Live Review : The Blackout + Dead Pony + Mouth Culture @ Academy, Manchester on February 19th 2024

When they first rose to prominence in the late Noughties, early 2010’s, The Blackout were following in the footsteps of an incredibly healthy and flourishing Wales Metal Scene. Bullet For My Valentine & Funeral For A Friend appealed to the Goths and Emo’s, Kids In Glass Houses & Neck Deep were the champions of the Alternative/Pop Punk Scene. The Blackout sat perfectly positioned right in the middle of this. Heavy enough to incite action in the pit, but with the song writing finesse and presentation to become bonafide idles to those who prefer things on the lighter side. Tonight, they are back. At least for now. After a triumphant return, performing their first show in 8 years at Download Festival, Sean Smith, Gavin Butler and Co. take The Blackout back out on the road for the first time in nearly a decade. 

I hold absolutely no reservations in saying that I think tonight’s opening act, Mouth Culture, are going to be the next big thing. Ever since stumbling across them on TikTok about 3 months ago, I instantly fell in love with their take on a very recognisable yet nonetheless effective blend of Post Rock/Post Hardcore. As a result of this, I was massively anticipating their opening set hoping that their hugely impressive back catalogue translates just as well onto a big stage.  

Being a new band, there is naturally a couple of creases that needed ironing out for tonight’s performance, a couple of missed beats here and there, an up and down mix that didn’t always do the band justice, however, it is to be expected. The difficult part about being a new band trying to win over a room as big as the Manchester Academy, is having the songs, and they most definitely do. Songs like ‘Don’t Pull Up’ and ‘15 Missed Calls’, the latter of which has already surpassed 1 million streams on Spotify, are just itching to break free from the shackles of the underground and break through into the mainstream and when they inevitably do, it’ll help launch Mouth Culture out into the stratosphere. I  haven’t been this excited about and had such expectations of a band of this ilk since Holding Absence, and it seems to be going alright for Lucas Woodland and Co. Mouth Culture. Remember the name.  

Opting to choose to come on stage to their own rendition of The Prodigy’s, ‘Voodoo People’, Scotland’s Dead Pony shown their hand within 30 seconds, giving an instant glimpse into the type of band Dead Pony want to be. They instantly reminded me of a mixture of Vukovi and Marmozets with their modern take on Nu Metal meets electronic; stabby guitars, sampling and massive choruses are the name of the game here. As a live band, Dead Pony ooze confidence. Despite being a relatively new band, they have built a name for themselves through consistent touring, prominent support slots and a constant presence in the festival scene. It is through this hard work that the band have established their ability to come across with this confidence, as they’re bloody good, and they know it. Vocalist Anna Shields could very well be a future star of the scene and I wouldn’t be surprised if Dead Pony become a constant presence for years to come. 

Finally, after nearly a decade, I was about to see The Blackout again. Things got off to an incendiary start with show opener ’This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’. If anyone needed an introduction to The Blackout, this song is it. It combines an outrageously catchy and anthemic chorus, a neat little break down and massive singalong potential. Within 30 seconds The Blackout didn’t just announce their return, they proved that even after 9 years, they haven’t missed a single step. The perks of a reunion tour without any new music to showcase is that they can have full creative licence on what songs they choose to play without worrying about promoting a new or upcoming record. This worked perfectly in their favour as the strong start was kept up for the duration of their set as a result of having an extensive back catalogue of absolute bangers. ‘Shutthefuckuppercut’, check. ‘Higher and Higher’, check. ‘Children of the Night’, check. Every base of their history was covered in this setlist and I’d be extremely surprised if anyone walked out the room disappointed. 

Despite their extended hiatus and there being a passing of certain torches in that time, the once popular dual threat vocalist approach to their music could be considered outdated. It’s not something that is exercised all too much anymore, however The Blackout seem to make it appear timeless. Vocalists Sean Scott and Gavin Butler complement each other perfectly, each having their own style, range and personalities that created such a huge level of likability. Scott especially was absolutely hilarious in the downtime between songs, turning these sections into his own little stand up comedy sets. Antics aside, when it came to vocals, nothing at all was left in 2015. They shown 0 signs of being a band who had not been around for years and instead were absolutely pitch perfect. I wouldn’t have blamed them if there was little bits of rust kicking about here and there, but this just wasn’t the case.  

There was absolutely nothing that The Blackout done, or could’ve done wrong tonight. The sincerity and appreciation they had to be able to be back up on that stage, doing what they loved, squashed any claims of doing this as a quick cash grab. They did this because they wanted too and because they missed it. Reports are suggesting the future surrounding The Blackout is uncertain, and no one knows whether this is a one and done kind of tour, or if it’s an experiment to test the waters of a full on return, however all I can say, is I’m grateful to have been able to see The Blackout one more time. I sure hope this isn’t the end, but if it is, tonight at Manchester Academy, was a spectacular way to start out their victory lap.  

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
The Blackout, Dead Pony, Mouth Culture