Ash, The Subways co-headliner with Jealous Nostril, O2 Ritz, Manchester.

It’s a Tuesday night here in Manchester and it’s an evening ready for mid-2000s rock! Tonight Ash and The Subways take over Manchester’s 02 Ritz, with songs that you’ve probably not heard in a decade, but send you back to a happier place.

Jealous Nostril kick off the night, three lads including Johnny Borrell (Razorlight/The Libertines/Florence and the Machine), Jack Flanagan (Mystery Jets) and Ellis D from London, all dressed in baggy jeans, pinup shirts, casual as you can be as they take to the stage and start the show with little to no introduction, no seriously, they took to the stage and didn’t say a word before jumping into their first track.

This set was a little bit of a surprise as for the previous dates on the tour there hasn’t been a set advertised, so this might have been a shock to most of the fans when they turned up and saw a band already on the stage.

This band is the definition of soft rock but not soft enough to put them within the Indie genre, if you had to find a way to describe them by comparison then I’d put them down with Madness but make them a little heavier, similar drowned out vocals but with slightly heavier riffs. Despite this band being a mix of others, they do sound a lot like Johnny Borell’s other band, The Libertines, which is weird to create a new band with new members but make the sound exactly the same with only slight changes added. The stage presence gives off the vibe of an Indie band with the awkwardness of them on stage and the lack of movement. Despite some songs having a fast tempo the movement is little to none with all members staying in the same place throughout the performance, it could be nerves or it could be “Let’s be Arctic Monkeys but less indie; let’s give off that vibe” The Monkeys are known for their lack of stage presence so they could be going for that?

5/10

Setlist

Lovebomb
Paper.scissor.needle
Phase 6
California is Their Kryptonite
Stop & Stop
The Kink in the King
Everyday NDA
Cry Cry

Now time for part one of the headliners on this tour, The Subways. This band is one of those where you cannot not have heard at least one of their songs over the past twenty years, whether it’s on tv or in a movie you’ve heard a few songs without a doubt. A band that’s been going for twenty years now and certainly knows how to move across the stage.

With a happy vibe of 2000s soft rock, they move with the tempo of every song, with bassist Charlotte Cooper with the most amount of energy as she shuffled across the stage and her hair flying everywhere, with the energy and glittery converse it’s hard not to miss every second of her performance.

Fans are screaming across The Ritz and heads are banging left to right, the stage presence definitely reflects onto the room with everyone matching each other’s energy. After having the upbeat vibes for most of the set the tone has to be slowed down for a while, the riffs become slower and deeper along with the lyrics, the crowd going wild and the singalong begins it sounds like pain being let out throughout the room.

The Subways have killed it with their performance tonight and certainly brought the house alive! The bass and guitar along with the drums were perfectly done with each song and everything worked together from presence to the performance of each track itself. But of course they had to finish this set with their legendary song Rock N’ Roll Queen! If you think you’ve never heard of The Subways you know this song at least, if not then you’ve been living under a rock. Definitely one of their heavier songs and an absolute banger and it’s amazing to be able to see this performed live!

And to complete everything, frontman Billy Lunn jumped from the stage and into the crowd for a crowd surfing finisher.

9/10

Setlist:

Oh Yeah
Young for Eternity
Black Wax
We Don’t Need Money to Have a Good Time
Taking All the Blame
Kalifornia
Turnaround
I Want to Hear What You Have Got to Say
Influencer Killed the Rock Star
At 1 Am
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Girls & Boys
With You
Rock & Roll Queen

Finally it’s time for Ash: part two of the headliners for the evening. The band was founded in Northern Ireland in the early 90s, by Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurry. The night kicked off with their explosive anthem “Like a God” from their 2023 album, “Race the Night.” Tim’s guitar riffs set the tone for the night of unbridled rock. We go into “Race The Night”, again, from their latest album, showcasing their ability to blend in their classic sound with something more modern.

“Goldfinger”, a throwback to their 90s heyday with the album “1977” had the crowd singing along to every word. Mark Hamilton’s bassline provided the backbone, while Rick McMurray’s drums drove the rhythm with unrelenting force.

The band then took the audience into a dreamlike state with its haunting melodies of “A Life Less Ordinary”, a song written for the film of the same name starring Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor, in fact it was he who got the band onboard.

“Confessions in the Pool”, followed on before Tim Wheeler announced that it was going to get a bit punkier from now on with “Braindead” which showcased ASH’s ability to craft infectious hooks while maintaining their trademark edge. The relentless energy of “Kung Fu” had the crowd going insane, moshing and going completely off their heads.

As the familiar chords of “Girl from Mars” kicked in, the crowd went into a frenzy! This is one of their most known songs from their breakthrough album “1977”, and it remains a timeless anthem that brought them into success.

They delivered this song as if time has been frozen for the past couple of decades and like this was their first time performing it.

“Crashed Out Wasted” brought some nostalgia into a new song for the long-term fans, with its raw, punk-inspired energy harking back to their early days. This began from the band taking a brief moment to walk off the stage for only a few minutes, the calls and cheers for more brought them back smiling for the final three songs.

The collaboration with The Subways on “Oh Yeah” came about as both bands have a song of the same title. With six musicians now on stage, they infected a fresh dynamic into the set, they merged the two sounds and talents together to create something new and amazing and it blew the crowd away.

The final two songs came quickly after Billy, Charlotte and Camille had left the stage, leaving the remaining band on the stage, “Angel Interceptor” and “Burn Baby Burn” finishing the night with the anthem from the early 2000s, to leave fans with the nostalgia as they leave the stage, and the lights go up everyone tonight left the Ritz happy with such an incredible set. I mean how can you not be!

8/10

Setlist: