Just off Oxford Street, in the heart of Manchester's university town, down a back street with real ale pubs, Korean eateries and a student night vibe you can find the Deaf Institute. Now a gig venue, this historic building, with its stone facade and gothic style architecture dates back to the late 1800's. I have to circle a couple of times to find a parking space, confused by the no entry to Oxford Street between certain times and hoping not to get caught in the wrong lane, which would warrant a hefty fine, I find some on street parking just a minute's walk from the venue. It's after 6pm, so parking is fairly easy in comparison to most city centres these days.
There's a queue outside, I get my spot and try to hide from the rain just as Mr K arrives too, my bestest and most trusted gig buddy. He recommended Swim School to me and I've been a few days checking out their music. I was totally hooked so we arranged to meet at the doors for opening time. They get us in quickly and we head up the old Victorian staircase to the upstairs venue. There's red and black wallpaper, tiered seating to the back behind the mixing desk, the main stage at the top end and a VIP balcony hovers over the merch stalls.
We find some seats for a chat and wait for the enormous queue for the bar to die down, it never really does, which I found out later to be a good thing as they seem to think it's okay to charge £3.10 for a tiny glass of on tap lemonade. I only had one!
We're milling around as the support band is on stage. More and more people are packing into the small venue. We hear rumours that the show is sold out. A variety of ages and a real mix of people are in attendance, the young riot grrrls are down the front (Kathleen Hanna punches the air with a YESSS!), the taller people seem to be respectful of their height and stay towards the middle or the back, some of the outfits people are wearing are fabulous, it's obvious to me that this is a massive night out for some, there's an energy and anticipation in the room, people are genuinely excited to see this relatively new band playing live.. It's starting to feel sold out. Mr K can't remember seeing the institute that packed, even though he's there on a regular basis.
By the time Swim School come on stage, there is little space left amongst the crowd. Mr K and I fight our way through from the smoking/vaping area to a comfortable spot about three quarters of the way back with a good view but a bit of breathing space. It's a good choice because the front half of the room is about to get crazy! They start the set with Bored, the room is bouncing and buzzing. Lead singer and guitarist, Alice is owning the stage. In fact her performance is sublime. As the show goes on, she's got the audience in the palm of her hand, keeping them captivated and emotionally connected to the music. Her chats between songs and raw confidence in her vulnerability as an artist is vividly apparent. People are passing her tissues in case she cries during the emotional songs and when she commands a mosh pit, the whole front half of the room literally jumps to action. During Delirious, I'm feeling like I'm in Nirvana's SLTS gymnasium as everyone is losing control, swept up by the music and the vibe. In fact, there's something about the whole evening that reminds me of a 90's gig. The strong melodies and noisy punk edginess to their music, they could well have been a 1995 support for Sonic Youth or we could easily be rocking out in a rainy Seattle club circa the time the whole grunge thing was breaking. But it is 2024, they play their ballad To Grow and there are tears around the room, including Mr K and I. Instead of lighters, everyone has their phones out, torches on, the huge glitter ball above the crowd is reflecting the lights. We can all see each other clearly and, reflecting the raw and transparent energy the band projects with their music. The final songs fly by with the mosh pit getting wilder, bodies getting sweatier and the whole vibe getting more raucous with each passing chord. They keep it very cool even at the end and don’t get into the whole 'shout more for an encore' game with the audience. They explain that their last song is their encore. Just over an hour of a musical journey that will be unforgettable in the minds of those ticket holders fortunate enough to see this band in their early stages, playing such a small venue. I feel privileged and honoured to be amongst them.
Marina xx
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