The Tapestry / The Delaplains / The Watchmakers - Manchester Band On The Wall - 10th May 2013

The Tapestry / The Delaplains / The Watchmakers

Manchester Band On The Wall

10th May 2013

Three of the most exciting up-and-coming bands in town on one bill?  It’s difficult to turn this sort of evening down.   We went down to The Band On The Wall in Manchester to check out The Watchmakers, The Delaplains and headliners The Tapestry.


At first glance, The Watchmakers have that look that so many young bands are going for these days, that Oasis apeing the seventies style hair, the nice outfit. However, they stand out from the rest of those bands, including those like The Strypes that are getting a lot of attention, because they have a set of infectious great tunes.  

There’s bits of psychedelia in there and they wear their influences loud and proud, but it’s underpinned by great guitar playing and Richard’s imposing vocals.  It's still early days for them as a band, but they're brimming with promise of great things to come.

John Robb championed The Delaplains a couple of months back so it was interesting to see what the fuss was about and they didn’t disappoint.  They already have a great set of material, including tracks from their recent Gypsy Blood EP, to hand with some of the sweetest, cutting melodies you’re likely to hear from a group of lads from Manchester since the days of the Roses.  There's no airs and graces about them, they simply write great songs.

This is the fourth time I’ve seen The Tapestry live, the second this year and they get better and better every time I see them.  They now look and sound like a proper band, you can see the chemistry on stage between the four of them. 

The time out on the road with The Courteeners seems to have made them gel and not be afraid to put themselves out there a lot more. Singer Liam oozes that natural confidence that all front men need and with that comes vocals that force you to listen.  Bassist Katy bounces around the stage looking effortlessly cool and along with guitarist Dyna provides wonderful vocal harmonies on most of the songs.  Drummer Zara has been the catalyst for the change though since she joined earlier this year, her playing is fierce, passionate and provides the canvas for the rest of the band to work around.

They play nine songs in all, including previous singles Rode Your Luck and Take Turns and also debut a new song.  There’s not a weak track amongst the whole set, which bodes well for the future.  The sizeable crowd go wild, there’s crowd-surfing and an expectant buzz about them that could see them go a long way if they keep up their trajectory. I used to like The Tapestry, now I love them.  Go and see them whilst they’re still playing places this size.

The Tapestry have two Facebook pages - here and here and are on Twitter. They are also on Soundcloud.  

The Delaplains official website is here.  They are on Facebook, Bandcamp and Twitter.

The Watchmakers are on Facebook, Soundcloud and Twitter.