LIVE REVIEW: Good Neighbours, Master Peace & FLETCHR FLETCHR @ New Century Hall, Manchester

It’s not often you get a line up that demands you arrive the second the doors open but that was the case last Friday night at Manchesters New Century Hall.

Headlining the night was the energy-fuelled Indie Pop duo Good Neighbours but first up was FLETCHR FLETCHR, one of the most exciting new live acts in the country. 

From start to finish their set was filled with a dramatic tension. A blend of moody synths, dense drum beats and echoed vocals that floated through the venue. It was a whirlwind of hypnotic, gothic indie sound laced with singalong chorus’ and a bubbling hype as you waited for their tracks to explode. And when they did, the room was shaking, namely in their fan favourite ‘Whenever, whenever.’ which was the perfect cinematic opening to the night. 

Indie rapper Master Peace then followed who continued to raise the energy with his fast flow vocals and high-octane stage presence. Each song landed with a punch that had people bouncing, even those just stumbling into the venue unsure who Master Peace was. 

Good Neighbours then completed the night with a set that can only be described as anthemic, each moment amplified to the max with the huge drum sound that plays a key feature in the set. They barrelled through the majority of their debut album ‘Blue Sky Mentality’ which was an apt title for the feeling in the crowd.

Throughout the night, hits like ‘Home’ and ‘Ripple’ released an uplifting wave across the audience as their on stage presence just radiated with positivity. The chorus’ were huge and begged to be sang back while the percussive power rang around the room.

With elements of Hard Life, MGMT and Empire of the Sun, the electro synth melodies rang with a hyper colour sheen, making you feel like you’re dreaming the best dream you can imagine high up in the crowds. The peak of this euphoria for us came with ‘Keep It Up’, a truly joyous track.

This is not to say that every track is purely positive. They deal with much darker themes on songs like ‘found u/me’ however they still manage to draw an uplifting feeling out of melancholic lyrics in a style akin to Twenty One Pilots.

It was this ability to generate such anthemic euphoria among every single person in the crowd that just blew us away and left us feeling a renewed energy after the show.

Words by James Booton

Photos by Eben Lawlor - @ebenlawlorphotography