REVIEW: Twin Atlantic & Pulled Apart By Horses storm Manchester

Tuesday 5th August 2014 – Twin Atlantic & Pulled Apart By Horses @ Band on the Wall, Manchester Words: Michael Glynn

“I told myself I’d leave my coat on for five songs but you guys are making it far too hot in here”, Twin Atlantic’s furiously perspiring frontman Sam McTrusty announces to the tightly packed crowd before him as he peels off his mac off just three songs in to their blistering set. It’s no surprise either. This is a band who have sold out venues ten times the size of Manchester’s Band on the Wall where tonight they’re playing a secret gig to a room of lucky competition winners as a warm up for Reading & Leeds.

Before they can take to the stage though, Pulled Apart By Horses tear the place a new one. It takes precisely twenty seconds from the band walking on stage to the first circle pit opening up and from then on the floor is just a mass of bodies colliding like a game of Hungry Hippos. With their third full-length ‘Blood’ set for release in September the band slot newer cuts like ‘Hot Squash’ alongside fan favourites ‘I Punched a Lion in the Throat’ and ‘V.E.N.O.M’. If you like your riffs meatier than a ten tonne steak then say hello to your new favourite band.

Tonight belongs to Twin Atlantic though and while they might not have the riffs to rival their support band, the Scottish quartet have got choruses so big that most bands would sell their own mothers to have written them. They might only be playing to around 200 people tonight but when they break into anthems like ‘Edit Me’ and a cello-led ‘Crash Land’, from their 2011 debut album ‘Free’, it becomes a struggle to hear Sam over the crowd singing along to every word. But the real triumph is when the band perform material from their upcoming follow up album ‘Great Divide’ (released 18th August”) and as the band grin their way through a stomping ‘Fall Into The Party’ and soon to be festival anthem ‘Brothers & Sisters’ there’s no doubt that fans won’t be disappointed come the record’s release day.

For one hour Twin Atlantic hold Manchester in the palm of their hand and just like that it’s over. As the final notes of their recent comeback single Heart & Soul ring out it’s plain to see that while the band can return to these small shows and absolutely kill it, they belong out on a stage big enough to match their songs. It’s only fitting then that just a few weeks after playing this sweat box they’ll be walking out to play Reading & Leeds, they might only be playing the second stage this year but don’t bet against them headlining any time soon, stranger things have happened.

And Sam, next time just leave your coat at home mate, it’s not worth it!