporting a pair of pin striped trousers with braces. They were brilliant, highly talented and well worth a listen.
The Vaccines were up next and after creating a very strong build up they erupted on to the stage to ABBA. That was a hilarious way to approach the stage.
They began singing with powerful stage presence and emotive gesturing. This was an influential and throughly enjoyable as the fast pace they performed at increased energy levels throughout the venue. They are undoubtably talented, however the shortness of the set was slightly disheartening. The outfits they were wearing were out there and added so much character. I loved the lead singer’s silk shirt. It complimented the fluidity in his movements during his performance.
This was such a once in a lifetime gig, which left me feeling euphoric.
The Vaccines are brilliant, however the support act is where our loyalty lies with new musicians. They are clearly on the right track supporting The Vaccines.
LUCIA are not only afraid to be different but their sound is unique and purposeful. To listen more to LUCIA click the link below.
Words Emily Vass
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