We are in attendance for Public Service Broadcasting celebrating the release of their brand new album, The Last Flight.

THE LAST FLIGHT

Tracing the life and times of Amelia Earhart, The Last Flight (our review here) is another stellar addition to Public Service Broadcasting’s already great back catalogue.

It’s a rare treat to see a band of Public Service Broadcasting’s ilk in such intimate surroundings. The last time the band were in a Manchester postcode it was that of M12 and O2 Apollo Manchester. In the tight confines of Night & Day Café in Manchester, the band give a taster of what is to come on their upcoming tour, as well as showcasing a massive chunk of The Last Flight.

“We’re Public Service Broadcasting and we have some songs, many of which are new,” announces J. Willgoose, Esq. to great applause. The enigmatic frontman also notes the significance of playing such a legendary Mancunian venue. Most of this album launch show is understandably made up of The Last Flight. In fact, seven of the nine cuts on the album are aired.

IMMEDIATE RAPPORT

There is an immediate rapport with the crowd in the venue. Five band members on the small stage looks snug; and add a screen to augment the band visually into that. Of the new material. Towards The Dawn shows off the ability Public Service Broadcasting have in showing light and dark shades. The upbeat punchy rhythm has some darker riffs as it progresses. Monsoons is another new cut that allows the band to get heavy.

For The Fun Of It has the cockpit outlined screen with visuals of the neon video playing. Live vocals from EERA are interspersed with spoken excerpts wonderfully. Again, there is a good heaviness in the guitars that sound beefier live

In amongst The Last Flight are some beautiful songs. The South Atlantic is very pretty. J. Willgoose, Esq. takes to a stool; “When you reach a certain stage in a career, you need a stool,” he remarks, “five albums, no knees!” Another beauty is that of A Different Kind Of Love, which allows EERA to shine once more on vocals. If EERA is a fixture of the upcoming tour, it will be superb. J. Willgoose, Esq. goes on to thank all the guests on The Last Flight.

Electra is a real gem on the record and clearly the centrepiece. As one of the focus tracks for the album, it has been aired at festivals over the summer.

“So that’s seven of nine from the new album,” announces J. Willgoose, Esq., we’ll not bring out the 20 piece orchestra for Howland.” Sarcastic boos ring out; it’s a challenge for five people with their equipment, let alone any more!

OLD ONES

A selection of ‘old ones’ are kicked off with the evergreen People Will Always Need Coal. The pounding drum and looped bass hypnotise. It gets pretty funky; it has flecks of Radiohead’s Everything In Its Right Place in its DNA. A driving crescendo wows. The small, sold out crowd, ramp up the applause.

Blue Heaven, from 2022’s Bright Magic again has EERA on the lead with J. Willgoose, Esq. and J. F. Abraham on backing vocals. Again, the song drives and the guitar hooks are out of this world. ‘Another one about a plane’ comes in the form of the omnipresent Spitfire. It’s just the four guys onstage now – a little picture of how it would have been back in the day before the bands emergence. The lead guitar line pierces.

GO!

Is Go! Public Service Broadcasting’s biggest hit? Potentially. From the reception of the crowd, you’d be forgiven for thinking so. With the end in sight, J. Willgoose, Esq. takes the mic one more time. “It’s been a treat for us to play Night & Day, and I hope for you too.” He introduces the band but forgets Wrigglesworth on the drums. Apparently he needs no intro as so he wasn’t given one! Chants of ‘Who are ya?!’ Break out.

A final comment comes in the form of ‘turning the last one up for the neighbours.’ For the uninitiated, Night & Day is a brilliant indie venue that has had to deal with, and I believe is stealing dealing with, a lot of legal wrangles around volume complaints from the neighbours. It’s apt that another Public Service Broadcasting’s biggies closes out the hour long set. Everest is opened with a solo flugelhorn before the band scale the heights once more. Plenty will have wanted more, but this was a treat of a show. There will be more to come on the full tour.

The Last Flight is a soaring success of a record and those who get to see Public Service Broadcasting on their forthcoming tour, will be in for a complete treat. All tour dates and ticket information can be found here. Just get ticket for the fun of it!

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