Déjà Vega opened their first UK tour in four years with a sort-of-hometown show at Manchester's New Century Locker. Supported by the returning LIINES and Bloodworm, they delivered a blistering hour-and-a-half set taken from their new album Another Version Of Ourselves as well as favourites from across their previous records in front of a raucous rowdy crowd.
It's our first visit to New Century Locker, the ground floor addition to the building which has taken up roughly a third of the previous bar area of the food hall. We're impressed by the sound, which ranks for us as the best of any venue of this size in town, and the lights, a little less so by the size of the bar, the concrete floor which means three hours plus on it leaves sore calves and surprised that they've replicated the unisex toilet arrangements of the food hall (albeit with a separate urinals room).
First up are Nottingham's Bloodworm, who earlier this year went out on tour with Suede. The 6.30 stage time meant their crowd grew as the set went on. Frontman George has a direct powerful vocal style that works very well with the sonic onslaught that the trio, bass player Chris and drummer Euan providing a formidable rhythm section, deliver over the course of a very well-received half-hour set which finishes with the stand-out track Cemetery Dance. We sensed that most of the crowd were seeing them for the first time as we watched the reaction to them grow with each song.
LIINES have slowly but surely been coming out of hibernation with their new EP Shadows Fall released a couple of weeks back and this is their biggest show for quite some while and, although the two band's paths haven't crossed as far as we're aware, there's definitely some crossover in fanbase and some LIINES devotees who've come just for them. With Ding unavailable because of touring commitments, former bassist Tamsin steps in and it's like she's never been away as they kick straight into opener On And On.
Their usual relentless pace is hampered a little by technical difficulties which disappointingly means they have to leave before final track and recent EP lead track Always The Same - although the half-hour gap between bands should have meant some leeway being applied. The mid-set trio of the unreleased These Days, new EP track Wait and an as-yet-untitled new song that might just become the best thing they've ever done means we don't even miss our favourite Never There until way after the set finished. Despite their time away, they've as tight, focused and hard-hitting as ever, if not more so. With more shows next year and the hint of even more new music through their link-up with Crackedankles, we're excited as to what 2027 will bring for them.
The venue fills up more as Déjà Vega's early start time of 8.15 approaches. The front of the stage becomes a no-go zone for anyone who isn't up for throwing themselves around and potentially having someone stage-diving landing on them - as Jack tells the crowd they're the rowdiest they've ever had. Whilst Déjà Vega's sound lends itself to letting loose like that, the sheer complexity of some of the songs lends itself to standing towards the back and taking in the way the rhythm section of Mike on bass and Tom on drums seemingly nonchalantly create this broad template on which Jack, his guitar, bank of keyboards and all sorts of effects can scrawl these huge ferocious slabs of rock music that take influences and blend them into a fascinating and exhilarating wall of sound.
Surprisingly given that Another Version Of Ourselves is an album without gaps between songs and meant to be listened to as one, they don't follow that for the gig. However, we do get all the tracks off the album except opener Rainbows including the key trio of Nightmares, Kontakt 368 and Techno Tom together in the middle of the set. These three songs in particular demonstrate the progression in their sound since the previous record Personal Hell, more electronic sounds replacing the guitars without compromising the core DNA of the band. For Kontakt 368 we can hardly see the band such is the bombardment of lights and the smoke machine, but it feels like that's exactly how they intended it, taking the audience on a rollercoaster ride and then soothing us, and giving those down the front pause for breath with the splendid, yet out-of-character, almost acoustic The Importance Of Love that wouldn't sound out of a place on a Coral album.
The big hitters from the early records - Banshee, Chasing, Eyes Of Steel - are dotted in between the new songs before they bring the set towards its end with Another Version Of Ourselves' finale Can't Wait For Love muscling its way between crowd favourites Mr Powder and Who We Are without being out of place there. They finish - as is customary for their shows - with a fifteen or minute so version of The Test, a song that always retains its core but which feels reinvented every time we see them. The crowd down the front sap themselves of their last remaining energy in a bouncing moshpit while we stand back and marvel at just how loud yet detailed they make their instrumental outro sound.
Déjà Vega defy categorisation, defy being pigeonholed and linked into a scene or compared to others. It's what makes them such a fascinating band, particularly live where they're experienced at their peak, but also one that you have to dive in and commit fully to rather than casually listening to them. They're now at a point where they're in venues big enough to hold the weight of their sound and ambition and taking top billing.
Bloodworm are on Facebook.
LIINES' official website can be found here. They are also on Twitter and Facebook
The EP is out now and can be purchased on vinyl and CD from their Bandcamp. They play Leeds Lending Room (January 16), London Lexington (February 19) and Manchester Deaf Institute (26).
Déjà Vega are on Facebook and Twitter. Another Version Of Ourselves is available on all streaming platforms and a limited edition vinyl will be available shortly.
They play Bristol The Croft (November 20), London The Grace (21) and Nottingham Bodega (December 4).
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