The Used: Manchester A2: 21/09/09

When you have an arc-arsenal of songs as good as this band, the audience are pretty damn sure of a great night out. The Used is all abut the music, not the hype, not the glamour or the fame, not the front covers or the TV shows, just simply about what is hiding in the grooves of the record. And having just released their best record yet, tonight was always going to be great…

First off let me tell you I hate going to Manchester to see anybody, boring drive and it’s just a city that never clicked with me (wrong side of the Mersey!). It takes quite a lot to get me down that M56 I can tell you, but on receiving ‘Artwork’ the latest and greatest album from The Used I was excited enough to be willing to drive anywhere to see them…

We arrive at the venue and Hexes are finishing up, they are certainly engaging but slightly to ‘distorted’ for me. We Are The Ocean are deffo pulling up in the outside lane very fast; each time I see them they are better than the last, and that’s the best thing you can ever say about a young emerging talent like their’s…

But… F**k the support acts, we are here for one reason only and at half nine exactly, lights, camera, action… The Used come storm trooping the stage like banshees on acid, they are fired, focused and in the ‘zone’ they shoot off songs like bullets from an AK-47 and when you absolutely have to kill every mutha-f***er I the room, then that’s the weapon of choice, the crowd are on form, hot, hungry and having it.

Lead singer Bert McCracken is a strange front man, he is no looker for sure, and he reminds me of a modern day Vedder! But there is something about him that makes him desired by women, loved by men. He throws all the right shapes and moves, say’s ‘F**k yeah’ and ‘You rock’ in all the right places, throws his hands in the air at every given opportunity and most importantly he ‘connects’ with his crowd. He also connects with his band who are tighter than a duck’s ass, his vocal ability also shines, especially on the new songs, he has in fact come of age and tonight proves that The Used are now more about the music than ever…

As for that music, highlights (they were all great) for me were ‘Taste Of Ink’ from that amazing first album I ever heard from the band, ‘Take Me Away’ from ‘In Love & Death’ a quite stunning ‘Pretty Handsome Awkward’ from ‘Lies For The Liars.’ Then every song from the new record especially a sultry ‘Come Undone’ and a breathtakingly awesome ‘Blood On My Hands.’

The Used end the night by ringing out Will Francis (lead singer from Aiden), and it strikes me is how amazing The Used would be if they had a second vocalist - the dimensions were certainly stretched to new frontiers at this moment, just proving and re-affirming that The Used are a great live band, an amazing studio band, but perhaps have not peaked yet, that is the sure sign of greatness… Go see em’…

Jj: 2009 (photos by Danni)