Drums at Sound Control
OK, so I had the hottest ticket in Manchester on Saturday night when I went down to review new club Sound Control... |
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Not only did I sample the venue but up and coming band The Drums were playing a set following their NME gig at the Academy.
Sound Control, on New Wakefield Street in the buzzing Southern Quarter opened as a venue in December last year but in its previous life was an instrument store which sold Oasis their first guitars. The history speaks for itself and the decision to keep the name was deliberate to keep the memories of a previous Manchester alive.
The question on everyone’s lips was whether this could potentially be the ‘new Hacienda’, rather than FAC251 which opened on Friday night... The three floors and huge industrial rooms lend a similar vibe to the Hacienda, known for bringing together a variety of creative people to produce something exciting and new. Similarly, Ben Taylor, promotion manager for Sound Control points out that the venue doesn’t want to pigeonhole itself to a certain genre of music but wants to welcome everyone and cater to a variety of different tastes.
With Let’s Dance by David Bowie playing on arrival and a mix of 60s and 70s tunes throughout, the vibe was chilled out and eclectic. The size of the venue encouraged you to roam around and explore but the basement club wasn’t open which was a shame. Quite a few people were asking at the end whether there was a night on after the gig and the answer was no...It would have been more of an experience had I been able to sample the whole club.
Feature band The Drums are from Florida via New York, they have been named by the BBC as one of the top 15 Sounds of 2010.
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Their set was vibrant and energetic – a lot of jumping around and at one point some excellent tambourine rhythm. Considering they had only just finished a gig and were actually going on to play another at FAC251 afterwards, their energy was incredible! Drummer Connor Hanwick said afterwards he felt he “could barely, barely play the drums” one more time. New single ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ and the first song they wrote ‘Best Friend’ got the whole crowd going and one fan was so crazed he jumped on stage and had to be escorted off.
Speaking to people in the crowd revealed that most of them had turned up specifically to see The Drums having seen them in Manchester two months ago at the Deaf Institute. Everyone in the club began to gather upstairs once the support act Surfer Blood started who perfectly set up the main act with their upbeat indie rock and roll.
Paul (21) and Will (20) were particular fans of The Drums and told me they liked Sound Control as a gig venue but were unsure how it would work for a standard night out – “It feels like an attic with a bar downstairs which is perfect for live music”.
The industrial, stripped back setting perfectly complimented a slightly gritty, up to the minute music venue. With exposed beams and bare features the black, red and grey colours spoke for themselves, modernising the existing structure.
When asked whether Sound Control could become a Hacienda, Paul and Will were sceptical... because they believed FAC251 has the direct history and that Sound Control should concentrate on their own unique feel to distinguish themselves from the competition.
Chatting after the gig, Jonathan Pierce (lead singer of The Drums) said he loved Sound Control as a venue because it felt intimate and he could communicate with the crowd. He was excited about Manchester and told me how much he’d like to write a song here as “there’s something reverent about it”. Drummer Connor was equally complimentary of our city – “I love Manchester. We played Night and Day festival and then met Mike Joyce from The Smiths and recorded at his house - it’s incredible”.
Fans Clare and Matthew both 24, described Sound Control as the “perfect size for gigs” and added that for “bands on the verge of being big” it’s fantastic because it’s a mix of a night out and a gig which brings different types of music together.
Manchester is known for being at the heart of some of the best new music so considering Sound Control was known by the Manchester music scene for being a one stop music shop means the venue should fare well.
All in all...I’m not entirely sure that Sound Control is the ‘new Hacienda’. In all honesty I don’t think that could – or even should - be replicated but it makes a seriously good crack at doing exactly what it intends to - become Manchester’s most impressive one stop live music venue, basement club and ground floor feeder bar. If it continues to attract bands like The Drums and Manchester band Kid British it will earn a rep for being right at the front of new music which does imitate the most positive aspect of the Hacienda...
