The Menzingers are a band I’ve been following for a while, having seen them live several times across the years. They’re currently in the middle of a UK tour, and I had the opportunity to head down to their show at Manchester Academy to see them perform for the first time in several years – I didn’t leave disappointed!

By Jane Howkins

The band brought two smaller punk acts on tour with them as support – Sincere Engineer and Joyce Manor. We caught the tail end of Sincere Engineer, who brought a frantic edge to their own brand of female fronted punk rock. Their music had a lot of passion, especially on the live stage, marking them as ones to watch for the future.

Keen followers of the pop-punk scene might be more aware of Joyce Manor, as they’ve been steadily rising through the ranks over the last couple of years. Their music borrows heavily from the classic pop-punk scene, also having a slightly heavier edge to it at times. I noticed quite a few people seemed to be there for them rather than the headliners, and the crowd reception was fantastic for a support band, so it won’t be long before they’re headlining venues like this themselves!

After a short wait, it was finally time for The Menzingers to hit the stage. They started out slowly with Gregor Barnett playing the beginning of Good Things by himself, breaking off shortly after the first verse. The rest of the band emerged to resume the song, as the crowd surged forwards and went wild. The crowd were rabid from the very start, singing along to every song, with the band clearly vibing off their interaction.

The set list mostly contained songs from the band’s last four albums, although older track, I Was Born, did appear at one point, making a nice bridge between the old and new. Some fans might be disappointed with the lack of older material, but if we’re being honest, the band’s sound has changed slightly since the release of In The Impossible Past, and for the better, in my opinion.

Nevertheless, every song played fit perfectly, showing just what a range of anthemic bangers this band has. From the political America (You’re Freaking Me Out), through to single Nice Things, all the way down to The Obituaries, the energy stayed high, with every word being sung back at the band by the audience.

Lookers emerged at the encore, seeing the crowd singing the entirety of the first verse instead of the band, showing just how loved The Menzingers really are. Other highlights included Ava House, After The Party, House On Fire and Gates, although every song sounded perfect in the moment. This was definitely a triumphant return for The Menzingers – I can’t wait to see them next time around!