Fairy tales in the music industry are few and far between. But in the 21st century? They’re even fewer. But with the tear Massive Wagons have been on for the last few years, it’s what every band dreams about – chart success, amazing festival slots, supporting household names like The Darkness and The Wildhearts. With every album better than the last and co-headlining a tour last year with Ugly Kid Joe, this tour is them reaping the rewards by playing their biggest headline tour to date.
If you’re a band like Massive Wagons who live and breathe in-your-face, uncompromising, genuine hard rock that doesn’t go in for gimmicks, silly haircuts or daft clothing, you’re going to need a support band which matches that. Sonically, The Virginmarys and tonight’s headliners may not align but their ethos does. Unlike most Manchester shows for the duo, they take their marks to less fervour – it may be their town but it’s not their crowd. Regardless, much like when they supported Ricky Warwick last year, and any time they perform, they leave it all on the stage. Focusing largely on their newer material, “The Meds” is a bombastic bouncy opener before hitting a loose version of the evergreen “Portrait of Red”. Following it up with intense “Lies Lies Lies”, it shows Ally Dickaty and Danny Dolan aren’t taking any prisoners tonight and are intent on converting new fans, which going by the buzz in the room when they finish, they succeed in doing.
Playing more relentlessly and with more purpose than ever, Ally’s screams are visceral, matched only in the intensity with which Danny hits his drum kit, their ever-present symbiosis allowing their forty minutes to pass in a blur. Blending blues, punk and grunge into a potent gritty alternative rock sound, Ally’s vicious riffs are razor sharp; thrashy on “Just a Ride”, brooding on “Devil Keeps Coming”, intimidating on “You’re a Killer” and full of anguish on “Where Are You Now”. He bounces effortlessly off Danny who makes the most of his stripped-back kit, hunched over, his sticks an extension of his arms, putting every atom of his being into his performance. Naturally, the pair bring the set to a close with “Bang Bang Bang”, stopping to express their genuine love for their touring partners. Unsurprisingly setting a high bar for the evening, just like with a headline set, they give everything they’ve got for a memorable evening.
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Having seen Massive Wagons a good number of times over the last six or seven years, you know exactly what you’re going to get. But with the atmospheric intro as they stride onto the stage rather than explode into action, and with what follows, it seems they’re turning that on their head. But they’ve hit that point where they can do that and get away with it. Picking “Gone Are the Days” from last year’s TRIGGERED! may be a touch left-field given their pedigree but it strangely works.
But not only that, they cull a mighty ten tracks from the baker’s dozen found on the album, showing their belief in the material. It also shows you just how strong it is as an album and the leap forward that most bands can only dream of. And if you really want to show belief in your newest album, you make sure the first half-dozen numbers are taken from that album. Well, “Sawdust” had two outings for the purpose of a video but if Bruce Springsteen can do it for “Dancing in the Dark”, so can Massive Wagons.
Given such a liberal dosage of more current songs, there’s less pulled from the past with 2020’s House of Noise seeing only three in “Hallescrewya” and the title track, whilst “In it Together” is saved for the finale of the encore. Likewise, Full Nelson is only represented by “Northern Boy” so if you were expecting their ode to Rick Parfitt or the wasteland of social media, you’re out of luck this time around. Hell, even “Tokyo” doesn’t put in an appearance. However, this is a band fully appreciating being at their current apex and wanting to give the new songs the airing they deserve. It’s a band who, at this point, are part of the furniture and shedding their “up and coming” status with an eye to the future.
Songs like “Skateboard”, “Generation Prime” (their swipe at instant gratification in the modern age and Amazon), “Germ”, the afore-mentioned “Sawdust” and the title track are all far more modern than previous efforts, hinting at more alternative and punk flavourings. And that’s before mentioning the yacht rock-powered “Please Stay Calm”. They manage to pay homage to their roots on songs like “Fuck the Haters”, “A.S.S.H.O.L.E.” and “Never Been a Problem” which blend seamlessly with the more modern sounds as well as the older material.
Needless to say, the band are their usual energetic selves, picking up where their predecessors left and are intent on making everyone forget it’s a Tuesday night. As tight as they’ve ever been, they pull no punches in their trademark style. The five of them put on an effortless performance and at the time of writing, the night after in Norwich has had to be postponed due to frontman Barry Mills having some vocal issues but you’d have never known it. The band are slick and polished without becoming a recital of their work and whilst they may have upped the production with some confetti and fancy lights, it’s still all about the music. And let’s face it, they’ve earned the right to reap their rewards.
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Now, I’m going to end this with a confession. Despite the myriad of reviews on here, I’ve never been into Massive Wagons. If they’ve ever been on a festival bill or supporting a band (which is how they’ve traditionally featured in reviews), I’ll happily go along and watch; I’ve always admired their enthusiasm and energy and I can never accuse them of being a bad band. But at the same time, they’re not a band I listened to in my own time and for years, it annoyed me because on paper, they should be one of my favourite bands. And I accepted that they just wouldn’t click for me, even if they did put on a hell of a show last year with Ugly Kid Joe. But finally, they managed to kick down that door and it has indeed, finally clicked.
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The Virginmarys: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | youtube | store
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