The Lemonheads – Albert Hall, Manchester – 7th October 2026

LEGENDS…ICONS

There was a definitive October chill in the air in Manchester on Wednesday night. The recent warm and sunny days had, all of a sudden, been replaced by a much more autumnal feel. This moodier, murkier night sky would, tonight, host rock… legends… icons… The Lemonheads. Touring their 2025 album, Love Chant, the 90s-popularised band from Boston arrived in Manchester with little fanfare and the sort of grunge laissez-faire attitude to promotion that we all love, really. I’ve written many times about the great setting of the Albert Hall, and tonight it felt intimate yet grand enough for a band of this longevity.

WILLY MASON

Prior to The Lemonheads taking the stage, it was Willy Mason who had the honour of being the warm-up act. Mason is a great songwriter, with a warm, languid New York accent. I distinctly remember coming across Where the Humans Eat in 2004 and being immediately captivated by it. The hit from that album, Oxygen, still bounces around several of my favourite playlists. Willy Mason writes clever, often surreal, blues-rock songs that meaningfully twist and turn. He walked on stage tonight, with his band, to a quiet ripple of applause — at this point, only a few dozen fans had arrived early enough for the start of his set.

I’ll call it now and say that those who hadn’t yet arrived missed a real treat. His set bounced through Into Tomorrow, Pickup Truck and The World That I Wanted as his band settled into the venue. Farley Glavin on bass lingered quietly against the rear stack, while Charlotte Ann Dole took stage-left with great enthusiasm. The crowd picked up, and more satisfying numbers gathered as Mason slipped through Where The Humans Eat and We Can Be Strong.

Thanking the crowd for attending the night, he took the stage to himself to deliver a fantastic rendition of Oxygen — the song that briefly put him on the map. A great support act leaves you clamouring for future tour dates and hints of releases; for Willy Mason, I did both, and it was great to connect with his music once again.

THE LEMONHEADS

The expectant Lemonheads crowd had streamed in now, and the venue, although not quite at capacity, maintained a bustling anticipation. With Carhartt jackets, Clarks Wallabees and Levi’s dominating the dress code, it was a tight demographic that welcomed the band on stage as they ambled towards their instruments. They were in no rush to start, but once The Great Big No was underway, there was no holding back.

Well — to be accurate — once Evan Dando had recognised that he was in the wrong key, stopped the song, reset and gone again, then there was no holding back. With his check-plaid suit jacket, long hair covering his face and tight black jeans, the 59-year-old continued the set with two songs, Roky and 58 Second Song, taken from the band’s 2025 release, Love Chant. The crowd welcomed these opening tracks with an euphoric response, and the band seemed appreciative of the applause.

Confetti saw Charlotte Ann Doyle and Nina Violet scurrying above and behind the stage to set off confetti cannons — there is something endearingly joyful about a tour that requires such excitable human involvement. And that human element struck me most when, during Into Your Arms — one of their most popular tracks — I looked out and down onto the crowd. For the first time in many, many years, there wasn’t a phone in sight; no one watching the gig through a pixelated screen: just fans enjoying the moment and the music. It was reassuring to see people still enjoying the music; it was almost surreal, and one can only hope it catches.

LIFTING THE SET

It was Into Your Arms that lifted the entire set and brought them into their next gear. It’s About Time was received with wholehearted choral harmony from the crowd; new track Togetherness Is All I’m After — taken from their latest album — felt every part the classic Lemonheads song. Nina Violet’s introduction, after her earlier escapades, brought some solid female punk to Bit Part as she let rip in that classic opening line. The gig then fully opened up as the band, tight as ever, ripped through the brilliant Down About It, Big Gay Heart — sung with gusto from large parts of the crowd — and The Turnpike Down.

There was then a momentary pause in the set as Evan Dando stripped it all back — even losing the plaid jacket. With acoustic guitar in hand, he wooed a grateful crowd with some stunning solo songs: Your Home Is Where You’re Happy feels like a song for all Mancunians, and the Townes Van Zandt cover To Live Is To Fly was one of the highlights of the night. Dando also pulled off a stunning version of The Outdoor Type and rounded his solo mini-set off with Being Around.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE LEMONHEADS

It’s that song that, back in 1993, made me fall in love with The Lemonheads — as an 11/12-year-old boy seeking artists who wrote songs of whim and meaning. Tonight, 30-plus years on, it holds that same magic. Yeah, he got a bit lost on one of the choruses, but stayed there and held the notes longer. Watching him live at this point was a moment I don’t think anyone there would forget. The band returned to round out the set with Here Today, Gone Tomorrow — a brilliant cover — before the ever-impressive It’s a Shame About Ray closed the night.

Back out in the cold Manchester night, there was an appreciative feel in the air. An oompah band who had performed next door, huddled smoking together outside The Lemonheads’ tour bus, was a surreal sight. It allowed a brief moment to look through the bus window, in which there was a cardboard sign about their hometown of Boston. Yet tonight, they made my Northern town theirs, and they will roll on to Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham and Europe without really knowing just how much they left behind of that 12-year-old boy tonight.

Love Chant is a solid addition to The Lemonheads’ discography, furthered by the ability of its songs to mix so well into a setlist of classic tracks. It tours extensively in America in 2027, showing there’s a lot of life left in the band yet. And for that, we should all be grateful. If a band can command a crowd to enjoy a gig without the need of a phone, and do so without saying a word, then the longevity can extend much further.

The Lemonheads: Website

Willy Mason: Website

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