Review by Stuart Haughton and Photo Copyright © Judie Tingle
It’s only been a few months since we were last in Manchester with pop-rock trio Against The Current when they played down the road at the Manchester Arena supporting rock favourites Fall Out Boy. During their set singer Chrissy Costanza recalled how they’d been really sick on a previous visit to the city but promised to make it up to fans when they returned on their next headline tour. Well, they certainly kept good on their promise adding extra quality to the night in the form of the superb Aussie rockers The Faim who supported them throughout the tour.
Now, having been honing their live show into something rather special thanks to appearances at most of the major festivals across the Summer including Slam Dunk, Download and Leeds/Reading, the Perth rockers make the most of their time on stage putting in an energetic stint which warms up this crowd ready for the band they’re really here to see. Frontman Josh Raven is in particularly fine form and, with just the right amount of attitude, displays all the traits of a rock star in the making.
Against The Current are close to the end of this UK run now and as they deliver more than just the polished performance that is expected from them by now, the smiles plastered on their faces show that they’re enjoying this run as much as their fans are. There are plenty of highlights in the set including “Chasing Ghosts”, “Strangers Again” and a particularly energetic “Running With The Wild Things” with Costanza in particular looking like she’s enjoying the fact that yet another audience are almost matching her word for word.
With the success of Hayley Williams and Paramore propelling female-fronted pop-punk bands into the limelight a few years ago, it’s nice to see that bands like Against The Current are far from just second rate wannabees riding in their shadow. Tonight Costanza and her band showed a mix of maturity, great pop hooks and bags of energy – all the ingredients for a successful future.
The Faim
