London’s ‘False Heads’ arrived in Manchester on the 20th March to perform the 2nd gig in their 3 gig mini-tour of the UK. With gigs being fairly sparse, I made sure to get down and see what was to be said of the band heralded as ‘the future of rock n roll’ by Ramones’ original manager Danny Fields.
The night kicked off with support from ‘The Estevans’, who despite the poor name, I found surprisingly impressive. Carrying a youthful energy and vigour in their performance, this group of young kids proved they could hold their own against anyone you care to name, which will no doubt help them in the long run. Regarding the music itself, they had a very strong 2000’s indie sound, comparable to the likes of Bloc Party and, dare I say with the massive over saturation of the type, early Arctic Monkeys. They’ve recently released their second single ‘Gotta Know You’ so check it out online and make up your own minds.
Concluding the support, False Heads wasted no time in jumping straight into the main event and blew me away with the raw energy they possessed. Despite being acclaimed for their live performance, I’d never managed to experience it, and felt I’d been missing out for not having done so. Throughout the set singer and guitarist Luke Griffiths resembled, not only for his chosen looks, a still rocking Kurt Cobain as he threw himself around the stage alongside a combination of thrashing guitars, ringing bass lines and wild drum play. Bass player Jake Elliott oozed cool and provided a juxtaposition to the manic nature of Griffiths and drummer Barney Nash’s playing style, ultimately adding to their quality.
Powering through the likes of ‘Retina’, ‘Help Yourself’, and ‘Twentynothing’ as well as ‘fresh off the press’ single ‘Slease’, the band left little time between tracks for you to stop and think before firing into the next. The night came to an end in true ‘Punk Rock’ fashion with Griffiths throwing himself over the drum kit and into Nash (as pictured above) before all members fled the stage altogether to a sea of guitar feedback, allowing all in attendance the chance to catch their breathe for the first time all night.
False Heads will play at 2000trees festival in Cheltenham on Saturday 13th July. With nothing yet announced, make sure to follow on social media for any announcements-
Twitter- @FalseHeads
Facebook- @FalseHeads
Instagram- @FalseHeads
Photo credit: Visionhausmusic
