Manchester Academy, 4 October 2004.

Razorlight’s debut album impressed me with its down-to-earth rock credentials, strong melodies and crisp performances. The band has a distinctive sound and it’s one that has garnered a substantial fan base in super-quick time. The band’s 2004 Glastonbury performance, which I saw on TV, provided evidence that the guys thrive in the live arena with a leadman who is just a bit special. It all added up to me wanting to see this bunch perform for myself. And what I witnessed was one of the best live performances of my music year. Shit they were good…

But first a band called Dogs who were and still are totally unknown to me. This four-piece were good enough to get the crowd cheering, performing songs with an edgy vibe and half-decent melodies. The lead vocalist stalked the stage in pensive mood before pouncing on the mic and delivering songs with passion and skill. Not a bad start to the show and a short set that everyone seemed to enjoy.

Then a band that I have read about but not yet heard. The Duke Spirit is a five-piece rock band with a female lead vocalist in Liela Moss. Unlike the previous band, this one had strength in depth starting with Moss who gave an emotional, passionate and animated performance that inspired and excited me (along with the rest of the capacity audience). But the instrumentalists played a key role, especially the lead guitarist and drummer. Drum rhythms from Olly Betts were devastatingly good and added drama to dark, smouldering songs that evolved slowly and build to dynamic crescendos. Guitar work from Mike Ford and Dan Higgins was impeccable.

Every song hit the mark including the band’s latest single Cuts Across The Land, with its intimate, biting lyrics and strong melody. Other songs included opener Howling Self, Hello To The Floor, Lion Rip, So Good To Hear, Lovetones, Dark Is Light Enough and the final stunner, Red Weather.

I suspect what I heard on the night was the core of a new album that I have now added to my mental shopping list, on the strength of the performance. Unusually, the title of ‘special guest’ was justified and if The Duke Spirit doesn’t break through very soon I will be more than surprised. In lead vocalist Moss the band possesses a seductive, spectacular and distinctive leading lady who not only performs the songs but obviously feels them. The instrumental department also played a blinder and added the icing to a fabulous cake. I strongly recommend you watch out for this band and its new album.

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The stage ‘room dividers’ were removed to reveal the whole stage, and an array of instruments including an impressive drum set. On a cold Manchester night, the venue was overheating to the point when a couple of punters had to be carried off and a supply of water appeared. This was a sold-out concert and the buzz of anticipation was tangible…

It took about thirty-five minutes for stage preps to be completed and the band to appear to thunderous applause. And what better way to kick of a memorable concert than Rip It Up which exploded from the stage. Immediately I was taken aback by the quality of leadman Johnny Borrell’s voice and the tight and dynamic sound of his instrumental backers. Hell, this was good…

UP ALL NIGHT is the band’s superb debut album that deserves to outsell the Darkness album by a country mile. Every one of the thirteen songs hits the bulls-eye with decent lyrics, strong melodies and superb rock performances. As downbeat song two Dalston opened I was beginning to think that the album tracks actually sounded better performed live. The concluding vocal and instrumental rush proved the point and brought the audience to the brink of hysteria. It was amazing!

The guys then piled on the pressure with a fabulous rendition of Rock N Roll Lies and sustained it with simple rock classic Up All Night. Borrell performed out of his skin but I should also mention Smith-Pancorro who underpinned the songs with an intuitive and exciting display, while the guitar riffs soared and dived with immaculate precision. Now I’ve seen many live performances in 2004 and this was turning out to be one of the very best.

The jagged and highly original Which Way Is Out then tumbled out and by this time Borrell was forced to shed his high-collared jacket to the delight of many female fans. A pounding drum rhythm and meandering guitar riffs signalled another great song, To The Sea, with its distinctly country rock vibe and pleading vocal. Another final vocal and instrumental crescendo before album opening track Leave Me Alone appeared. By this point Borrell was flying with sweat dripping from his now topless body. A regimental guitar riff introduced the next song, Golden Touch, and by that point I knew that I was witnessing my live rock performance of 2004.

In Borrell the band has undoubtedly one of the finest and most committed frontmen around at the moment, and one who can write some of the best mainstream rock songs I’ve heard in the last couple of years. Vocally he’s up there with the very best and performed with enthusiasm and passion. But this is not a one-man band and the instrumental performance was nothing short of special. Perhaps the biggest surprise was how a band that has only been together for a couple of years could get it so right.

In a show that seemed to be never-ending, Profile, Get It And Go, Vice and In The City concluded the set. The inevitable encore followed to the most thunderous demands I’ve heard in 2004. And what an encore… we were treated to no less than four songs (the beautiful and slow Fall, Fall, Fall, Losing Your Mind, Pilot and Stumble And Fall) before the curtain finally fell.

This was an incredible rock performance from one of the few bands that truly deserves the hype garnered over the last year. The record is very good but the band’s live performance ability places them straight into the top league of international acts. To put it simply, I was blown away.