Boston Manor - Studio 2 Parr Street, Liverpool 27.11.2016

After signing to Pure Noise records earlier this year, the pop punk quintet from Blackpool embarked on their first US tour, visiting the States for the first time with Like Pacific, Boston Manor have had a great 2016, which was topped off by the release of their debut album, Be Nothing. The first stops of the album cycle was an EU/UK tour with special guests Wallflower and Can't Swim. The shows have been an immense success, with many selling out, but there is absolutely no denying that these lads have worked relentlessly to get to where they are, coming from playing house shows with 50 people to supporting the mighty Moose Blood at historic venues like London's Koko, to sold out headline shows with hundreds of longing fans at each stop. In just three years. We were lucky enough to catch their set at Studio 2 in Liverpool, which is also the first time Boston Manor have headlined this city, and of course, it sold out.

First up on the bill was another quintet hailing from London, Wallflower.

Wallflowers set was very varied, meaning that fans of any genre had something to catch their attention, with material being played from their previous releases and unreleased songs from what I'm guessing will be their debut album. Fan favorite 'Sleep Forever' was a hit with the crowd, however this was bittersweet because it was evident that the majority of the crowd had never seen or heard of Wallflower before, and proceeded to talk throughout their set, which is never okay. It's also worth noting that Wallflower are the first band I've seen use an egg shaker on stage, overall I'd give them a 7/10.

Next up were American punks Can't Swim on their debut tour across the pond, and I don't think they would have been too disappointed with the response they received, with a bundle of dedicated fans worming their way to the front to sing the words of their favorite songs right back at the band, with members of Boston Manor even being spotted singing along too. Can't Swim introduced Liverpool to their newest release Stranger, which was an instant hit and had the crowd moving. Can't Swim definitely made it on to my list of bands to watch out for, and I will definitely recommend seeing them on their next UK tour, I for one, will certainly be there. 8/10.

Next up were the headliners, Boston Manor, and you could feel the excitement in the crowd as everybody wormed their way as close to the front as they could, and as they took the stage they were met with a tsunami of cheers and a chorus of applause from the adoring fans. First up was 'Burn You Up', the first of many songs from their album 'Be Nothing', which was met with an insane response that even had front-man Henry Cox surprised, with him even saying "Fuck Liverpool, you're sick, can we keep this up?"

Next up was 'Lead Feet', one of 'Be Nothing's' lead singles, which must have left no doubt in Boston Manor's minds that their new material will kick off just as much as their old, which was proved with the copious stage dives and mic grabs. It's worth noting at this point that there was a fan who decided it was okay to get on stage and stand around filming. This is never okay. Henry also made a point of this by pushing his phone down and telling him to vacate the stage, a decision that was widely supported by band and fans alike, the stage belongs to the band, not the fans. Boston Manor have a professional(s) shooting video at shows.

Next up in their set were two songs from 2015's 'Saudade', 'Shade' and 'Gone'. Drummer Jordan Pugh's talent was evident in 'Shade' as the sound was perfect and his drums were thunderous, both songs were met with love and energy from the capacity audience. 'Gone' was dedicated to the bands significant others, as BM had been away for near 3 months on a relentless touring schedule. The next part of their set was a range of styles from their new album, with faster songs like 'Stop Trying, Be Nothing' and 'Kill Your Conscience' being infused with slower spectacles like 'Broken Glass' and 'Fossa'. All songs were, of course, met with energy and excitement from the fans, as this is the first time the majority had seen these songs live.

Boston Manor even made a point of not forgetting their roots, playing 2014's 'Driftwood's' title track, this garnered quite possibly the best reaction of the night, as the crowd went wild. Bands and fans alike were both literally dripping with sweat as the final chorus faded away. Their set was ended with lead singles from their latter two releases, 'Laika' and 'Trapped Nerve', with the bands flow of energy not ceasing for a single second. Boston Manor are a freight train who are not to be slept on, keep your eyes peeled, this band will only get better. It's near impossible to call a set perfect, but I personally can not falter a single element of their set. 10/10.

Bassist Daniel Cunniff and vocalist Henry Cox were kind enough to have a chat and answer a few questions of mine after the show:

So boys, how was that, Your first sold out show in Liverpool?

Dan: Absolutely incredible, Liverpool has always been good to us, but even we could never have predicted a show like that, definitely one of the best of the tour.

Henry: I personally didn't really know what to expect, what with it being our first time headlining Liverpool, but I'm absolutely blown away by the response, thank you for coming.

Congratulations on the success of Be Nothing, and the success of this tour.

Henry: Yeah man, it's been insane. We've sold out over half of our first headlining tour, and that feeling, it's just impossible to put into words, we're forever grateful to every single person that's ever supported us.

Dan: It's been incredible, we never ever thought a few lads from Blackpool could sell out shows around Europe and the U.K. However this is just the beginning, we'll be back.

So when are you returning?

Dan: Well obviously nothing is concrete yet, and don't take my word as gospel, but don't sleep on Boston Manor next summer.

I would like to express my gratitude and thank to the lads in Boston Manor for not only putting on a brilliant show, but being brilliant down to earth guys and having time for the fans.

Check out their video for 'Lakia'