Review…King No-One Took Over Manchester
Written & Photos by: Olivia Kenny
This weekend, the anthemic sound of King No-One took over Manchester. The band played not just one or two, but three landmark gigs in their adopted hometown. Last time they were in Manchester they played at The Ritz, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this tour is the last opportunity to see them on smaller, more intimate stages. Friday night saw them launch their debut EP with a party-like gig at The Deaf Institute, on Saturday they treated their fans to a throwback set at Night People and Sunday kicked off their UK tour with a massive gig at Gorilla.
Day One
Two years ago, almost to the day, King No-One headlined Deaf Institute for the first time, now they were back with a bigger set and bolder tunes to celebrate the launch of their debut EP, “OOMM,” and begin their biggest tour yet! The venue was packed with excited fans, all ready to party, sing along and dance to the new tracks King No-One had released that morning.
Beginning with an oldie, “Millennium,” the room instantly started bouncing and the tour started with a bang. “Systematic” continued the set, the fiercely powerful music captured the buzzing room as the bands uniquely animated sound took over. The energy in the room was undeniably infectious, the band were fully immersed in the music, they didn’t stop moving and the audience were following suit, cheering at all the right moments and singing along to every lyric. During the gig, the quartet played their new EP in its entirety and the new songs were well received by fans, who already knew all the words, before they closed the gig with fan-favourite “Antichrist.”
Day Two
When the audience entered Night People they went back in time, the venue is smaller than most King No-One now play at and the stage isn’t tall, so the band are nearly at eye-level, creating a much more intimate atmosphere between the group and crowd. This generated a nostalgic feeling as soon as the audience arrived, adding to the throwback tone – the venue was exactly like one the band would’ve played at a few years ago. As well as the venue choice, the band’s original bassist, Alex, joined for the night, so it really was like watching King No-One in their early days.
The band were playing tracks as old as five or six years, their first song, “Foreign Tongue,” came out in 2015, but the whole room still remembered the words, they danced and sang along just like they had the night before. New songs like “New Profit” incorporated their latest release within the set, this was played because their old bassist helped write the track. King No-One played music from as far back as 2012, referring to earlier tracks like “Halo” and “Alcatraz” as classic bangers! The gig gave the audience insight into how the groups sound has developed into the charismatic and dynamically powerful sound they now have, showing the journey they’ve been on to get there.
Day Three
The biggest gig of the trio closed the Manchester residency and began King No-One’s national tour. There was an eagerness at Gorilla before the band even went on stage, the crowd were undeniably excited, it was contagious. Everyone was huddled as close to the stage as they could get, awaiting the band’s arrival.
King No-One opened with “Lemonade,” beginning the gig on the piano before it was lifted by the power of the full band. The crowd didn’t fail to, once again, dance like it was all they knew and let the music take over the whole venue. The tireless energy in the venue was even bigger than it had been the whole weekend and the undeniable chemistry between the band and their fans radiated across the venue. Everyone was involved in the monumental set.
This gig fused together the previous shows, playing fan-favourites like “Philosophical,” but also tracks from the EP including the title track, “Out of My Mind,” the alternate version of “Toxic Love” and the thought-provoking, slower song “Dying List.” Again, Alex, the original bassist joined in for just two tracks, “New Profit” and “Alcatraz.”
King No-One have a mesmerising, powerful sound, one which can easily captivate an audience of any size. Their charm and passion has captured the hearts of so many fans and continues to do so as they grow exponentially, their music only improving as they do.
Don’t miss the chance to be in the crowd for their upcoming shows, on sale now:
Friday 05 April 2019 – Leeds University Stylus
Saturday 06 April 2019 — The Sugarmill Stoke-On-Trent
Tuesday 09 April 2019 – London OMEARA
Tags: king no-one / review