Nine Black Alps concert reviews and tour history

It was a night that two of the most talked about “local” bands effectively joined forces and sold out the impressive Manchester Academy. Nine Black Alps and The Longcut, both formed in Manchester and therefore, now affectionately adopted as one of their own.

The connection with the City, like the bond between them both, was one that had started a little while before this gig. Seeds sown and planted in the City Centre, Akoustik Anarkhy gave the Alps the platform to early life in the music scene and a subsequent amount of furore surrounded the early years… up to the release of their debut album, Everything Is in 2005.

The Longcut followed similar paths…. pally with both Nine Black Alps and Akoustik Anarkhy, the bands often shared line ups with each other and although very different from each other in regards to musical styles, they remained closely associated with one another.

With that said, both bands had an equally growing and passionate local following, with word spreading and the likes of NME also sniffing around, attention was only going to increase for both of them.

This tour was headlined by Nine Black Alps, with the Longcut taking the support slot. The gig was a complete sell out and the build-up felt very much a sense of celebration of the city’s music scene. Two bands who were on the upward trajectory and are now selling out one of the bigger venues in Manchester.

This gig was the final date on the hugely successful Alps tour and was the final opportunity for fans to catch them before they embarked on ventures across the pond in the US.

The year 2006 was a puzzled place to be for music. Emo, Nu-rave and James Blunt were rife. That coupled with the biggest selling singles of the year….Daniel Powter (who), Sean Paul and Nelly Furtado…. It could be appreciated that for anyone to actually figure out where the Longcut or Nine Black Alps could fit in?

But it was the opinion of most that it was the fact they didn’t fit in that made them who they were to us. Nine Black alps and The Longcut are as different to each other, as they were to most of the music at that time – and that was what made them so appealing

The venue, Manchester Academy is a local institution. Forming part of the University Student Union….. Academy 1, 2 and 3 collectively make up the set-up with Academy 1 taking the title of the bigger of the three.

Pre-gig, there aren’t many of bars as special as the one we chose to have a drop, and one any gig reveller should head to….. Big hands…. delicately tucked next near to the academy, a tiny, slim-line gem of a bar, immersed in musical folklore, a place also most likely to catch the performing bands pre or post gig.

A few ales were sipped and we joined the queue for the gig. It was a busy one and having followed both bands for a while and seen them both before, it was a sense of pride, knowing that so many people were going to see the bands and support them and share what we believed was going to be an epic gig.

We arrived a little later than planned, just catching the end of the first support band - Polytechnic, with queues at the bars several people deep. It was a priority of most to ensure the ales flowed in anticipation for the Longcut coming on….a support act pretty much everyone was here to see as much as the headliners.

The venue was pretty inspiring. At the time, there was very little fuss or modern touch about it. It had an ability to feel vast and grand, yet still felt like it was one of those, smaller early shows that both bands played many time preceding this one.

The Longcut, who although are largely instrumental with many tunes sporadically complimented with lyrics are a 3 piece band who abundantly create a mesmeric amount of sound. Riffs and drums dominate the tunes, masterfully creating a high tempo dance like beat, raging into chaotic crescendos. Live they are truly loud and spectacular.

Fully justified to be a headliner in their own right, they give an accomplished and energetic performance. Stuart, Lee and Jon crafting their work and clearly loving every second of it too. The sound they create is stunning. Stuart mixes his piercing vocals and electronic beats with a swift jog to the drums, which in turn hits them with such power, there must be little left of the snare drums once the set is over.

Playing a huge proportion of songs from their at the time, unreleased album – A Call and Response, many of the songs had already been made available or released as singles or on EP’s and gave us all the opportunity to experience them again in their dominant style.

As a support goes, I have seen very few who can top what they did and only made to build up what was to come next even further.

A short and well needed breather was welcomed…. that special gap between support and headliner gave the foundations just enough time to stop shaking. The core of the building and many of most in attendance had been smacked firmly head on, but although a shift in genre was to follow, there was no let-up in the power and noise.

Nine Black Alps, led by front man, Sam Forrest on vocals and guitar… flanked by Dave Jones on guitar, James Galley on drums and Marin Cohen on Bass, they entered the stage to a huge ovation and immediately and with little fuss, blasted into their opening tracks that paved the way for a tirade of imposing guitar led grunge rock that was to follow.

Huge tracks including Cosmopolitan, Shot Down and Just Friends are always a winner at a Nine Black Alps gig and they smashed them out, oozing with attitude and authority. There was barely chance to catch a breath in between songs…. it was loud, it was energetic and they delivered a performance that vindicated their early promise… through to the release of their wonderful debut album and to what felt like a hero’s welcome on this night.

It was hugely evident the work that had gone into their performances. Technically gifted and beautifully created, their album… Everything Is… is only elevated when playing live. It is such a special exhibition of their collective talents and a platform that they deserved and one that us all in attendance could not fault.

I am certain for those who may not have been fans before coming, will have left with a much clearer view of what they were all about and were immediately looking for the next opportunity to have the pleasure to see them once again.

With all that, the set and night had to come to a close and once again, that feeling of celebration was evident as the masses spilled out onto Oxford Road, clutters of those screaming out the tunes and aiming for wherever the night took them.

For us, it was the short wander back to Big Hands, to share the euphoria with fellow fans of the two bands and reminisce on what we had just witnessed.

Writing this in 2023, both bands went onto release further albums and tour extensively. New projects and directions followed and although both bands remain with us….. however perhaps not taking centre stage at present…. my hope is that they are sitting back and waiting for the opportunity to create new music, play some live shows and give us some more of those amazing gigs as Nine Black Alps and The Longcut.