Parliamo Live at The Castle – Words and image by Victoria Attridge-Smith
Tucked away in a tiny room in The Castle Hotel, Parliamo brought their “Parliamo Manifesto” to the North. Despite a typical northern rainy night, spirits remained high and safe in the spectators’ hands. William Kzzzzzzzzz and The Be Positives revved up the soaking audience in support. Both bands were met with a packed out crowd.
Parliamo waltzed through the crowd and took to the stage in their adolescent glory. “All Dolled Up ” swept through the venue. Despite the running-on-the-spot of the frontmen, the rustic vocals remained intact. A performance so good, even the glass on the stage smashed. This prompted an “oh-no” from Parliamo, following a debate as to whose drink was lost.
Fresh from the release of their new mini-album “The Parliamo Manifesto”, Parliamo treated us to a taste of “Catholic Guilt”. This is a hilariously ironic song about exactly what it says on the tin, performed in anything but a guilty manner. Things then took a slow turn with the song “Only Friends”. A painful ‘what could’ve been’ love-song, presented on stage with acoustic guitars and honey vocals. Business remained as usual with “Life On The TV ”, the Manchester melody was lapped up by the Northern crowd. Smiles crept across the band’s faces as crowd members returned their intoxicating energy.
Even with their self proclaimed “Manchester bad-luck”, tonight was a polished evening of youthful wordplays, disguised as exciting underground-pop tunes. The bittersweet love song, “Sweet” brought the triumphant evening to a natural end. The band vacated the stage, along with the audience.
Parliamo are bringing a refreshing take on a genre, and further instilling this modernity in their live shows.
Take a look at ‘What’s On‘ to plan your next gig!