Dirty Sound Magnet are no strangers to touring and bringing back their must-see set, they put on a pretty interesting show at Fuel Manchester.
There’s something intriguing about openers Sylvette (8), the way they meld together as a quintet that plays so differently, yet flows so well. You see, despite a rather temperamental PA system on the upstairs of a vegan restaurant, the groups individual dynamics were pulled through. Not everyday do you witness a rock band with a violin player (excluding Yellowcard). While their set did have some faults, a large majority of this comes down to the system around them, certain points each individual rhythm melded into a inescapable plethora of unsettling noise, however this was largely infrequent and the rest of their set was enjoyable. A tight band who know how to synchronise well together (and save themselves from a fall at the back of the stage!)
With a very small discography of music, second supports Stray One (5) didn’t have many options for their set, filling the gaps with cover/original mashups and tracks from previous bands. Can you fill the room with the same energy as the band before as a duo? Its safe to say that it is most certainly more difficult. Yet, they pushed on with their set – even playing unreleased tracks. The highlight of their set were the bands own tracks, but with the sound system not being at its best and the energy flow quickly declining, perhaps this wasn’t the best night for them to perform.
On the other hand, headline act Dirty Sound Magnet (9) brought the full fire of funky rhythms, unstoppable sound and a tremendous wave of sound, a mix to impact the audience almost instantly. Touring the UK is no new idea for DSM, with the band appearing again in the country (and Manchester) for the second time this year and they know how to bring it full pelt.
The crowd was rather small, with just a handful of people in a small room, but did this stop them? Not at all. Its hard to find a band comparable in terms of energetic approach when it comes to DSM, with such high energy never diminishing through the full set, one does wonder how they do it. Tracks high in popularity such as ‘Western Lies’ and ‘Homo Economicus’ brought out the energy, both from the band and the crowd, even with little dancing lines forming around the room. A downside to the performance however was the technical difficulties that had ravaged the night already, leaving elements clashing instead of flowing like in the recorded tracks, or some aspects just not working or being heard whatsoever. The majority of downsides to the set is placed on the overall sound system, not the band as an entirety as for most of the show, for the execution of their tracks was almost perfect. Practising and performing for 10 years is definitely shown in their performances. Even the final track of the night, despite this being played as an instrumental, this was perhaps the most intriguing and experimental tracks of all, with Stavros (Guitar/vox) running and jumping around the room getting everyone up and dancing along. Quite an interesting way to end a show, a memorable way as well.
Dirty Sound Magnet faced some issues at the show, but they didn’t let that stop them. The energy, power and dedication of this band comes through every element and watching them only solidifies this more. Definitely a band to see live, the rest of the tour dates can be found below!
EUPHORIA OF BREAKDOWN 