Words: Joshua Wilson @IndieRocksUK
My initial reaction to Starcrawler was absolutely fantastic. As I looked on at them rocking their hearts out on stage, I felt like I was being rewarded for my decision to pursue Music Journalism. With Manchester being such an enormous cultural hub for the performing arts, there is a lot that comes through and a lot I miss out on – writing for Indie Rocks has thrown me back into the mentality of experiencing live performances and it has never felt better. Starcrawler were absolutely amazing and possessed an energy I haven’t ever witnessed from an unsigned band before.
I can’t stress enough just how much of a spectacle the show was! Excitement was brimming from every member of the band and the lead vocalist seemed more akin to a form of visual art than an actual singer. The performance seemed to carry something of an eccentric Punk vibe and seemed somewhat reminiscent of Sonic Youth, with the exception of their more extravagant and bold outfits.
When one considers the quality of a performance, most generally remember the beginning and the end of the set These are things that most great bands carry out with ease, but can be harder for less experienced bands to pull off – especially the beginning of a set. It isn’t easy to perform to a British audience, even in what is one of the greatest cities for music in all of England, and it’s even more difficult for an american band who may find it so hard to understand and connect with such a different culture, but the guns-blazing attitude to their opening track was beyond belief! Where many use the first few songs to get a feel for the venue and audience, I feel american bands usually have more brazen approach and Starcrawler were no different – quickly establishing themselves as a powerful musical statement.
Though the whole band were absolutely awesome, I feel most of what I appreciated was due to the lead singer. Her entire character and performance was just about the most insane and strangely arousing thing I might ever have seen, making use of fake blood, what looked like a silky white jumpsuit and some of the strangest movement I have seen on stage – there were moments she looked outright terrifying, a morbid intensity to her eyes and when she screamed it just looked like the coolest thing a performer could do. There was a lot of homage to Punk legends of a long-gone era and it was treated and used so well and anybody with an appreciation for shocking visuals and performance owes it to themselves to see this band if they ever get the chance. As I said, this felt more like a spectacle, and an act like this deserves to be celebrated for just how far they’ll go to make an impactful show.
I felt nothing less than exhilarated by the entire event, and I think that extended to the rest of the audience as well. The band played to that room the way a major band plays to Wembley and the response was fantastic – whether shocked or in awe, so much of the view was obscured by phones and everybody just appeared totally enthralled by what they were seeing. Seeing everybody as close to the stage as possible was just fantastic – it showed that people are still willing to throw themselves into an experience like that, and Starcrawler were just the band to enable that. I simply can’t recommend them highly enough, they were just incredible!
Starcrawler tickets available here
Website – starcrawlermusic.com
Facebook – /starcrawlertheband
Twitter – @thestarcrawler
Instagram – @starcrawler