MANILLA FORTNIGHTS are from Manchester. That’s all I know about them other than the fact that they’re on the lookout for a permanent drummer and hope to set up their first live gigs soon. They also hope that this 4 track demo CD – their first recorded output - “highlights the potential of the band”.
It does: bags of it.
Opener ‘Last Time’ displays the same knack of writing what my dad calls “proper pop songs” in the mould of The Coral. It’s verse/chorus stuff but unlike the vast majority of bands writing to this classic formula, they remember to not just save the melodies for the chorus but to also preserve some for the verse. The chord changes when the vocalist sings “I’ve got news for you / I’ve been telling lies, I swear it’s the truth” are exquisite.
Vocally, ‘Fun’ wobbles a bit but musically is very sweet, carrying a touch of Teenage Fanclub in their lighter moments (coupled with Pulp’s guitar strum from ‘Something Changed’) to great effect. The driving ‘Come Back Safe’ has a cracking guitar-led rhythm and kick beat and includes some incisive reverberated harmonica. Reminds me of the rather marvellous Spoon and their ‘Kill The Moonlight’ album.
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The bitter-sweet country-tinged ‘Jo’ closes the account. The band retain their sure-footing with a genre of song that many end up treating in a ham-fisted manner. There’s a touch of the elusive warm summer air that the likes of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci manage to capture and bottle so well.
Of the current roads available ahead of them MANILLA FORTNIGHTS are thankfully taking “the one less travelled by”, ignoring the gridlocked traffic of post-punk revivalists and are heading out for something far more enigmatic.
All in all this is a very assured and promising start that leaves me in heightened anticipation of their next move and in high hopes for their long-term potential.
Contact: manillafortnights@hotmail.co.uk
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