Manchester Academy, March 15th
Call me biased, but Manchester will always be the home of Post Punk. And while there are so many great Northern artists to share stages with, there aren’t many who share the same level of visceral energy, presence and bracing attitude that LIINES possess.
Getting the chance to check them out in support of Sleaford Mods at Manchester Academy was the ultimate affirmation that their sound was never intended for a small audience.
With the incredible reception they got in their hometown, it was clear that many of the attendees who ambled in early to check out the support walked away with a new-found respect for LIINES. I suppose they had very little option in surrendering themselves to the caustic enamouring potency of the instrumental arrangement sitting in perfect synergy with Zoe’s vocals which are as resounding as they are emotively piercing.
There’s no hanging around for the hooks with their tracks, that hits you right from the prelude, and that’s just one of the reasons why it is so impossible to choose a favourite track from LIINES. They weren’t apathetic about making them, so you can’t be about picking one!
Instead of choosing to layer their sound with swampy distortion there’s a transparency in the sound which allows you to appreciate the soaring dynamics in Zoe’s vocals, the reverberantly deep throbs of Tasmin’s bass and each rhythmic hit from Leila’s drums. They may not be the loudest, or the heaviest, but that doesn’t stop them from creating the hardest hitting Post Punk around right now.
So, whether you get the chance to check them out live (DO IT!) or buy their 2018 debut album “Stop – Start” (Do that too!), the effect is still the same; an immediate hit of raw, candid catharsis.
To check out LIINES for yourself head on over to Bandcamp.
Head on over to their Facebook & Instagram to keep up to date with tour antics – they’ve still got plenty of dates left on the Sleaford Mods tour along with headline & festival dates.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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