Blue Bendy / Gullivers, Manchester / Fri 19 Sep

Blue Bendy have stretched out into vast new sonic terrain with their debut album So Medieval. Their two lead singles Mr Bubblegum – a joyously intricate piece of experimental guitar pop – and the frenetic, propulsive yet incredibly deft sprawl of Cloudy, saw the band reach new heights creatively. Of the former, the Guardian enthused: ‘Indie is riddled with addled, verbose frontmen right now, but none so rapturous as Blue Bendy’s Arthur Nolan: here he dances all over splayed post-rock and micro-cataclysms.’

In one of many glowing reviews, Pitchfork described the album as ‘defiant, high-stakes art-rock’ whilst The Independent described Nolan as a ‘cherub gone through the wringer’ in their recent profile.

Having toured as main support for Squid and Cola as well as playing packed out tents at festivals like End Of The Road and Green Man, Blue Bendy have struck a balance between being obviously skilled musicians, writing complex, layered, overlapping and ambitious compositions, while also utilising space, breadth, and restraint. Their music is bursting with dynamism, exploring push-pull dynamics that results in something ceaselessly unpredictable.

It results in a sound that is rare for a new band: as experimental as it is confident and assured, as tender as it is visceral, as quiet as it is loud, as bloody as it is teary.

Price: £13.50 adv
Info/tickets: https://www.heymanchester.com/blue-bendy-2#info

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• Next month, 1st September, 07:30 pm, Lily Seabird + Brain Leak / Gullivers, Manchester / Mon 1 Sep in Manchester
• Next month, 5th September, 07:00 pm, The Burning Hell + Jon McKiel / YES Pink Room, Manchester / Fri 5 Sep in Manchester
• Next month, 12th September, 07:00 pm, Jolie Holland + Inland Taipan / YES Basement, Manchester / Fri 12 Sep in Manchester

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