Zutons - New Century Hall, Manchester, 13/4/2024

  by Paul Clark

published: 1 / 1 / 1

intro

Paul Clark enjoys an energetic set from Liverpudlian indie band The Zutons to promote their new band 'The Big Decider'.

It’s good to see The Zutons back in action. That thought sprang to mind when they released the lead single ‘Creeping on the Dancefloor’. It’s a phrase that could have been said before tonight’s gig. It was certainly uttered by many leaving the venue at the end. It was the band’s first gig close to their Liverpool home and it felt like a homecoming, albeit 30 miles east down the M62. The scousers were out in force, having descended on the New Century Hall in their numbers. The Scouse vibe was heightened with the support band Casino. Their name is a nod to the famous casino in Wigan and their take on Northern Soul is quite evocative. They have added their stamp to the sounds that originated in that venue. Lead singer Dillon Kelly has the broadest Scouse accents but when he sings, we’re transported to Detroit or somewhere sunnier than the cold and wet Saturday Mancunian night outside. They can be filed under ones to watch again in the future. The DJ warmed up the audience with a decent selection of tunes that set the mood before The Zutons came on stage. When they emerged, they opened with ‘Zuton Fever’ from their debut album. They certainly had the crowd with this hello. As a theme tune/calling card, it’s perfect. This was followed by songs from the earliest parts of their career, ‘Confusion’, ‘Don't Ever Think (Too Much), and ‘Hello Conscience’. It was noticeable that some of the song arrangements had been extended - nothing too outlandish, or muso, more a case of enhancing already great songs. With a new album to promote, they scattered their new ones throughout the set. The first of the new songs ‘Pauline’ was given an outing. It’s always a hard sell for bands to include new songs, especially when they have a much-loved back catalogue. It’s a funky number that showcases the band’s great harmonies. It also has the hallmarks of producer Nile Rodgers, who worked with the band on the new album. ‘Pressure Point’ showed that Dave McCabe’s vocals haven’t lost anything in the intervening years. They followed that up with ‘Why Won't You Give Me Your Love? From the ‘Tired of Hanging Around’ album. It’s another song that could strain the vocals, thankfully Abi Harding is on hand to add excellent backing. Another of the new songs ‘Best of Me’ features the core of the original band Abi Harding, Sean Payne, and Dave McCabe performing a stripped-down acoustic version of the song. Not for the first time tonight the harmonies are faultless. There would be no chance of an appearance from Nile Rodgers, but his voice did appear in sampled form as an element of the outro of ‘Disappear’, another new number. The perennial favourite of daytime radio ‘Valerie’ almost feels like the band’s gift to the world. It’s never out of the public’s consciousness. That’s especially so at the moment with the release of the Amy Winehouse biopic. It was good that The Zutons can again remind the world that it was their song. In another age, the title track of the new album ‘Big Decider’, would have been a sure-fire single release, given its ready-friendly vibe. It may still get radio play, but not as much as it deserves. They teased the audience with a few strums of ‘Creeping on the Dancefloor’ before they exploded into it. It is the one song that promised much with the new album. It didn’t disappoint when played live. They close with a reprise of ‘Zuton Fever’ and another extended arrangement. It also gave them time to introduce the other band members, including guitarist James Jay Lewis whose guitar work brought a lot to the band’s sound. They still have a hometown gig to go on this tour and I’m sure a few of those there tonight will be going along to see that. They will certainly be popping up at several festivals this summer. Catch them if you can.

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