My first gig since 2019 and what a way to get back into it 🥰🥰🥰
The Howl & The Hum are without doubt one of our favourite bands and this was the fourth time we’d had the pleasure of watching them perform live. All those gigs and this one have been in Manchester, each time a bigger venue and a bigger crowd. This time we were at Gorilla, a cool venue under the railway arches on Whitworth Street, just over the street from The Ritz. As it happens, I might not have been writing this post. Both the Deaf Institute on Grosvenor Street – where the last The Howl & The Hum gig in Manchester was – and Gorilla were set to close in July 2020, when it was announced they hadn’t been able to weather the storm caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Luckily, just a few days later, a deal was agreed with the help of gig promotors and The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess, which meant both these iconic Manchester music venues were saved from closure. Phew!
The gig went by in the blink of an eye. Gorilla’s capacity is 700 and although it wasn’t quite a sell out, it was the most people we had seen the band play to. Sam and the guys were incredible as per usual and I even managed to get a photo of Sam holding me!!! I was a tiny bit starstruck as you can probably imagine, but you can see the magical moment below. Opening with the title track of their debut LP Human Contact, they played more of the album, the fan favourites from the Godmanchester Chinese Bridge EP and a few other numbers from their growing back catalogue, all very well received from a happy crowd.
A quick mention to Manchester based record label and concert promoter Scruff of the Neck. During lockdown, The Howl & The Hum featured on a live stream from their studio in Manchester, including a live Q&A session with Abbie McCarthy where this little bear even got a mention! Check out Scruff of the Neck TV on Twitch for lots of great stuff.