Audio
Cage the Elephant at Manchester O2 Apollo – as electric, explosive and energetic as ever
AND they brought flowers.
Candlelit dinners, intimate moments, cosy nights in – OR, for a few thousand of us, a Valentine’s Day spent putting our eardrums to the test and watching a slender rock star wriggle about for two hours.
I know which I’d choose, any day of the week, because despite a five-year break from touring, Cage the Elephant remain one of the most electrifying live acts on the planet.
And frontman Matt Shultz still remembered to get us flowers, flinging dozens of red roses into the audience. What a romantic.
The six-piece, formed back in 2006 in Kentucky, are back in town for the first time since early 2020.
In that time, Shultz experienced a medication-induced psychotic breakdown, something he’s spoken publicly about and that he addresses on stage, saying he feels ‘grateful’ to be back performing.
Cage the Elephant have got a new-ish album with them in Neon Pill, but they don’t give it much weight in the setlist, which is mostly filled with songs from Tell Me I’m Pretty, Melophobia and Social Cues.
For long-time fans of the band this is a relief.
It’s hard to beat their tracks like Trouble with its zig-zagging bass, the surprisingly moving Cigarette Daydreams which has an entire room belting along, and the slow-build, semi-Western anthem that is Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.
They get off to a very strong start, firing through Broken Boy, Cry Baby and Spiderhead before they pause to say hello to a crowd that’s been suitably loosened up by the glam-grunge sound of Sunflower Bean, the New York outfit whose lead, Julia Cumming, is either teetering on fiercely high platforms or otherwise thrashing her bass from her knees.
As usual with Cage the Elephant’s staging, most of the kit is crammed into a third of the stage. You need A LOT of space for a firecracker frontman like Matt Shultz, not to mention his guitarist brother Brad.
I can only imagine how chaotic their house was growing up, but they’re the most entertaining siblings in rock n roll and yes, I’m aware how inflammatory that sentence is on a Manchester page.
There’s even a guitar smash towards the end from Brad, which I didn’t think was a thing we were still doing. In this economy!?
The energy they bring to the O2 Apollo is never-ending, like during Mess Around when it seems that Matt might wriggle out of his own skin, Cold Cold Cold where he gets so giddy he can’t keep both feet on the ground, and Sabretooth Tiger which is intensely lively.
The hardest working person in the crew is the poor fella trying to keep Matt spotlit as he judders and slinks back and forth across the stage.
Cage the Elephant clearly LOVE Manchester, even enquiring about the status of Big Hands (yep, still thriving).
And by the time we hit the encore, wrapping up with Come A Little Closer, it’s pretty clear this crowd loves them right back.
Cage the Elephant setlist
Broken Boy
Cry Baby
Spiderhead
Too Late to Say Goodbye
Good Time
Cold Cold Cold
Ready to Let Go
Neon Pill
Social Cues
Halo
Mess Around
Trouble
Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
Skin and Bones
Rainbow
Telescope
House of Glass
Sabertooth Tiger
Encore:
Back Against the Wall
Shake Me Down
Cigarette Daydreams
Come a Little Closer
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Featured image: Cassilyn Anderson
Audio
Beloved British boy band Five are BACK in FULL for the first time in 25 years
Danny Jones
No, your eyes don’t deceive you: all five members of the beloved British boy band Five are set to reunite for the first time in a quarter of a century.
Formed way back in 1997 and dominating the charts throughout the period in and around the millennium, the iconic pop group was the UK’s answer to the Backstreet Boys and NSNYC, as well as a much-needed replacement for Take That just after their split.
And they did exactly that for a number of years, with hit tracks like ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Keep On Movin”, ‘Everybody Get Up’, ‘If Ya Gettin’ Down’ and more still firmly stuck in our memories.
It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, we still remember all the words and the dance moves to go along with them – and we’ll be able to prove it when the Five UK reunion tour comes to Manchester.
Although the London-formed group has reformed every now and again in different configurations over the years for special occasions, anniversary events, etc., this is the first time that the original lineup has been together for 25 whole years.
That’s right, Abz Love, J Brown, Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon will all be reuniting on stage for a limited UK arena tour – because anything less simply wouldn’t be enough to mark this throwback celebration.
