It’s rare that you see three major bands in the alternative scene touring together in the UK, and after a long year’s wait since the Menzingers + Joyce Manor + Sincere Engineer European tour was announced I could finally experience the bands I’ve been following avidly for several years in the flesh for the first time.
Sincere Engineer have only been releasing music since 2017, their first ever European tour had an impressive turnout for a band who I would still consider to be newcomers to the alternative scene. The venue was already nearly full at early doors and the crowd’s amazing response to one of the band’s earliest songs ‘Overbite’ made it clear that Sincere Engineer already has a thriving following in England.
Deanna Belos’s raspy vocals make Sincere Engineer one of the most interesting bands in pop-punk right now, but the deep and almost gravelly tone was frustratingly lost in the mix for the first few songs. By the time they played ‘Bottle Lightning Twice’ Deanna’s vocals (and the crowd) finally hit their stride and you could finally appreciate the honest and cathartic lyricism.
Sincere Engineer already has a reputation for a slightly awkward stage presence, but their simple ask of ‘does anyone have any questions?’ in between songs felt really charming and down to earth to me. Not to mention that it led to some bizarre quotes.
Before playing one of their first hits ‘Corn Dog Sonnet No. 7’ the band members were very interested in asking the crowd if we have corn dogs in the UK. The icing on the cake was the fact that one of the guitarists was wearing a red (Make-America-Great Again-Esque) baseball cap which read ‘Do you feel like a fire hydrant and all of your friends are dogs?’.
Questionable fashion was a bit of a theme of the night. If you passed any of these artists on the street, you would never recognise them as the well-established and talented musicians that they are. Joyce Manor walked onto the stage without any dramatics or fuss and they never really paused between songs other than to occasionally thank the other bands.
For any other band, I’d be disappointed by the lack of anecdotes or interaction with the crowd, but Joyce Manor’s music is so catchy and they’ve got a cult following strong enough that they don’t need a big personality or banter to drive people wild.
I’m ashamed to admit it but as soon as Barry Johnson started singing and hopping around the stage I genuinely considered getting a heart tattoo for the frontman (Obviously inspired by ‘Heart Tattoo’ from their 3rd studio album Never Hungover Again). I was (and still am) mesmerised by the effect a bunch of normal-looking guys can have on me as soon as they pick up guitars and start playing songs like ‘Christmas card’ and ‘Don’t Try’.
I was expecting Joyce Manor’s set to be mainly new stuff considering their latest album 40 oz. to Fresno was only released in June this year. Luckily for the fans who were left disappointed by the band’s sixth album, the set list includes hits from across the band’s entire discography- which went down exceptionally well.
As expected the majority of the crowd went absolutely nuts for the iconic ‘Constant Headache’ and ‘Catalina Fight Song’ (the strongest way to end a set I have ever seen), but there was a surprisingly positive reaction to the deeper cuts as well with a few crowd surfers making an appearance.
The average age of members of the crowd was slightly higher than I’m used to seeing at gigs, but it’s unsurprising considering that the Menzingers was formed way back in 2006. With an extensive discography to choose from, the band clearly knew what their audience wanted when they chose their setlist.
There was a decent selection from the latest album Hello Exile (2019) as well as classics like ‘Lookers’, ‘In Remission’ and ‘House on Fire’. I never expected to see a room full of people in their late 20s to mid-40s go absolutely feral but I was caught in a sandwich between the barrier and a mosh pit by just the second song.
Encores tend to be a faux pas for touring bands lately but I’m glad that the Menzingers decided to include one for the Manchester show. I’m sure they must be sick of playing it by now but it simply wouldn’t feel right to end the night without hearing ‘After the Party’.
Will I ever see three bands as talented as the Menzingers, Joyce Manor, and Sincere Engineer all perform on the same tour again? Probably not (unless I move back to the Midwest…) Would I recommend catching the rest of this European tour? Definitely. Will I permanently brand myself with a heart because of Joyce Manor? Stay tuned to find out.