20.
Coheed and Cambria
O2 Ritz, Manchester, 01.02.16.
The NY-area progressive metallers have famously put out
seven conceptual records over a decade that all tied into a sprawling
science-fiction storyline and comic book series, The Amory Wars, written by
frontman Claudio Sanchez. Freed off these creative constraints, Coheed and
Cambria’s eighth album, The Color Before
the Sun, instead delivered superb lashings of pop rock, showcased
brilliantly in a career-spanning Manchester show. New tracks such as Island and You’ve Got Spirit, Kid were bona-fide singalong anthems – and their
line in older material, such as the crushingly heavy Welcome Home kept the purists entertained too. Visceral, stirring
stuff.
 |
| Coheed and Cambria performing live in Portland in 2015. (Credit to Vortex Music Magazine.) |
19.
Foals
First Direct Arena, Leeds, 20.02.16.
Arena level shows were arguably overdue for Foals, Oxford’s
biggest musical export since Radiohead. Purveyors of tropical indie pop, and renown
for the chaotic, sweaty live shows, they impressively carried over that energy
into concrete monoliths in February, ahead of their major festival headline
debut at Reading. In part, their success lied with frantic, heavy new material
such as the pummelling What Went Down
and the groove-laden Snake Oil – but
it was the dance-funk of My Number
and the ethereal Spanish Sahara that
justly captivated Leeds, Yannis Philippakis scaling sound towers and inciting
mosh pits aplenty. Hectic and thrilling, Foals remain a premier live act even
at this level.
 |
| Foals performing live in London in 2016. (Credit to DIY Magazine.) |
18.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Manchester Arena, Manchester, 14.12.16
On their winter UK arena tour, there was a sense that the
Red Hot Chili Peppers had something to prove. The band had played a run of lacklustre
festival headline shows in the summer, including T in the Park and Reading and
Leeds Festivals, and questions were asked about their quality as a live act.
Doubts were firmly banished at the first night of two in Manchester, with
rhythm section Flea and Chad Smith as elastic as ever on hard funk classics Higher Ground, Give It Away and Californication.
Frontman Anthony Kiedis shined on the melodically sweet Snow ((Hey Oh)) and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer shined on newer cuts
The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
and Dark Necessities, all accompanied
by a jaw-dropping lighting rig. Fortune faded? Not quite yet.
 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers performing live in Birmingham in 2016. (Credit to Birmingham Mail.) |
17.
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes
Albert Hall, Manchester, 18.02.16.
Second down on this year’s Kerrang! Tour bill, former
Gallows and Pure Love frontman Frank Carter’s set was the undisputed highlight,
blowing out comeback headliners Sum 41 in emphatic fashion. Backed by his group
The Rattlesnakes, he blew threw a tight set of hardcore punk at Manchester’s
Albert Hall that saw him stand atop the crowd itself, in the middle of an
extraordinary circle pit during a visceral Jackals.
By the venomous, destructive I Hate You,
Carter had truly stole the show, crowning himself rightfully as one of the most
exhilarating live acts in the modern British rock scene.
 |
| Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes performing live in London in 2015. (Credit to Daniel Quesada.) |
16.
Tame Impala
Manchester Arena, Manchester, 11.02.16.
Having made their name with neo-psychedelic jams straight
from the suburbs of Australia, Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala made a sidestep into
disco with their latest record Currents,
a stylistic shift ably showcased at their UK arena headline debut. Backed by
swirls of neon colour and heady smoke, the rock outfit unfurled shimmering gems
such as the infectious Let It Happen
and the stoner-thump of Elephant. By
the time they close with the slow, sensual New
Person, Same Old Mistakes, Tame Impala had emphatically justified their
step up into large venues – and with such an ability to hypnotise audiences,
the sky is truly their limit.
 |
| Tame Impala performing live in Dublin in 2016. (Credit to No More Workhorse.) |
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