Good Manners with The Best Surgeons Around...
Good news – The Minehead Eye are planning on doing more gigs throughout the summer. The bad news – it’s Minehead, so pulling in a crowd of a decent size is quite a hard task to pull off. Nethertheless, I was able to catch up with Manners and The Surgeons to something I was quite surprised to see. Starting out quietly, there was an air of doubt whether it would still be going on, apart from a group of kids sitting on the floor and clapping after the sound checks. But at the end of the day, it was a gig set on Friday the 13th– how bad could it possibly be?
Imagine The Wombats and The Artic Monkeys somehow infusing themselves into yet another band that had the speed and power of The Ramones all at once. The outcome would most likely be the Taunton quartet Manners. With riffs from their lead guitarist Robbie Carnan to the secure rhythm section of Rory Shear (Lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Max Cheetham on bass with Tobias Carmichael pulling a random assortment of faces and mini dance moves whilst playing the drums, and that’s just the start. Combining raw, clean energy that literally made the ladies at the front intoxicated on diet coke dance like maniacs, Manners flew through their set through a fast flurry of songs, slowing down for a reggae influenced song before injecting a more 60s styled sound toward the end. These boys certainly have potential, and with an EP on the horizon, Manners are defiantly a band worth watching out for
– 4/5
I’ve been able to see The Surgeons a few times in the past, and it’s safe to say that Friday 13th has proved to what has to be one of their best performances yet. By ripping into the songs, having a wall of fans literally shout their songs back to them and throwing in some covers from Johnny Cash and Ben Howard (and even swapping roles only two songs in) the duo managed to sustain a solid set, from Josh Law’s almost growling guitar to Ben Sadler’s frantic drumming. This band have managed to once again proved that more people doesn’t necessarily mean more power – 5/5
Friday the 13th is generally considered to be unlucky by some people, whether it is seeing a black cat to walking under a ladder. But the night just goes to show that there are bands who still dare to tempt fate and still manage to succeed.
Imagine The Wombats and The Artic Monkeys somehow infusing themselves into yet another band that had the speed and power of The Ramones all at once. The outcome would most likely be the Taunton quartet Manners. With riffs from their lead guitarist Robbie Carnan to the secure rhythm section of Rory Shear (Lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Max Cheetham on bass with Tobias Carmichael pulling a random assortment of faces and mini dance moves whilst playing the drums, and that’s just the start. Combining raw, clean energy that literally made the ladies at the front intoxicated on diet coke dance like maniacs, Manners flew through their set through a fast flurry of songs, slowing down for a reggae influenced song before injecting a more 60s styled sound toward the end. These boys certainly have potential, and with an EP on the horizon, Manners are defiantly a band worth watching out for
– 4/5
I’ve been able to see The Surgeons a few times in the past, and it’s safe to say that Friday 13th has proved to what has to be one of their best performances yet. By ripping into the songs, having a wall of fans literally shout their songs back to them and throwing in some covers from Johnny Cash and Ben Howard (and even swapping roles only two songs in) the duo managed to sustain a solid set, from Josh Law’s almost growling guitar to Ben Sadler’s frantic drumming. This band have managed to once again proved that more people doesn’t necessarily mean more power – 5/5
Friday the 13th is generally considered to be unlucky by some people, whether it is seeing a black cat to walking under a ladder. But the night just goes to show that there are bands who still dare to tempt fate and still manage to succeed.