Orphan Boy (Roman Garden)
 | | Orphan Boy (pic: Shirlaine Forrest) |
Only Dpercussion could open with an indie punk trio playing an acoustic stage to no more than a handful of people because the crowd had yet to be allowed on site. It鈥檚 a credit to the energy and drive of Orphan Boy that they still managed to be suitably invigorating, so much so in fact that they managed to raise a round of applause from the queues that were waiting to get in at the other end of the Roman Garden area. Snowfight In The City Centre (Kenworthy Stage) After an apparent eternity of knob-twiddling from the sound engineer, Snowfight In The City Centre kicked out their epic pop to a growing crowd. They鈥檝e become increasingly action fantastic on stage recently and their three part harmonies were wonderful in the slowly appearing afternoon sun. Always a good band before their name change, SITCC have really got hold of their sound and turned it into something unmissable. The Pedestrians (Roman Garden)
 | | The Pedestrians (pic: Shirlaine Forrest) |
Open air suits the Pedestrians, as does an earlier start. Wrapping a scarf around his microphone, fronman Liam led his trio through a selection of toe-tappers that pleased the assembled. They still have a major problem with harmonies, in that their bass player can鈥檛 hit a note, and Liam鈥檚 Ashcroft image looks a little clich茅d, but maybe there鈥檚 more to them than first meets the eye. Cherry Ghost (Main Stage) Much has been made of Cherry Ghost around these parts and his set at Dpercussion proved why. His sound has grown in recent months, making for a mouthwatering future. Touchingly, he dedicated the impressive (and utterly appropriate, given Castlefield鈥檚 past) Here Come The Romans to his recently departed granddad. You couldn鈥檛 help feel that old Mr Cherry Ghost would have been very proud of his grandson. Omerta (Kenworthy Stage)
 | | Omerta (pic: Shirlaine Forrest) |
With a white tie and black brooding rock, Omerta fit the industrial surroundings of the Kenworthy Stage perfectly. With towering epics as high as the rail track above them and throbbing emotions as strong as the girders behind them, they produced a set of tremendous power that gathered passers-by as it proceeded. Metrodome, Jordan and Frisco (Sketch City) Over in Sketch City, the first graffiti was starting to take shape as the newest and youngest stars of Manchester took another step into the limelight. Aided and abetted by the excellent Frisco, 12 year old wonders Metrodome and Jordan cruised past a shaky start on unfamiliar decks to have the masses cheering by the end of their set. The Final Tribe (Roman Garden)
 | | Metrodome (pic: Shirlaine Forrest) |
Before they even began The Final Tribe had commanded the audience, requesting them to 鈥済et to their feet on the beat鈥. Their funky urban sound had a dash of jazz was fresh, particularly the sound of a double bass behind the MCing, while their lyrics spoke to 鈥渃ouncil estate kids鈥 and were often political, if not a little simplistic. The vocalists were very much at ease and most of all seemed to be having a great time! Jenna G (Main Stage) Round here, it鈥檚 been a while since we got the chance to see Jenna G do what she does best, namely kick out that impressive voice of hers. Thankfully though, nothing much has changed since last time. Her solo songs sound like the second album that Un-Cut never made and her supreme confidence rolled straight over the shapethrowers at the front and up the hill, nodding heads and shaking feet as it went. Polytechnic (Main Stage)
 | | Jenna G (pic: Shirlaine Forrest) |
Big things are expected from Chorlton鈥檚 latest musical exports and certainly tune-wise, it鈥檚 easy to see why. What they lack in showmanship and charm, they make up for in spiky tunes, and their spangling guitars dance across disjointing spasms of beats in a truly pleasing way. They may need to learn how to chat to a crowd, or at least say something, to really grab their audiences though. Broke鈥檔鈥橢nglish (Main stage) These boys are local and proud of it. On a day where Manchester pats itself heartily on the back, Broke鈥檔鈥橢nglish are right at home. Their opening salvo is "Stand up if you鈥檙e Manchester!" and from that point on, cheeky rhymes and some hearty, soul-sampling beats dominate a set well-suited to a Saturday afternoon. Liam Frost (Main Stage)
 | | Liam Frost (pic: Shirlaine Forrest) |
There鈥檚 no escaping Liam Frost at the moment in Manchester and honestly, who鈥檇 want to? His performances grow in confidence with every passing month and his tunes seem to get stronger with every listen. Dressed all in black, he grinned his way through a brilliant set, including a particularly sparkling The Mourners Of St Paul鈥檚, and left the stage with a distinct feeling that it won鈥檛 be long until they offer him the top spot at Dpercussion. The Whip (Kenworthy Stage) The Whip, well, whipped Dpercussion into a frenzy. An audience of hundreds were hypnotised by Bruce Carter鈥檚 distinctive vocals and the band鈥檚 infectious electro beat. Trash hit a particular high point, although trashed might have been a more fitting title for the far from sober audience. The more adventurous amongst them showed off their unusual dance moves, which more often than not involved jumping up and then falling over! It鈥檚 clear that The Whip are ones to watch. Folks (Roman Garden)
 | | The Longcut (pic: Shirlaine Forrest) |
Folks鈥 assets lie with their charismatic floppy haired lead singer and an energetic drummer. Unfortunately, their 70s rock failed to move the modestly assembled audience. Perhaps they would have benefited from playing earlier on in the day, when they didn鈥檛 have the likes of The Longcut to contend with? The Longcut (Main stage) People are on shoulders and a somewhat disgruntled-looking little girl is held aloft like a kind of trophy - this band鈥檚 popularity is soaring. Rocking like absolute heroes, the Longcut are at home here, on a stage in the middle of Manchester, as their roar of guitar, the dancey feel, the poise and the pop are all indebted to the city and its music. That鈥檚 not to say they鈥檙e second-rate or derivative though; what they borrow from indie鈥檚 back catalogue is returned with interest. | 
