Dette of Gratitude w/ Race Horses, Emmy the Great, Beth Jeans Houghton and Field Music @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester, 2 June 2010

It was as if the gig gods knew I needed something good after the mediocre-fest of Dot to Dot. I was having a read of some blogs and noticed this post. Emmy the Great at the Deaf Institute this week? How had I not clocked that one? So tickets were duly bought and we moseyed on down after work at around 8pm to get some quality Trof burgers before the show. As we walked in though we noticed the line-up posted on the door: The Acorn were starting imminently, followed by a band called Race Horses, Emmy the Great, Beth Jeans Houghton and topped off at 11 with another chance to see Field Music. That is a ridiculously good bill! As it turned out, the event had actually been put on as a surprise leaving party for a local lady called Bernie Phillips. Over the years she has accommodated bands playing and recording in the city in her home, and is now heading off to live in Canada, so there was a very sweet tone to the whole evening, even if we did feel a little like gate crashers!

The need for food unfortunately took precedent, and we missed The Acorn, which was a real shame. But we got upstairs in time to catch Race Horses and I am so glad we did – they were delightful. Although they hailed from Cardiff they had a Liverpool Beatles-esque sound, with a dash of the Wombats (that’s a compliment!). They were full of energy and smiled throughout the set, and they had some beautiful harmonies – I do love a male harmony. They really impressed the crowd and got a great reception. We bought their album so will get a review up here soon.

Emmy the Great was up next, and she was as remarkable as I expected. She read out a message to Bernie from the Howling Bells before cantering through some tracks from First Love. Although she was on stage on her own for most of the set, the songs sounded as great as they did on the album because her voice is so flawless. Highlights of a brilliant set were the candid We Almost Had a Baby, and Absentee with its hymn-like refrain Kyrie Eleison reminding me of mass as a child.

The evening was turning into one of the best gigs I’d been to in ages. It was lovely to sit in the wonderful Music Hall with a perfect view of these truly talented people performing little half hour sets. A friend once argued that 40 minutes is the most he ever likes to watch anything for, be it music or any other performance, and I’m starting to see his point.

It was difficult to imagine how you could follow Emmy’s set but wow, did Beth Jeans Houghton impress. I had heard a track or two of hers on the radio before but never had a proper listen, but she’s next on my list for back-catalogue buying. After a few words from Marc Riley paying tribute to Bernie and the evening which was apparently Beth’s idea, she came on in an Dolly Parton style outfit and wig and with a band dressed in a messed-up Marie Antoinette get-up. The set was song after joyful song combining traditional guitar and drums with trumpet-playing, Jarvis-style spoken word and a wonderful cover of Devil in Disguise. I loved every second of it and did not want it to end.

Finally the special guests Field Music came on. Having described them as bland in my Dot to Dot review, I was ready to put that down to a bad day, and in some ways I was able to. They were four lads who could play their instruments very well and obviously enjoyed playing with each other. They mentioned that this was their first gig in three years without a set list and they really had fun with it, improvising as they went along. The drum beat is the focus of most of the songs, which makes the sound somewhat flat and repetitive, and I can’t help thinking three guitars makes it too heavy, but although they’re not my thing the crowd liked them and they were a good end to an excellent night. The whole evening had been a real treat – Bernie must be pretty special.

Dot to Dot, Manchester

When it came to writing this review, I was struggling. The problem could be down to a number of things: the uninspiring Academy venues, the dodgy sound and organisation, the downgrading of the shows from Academy 1 so that most shows were packed to the rafters, the nice weather that meant it was a shame to be crammed into a sweaty dark basement at 6pm or the festival decisions that have to be made by committee. It was probably a combination of all of these but the fact remains: the memory I have of the inaugural Manchester Dot to Dot is of a series of mediocre gigs. I feel terrible saying that as it is rude to the many, many talented and hard-working bands on the bill, and there were some highlights, but as a festival? It didn’t work for me.

When you go to a festival with a group of people, unless you are happy to spend the day alone, sacrifices have to be made. A few days before the Bank Holiday Monday I had decided to forego the lovely folky line-up at the Deaf Institute – Alan Pownall, The Crookes and Lissie – to stick with friends who were keen to see the rest of the line-up at the Academy venues. From what I heard on the day a lot of people made this decision, leaving the Deaf Institute crowd a bit sparse.

So the day began with Goldheart Assembly (above) in Academy 3, who were really quite good. They’ve been around for a little while now and this came across in their confident show. They look hairy and intense, but there is a surprising lightness of touch to their songs, my favourite being the gentle So Long St Christopher which was released last year. The band was a popular choice and the room was packed and hot, but this couldn’t spoil the enjoyment.

We then wandered downstairs to Club Academy to have a listen to Washed Out, which was nice in a chilled out, background music kind of way. Again, venue was packed so we sat it out in the bar area at the back. Still, Club Academy is vying with Ruby Lounge and Islington Mill for worst designed venue in town.

We spent the rest of the evening wandering up and down the stairs between Academy 2 and Club Academy. Blood Red Shoes were loud and enthusiastic, and could have easily filled the main Academy. Field Music were bland in my opinion, as were Liars, but friends of mine would beg to differ as Liars were a favourite of the day and there was a lot of love going round for lead singer Angus Andrew. Watching Twisted Wheel (above) was like being at an underage disco full of twats, but the acoustic song the singer performed was a welcome break for the ears.

And so to the only band who gave me that good gig feeling: Beach House (above). I’d seen them at Islington Mill early in the year and they were spectacular, and Teen Dream is shaping up to be one of my favourite albums of the year. They didn’t disappoint at Dot to Dot, Victoria Legrand’s vocals are soulful and dreamy, and the crowd sang along to Take Care, Norway and Used to Be.

We decided that this couldn’t be topped, and sloped off home soon after. On reflection, the line-up would have to be pretty special to tempt me next year - I think I’ll leave it to the students.