ManBREAK, The Beekeepers, Redwood
The Riverside, Newcastle, Sunday, August 31


YOU CAN almost hear the thump as ManBREAK come back to earth. The Scouse five-piece have gone from Stateside sheds on the Live tour to playing in front of 30 bodies in the space of a week. Doubtless, this hardy group has been lured out by mutterings of the 'next big thing' variety. And this is one occasion wherein the hype is amply justified.
First up to face the void, though, are Redwood. Surrey's finest sound like Feeder with the jagged edges rubbed down, and possess a homegrown vibe that must owe something to the fact that they look like they've just been dragged out of a tunnel under Manchester airport's new runway.
The Beekeepers are sharper and spikier; every beat causes them to leap several feet in the air. Big, daft and punky, they wriggle like puppies in a sack. Stay tuned.
'Stillness' isn't much of a buzz-word in the ManBREAK camp either. You can tell this by the way they conduct themselves with all the decorum of a bouncy castle full of five-year olds, tumbling onto the stage and spilling their day-glo tunes with unstoppable momentum. Jesus, they must have made Live look like a bunch of Chelsea pensioners.
ManBREAK play for half-an-hour tonight, which is long enough for frontgob Swindelli to wow with his Tony Ferrino moves, and ample time to convince even the densest observer that 'Ready Or Not' is a hit in any language. Sure, sour types will point out that there may very well be more sauce than substance happening here, and Pop Will Eat Itself fans will cry that their band can do this too. But there's no arguing with a chorus the size of 'It's On', or with a delivery this effervescent in the face of such devout apathy.
ManBREAK will have you. It's just a question of when.

MOST ROCKING MOMENT: ManBREAK's 'Ready or Not'.
LEAST ROCKING MOMENT: A crowd would have been nice.
BEST ONSTAGE QUOTE: "How many of you masturbate in front of the TV?" - ManBREAK's Swindelli.
VERDICT: Pearls before nobody.

Written by Liam Shiels; from Kerrang!, September 20, 1997

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