The Walkmen, Yes Pink Room. 20th August 2023

Bear with me. Honestly I never really warmed to The Walkmen, their indie folk sound just didn’t hit me quite the same way it seemed to with others who’d tell me they were amazing. With each album though, there were always one or two songs that I’d think “yeah not bad”. Why on earth then am I here in Yes’ Pink Room? Well I’ve never seen them live and you can’t really judge a band until you have. It’s live where you get to see exactly what a band are about, unconstrained by an album format, the gloves are off. Plus I suspect that they might be quite good. Another question might be why are they here in Yes’ Pink Room‽ they could easily sell this space out several times over and are close in fact at New Century Hall next weekend (grab a ticket now before it’s too late). Tonight though marks the beginning of Yes celebrating its 5th birthday. Which doesn’t quite seem long enough considering how many bands I’ve seen in here and how quickly it’s become such a beacon on the Manchester gig scene. It’s time for a party then and the room is packed with anticipation after the bands long hiatus. These are their first UK dates in over a decade, explaining perhaps why there’s a queue down the stairs to get in. Are The Walkmen a party band though? Well no not really, but they have enough songs in their arsenal that bounce to make it work. Plus Hamilton has a genuinely great voice, doused in rustic American character, it’s instantly captivating and ‘Wake Up’ gets a full on roar of approval as it finishes and they pile into ‘Little House of Savages’. The room erupts in a chorus of voices and everybody around me starts filming and I mean everybody!! This will never cease to annoy me. ‘What’s in It for Me?’ provides some respite before ‘The Rat’ predictably wields a real moment. It’s glorious, the room united as we melt together in the rising heat. For me, a fairweather fan, it’s a brave move to throw down the hit so early, but this lot are not lacking confidence. Maybe it’s the high pitched guitar tones or those comfortingly driving drums on ‘Dónde Está la Playa’, but they’ve a sound live that bridges a sort of cinematic openness with a sense of intimate connection. ‘On the Water’ dials up the heat once more, underpinned by the warmth of the organ. Hamilton commenting on the heat and seeing sunshine in Manchester for the first time. He does look a bit warm. So it’s time to slow things again with ‘Red Moon’. It’s lovely, but honestly doesn’t grab or move me. This might be why I was never totally sold, but hearing it live is nice. ‘Four Provinces’ is my cue to grab a drink then nestle myself in under the aircon. This is the great thing about venues like this and why they need supporting, there’s no bad view. It’s definitely more sedate towards the back of the room, but ‘Angela Surf City’ has the more sensibly dressed patrons punching the air. Before I decide that ‘All Hands and the Cook’ might be my set highlight. It’s got a raw drive to it that ticks my darkness box. It twists and turns though, Matt’s drums bludgeoning one minute before the wall of guitars envelope your soul. They tease the close with ‘Heaven’, which renders the Pink Room in a joyous singalong. The two lads in front of me hugging each other and singing every line to one another, before returning for the encore for a couple more including ‘We’ve Been Had’ that were told is the first song they wrote, which feels rather satisfying to send us back into a warm summers night with. Am I now a massive fan? Maybe not, but I’m certainly getting there. Live they are pretty outstanding. So ignore my opening cynicism, this is what bands like The Walkmen are about, reaching people. What live music is about. What venues like Yes are about. That’s worth celebrating.