After what seems a severely long break away from reviews I am back, and tonight is a new venue to review in for me. Club Academy is almost completely empty on arrival and the first band are on at 7.30pm. Playing to a couple of people are Lost Romantic. Formed only last year this London duo (drummer and singer) state it’s their first time ever in Manchester. It’s a shame the room is so empty as they have been given support by both MTV and BBC Radio One, but as their 30-minute set progresses the venue gets busier, and the singer gets livelier. They remind me of bands like Lonely the Brave and I’ll be interested to hear more from them when their debut album comes out on 22 September. 

After a short pause in proceedings Brigade take to the stage. The venue is much fuller by 8.30pm but I’m not sure the crowd know what to make of them. They are a British alternative rock band, and I can see why they are touring with InMe as they are of a similar ilk, having been likened to Placebo, Muse and My Vitriol. But for the first few songs all I can think is I neither like, nor dislike them. Strangely for a band formed in 2003, who have toured with the likes of Biffy Clyro and Hell is For Heroes, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them before now. They have not been very active in recent years but did release a new album last year. They are very appreciative of the crowd but there is not much other chit chat in between songs. They play through a short set and clearly saved the best song for last. It is heavier and much more to my taste. I think I need to give them another listen… 

And then it is time for the headliners and clearly the crowd having been waiting with great anticipation for this set by InMe. With only two dates on this tour, which marks 20 years of their debut album “Overgrown Eden”, I imagine people have travelled quite far tonight as the only other date is in London. I’m stood towards the back, handily behind a man in a Safe Gigs For Women tee, which gives added reassurance with being on my own and I realise I know precious little about InMe. I could name one, maybe two songs and couldn’t define when they were popular as they seemed to pass me by a bit. So much so that I’m thinking they are quite recent only to discover they formed in 1996(!), so the young crowd I was anticipating are not quite as young as I thought. It’s nice to see some intergenerational fans in the audience though with families coming together, including a guy stood nearby with his teenage son (wearing an InMe T-shirt, obviously) who is clearly loving the night. I couldn’t have even told you if InMe were British but within seconds of arriving on stage lead singer Dave McPherson’s strong Essex accent bellows across the room and gives it away. So, it’s a bit of a weird scenario when he starts singing and sounds almost entirely different! 

Expecting them to play through the album track by track I am confused when I realise predicting the playlist isn’t going to be so easy. “Undergrown Eden” was a highly successful debut album reaching number 15 in the UK album chart and number 1 in rock chart. And already with the first two songs ‘Underdose’ and ‘Firefly’ (both of which I actually know) you can see why. Back in the early 2000s they were doing well and to date they have had eight singles in the UK top 100. However, the collapse of Music For Nations in 2004 led the band to get full-time jobs, despite their music careers soaring. Yet here they are nearly twenty years later, working on a new album, and tonight they treat us to a huge 19 track setlist in 90 minutes.

The next few songs I don’t know, and I feel a bit of a fraud in a room full of people clearly reliving their youth but the mood is infectious and I feel part of a special club, one which would be akin to me inviting everyone here to see Alice in Chains or Faith No More. Dave asks the crowd to show their support for the other bands of the night and mentions they previously toured with Brigade back in 1996, so it’s all about the nostalgia tonight. He introduces the band which has had a few changes over the years, with Dave being the only original remaining member but he is InMe and InMe are him. He jokes about the next song being not from last year, not the last decade, or even the previous decade but last century, last millennium even. But it still sounds fresh, and the band are clearly enjoying the night, with a few comments about how tiring it is but glad to be back playing live. 

As they make their way through their set Dave introduces a rather poignant and heartfelt number called ‘Trenches’ which he says he wrote when he was just 15! This is quickly followed by another firm audience favourite and another I recognise ‘Neptune’. He then teases that the next song is the last (but having seen the setlist I know it isn’t) but sadly for some of the audience they take him at his word and a handful of people start to disperse. 

After a brief interlude they are back, and we are all invited to Satan’s Hollow for a DJ set after the show. But first we get a further seven songs and after more comments about how sweaty and tired he is Dave introduces ‘All Terrain Vehicle’ and promptly enters the audience to partake in some crowd-surfing. Brilliant. They leave us with ‘Faster the Chase’ and for a band I really wasn’t sure about, at a gig flying solo, I could have quite easily carried on listening for a good while longer. 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
InMe, Brigade, Lost Romantic