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Christine and the Queens at Manchester Academy – A haunting rollercoaster of light and dark | Review

A huge show... with a mixed audience reaction.

Kristen MacGregor-Houlston Kristen MacGregor-Houlston - 8th September 2023

Every now and again, we get invited down to see some of the best music acts.

And when the opportunity to see Christine and the Queens at Manchester Academy popped up, I jumped at the opportunity.

This is the second stop on Chris’ European and US tour for his new album PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE – which is inspired by Tony Kushner’s play, Angels in America – and a follow-up to the critically-acclaimed 2022 album Redcar.

There is a tense air of anticipation for the show to begin, and the stage is dotted with Angelic figures, before Chris starts the show topless – which gets a couple of gasps from the crowd.

The show is split into three parts, reflecting the three elements of the album name. The band puts on a haunting performance, a far-cry from the upbeat, pop-style music that many may have been expecting.

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Christine and the Queens / Credit: Publicity pictures

The show definitely splits the crowd, both in who was attending, and in how people were reacting.

Christine and the Queens has a broad reach and diverse audience, with a surprising number of older concert-goers. From the murmurings I could hear around me, some people were hugely-impressed with the entrancing battle on stage between love, pain, and religion, whilst others seemed to be frustrated and disappointed that they weren’t playing the classics.

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Me, on the other hand? I was captivated.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, the mesmerising light show and performance from Chris was like something I’ve never come across – and I loved it.

It’s clear that this performance, and the album, is reflective of Chris’ journey with his queerness, recently announcing his new pronouns as he/him. The band itself is named after the drag queens that Chris lived with in his younger years, and a love letter to the way they helped him explore his gender and self.

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The performance is a poetic and dramatic exploration of ones’ self, with Chris transitioning between his topless form, to an armoured warrior, and finally becoming an angel himself, and it was magical (if you like that sort of thing).

This new album and tour isn’t going to be for everyone, and if you’re expecting some pop hits, then this isn’t for you.

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But, if you want to hop on board an evocative journey of self discovery and expression, then the PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE tour is where it’s at.

Featured Image – Publicity picture

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Sterephonics frontman Kelly Jones reveals that Noel Gallagher is back in the studio

Danny Jones Danny Jones Noel Gallagher back in the studio working on new material

Stereophonics lead singer Kelly Jones has graciously revealed to music fans that new Gallagher tunes could be on the way, as he confirmed that Noel has been back in the studio and working on new material.

The big question is, has Liam been in there with him?…

Broken rather nonchalantly in an interview with NME, Jones didn’t so much let the news slip as much as he seemingly just casually dropped it into conversation, mentioning that he bumped into the older Gallagher brother recently.

As he puts it – frustratingly briefly, might we add (sorry, fanaticism will do that to you) – the Oasis icon and High Flying Birds frontman has been doing some songwriting, but the details were scarce.

The 50-year-old ‘Phonics frontman, who was discussing the release of their 13th studio album as well as his own solo project last year, was asked his thoughts on the legendary Britpop band’s upcoming reunion shows and the impact they had on his own career.

“Funnily enough, I found some old pictures of me and Noel rehearsing when he used to have a studio down in Windsor recently, just before we toured America”, said Jones. “We were having a laugh about them and I asked him what he’d been up to and he said he’d been doing some writing in the studio.

The unmistakable Welsh vocalist went on to add: “I’m assuming he’s doing some writing for either his stuff or if they’re [Oasis] gonna bring out a couple songs, I don’t know.”

It seems the pair are still more than friendly, though he gave little away about his relationship with Liam Gallagher; the two British rock groups did share somewhat of a rivalry in the 90s and 2000s, with Stereophonics making no secret of Oasis inspiring their own music.

Describing the band in their heyday, Jones described the period “kind of chaotic and mayhem but it was all very joyous”, insisting that things are very different nowadays but that he is not the less excited than a whole new generations of fans are going to be able to see them live for the first time

As for whether he and his bandmates will be able to find the time, he revealed in a subsequent chat live on Radio X that their own tour clashes may mean they’ll miss out on the Live ’25 tour experience.

