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Out of nowhere, CANVAS SOCIAL shut down. A basement with a lot of heart and the ability to put on some amazing live shows, overnight the venue had a piece of paper cellotaped to the door with the words ‘WE ARE CLOSED’.
This wasn’t widely reported, I had only seen it sandwiched in between a quickly-written article, listing it as another ‘live venue, bar or club that had shut down during the week’. Etcetera. However, this is the reality of the overwhelmingly devastating crisis that the cost of living is having on our nightlife, with the Music Venue Trust reporting that over 120 venues had closed last year.
Dream State had announced their ‘Still Dreaming’ UK tour well before CANVAS’ closure- one of the many bands that had to navigate a short-notice venue change. At this point, the welsh titans had overcome hell-on-earth, a pandemic with almost all the original members leaving and the future of the band in jeopardy. From the embers, guitarist Aled Evans, brought back the band, with a new and (in my opinion) arguably tighter lineup. We saw the band gain some serious traction during their UK festival run last summer, with vocalist Jesse Powell, a vocal behemoth hitting all the notes with electrifying ease and dexterity.
Dream State pride themselves on being an ‘independent band’, their platform is one they have worked extremely hard for. In the rafters, of YES! Pink Room, just down the road from CANVAS, hosted their 14 date homecoming tour with Graphic Nature, and local support. In Manchester, this was the turn of local heroes, Crushed By Waves.
From the moment the doors opened, the band pushed themselves onto the stage, bringing with them an infectious amount of positivity and energy. The band’s uplifting debut album ‘More To Life’ was released last month and with it cascading choruses, ambitious but catchy riffs and a warm Mancunian welcome. Self proclaimed loudmouth, Andy Hoskinson, thanked the entire crowd ‘from the front, in the middle and the back for supporting live venues’. A brilliant set, finishing with the frontman in the middle of the pit, becoming one with the crowd.
Graphic Nature, otherwise known as the 404, have had a monstrous week, debuting their second album, their second single and their first KERRANG! Cover. Out Of Rage can also testify to their greatness, with the band firmly in our top 5 for their album ‘A Mind Waiting To Die’. A overwhelming change to Crushed By Waves, the band, with a brutally crushing sound that pushes their jungle infused hardcore to its limits. Reminiscent of the subconscious ramblings of early Slipknot ‘ALL HOPE IS GONE’ era, their sound (and visuals) would not be out of place in the SAW bathroom. Meanwhile, their lyrics fully embrace the isolation and the outsider, speaking volumes about the bands awareness and activism for men’s mental health and neurodiversity. Perhaps not the right crowd to have a big mosh pit, the 404 brought a damaging amount of energy from the stage. A band undoubtedly on the rise, Graphic Nature is the band that is on the brink of a breakthrough.
Dream State grace the stage shortly after, opening with ‘Still Dreaming’ the title track of their new album. With ten days already on the road, they started not in the best form, but the diehard fans at the front carried the vocals, and the energy. However by their third song ‘Comfort in Chaos’, it felt like they had flipped a switch and found their rhythm. Vocalist Jesse worked wonders with the crowd, making us all feel a part of the show, delighted at both the familiar and new faces in the crowd. The alt-rockers turn the heat up with ‘Chin Up Princess’, gravitating towards deep engulfing screams, pushing the sound into damaging breakdowns.
At this point, they threw it back with ‘Made Up Smile’; and ‘Hand in Hand’, both released on their early album ‘Primrose Path’ from 2018. The setlist, away from the monumental set they did on RADAR Festival’s second stage, has definitely evolved to fit the image of the newly-reformed band, especially after the release of their new album. The crowd embraced both new and old, building up the energy from ‘Anxious State of Mind into the defining sound of ‘White Lies’. An encore follows, with a very special version of ‘Taunt Me’ with Harvey from Graphic Nature, finishing on crowd favorite, ‘Primrose’.
If anything, this show demonstrated how resilient and powerful live music can be, always bouncing back at the first opportunity. Whilst CANVAS is an unforgivable casualty to the state of live music, there will always be spaces and artists to uplift the music community. The alternative music scene has always appraised the underdog, the DIY, and unifying to make those moments of pure escapism that only can be felt on a sticky floor. Advocacy for who you believe in carries so much further these days, especially in hard times.
And if you come out of a show feeling resolved, feeling bleak, feeling ecstatic, feeling sad that it’s over or just feeling is enough to save life and make a difference to your local scene.
Words: Amber Brooks
Photos: Jake Griffin
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