The Haciendas headlined in their home city for the very first time, but there was nothing amateur about their performance.
The line-up, made up of We The North, The DDE’s, Bluloom and of course The Haciendas, for Saturday the 9th was the first sign of what would be an exceptional night at The Bred Shed. As people poured into the dimly lit venue, the building crowd hovered in a half-moon around the stage, the flow of chatter and classic Manchester anthems was disturbed when the first act of the night, Bluloom casually kicked off the night. The combination of the singer’s euphonious voice and his rich sounding acoustic guitar was a gentle yet perfect beginning to the night. Bluloom’s acoustic set was a stark contrast to the lively rock music that would come from the other bands so in hindsight, that made it even more enjoyable.
Mancunian trio DDE’s followed, a step up in energy from the previous set. As their set progressed so did the spirit of the crowd, there was no low murmur of conversation, the DDE’s demanded the crowd’s full attention and they successfully captured it. They brought that Mancunian music flare the crowd were so keenly anticipating. It was clear the band cherished crowd engagement, particularly towards the end of the set when they covered The Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter, a true highlight of the night.
Proving all good things come in 3’s, We The North, another three piece greeted the crowd. The band describe themselves as loud, no punches pulled rock band and that is exactly what they delivered. The lead singers punchy vocals and the band’s raucous sound made for the perfect blend of musical chaos which is a great talent to master, particularly when it comes to live performances.
The crowd officially closed in on the stage and the anticipation was at an all time high for the headliner of the night, The Haciendas. Made up of Tom Smith (vocals), Daniel Ashcroft (lead guitar) and Steve Jillings (bass), the band only got together just before lockdown in 2020 which will prove to be a shock for anyone who listens to their music or sees them perform. Their professionalism, talent and confidence in both their music and themselves makes it difficult to believe they have only been a band for such a short amount of time. As soon as the band swaggered on stage and started playing their single Dreamer, the vigorous crowd suddenly surged forward eagerly as the anticipation turned into amazement. The Haciendas started as they meant to go on as they continued through their discography, their classics like It’s not too late and Joker made for an electric, singing crowd, proving they already have a dedicated fan-base. Their newest single, Other Side was equally well received with cheering, the demand for more music from the band evident. Just when it looked like the crowd had peaked, the band covered Biffy Cyro’s Who’s got a match? And brought whole new meaning to the song as they set the venue alight. They ended on a high note with the chart topper; Those are the days yet it was clear the crowd didn’t want the band to stop as they continued chanting, singing and sticking to the front of the stage. This may have been the first time The Haciendas headlined, but one thing is for certain – it will not be the last.
The marvellous performances served as a reminder of just how much we lost during the pandemic as well as relighting the desire to see and hear more from the Manchester music scene.
Review written by Taylor Duffy – @taylorduffyjourno