Manchester’s freshly refurbished New Century Hall played host to local art-rock heroes Everything Everything, for an unforgettable two-night homecoming. With both nights selling out faster than you can say “Mountainhead”, the band were set for a pair of truly memorable nights of their seventh album tour.
'Mountainhead' entered the world in February to substantial critical and fan acclaim. The release ensured the band had plenty to choose from when crafting their tour setlist since it’s an almost hour-long assortment of infectious indie goodness. As has long been the case for Everything Everything’s songwriting, the tunes are complex but never overwhelming; always with a side of witty social commentary. The simple but dramatic stage design took its theming from Mountainhead’s creative narrative with a vast textured rockface backdrop and glowing circular emblem that features on the artwork. Combined with New Century Hall’s midcentury modern features and imposing disco ceiling, this show was set to be as visually stunning as it was sonically. Opening with three new album tracks ('The Mad Stone', 'Wild Guess' and 'The End of the Contender'), Everything Everything marked a confident start to the set and they were lapped up without hesitation.
The bass-driven and groovy intro of fan-favourite 'Pizza Boy' was greeted with screeches of excitement and rhythmic claps, before Kemosabe shifted focus to soaring falsetto and syncopated beats. 'Buddy, Come Over' follows impactfully and seems to be a real highlight for enjoyers of Mountainhead. Everything Everything have crafted a fairly immaculate setlist here: playfully bouncing between old favourites, new album tracks and a few surprising but excellent underdogs. Metroland Is Burning exemplified the latter, providing a sweet moment of appreciation for a track that may have easily been swapped out for its more listened-to album mates.
The calculated leaps between the band’s various eras continue throughout the middle section of the set, with a notably fun contrast in energy between 'Dagger’s Edge', 'Violent Sun' and 'City Song'. While it might be fairly common practice in live music, frontman Jonathan Higgs barely speaks between songs - somehow maintaining a commanding presence without the need for chit-chat. With the venue’s sprung dancefloor in the mix, the chorus drop of 'Night of the Long Knives' seems more impactful than ever and resisting the urge to bounce along is futile. The band’s touring MD and keys player Peter Sené brings an insane level of energy to the group, especially in moments like this.
The proximity to the end of the set becomes clear as we reach top-hit territory. 'Cough Cough' engages the crowd in an infectious call-and-response routine for its pre-choruses, then some fifteen years after its original release, 'Photoshop Handsome's punchy flavour still gets the crowd extra fired up. As 'Distant Past’s dance-fuelled outro comes to its end all too suddenly, the 1300-strong crowd eagerly await the encore.
'Cold Reactor' is instantaneously identified by fans with a brief instrumental intro that doesn’t even feature in the record. It’s a hit, and the tumbling melodies of the chorus entice a room full of singalong efforts. 'Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread' is something of a classic and the band’s energy and matched crowd response treat it as such.
Higgs’ intricate lyric writing provides a challenge to even the most daring and loyal audience members which makes 'No Reptiles' undoubtedly one of the most challenging songs to sing along to, and yet scores of fans succeeded in every word. Closing the show with it feels like a celebration of the ever-evolving nature of this band and their persistent, unapologetic weirdness.