Further reflecting on the age of streaming, content overload and what some would argue is an overabundance of media, Kelly said of art and music in particular that “people need it now more than they’ve needed it in a long time.”

We don’t know whether or not Noel’s return to songwriting is for the next High Flying Birds record or whether the rumours are true and new Oasis music really is on the way.

As much as we love his solo stuff, PLEASE let it be the latter.

We do know that the siblings are said to be getting on swimmingly so far and even spent some of the Easter break together, according to LG himself. Here’s hoping they were throwing around ideas for another instant hit.

Oasis classic voted the greatest British song of all time once again
Noel Gallagher has written 16 of the top 100, and there are a few Stereophonics ones in there too.

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Featured Images — Drew de F Fawkes (via Flickr)/Antje Naumann (via Wikimedia Commons)

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An old indie favourite is heading back to Manchester for a ‘Best Of Tour’ at a brilliant venue

Danny Jones Danny Jones The Pigeon Detectives Manchester gig tickets

Time to roll back the years as old-school indie favourite The Pigeon Detectives are coming back to Manchester for a special show at one of the most stunning venues in the city.

We swear, if we could find our old iPod, their tracks would still be all over it.

Coming back to another part of the North that always showed them plenty of love, The Pigeon Detectives will be playing a special ‘The Best of Tour’ in line with their latest record, Still Not Sorry.

The Manc gig comes as the Yorkshire lads announced just six UK headline sets to support the album release, but let’s be honest, they were never going to skip 0161, were they?

With only half a dozen domestic dates confirmed so far, including the likes of Manchester, a homecoming night in Leeds and up in Glasgow, this really does feel like a return that long-standing fans won’t want to miss.

The new LP, which is a greatest hits compilation featuring the very best tracks from their discography that stretches over two decades, drops next month and we’re very ready to pump some adolescent nostalgia into our ears.

And best of all, they’ll be playing all the cult favourite Pigeon Detectives tracks at the simply stunning New Century Hall, marking just their second visit to the venue.

Boasting the food and beer hall downstairs as the ideal pre-gig location, not to mention a sprung dancefloor and those iconic, mesmerising lights, it’s a nigh on perfect space for live music.

We’re not exaggerating when we say we’ve had some of our best gigs in recent memory here.

Speaking in a lengthier statement on social media, the boys from Rothwell wrote: “If a band is lucky (and hardworking, and fairly decent at what they do!) there comes a time in their career when they realise that the journey they started as mates messing about on guitars has culminated in a hefty bunch of songs that people actually care about and connect with!

“At this point, the only logical next step is to take a breath, reflect back through the archives and assemble a ‘Best Of’ album. We’ve reached that point, Pigeon Heads!”

They describe the project as a collection of songs and memories that chart their career from their humble beginnings in Leeds to their “adventures around the globe”, where they have been fortunate enough to “some of the biggest stages on the planet.”

“As a band it’s always felt like we had to do things the hard way, even with an amazing set of supportive fans”, they go on to add, “but we just kept on writing songs, kept on playing gigs and kept on being The Pigeon Detectives. Us against the world. We weren’t sorry then, and we’re Still Not Sorry now!”

Maybe it’s our age showing but those last few lines alone have got us feeling all teary-eyed.

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The Pigeon Detectives come to New Century on Saturday, 29 November, which will be the closing night of their ‘Best Of’ run.

The greatest hits album arrives on 23 May via Dance To The Radio and tickets for all other shows go on general sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am.

You can also gain access to pre-sale by pre-ordering Still Not Sorry. Get ready to grab tours HERE.

They’re not the only throwback we’re looking forward to catching this year.

Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Elvis ain’t dead and neither are Scouting.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Nina Zimmerman (via Flickr)/Resident Music

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