Photo of Liam Gallagher John Squire at Manchester Apollo by Charlie Lightning
We’ve played two gigs at Manchester Apollo this week, they were really good and they’ve been properly filmed by Charlie Lightning. Hopefully good footage will emerge in the future so I’ll resist the temptation to link to some bass heavy, shaky phone footage from Youtube for now. Manchester Apollo is easily my favourite venue in Manchester despite having a shitty backstage, dressing rooms like prison cells, awful parking and a neighbourhood with nothing in it. The one remaining pub next door has now decided to close it’s doors before the end of shows lest anybody giddy from their evening’s entertainment might want to sit and chat about it with a pint. Nothing about going to the Apollo is good apart from the gig itself, the room is amazing and everywhere in there is a good place to sit or stand. It’s always a great view and it’s almost always a great sound. That can’t be said for other Manchester venues, yes I’m looking at you Bridgewater Hall.
I’ve seen some amazing gigs at the Apollo so this week I’m going to tell you about them with a charts-style countdown from 5 to 1. Honestly I think any of them could sit in any slot except that I’m fairly sure I’ve got the number one slot right. Are you excited? You should be.
Here goes.
5. Deep Purple- November 5th 1993
It meant a great deal to Nicky, Nathan and I to see the iconic and volatile Mark II Deep Purple line up in a brief and fragile reunion. All of ours’ first gig at the Apollo, accompanied by Mr and Mrs Madden we set off on a coach from Burnley bus station (included in the ticket price). There were only two other Burnley based Purple fans but after further stops at Accrington, Blackburn and Bolton the coach party was respectable. The sound was deafeningly loud, there were walls of amplification. There was palpable hostility between Ian Gillan and everybody’s favourite rock berk Ritchie Blackmore. We were young and impressionable, they delivered. I am so glad to have witnessed Jon Lord in action.
4. D’Angelo- Feb 18th 2015
I remember Alex Berry telling me he couldn’t make it to the D’Angelo gig at the Apollo because he was watching another band. I said “In ten years time you will not remember the name of the other band you’re going to watch, all you will remember is that you didn’t watch D’Angelo.”
That was a real zinger. The downside of me dropping such a great line is that I now can permanently recall that he was watching The War On Drugs that night and I’m sure he can too.
This gig was tragically undersold but stunning nonetheless with the kind of slick showmanship you might associate with a James Brown gig in the 1970s. I loved the fact that this collection of premier league black gospel players decided that the only person fit to play bass in the band was Pino Palladino, a conspicuous gangly Welshman with an unparalleled feel for this music. The closing extended version of Untitled was breathtaking.
Brian Wilson- 25th May 2016
Realistically this didn’t move me in the same way the Smile concerts at Royal Festival Hall or the 2005 Glastonbury appearance did. If Brian had seemed inanimate at those he had definitely retreated a couple of steps further by 2016. As Jay so eloquently put it the other day we were witnessing an old man surrounded by his work.
But what work! If you’re pulling from the Beach Boys back catalogue you really can pull together a set. The band featured some of the heavy hitters of the Smile set like Darian Sahanaja and Probyn Gregory but also added Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin making it a more credible Beach Boys show than any of those cringeworthy Pearly Queen plonker fests that Mike Love puts out under the official banner. Man of the match goes to Al Jardine’s son Matt who brought heartbreaking falsettos worthy of a Wilson to the sound.
Al Green- July 12th 2005
We did a wedding for a Manchester solicitor with the Uptown Band somewhere around 2004, even though I was touring These Were The Earlies I still had to show up for weddings when commanded. Anyway, that one paid off because the guy phoned my Dad asking if he fancied some Al Green tickets 6 months later. Which my Dad bizarrely couldn’t be bothered using (the gig was admittedly in 3 hours or so) and passed on to me and Kate.
The ability to make spontaneous travel plans in your 20s can really pay off, we ended up in the second row. Of a fucking Al Green gig! He was so close, you could see drops of sweat falling off him and the spit in the air. When he did all his off-mic theatrics on ballads you could hear all of it. The band were truly amazing, Memphis soul and gospel stalwarts to a man. I’ll never see Otis Redding, Sam Cooke or James Brown but I feel like I got to see a true, old style soul show before they were gone forever.
Sufjan Stevens- 19th May 2011
This can safely sit in my number one spot, not just for gigs at the Apollo. It might be the best gig I ever saw. I’ve only put might be to allow wiggle room which I don’t think I need, I often say this was my favourite. Basically all of the Earlies were there, our good friend DM Stith was in the band with Sufjan and supported as well. Richard and Nicky hadn’t even heard the album before and they came out feeling like it was the best thing they’d ever seen. This is the only one on the list where the video I’ve attached is actually from the night in question. It’s not the most perfect footage but you can see and hear how exciting the night was. I don’t often walk away with as much to say about set design, costumes and lighting as the music but it was all perfect. As ambitious a show as it was nothing less could’ve been permissible for such a masterpiece of an album. I think Sufjan blew everything he had touring the album worldwide at this scale, next time round he was back to acoustic guitar and folky minimalism. But for a minute there he soared and Manchester got to see him fly by, he actually had wings for the first tune come to think of it. If you were there you’ll get it anyway, if not you’ll just think “give over Madden, it’s a gig”. It was more than that though you clown. Thinking about the show made me start listening to the album again this week, I recommend you do too.
There you go anyway, my five favourite visits to the Apollo and I’ve actually been loads more than that. I’ve played there with TOKOLOSH and Jimi Goodwin too, which I should mention surely? Some other time maybe though, my typing is basically pointing and I can only do so much at once.
Thanks Christian. Bridgewater Hall is seen as Britain’s best non amplified music venue. I hear it’s not built for mega amplification and problems arise when acts treat it like the Apollo. Maybe if travelling roadcrews listened to the bridgewater techs it would be better?
Cheers.
I have never been to Manchester Apollo. Weird. Most other venues in Manchester but not there. Didn't think I'd particularly missed out. Until now.