Over the past few months, The Sly have garnered a considerable following for a band with one song released. Combine that with the huge artwork on the Vinyl Revival shutters in town, and their stacked headline gig at the Deaf Institute becomes a must-see. What is this all about?
A lineup brimming with upcoming talent: Poor Effort, Sugar Tax and then The Sly is the sort of bill that has the potential to be a gig that people brag about attending in 20 years’ time. And yet, in typical Bee Network fashion, I was late and missed Poor Effort completely. But walking in just after was a real shock to the system; the place was much busier than expected, leading to a ridiculous wait for a pint, but just in time for Sugar Tax. Perfect.
Throughout their set, all I could think about was their infectious happiness on stage; these lot are having a great time, and it translates across to the crowd. I found a really striking similarity to the way I felt seeing Westside Cowboy for the first time; they just bring joy to the whole venue. Their track Bicycle was a barrel of fun, and it feels like they have a real chance of making it, purely based off their live performances. I’d absolutely love to see a full set from them at their own gig at some point.
Then The Sly rock up; there’s clear camaraderie between all the bands on the bill, practically a huge set of mates putting on a gig and having a good time. But the crowd seems particularly giddy for The Sly; chants start up in pockets around the venue for the drummer and vocalist, Levon. And to be fair, he doesn’t half look cool here; he looks like he’s come straight out of a Bill and Ted phone booth from the 70s. These lot just ooze style, but can the music back it all up? Considering they’ve only got one track out, this gig is their biggest opportunity to prove Head First isn’t just a one-off.
It definitely isn’t. If anything, Head First wasn’t even one of my favourite tracks of the setlist. It’s pretty tough to talk about songs live when they’ve all got no title, but one really stood out: proper Mancunian music with Stone Roses inspired Wah riffage on the guitar and bass. You can tell where these lot are from, and they’ve merged Manchester’s 80s musical heritage with the legends of the 70s rock and roll era. And it sounds fantastic; most of their songs involve twists to rival the end of The Usual Suspects, making The Sly have an undefinable genre, straying away from the derivative indie music of today. Musically, they’re insanely talented; this is no ‘four-on-the-floor’ simple drumming and basic chord melodies. The drums are intricate, and tempos fluctuate throughout songs, something that can’t be pulled off without the band being tight. Bass player Chris holds down the groove, whilst Levon dips in and out of complex drum fills and provides vocals which seem almost impossible to pull off simultaneously, yet he does it easily. Guitarist Eli is ridiculously talented, even more so when you realise the bloke’s only 16; his solo in one of the tracks is brilliant.
After a 45-minute set of all unreleased music apart from Head First, Levon arises from the drum kit, with the band’s merch in hand, and holds up t-shirts with ‘The F***ing Sly’ written on them in bold. These lot know they’re class, and who am I to argue with them. As he throws them out to the crowd, one gets stuck on a wire, and a couple of lads are jumping up to grab it, a souvenir that could very well end up a claim to fame in years to come. In the meantime, the band thank Sugar Tax and Poor Effort and leaves the stage.
I left the Deaf Institute filled with hope for the Manchester music scene, a culture brimming with young talent waiting to be found, tonight being the perfect example.
