Waeve - Club Academy, Manchester, 18/3/2025

  by Amanda J. Window

published: 17 / 4 / 2025

As a big fan of Blur back in the day, I had high expectations of seeing The Waeve live. The tour, which is promoting their new album 'City Lights' , kicked off in Glasgow two niightsago Tonight’s gig in Manchester had been downgraded from the Academy 2 to the Club Academy which is a much smaller venue. I'd put it down to low ticket sales and it being a Tuesday night. The show opened with 'Love Is All Pain', whiich was slow from the offset, and followed by 'Broken Boys', Sadly their set got more disappointing as the night went on. The energy on stage was minimal, Rose Elinor Dougal confessed that she was tired and she spoke in between every song (which I found off-putting) about 'parenthood' and daughter Eliza May's reference to 'poo' which, I for one, hadn't bought a ticket to hear – maybe keep that information for Mumsnet in future, Rose! Two guys were talking rather loudly towards the back – only to be heckled a few times'– I can only assume that they were disheartened quiet a too. Rose was centre of the stage and I felt the band’s stage presence would have benefitted if Graham Cpxon had been in the centre – because at the end of the day – that is who the audience had actually gone to see – as the 'loud guys’ at the back had mentioned'. 'Over and Over' was the sixth song to be sung (an id actually one I usually like) but tonight it was disappointing as Rose's tiredness was obviously showing as her vocals were rather monotone. 'Eternal' was next and was followed by 'Eliza May', which was obviously the one the pair wanted to sing most of all but my toes or sing along – 'Sleepwalking', & 'Drowning' were good choices - but with so much talking in between songs it put a damp squib on the rest of the show – there was no rapacious applauds at songs opening or loud whistles as songs closed, which was a shame but I assume the audience mirrored the low energy coming from the stage. When the chords of 'Kill Me Again' started it the audience seemed more engaged. It really is a good song and it was nice to hear it live. ‘Sunrise’ was the last song of this set before they briefly left the stage and re-emerged to sing 'Can I Call You?' and 'Druantia' Apologies if you were at the gig and thought differently, but I really expected more from this band. The shy boy from Blur still hasn't quite come out of his shell very much and it's a shame because the only time he really got going was on the last song where he went into a full on guitar frenzy on the floor of the tiny stage – that's what I'd have expected from Coxon from the start - not the final two minutes. However, their support act – White Magic for Lovers were very good despite it being their first time ever on stage. In a few years I'd like to see them again, without the debut nervousness and a lot more confidence - but all in all some nice tunes came from their set.

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