Another BBC showcase at The Ruby Lounge was the setting for the return of Cleethorpes rock n' roll sensations ORPHAN BOY to their adopted home, and the first Manchester airing of their brilliant sophomore album 'Passion, Pain and Loyalty'.
The main attraction were ably backed by a superb double support. First to take the stage were Manchester-based 4-piece rock n' rollers LITTLE VOLCANOES, who kick-started what turned out to be a fantastic night with a powerful and passionate performance. Ostensibly, the lads were out to showcase their debut single 'Scars' (recently released on MMR), but this dub-reggae percussion/falsetto vocal A-side was just one of several hi-octane gems that triggered instant appeal.
The 'spend-all-my-money' hooklined 'Everybody Does It', and 'My P-45' combined brute force with irresistible melodies.
Lofty lead vocalist Phillip Quinn looks nothing like your archetypal front man, but his undoubted vocal ability was the perfect foil for guitarist Chris Fry's sugar-coated chord progressions.
After flying out of the blocks at full throttle, the sheer pace did ease off, but there was no real let-up as the slower numbers fair smouldered to match the intensity of their 100mph flying start.
There was barely time to grab a drink and a minute before the Ruby Lounge was collectively locked into a mesmerising and utterly irresistible ska/dub reggae groove that came live and direct courtesy of the mesmerising and incomprehensibly mind-blowing JANICE GRAHAM BAND.
Their collective youth (probably just 18, they look nearer 16) made their accomplished and authentic reproduction of classic Jamaican 6T's bluebeat/rocksteady sounds all the more gravity-defying.
Sharp, original and true to their own Salford roots, the fresh-faced dub heroes flew out of the blocks, with trumpet player Josh Hunt revelling in his role as not-so-secret weapon.
Skanked-out odes to crack whores were counterbalanced with moments of pure celebration that got limbs and feet moving on autopilot. Their Salfordian swagger was prominent throughout thanks to the likeable and constant rantings of singer/bassist Joe Jones who kept up a pro-Doctor Who/anti BBC stance throughout: nice one mate, I don't think the Beeb sort these groups out with so much as a penny:
I fell hook, line and sinker for the mind-blowing storm kicked up by this ultra-youthful quartet,who could easily be mistaken for a full-on dub reggae sound system. Their breathtaking set was like a hypnotic timewarp, yet Jones still urged on the captivated audience from behind his chest-high bass in a relentless bid to rally the few remaining static bodies into motion.
Perhaps the key to all of this is maximum reverb, and Hunt's trumpet of course, but.to a man, the whole band skank and bounce about with justified one hundred per cent self-belief and a die-hard party spirit:
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There's a dark side too: the anonymous pitch-black and half-paranoid interpretation of the 70's allnighter scene 'That's Northern Soul' hit home with startling accuracy.
'You Can Dance' brilliantly encapsulated the overall spirit of what the JGB are all about: it's said that if you don't like them, then you're lying. On this showing, the truth of that statement hit home in full.
The quartet rounded their stunning set off with an aptly-titled free-for-all called 'Carnival', complete with another killer chord descent that almost knocks the floor from underneath me. Absolute class from start to finish!
With the scene brilliantly set, main attraction ORPHAN BOY proceeded to hit fever pitch with a performance consisting exclusively of tracks from their brilliant, brand-new second album 'Passion, Pain and Loyalty'.
Opener 'Anderson Shelter Blues' revealed yet another weapon in OB's ever-developing armoury via Bobby Cross's harmonica intro. Cross's songs form the bulk of the new record, and onstage, he's pushed to the fore, his lead vocal narrative constantly in tandem with simultaneous guitar/keyboard playing.
The sheer pace was relentless throughout; Chris Day's effortless rimshot drumming is stronger than ever, whilst Cross was ever-enigmatic out front. It was left to bassist Paul Smith to indicate the overall sky-high confidence onstage with a permanently broad grin.
'I sold my only pop song/For a handshake and a li-i-ie-e-e” orchestrated Cross and Smiffy in unison as the album's first single took hold. The keyboard riff is hypnotic, the tale poignant and full of melancholy – the audience reaction was unanimously positive.
It was a blinding gig that further highlighted the new record's quality as well as the trio's overall strength-in-depth. '1989' sounded epic with it's hi-hat heartbeat pulse, looping piano hook and ever-heightening tension:
“I grew up with the sound of England sleeping” sang Cross, signalling all-out mayhem before the tom-tom heavy 'Untitled #9' wowed the frenzied audience yet again.
The night hit a peak as the band fired into another swipe at Blighty via the thunderous and scathing singalong 'Some Frontier'. Orphan Boy are back with a vengeance, and surely this time the world will take notice.
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