Pains of Being Pure at Heart [Live] @ Chorlton Irish Club, Manchester
 

Some gigs have a lot to live up to; gigs that seem to take an age to come around, as you excitedly imagine how good the night ahead will be. When the reality lives up to the dream, they’re gigs that stay with you forever. When the night ends in disappointment, it can even affect the way you hear their recorded output. So after producing one of the albums of the year so far, nay one of the debut albums of the decade, there was a lot on the line at Chorlton Irish club for Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

They arrived at a City that has contributed much to their sound. The Smiths are an obvious influence, but there is also a resonance of early Charlatans in many of their songs. Now whilst it would be giddy to suggest that Pains of Being Pure at Heart could ever elicit the kind of love and devotion from a Manchester crowd that those bands have over the years, on the evidence of this gig, the city has already fallen head over heels for the New Yorkers.

Every song they play sounds like a classic, from their debut album’s singles “Young Adult Friction” and “Everything With You” to lesser known tracks such as “Pains of Being Pure at Heart” and “Kurt Cobain’s Cardigan”; each one is enthusiastically chanted back to them by the joyous crowd. It’s “Come Saturday” thoughthat arouses the most fervent response from everyone in attendance; each and every one of them augmenting the band’s “Ooh-ooh-oooh”’s with such passion that you’d almost believe it was the greatest, most original lyric ever. The band are clearly moved, which singer/guitarist Kip Berman often relays to the crowd (“This is fucking awesome”, “this is the best night ever” etc).

Sadly all good things much come to an end, and as the band make their way through the crowd back to their dressing room, we all know that no matter when Pains of Being Pure at Heart return to our city, it’s going to be far too long a wait. Until then we get to share our memories of one of the greatest gigs of our lives by a band that almost feel like one of our own. It’s a band we love now more than ever, and this love is fucking right!


Set List:
Doing all the Things
This Love is Fucking Right
Young Adult Friction
Come Saturday
The Tenure Itch
Stay Alive
103
Everything With You
Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Kurt Cobain’s Cardigan

Re: Pains of Being Pure at Heart [Live] @ Chorlton Irish Club, Manchester
 

Nice work man, did you check out the support act LoveLikeFire?

Re: Pains of Being Pure at Heart [Live] @ Chorlton Irish Club, Manchester
 

Seems these guys are playing at Cargo down the way from me not so long from now. On the back of that write up it would be rude/foolish not to go along.

Re: Pains of Being Pure at Heart [Live] @ Chorlton Irish Club, Manchester
 

I did but their sound wasn't great so I didn't want to review them on the basis of that, which wasn't their fault. I want to review a recording of theirs first. Any word on that yet?

Burt - go see 'em (but buy their album too - check out Mark's review here - http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews...+pure+at+heart)

Re: Pains of Being Pure at Heart [Live] @ Chorlton Irish Club, Manchester
 

Ah cool, it's gutting when the soundman cocks up or equipment goes wrong. Not sure about the recording, i think Chris is swamped with releases as i get about 5 emails a day asking if we have recieved so and so's latest.

I hooked up an interview that i should be able to post up later