Promoting the launch of their most recent singles Trophy and The System, Manchester alt-rock outfit THE HARA embark on a UK Tour visiting ‘intimate AF’ venues, bringing them to Liverpool’s EBGBS on Tuesday 4 February.
Despite the date falling on a Tuesday night, you would have thought it was the weekend based on the queue of fans snaking down Seel Street around the venue. Minutes after doors open, the standing area in front of the stage is filled to the brim and stays this way for the whole night.
“Tuesday must be the new Friday,” remarks Adara, frontwoman of the night’s opening band Skin Flowers, as they take to the stage to a packed-out audience, opening with their anthemic single Regrets.
Having seen this band play many shows since their live debut in Outpost, Liverpool in 2023, I’ve had the pleasure of watching them grow into their sound and hone their live show. Tuesday night’s set is no different: a sleek, ironed out performance of hits from their growing back catalogue, segued by droning ambient tracks that give the band the opportunity to tune and address the audience without leaving any dead air.
Tracks like Weeping Eyes and Watch Me Break show off the bands core sound, stomping down tuned guitar riffs, powerful drum beats and soaring melodic vocals reminiscent of that of Nightwish’s Floor Jansen or Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante.
The band even manages to sneak in a heavy rendition of Lady Gaga’s Disease before finishing on their latest single The Unknown. Skin Flowers get the night off to a great start, warming up the crowd and giving the audience a glimpse of what the local music scene has to offer, definitely earning themselves a few fans along the way.
Next up are Suffolk-via-Essex trio Tropic Gold. Their intro track, a distorted radio broadcast, summons them to the stage and they dive into their first song. The first thing that is apparent is that they have no bassist, however there is no lack of low end thanks to the help of Guitarist Joshua Lee’s low tuned baritone guitars and heavily distorted and twisted synth bass tracks playing alongside the live band.
It becomes clear that genre means nothing to these people when they kick into their second song Dead To All My Friends, featuring a strong Drum n Bass style breakbeat, a crushingly heavy breakdown and a chorus vocal hook that would make even Bring Me The Horizon blush.
This is a band that obviously has a wide variety of influences, wearing them on their sleeve whilst blending them together into their own signature sound. Industrial electronic elements a la The Prodigy and Nine Inch Nails blend with the stylings of modern metalcore heavyweights such as Architects and Bad Omens to create their unique cacophony of sound. Amidst the genre-bending chaos, their performance is flawless; it is evident that they have rehearsed tirelessly and are relishing every moment – a tough act to follow for upcoming headliners.
The longest changeover of the night creates a sense of anticipation amongst the audience as the stage is completely stripped down and reset for headline band THE HARA. A mic stand adorned with skulls, a panda mask and a prop telephone indicates that we are in for some theatrics in their performance and they didn’t disappoint – striding onstage to a flurry of orchestral strings. “We’re gonna be playing songs from every era of the band,” Vocalist Josh Taylor says as he welcomes the audience to the show.
Avenged Sevenfold style arpeggiated guitar lines and 808 driven trap beats introduce the powerfully dramatic second track Jesus. “This one’s for the OG fans,” Taylor declares, introducing power ballad Afterlife, beginning the first singalong of the set. The band gives the audience the choice between two songs, FYI and Black Soul Ceremony.
There is not a single person standing still as the latter song is picked unanimously and guitarist Zack Breen swings into a bluesy octave riff. THE HARA are not shy of engaging with their fans, helped along by a back-catalogue of hooky riffs and ear-worm choruses, highlighted by the call and response on their track Talk To The Manager.
The Manchester trio command the audience with finesse; when they say to jump or open up a pit, the audience does so without question. Even both Taylor and Breen can’t help but venture into the audience to experience the show from the mosh pits that erupt throughout the night. An impressive drum solo from Jack Kennedy precedes the encore as the band close with their latest singles – Trophy and The System – that have the audience singing along to every word.
Overall, the night was tough to beat; a fantastic turnout for each band to showcase their own unique brand of alternative rock. Having been to many gigs in EBGBS throughout the years, I have never seen it that busy from the second the doors opened. THE HARA are a band with a keen and devoted fanbase and the way they owned the stage, combined with their hook-driven songs, would see them easily suited to a larger venue.
Dan Cain
