PVRIS live at The Academy, Manchester

PVRIS returned to the UK with support from Charlotte Sands and Maggie Lindemann. See what Vicki thought when she went to opening night in Manchester.

PVRIS kicked off their 2023 tour in Manchester on January 22, supported by Charlotte Sands and Maggie Lindemann, and I was lucky enough to experience it! 

My first time on press for a show, and my first time at the Academy, the nerves quickly set in as I had to work out where I needed to be and what the protocol was, as I wasn’t just reviewing but taking photos. Bouncers were more than helpful in explaining where I needed to be, and when, though I won’t forget the one bouncer that seemed to speak to me in the tone you would use to entertain a toddler when I showed my pass. A condescending ‘oh isn’t that nice, how long have you done this’ before remembering he has a job to do and giving me the information that I needed. It was daunting enough being my first time, then finding that I was the only female photographer and only had a little DSLR camera.  

 A small detail that was over in seconds really. Once I was in place, it was only a few minutes until Charlotte Sands began her set. Charlotte is an up-and-coming name within the rock industry, and one that you should be excited for. An excellent performer, incredible stage presence. She communicates to the crowd and her band, it’s obvious that they all had great chemistry and enjoyed what they were doing. The songs are well-written, heartfelt and fun. I look forward to hearing more from Charlotte in the future.  

 Maggie Lindemann started her set after a short break. Confidence isn’t lacked within her set, and her music was alright. She also made most of the stage, but unfortunately, I can’t say that I enjoyed this set as much. The music wasn’t to my taste, the band didn’t seem like they wanted to be there. The crowd seemed to love this artist, but for me it, it lowered the energy that Charlotte Sands had created. 

 We were all there for PVRIS, and before we knew it, they were on. However, beforehand, they had requested no photos would be taken at the front of the stage. I’m not sure why, the only difference it made was taking a once respectful area of photographers and turned it into a competition, created pushing and competition for the best angles of Lynn Gunn.  

The performance was what I expected, an artistic lightshow with Lynn at the front and the boys in the background, although they were on raised platforms so you could see them just as well. They started the show with their most well-known singles, Animal and Monster. The setlist consisted of songs new and old, from their 2014 hit You and I, to a new, unreleased song Goddess – which is something to look forward to, being released within ‘the next few weeks’.

To be fair on Lynn, she had an alright stage presence despite having the odd song where she had guitar, and therefore was limited to wherever the mic stand was. I am also aware of her diagnoses of Crohn’s disease and ankylosing spondylitis, which could affect her performance. I would’ve liked to see more communication with the crowd and band, however. Every-so-often, she would address the crowd and praise their energy or introduce a song, but I find it a better experience when there’s a lot of interaction between artist and crowd. Take a moment to relax, I find that PVRIS take themselves too seriously in creating art and putting on a good show, and I understand the nerves. I appreciate there were many jokes about messing up songs, which was a nice personal touch, but all-in-all it seemed too stiff. Enjoy yourself.  

 As a whole, it was a good evening. It wasn’t all to my taste, but there wasn’t an artist that made me want to bury myself alive. The audience were hyped and responsive, be-it a little pushy.  

PVRIS will be touring the UK until January 26, then will be going further into Europe, tickets get snatched-up fast if you’d like to go! Keep your eyes peeled for the release of Goddess.