Heavy and Fast-Paced, Delivered with Self-Belief and Passion
Manchester Academy was the venue of choice for a night of Indie/Rock, led by the very excellent The Reytons. But before we could get to the Sheffield rockers there was some very impressive bands to check out before.
Arriving a little late to get into the pit to get some photos (sorry guys), but I caught the second half of the set of The Luka State, and i now definitely have these guys on my radar. What I was greeted with was some high octane, four on the floor, in your face Indie Rock. The band created so much energy on the stage you could almost taste it! Fast paced and raw, I really enjoyed what they did, and I will definitely be checking out these Cheshire lads when they play shows of their own.
Following on from Luka State were another band I hadn’t had the chance to check out before, hometown Manchester lads Corella. Just as impressive as the band that went before, but with a more refined, smooth take on alt pop/rock, signed to highly vibing Manchester record label ‘Scruff Of The Next”. These lads are all about catchy choruses and clever riffs, all backed up with the confidence of a band who know they are going places.
Then it was time for Sheffield’s new guitar heroes, The Reytons. The band are Jonny Yerrell – Vocals, Joe O’Brien – Lead Guitar, Lee Holland – Bass Guitar and Jamie Todd’ – Drums. Touring to promote their first long player, due to be released at the beginning of November and aptly titled “The Kids Off The Estate”. I first caught the band at NBHD Weekender earlier in the year and they have been firmly on my ones-to-watch list ever since.
The band bounced onto the stage, to a fully sold-out Academy 2 and right from the very first bars of their opening song, “Red Smoke” it was obvious that The Reytons are at tight outfit who have honed their skills playing live, and it shows.
The Reytons play lad Indie Rock with attitude and are taking no prisoners along the way. There are shades of The Artic Monkeys circa “Favourite Worst Nightmare”, but they are an Indie band from Sheffield, after all. They definitely have their own style and sound, heavy and fast-paced, delivered with self-belief and passion. Lead singer, Jonny Yerrell, paced from one side of the stage to the other, singing and preaching to the packed crowd in front him. “We Are All Reytons” was the war cry and that’s how it felt; this band has the amazing ability to make the whole crowd feel like part of something bigger, part of the band, a member of a team, them against the world.
The band bounced, the crowd bounced, the venue vibrated with pure adrenalin as the Reytons ripped their way through their set of old tracks from their first release, and of course tracks from the up coming long-player. My favourite track of the night for pure energy and crowd participation was “Low Life”. Now, that is a banger, the whole of the Academy 2 went absolutely mental!
These boys create such camerarderie with their fans that, at one point in the show, they stopped playing, put their instruments down and gathered themselves and the crowd together to pay tribute to a Reytons fan who I think died on his way home from a recent gig. This feeling of oneness with their fans seems as equally important as the music itself to The Reytons.
All in all, The Reytons are a very impressive band with great songs and a live show. Their energy is second to none and more importantly a fan base other bands could only wish for, and yes, I am a Reyton too. I really like this band and I hope they have the success they deserve and warrant. Till the next time, boys!
SET LIST
1/ RED SMOKE
2/ ON THE BACK BURNER
3/ HEADACHE
4/ EXPECTATIONS OF A FOOL
5/ HARRISON LESSER
6/ RETRO EMPORIUM
7/ LANDSLIDE
8/ LOW LIFE
9/ SLICE OF LIME
10/ NOTHING TO DECLARE
11/ SHOEBOX
12/ ANTIBIOTICS
13/ KIDS OF THE ESTATE
14/ SMOKE BOYS CARTEL
“KIDS OF THE ESTATE”
PRE ORDER
FOLLOW THE REYTONS
FOLLOW CORELLA
FOLLOW LUKA STATE
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago and married my childhood sweetheart and life is good.