More importantly, if you don’t think every single one of these massive rooms is going to sell out in a flash, then you clearly can’t count to five.
As for the Manchester crowd, fans will be welcomed inside the equally legendary AO Arena for the ‘KEEP ON MOVIN’ 2025’ Tour later this year and we can’t wait.
Fellow domestic DJ and producer Naughty Boy will also be joining them as the main support act. We’re rolling back all the memories this autumn.
You can see the rest of the tour dates below, including equally massive shows at The O2 in London, the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, a First Direct Arena date in Leeds and more.
Scott says: “This has been a long time coming and it really does feel right for all of us now – 25 years on and we’re so ready for it. Reconnecting as a 5 over the last year has been special and I know I speak for all the boys when I say we can’t wait to do this all over again. Hope you’re ready!”
Another fifth of the throwback boy band, Abz, added: “We really can’t wait to get back on stage together & see the fans, it’s gonna go OFF! Buzzing to have Naughty Boy on tour with us too… 5 bad boys and a naughty boy, that sounds like a lot of fun. Let’s gooooo!”
General admission for Five’s 2025 UK reunion tour goes live on Friday, 7 March from 10am but die-hards can access the exclusive pre-sale window on Wednesday, 5 March by signing up for the mailing list.
You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.
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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)
Audio
2000s indie rock icons The Enemy continue comeback trail with must-not-miss UK tour
Danny Jones
For fans of old-school indie and noughties contemporary rock, you do not want to miss the one because The Enemy are not just back making music but they’re heading out on a pretty big UK tour and, of course, they’ll be stopping right here in Manchester.
The Enemy first reformed back in 2022 for a limited run of shows, but it turns out the Coventry-formed trio were satisfied with a one-off reunion and a fifth studio album officially being worked on, the fierce Brit rock throwbacks have announced a series of pretty large UK tour dates.
Following on from some hugely successful comeback performances at TRNSMT, Isle Of Wight and a headline slot at Godiva Festival 2023, not to mention the instantly hit ‘Indie Til I Die’ shows last year – including an absolute stormer at Victoria Warehouse – they returning for more.
If you saw the scenes at that most recent gig, you’ll know that skipping this one just isn’t an option.
One of the few bands to make their way back to the live music circuit fully intact, with all three members still performing together, nothing has changed other than a few more grey hairs.
If you weren’t there at the outset, The Enemy’s debut LP We’ll Live And Die In These Towns (2007) was one of the most seminal domestic releases of its time, with songs like ‘You’re Not Alone’ going on to become indie anthems of the era.
To be honest, we’d argue their sophomore outing Music For The People just two years later is the better album, with tracks such as ‘Be Somebody’, ‘Elephant Song’ and ‘No Time for Tears’ still in plenty of our playlists to this day – but, you know, each to their own.
The point is, we’re very glad these lads are back and having played with everyone from Oasis and The Killers to even The Rolling Stones, we’d wager lots of other music lovers are too.
Set to play New Century Hall in Manchester as well as the legendary Leadmill in Sheffield, Beckett Students’ Union in Leeds, Rock City in Nottingham and more, it’s going to be a big tour.
Frontman Tom Clarke, who has put out two solo records of his own in past years, said of the announcement: “We’ve been working long days in the studio recording new material, so we’re really excited to get out on the road again.
“The plan is to experiment with some of the new tunes, maybe different ones on different shows to see how the crowds react and which ones connect with fans, and let that guide the track listing on the record which is nearing completion.”
Co-songwriter and bass player, Andy Hopkins, added: talking about the upcoming tour: “My favourite part of being in a band is having those nights with the fans where the atmosphere is electric – I think this tour is going to be really special for the 3 of us.
“It’ll be the first time we’ve been back to some of these cities in a long time, in venues we absolutely love and have been really important to us on the way up – Electric Ballroom was the first venue we ever played in London supporting The Fratellis, I drove us there with all the amps & guitars in my Fiesta!”
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The Enemy come to New Century, one of our favourite live music venues in all of Greater Manchester, on Saturday, 1 November.
Pre-sale has already been snapped up in the blink of an eye, which is no surprise whatsoever, but general admission will go live from 10am this Friday, 28 February.
You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Emilie Cotterill (supplied)/Audio North
Daisy Jackson -
15th February 2025 
