Bank Holiday Monday (May 1st) saw the Canadian musician SayWeCanFly (Braden Barrie) return to the UK for the start of his Storyteller Unplugged tour. Manchester was the first stop, hosted in the magnificent venue that is Satan's Hollow.
It's honestly as though Halloween never ends there- there's skeletons and Frankenstein's monsters everywhere, and the merch corner looked like a graveyard. It was incredible!
And to match the awesome venue was the music. Supporting Braden were One Way Street and Critics, and both are deserving of high praise.
One Way Street opened and set the tone for the rest of the evening. This was the band's first acoustic gig as their usual set up is much heavier. The York trio comprises of Zac Roughton on guitar and vocals, Jake Roughton on drums (or a cajón in this case), and Bryn Portas on bass. Their set was made up of a few of their own songs and a cover of Blink-182's 'Dammit', which was accidentally played in the wrong key but sounded great all the same. Their sound is very similar to Blink-182's, so if you like that then you should check them out.
You can check out the band by going to their Facebook page, and support them by buying their EP, Secrets.
Next up was Critics, another trio but with a completely different sound. The band, from London/Essex/Nottingham, comprises of Lynn Paighton on vocals, Jack Lawson on guitar, and Jamie Lowes on keyboard (and usually synth). Simply put: if Panic! At The Disco were in the room then I doubt you could tell the difference. Their song 'Famous' was amazing and they got the audience ready for SayWeCanFly.
Watch the music video for 'Famous' below.
Check out Critics via their Facebook page and have a listen to their EP. Spilt Milk.
After a quick move around of the set, and two guitars positioned ready and waiting, Braden Barrie came on stage ready to perform an incredible SayWeCanFly acoustic set.
The first six songs were played plugged, with Braden's wonderful voice filling the room. He opened with 'Dandelion Necklace', followed by my personal favourite 'Song of the Sparrow'. 'I Didn't Know' and 'Bruise My Bones' also immersed the venue in beautiful music, followed by a cover of The Weeknd's 'Starboy'. Watch my recording of 'Song of the Sparrow' below (sorry for the bad quality!).
When he said unplugged, he literally meant it: the microphone was switched off and the wire unplugged from his guitar. This did mean that the audience had to be quieter during his songs but, with a relatively small crowd, it also made the gig so much more intimate. Braden's voice is amazing and raw, and he definitely made each song wonderful without the added volume.
'The Art of Anesthesia' and 'Seventeen' were crowd favourites, with everyone singing the lyrics back to Braden. It was so lovely to see the genuine love Braden has for his fans and how much he means to them.
'Intoxicated I Love You' brought the set to a close as everyone sang louder than they had done for the rest of the set. You can check out the full setlist below.
To document the tour that Braden has put so much into, he took a photo of the audience after his set had ended. Can you spot me?get ready for some throwbacks. flying to the UK this weekend to start my fav tour of all time. #storyteller 😘 pic.twitter.com/MK5C2N9e2I— Braden Barrie (@SayWeCanFly) April 25, 2017
It was such a brilliant show from start to finish, and I was lucky enough to say hi to Braden and One Way Street's drummer Jake after the show.
I can't express enough how fantastic Satan's Hollow is- if you're about in Manchester and like Halloween-y/creepy things, check it out.
Go to SayWeCanFly.net to find information about the Storyteller Unplugged tour including the upcoming dates, as well as loads of music and merchandise.
Photo credit: Braden Barrie?
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